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Post by marnvbc2 on May 10, 2024 13:43:18 GMT -5
marnvbc2 , I don't think it's a good idea to start posting rumors about a player and possible future honor code violations. I think you went too far in your last post. I think you should be careful about saying such things about an athlete even if you are privy to more information than the rest of us.
Edited by me to add the following:
I may not always like the way you state your opinions because they can be hard to follow, but I don't have a problem with your comments about the players' or coaches' performance. I'm pretty frustrated too by what I've seen, but please keep it to volleyball and not possible future behavior.
Zazu - I don't know if the rumors are true and I put it out there that I hope they aren't! But what I was told wasn't about "future" behavior. If they aren't true then time will be the judge and nothing will come of it. But these boards are full of rumors in almost every program. As you know, I don't shy away from expressing my opinions, but I understand where you are coming from. However, some people have contacted me directly and told me that there are things amiss with certain players as it relates to BYU honor code issues. I have never brought up these issues on this board. These are people whose kids play club, or now play college, or grew up in Nampa ID. They aren't in competition with a Bower girl. Because I haven't witnessed any of these allegations first hand, I haven't commented on them. Forcing players out of the program who are better players than what is on the roster is maddening but it becomes more of an issue if injury, honor code violations, transfers, or any other issues keep a player off the floor while forcing BYU model citizens from the roster (especially those that are elite athletes). But I get your point and I won't bring up any rumors regarding the honor code again. |
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Post by pelagius on May 10, 2024 14:02:37 GMT -5
This whole 5-2 issue also bothered me. Damuni can jump higher than Bower and actually played RT side at nationals open division when she wasn't setting. I am not saying that was a smart coaching move but Damuni is a better blocker than A Bower .... not close and so putting Bower in the front row and keeping Damuni in the back row was very telling and it was probably the point that I gave up on impartiality with Olmstead. Yeah, the 6-2 I get for a scrimmage even though BYU never runs a 6-2 in real games. It gives the staff a chance to see or evaluate more hitting on the right side. Running a 5-2 in a scrimmage doesn't let you look at more hitters or let the staff look at something they would likely do in a real match, so it did surprise me when they ran it. |
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Post by bbg95 on May 10, 2024 15:10:50 GMT -5
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Post by marnvbc2 on May 10, 2024 16:24:11 GMT -5
This whole 5-2 issue also bothered me. Damuni can jump higher than Bower and actually played RT side at nationals open division when she wasn't setting. I am not saying that was a smart coaching move but Damuni is a better blocker than A Bower .... not close and so putting Bower in the front row and keeping Damuni in the back row was very telling and it was probably the point that I gave up on impartiality with Olmstead. Yeah, the 6-2 I get for a scrimmage even though BYU never runs a 6-2 in real games. It gives the staff a chance to see or evaluate more hitting on the right side. Running a 5-2 in a scrimmage doesn't let you look at more hitters or let the staff look at something they would likely do in a real match, so it did surprise me when they ran it. I think running a 5-2 would be valid if you wanted to get a direct comparison of the 2 setters abilities on the front row. I thought that was what the BYU staff wanted when they chose to run a 5-2. But when Damuni wasn't allowed to play front row and Bower was, the hand writing was on the wall. Damuni would not start or play at BYU unless there was an injury to Bower. Hence the decision Damuni made to transfer. |
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Post by pelagius on May 10, 2024 23:39:54 GMT -5
BYU added a 2025 commit: Grace Fredrick, setter, listed as 5-11, Skyline High (Utah)
I'm assuming Damuni leaving led to an available scholarship and now they really need another setter for 2025 (Thunstrom's a senior). BYU moved quickly. Could be a PWO; but either way BYU moved quickly.
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Post by marnvbc2 on May 11, 2024 19:22:10 GMT -5
BYU added a 2025 commit: Grace Fredrick, setter, listed as 5-11, Skyline High (Utah)
I'm assuming Damuni leaving led to an available scholarship and now they really need another setter for 2025 (Thunstrom's a senior). BYU moved quickly. Could be a PWO; but either way BYU moved quickly.
http://instagram.com/p/C6z-6AvuH9I Grace Fredrick is not going to replace Bower. She may as well write off her career. Thunstrom might get in a match (she is actually a decent setter) if Bower gets hurt. Any setter not on the BYU roster now ..... will never play as long as A Bower is on the team. Recruiting a good setter just won't happen. Fredrick is a walk on. Surprisingly, to add insult to injury, Damuni was a walk on because her dad is a BYU employee. So losing Damuni was a killer, both from a competitive standpoint and a roster standpoint. It is just mind-boggling!
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Post by pelagius on May 11, 2024 19:27:48 GMT -5
Grace Fredrick is not going to replace Bower. She may as well write off her career. Thunstrom might get in a match (she is actually a decent setter) if Bower gets hurt. Any setter not on the BYU roster now ..... will never play as long as A Bower is on the team. Recruiting a good setter just won't happen. Fredrick is a walk on. Surprisingly, to add insult to injury, Damuni was a walk on because her dad is a BYU employee. So losing Damuni was a killer, both from a competitive standpoint and a roster standpoint. It is just mind-boggling! Yeah given her Dad's position, 1/2 tuition. So only 3,000 a year. |
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vvv
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Post by vvv on May 11, 2024 20:29:25 GMT -5
Agreed.... mind boggling. At the least Bower and Damuni should have battled it out fair and square and best one up. This new setter will help with practice play possibly, but A bower will take it from after practice on. I forgot about the half tuition.. Yikes... what a steal. But, again, it does not surprise me one bit that a setter with the caliber of Damuni would not settle for what was being handed her. I am actually happy for her; not happy for BYU, but happy for her.
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Post by bkedane on May 12, 2024 8:27:53 GMT -5
Agreed.... mind boggling. At the least Bower and Damuni should have battled it out fair and square and best one up. This new setter will help with practice play possibly, but A bower will take it from after practice on. I forgot about the half tuition.. Yikes... what a steal. But, again, it does not surprise me one bit that a setter with the caliber of Damuni would not settle for what was being handed her. I am actually happy for her; not happy for BYU, but happy for her. Was Damuni alloed to "battle it out" for the position in the practice gym? Or was that opportunity denied? |
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vvv
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Post by vvv on May 12, 2024 22:53:11 GMT -5
I am not sure about that? But, someone posted about Livingston being unhappy with how practice lineups were compared to what was played in spring matches? Maybe she was proving herself in practice and still not playing. Nevertheless, when I watched the U game and saw a bower lose the first two sets running a 5-1, I still don't get why they wouldn't try Damuni in the 3rd set as 5-1, but I think Olmstead had already made her mind up that Damuni would not play a 5-1 and therefore never allowed that to happen- only once apparantely when she actually won in the 5-1???
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Post by marnvbc2 on May 13, 2024 20:59:29 GMT -5
I quick overview of the the spring season gave no clear advantage to Bower over Damuni in the matches. In fact I would say that after watching film the advantage was Damuni. Damuni simply wasn't given a shot at the front row after she won in a 5-1 which tells us all we need to know about on court performance not being as important as favorites for Heather. But, either way you look at it, the 2 setters were close enough in performance (in Heather's mind) that she allowed them both to play. As most of you know, Heather puts the 1 team vs the 2 team in practice and A Bower was always, from day 1, on the 1 team. This type of coaching simply irritates good players and even the ones that aren't impacted in their particular position see what is happening. Heather can't get away with things she has gotten away with in the past. The WCC isn't as tough as the Big XII and she will lose way more matches in a given year in the B12 if she doesn't put the best athletes on her team and on the floor, than she did in the WCC. She can't get away with personality likes and dislikes when the coaching and the physical talent across the net is almost equal or greater than BYU's. You simply have to be on your A game with zero favorites and using the best lineups to win championships in this league. This season she will learn an expensive lesson.
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Post by marnvbc2 on May 13, 2024 21:18:01 GMT -5
I find a lot of these comments rather illuminating. Not to take away from the purpose of volleytalk, which is to foster discussion, but at the end of the day, none of the complaints about what Heather is doing with the setters, or who she favors and why, or thinking its a mistake for certain players playing certain positions, actually matters. Taking issue with a few less wins in any given season on pure speculation just isn't going to move the needle. She also gets a lot of USAV attention, so it's obvious that the larger coaching circles don't see her as some sort of loose cannon that can't be trusted with the coaching reigns. If the Bowers want to continually pop out kids to feed to the BYU womens volleyball program, more power to them. If Heather wants to favor those players, more power to her. If you don't like it as a fan, then don't support BYU volleyball. I also find it a bit hard to feel sorry for the players that still decide to go to BYU volleyball, knowing all of this. If we here on volleytalk are talking about these things, you can bet it's not a secret on the ground and in the club circles, yet these players continually CHOOSE BYU volleyball. It's like we know John Cook is a douche bag who lies, but elite players line up at the door waiting for a Nebraska offer. If these players are unhappy, either don't sign with BYU in the first place, or transfer, seems pretty cut and dry to me. Husky, I think your comments are what is taking shape now in regards to BYU. A lot of people just refused to see what was going on in the program and didn't want to believe it. Most people were mystified at the Lewis girl getting bagged, Madi Rob getting elevated, back row recruiting disaster after disaster and then the Meyer girl entered the pic. That got people thinking there is a problem, but W Bower was pretty good so most lived with it and assumed the best. Damuni is a whole level above that situation. Not because she was better than Meyer but because she is way better than Alex Bower. Plus, Meyer was from the Midwest and not many were familiar with her except high level club coaches. Damumi has a big presence in Utah and at the national level. If Meyer were from Utah all hell would have broken loose in BYU circles when she wasn't even allowed to see the court. Using "hell" in the Halloween context...... I think everyone will see the issue you have described unfold at BYU in the setting dept for the next 3-4 years. Heather better win or the voices in the ear of the athletic dept admin will get a lot louder. The same chilling impact will occur at OH if Eden gets that job gifted to her for the 3rd year in a row and then loses it again based on performance. But, I am sounding the alarm on A Bower setting her sister vs her sister's competition. Just watch location when so and so is on the floor vs when Eden is. It is like a quarterback having his brother as a wide receiver on the same team .... and being in competition with one other guy for the starting wide out position. Stuff just happens .. |
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Post by ay2013 on May 13, 2024 22:14:44 GMT -5
I find a lot of these comments rather illuminating. Not to take away from the purpose of volleytalk, which is to foster discussion, but at the end of the day, none of the complaints about what Heather is doing with the setters, or who she favors and why, or thinking its a mistake for certain players playing certain positions, actually matters. Taking issue with a few less wins in any given season on pure speculation just isn't going to move the needle. She also gets a lot of USAV attention, so it's obvious that the larger coaching circles don't see her as some sort of loose cannon that can't be trusted with the coaching reigns. If the Bowers want to continually pop out kids to feed to the BYU womens volleyball program, more power to them. If Heather wants to favor those players, more power to her. If you don't like it as a fan, then don't support BYU volleyball. I also find it a bit hard to feel sorry for the players that still decide to go to BYU volleyball, knowing all of this. If we here on volleytalk are talking about these things, you can bet it's not a secret on the ground and in the club circles, yet these players continually CHOOSE BYU volleyball. It's like we know John Cook is a douche bag who lies, but elite players line up at the door waiting for a Nebraska offer. If these players are unhappy, either don't sign with BYU in the first place, or transfer, seems pretty cut and dry to me. Husky, I think your comments are what is taking shape now in regards to BYU. A lot of people just refused to see what was going on in the program and didn't want to believe it. Most people were mystified at the Lewis girl getting bagged, Madi Rob getting elevated, back row recruiting disaster after disaster and then the Meyer girl entered the pic. That got people thinking there is a problem, but W Bower was pretty good so most lived with it and assumed the best. Damuni is a whole level above that situation. Not because she was better than Meyer but because she is way better than Alex Bower. Plus, Meyer was from the Midwest and not many were familiar with her except high level club coaches. Damumi has a big presence in Utah and at the national level. If Meyer were from Utah all hell would have broken loose in BYU circles when she wasn't even allowed to see the court. Using "hell" in the Halloween context...... I think everyone will see the issue you have described unfold at BYU in the setting dept for the next 3-4 years. Heather better win or the voices in the ear of the athletic dept admin will get a lot louder. The same chilling impact will occur at OH if Eden gets that job gifted to her for the 3rd year in a row and then loses it again based on performance. But, I am sounding the alarm on A Bower setting her sister vs her sister's competition. Just watch location when so and so is on the floor vs when Eden is. It is like a quarterback having his brother as a wide receiver on the same team .... and being in competition with one other guy for the starting wide out position. Stuff just happens .. Meh, I still feel like not looking as sharp to real volleyball followers or even the "potential" for a few less wins per year just isn't going to move the needle on Olmstead, but I guess we'll see. |
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Post by VB48 on May 13, 2024 22:54:16 GMT -5
BYU added a 2025 commit: Grace Fredrick, setter, listed as 5-11, Skyline High (Utah)
I'm assuming Damuni leaving led to an available scholarship and now they really need another setter for 2025 (Thunstrom's a senior). BYU moved quickly. Could be a PWO; but either way BYU moved quickly.
Grace Fredrick is not even the best setter on her own high school team... |
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Post by pelagius on May 13, 2024 23:12:22 GMT -5
Grace Fredrick is not even the best setter on her own high school team... Alofipo?
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