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Post by pelagius on Dec 20, 2023 16:17:15 GMT -5
I was trying to get bbg95 to do it, but it really is my turn.
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Post by azvb on Dec 20, 2023 17:40:14 GMT -5
I was trying to get bbg95 to do it, but it really is my turn. I started it last year, but failed miserably within one week of creating the thread!
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Post by kk1971 on Dec 23, 2023 14:33:25 GMT -5
As with past years, I will post a brief summary of the recruits that we know have signed with BYU for anyone who might be interested in knowing more about who we are signing. I have no inside information on any of these incoming recruits, so some of you may well know more than I. If so, please share. I have always loved recruiting, watch a fair amount of film (where available) and as I have said before, like to have a sense for how good (or not) incoming players might be. Let's start with someone who frankly is intriguing to me: Abby Hoybjerg, who may be the "sleeper" of the class. Intriguing, because she missed all of this past season with a knee injury and only played in 19 sets her Junior Year due to a broken foot. She will come in as a 6'2" outside hitter, has good hops, a powerful arm, a nice high point of contact, is a good blocker (played MB too) and played 6 rotations prior to injuries for both Oak Ridge (a very good CA high school) and for Synergy Force. Before her injury, she was good enough to be a main contributor as a Sophomore on a high school team that was a win away from winning a championship, and was named by Prepvolleyball as a top 150 recruit for 2024 (no idea if she is no longer on the list due to injury as I am no longer a subscriber). As a Junior against good competition hit .404 prior to breaking her foot. Here is a highlight video from prior to her latest injuy: www.maxpreps.com/ca/el-dorado-hills/oak-ridge-trojans/athletes/abby-hoybjerg/media/videos/?careerid=1adpg7t8pqlbbHere is her signing her NLI: http://instagram.com/p/CzZzZmnvQMa www.instagram.com/abbyhoybjerg/p/C0DGSyRJi1T/My summary is I really like this signing. Due to injury, it is hard to know what we have here as I have no idea where she is at with her recovery. I imagine Heather saw her in camps and liked what she saw enough to offer. She was clearly a very good player prior to injury. From what I have seen, she has a great volleyball frame, is a good athlete and is a really nice addition to the 2024 class. Intriguing, right?
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Post by pelagius on Dec 24, 2023 15:55:33 GMT -5
Happy to see the recruit backgrounds again. Other than keeping track of who has committed and signed, I try not to create expectations until I see them playing against college level competition. It will be nice to at least see a few of the 2024 signees in the spring games.
In general, I think Olmstead and staff have done a pretty good job in terms of recruiting. Every class the last 6-7 years has been highly rated. Of course, H. Olmstead and staff have been around long enough that we can identify weaknesses too. In general (and I know I am not alone in this) they look like the following to me:
1. Identifying and signing good passing littles. The 2019/20 groups were particularly weak. I think the recent littles signed are better, but they need to more than a little better. Hopefully, Uluave or Johnson can develop into something close to Hiapo.
2. I am not sure we've signed enough pins that projected to high level ball control outsides. Most have looked (at least to me) like three rotation bangers that they hoped they could develop into six rotation outsides. I do think this problem is likely solved in the next few years because of Little.
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Post by VB48 on Dec 24, 2023 18:53:34 GMT -5
In regard to Kaieva Johnson transfer. I tend to watch some Utah Volleyball so I do remember watching her play this last year. In particular, I remember her from their Utah State match early in the season and the Stanford match late in the season. She actually did play a lot of backrow for Utah as a DS. She played both in right back and center back for Utah at times. By the end of the season she was a regular DS and seemed to be rotating with Gibaldo; earlier in the season I think she rotated more often with the Opposite. In the middle of the season, she didn't play as much. For example, she didn't play much against BYU. So here are my small sample impressions, done without stats, and subject to all kinds of cognitive biases. I actually think she's a pretty solid add. My small sample impression is that she's ahead of both both Billeter and Miller as passers, has a nice platform, and has good coverage range. I don't remember her serving much. Is she going to become an elite or near elite backrow player, I doubt it (she does seem quite athletic so it's possible). I do think she's likely to be a solid backrow player for the next three years. I think she's the type of player that would be near ideal in the role as the number two backrow little behind a very good libero. Kaieva tore her ACL at the start of high school season, and missed both high school and club her senior year. Prior to getting hurt, many felt she was outplaying both Brielle Miller and and Kam Rodriguez (Utah State Libero), with all 3 playing for the same club.
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Post by kk1971 on Jan 10, 2024 17:28:03 GMT -5
I have been travelling so a bit of a delay in posting this next signed recruit "preview." This next one is for another member of this upcoming class that I am excited to see in action, mostly because once again I believe they have a lot of upside but we don't have a lot of tape against top competition to prove it. However, unlike in Hoybjerg's case where it was due to injuries, this time its due to playing out of position to help the team. And this time, its Kathleen Lulu Uluave (she goes by Lulu). Here is her signing: . Lulu is 5'8", is from Oahu, is a really great athlete who comes from a family of athletes and loves to surf. Stats for her are somewhat meaningless as, again, she has played out of what will be her natural college position (libero) because she was still usually her team's best pin option due to her athleticism. But that is a perfect place to start for Lulu, as she is a natural leader and individual who will sacrifice for the team. As some of you know, volleyball gets a lot of media attention in Hawaii, but you get a clear sense of how respected Lulu is on the islands as being selfless and a leader on the team from some of these articles and videos: scoringlive.com/story.php?storyid=19513 and www.staradvertiser.com/2023/09/05/sports/hawaii-prep-world/lulu-uluave-brings-elite-skiils-a-high-volleyball-iq-and-leadership-qualities-for-no-1-punahou/ (subscription required). Some post match interviews: www.instagram.com/reel/CzbyxW5NPxW/ and www.instagram.com/reel/CxJIqtXt_61/You also get an idea of her athleticism and jumping ability in seeing her angle of attack as an outside (as high as many taller players)--she jumps really well and explodes into the ball: www.fieldlevel.com/app/profile/kathleen.luluuluave/volleyballwomen/videos/1259495?t=undefined. As a senior, she made #3 on the "Fab 15" list of the Star Advertiser and was also all-state: www.scribd.com/document/693023207/All-state-girls-volleyball-2023. She as on John Tawa's list of Top Performers by State at mid-season: volleyballmag.com/national-hs-volleyball-midseason-watch-list-101823/My summary on Lulu is that I really like this signing too. She is an outstanding athlete, leader and individual. She will be a great cultural fit for BYU; I think this is the kind of signing that will mean BYU won’t have to go after the Hiapo’s and McCombers in the transfer portal later on. Playing a very good pin but only standing 5'8" means she likely won’t make a lot of national rankings as an outside but does give you lots of clues about how athletic she really is. Her drive and work ethic (and our coaching) will determine her ceiling but I like what I see. Again, I really like this signing.
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Post by azvb on Jan 11, 2024 0:46:41 GMT -5
I have been travelling so a bit of a delay in posting this next signed recruit "preview." This next one is for another member of this upcoming class that I am excited to see in action, mostly because once again I believe they have a lot of upside but we don't have a lot of tape against top competition to prove it. However, unlike in Hoybjerg's case where it was due to injuries, this time its due to playing out of position to help the team. And this time, its Kathleen Lulu Uluave (she goes by Lulu). Here is her signing: . Lulu is 5'8", is from Oahu, is a really great athlete who comes from a family of athletes and loves to surf. Stats for her are somewhat meaningless as, again, she has played out of what will be her natural college position (libero) because she was still usually her team's best pin option due to her athleticism. But that is a perfect place to start for Lulu, as she is a natural leader and individual who will sacrifice for the team. As some of you know, volleyball gets a lot of media attention in Hawaii, but you get a clear sense of how respected Lulu is on the islands as being selfless and a leader on the team from some of these articles and videos: scoringlive.com/story.php?storyid=19513 and www.staradvertiser.com/2023/09/05/sports/hawaii-prep-world/lulu-uluave-brings-elite-skiils-a-high-volleyball-iq-and-leadership-qualities-for-no-1-punahou/ (subscription required). Some post match interviews: www.instagram.com/reel/CzbyxW5NPxW/ and www.instagram.com/reel/CxJIqtXt_61/You also get an idea of her athleticism and jumping ability in seeing her angle of attack as an outside (as high as many taller players)--she jumps really well and explodes into the ball: www.fieldlevel.com/app/profile/kathleen.luluuluave/volleyballwomen/videos/1259495?t=undefined. As a senior, she made #3 on the "Fab 15" list of the Star Advertiser and was also all-state: www.scribd.com/document/693023207/All-state-girls-volleyball-2023. She as on John Tawa's list of Top Performers by State at mid-season: volleyballmag.com/national-hs-volleyball-midseason-watch-list-101823/My summary on Lulu is that I really like this signing too. She is an outstanding athlete, leader and individual. She will be a great cultural fit for BYU; I think this is the kind of signing that will mean BYU won’t have to go after the Hiapo’s and McCombers in the transfer portal later on. Playing a very good pin but only standing 5'8" means she likely won’t make a lot of national rankings as an outside but does give you lots of clues about how athletic she really is. Her drive and work ethic (and our coaching) will determine her ceiling but I like what I see. Again, I really like this signing. Reminds me of Hiapo. She was a great OH in high school.
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Post by kk1971 on Jan 11, 2024 9:48:12 GMT -5
I have been travelling so a bit of a delay in posting this next signed recruit "preview." This next one is for another member of this upcoming class that I am excited to see in action, mostly because once again I believe they have a lot of upside but we don't have a lot of tape against top competition to prove it. However, unlike in Hoybjerg's case where it was due to injuries, this time its due to playing out of position to help the team. And this time, its Kathleen Lulu Uluave (she goes by Lulu). Here is her signing: . Lulu is 5'8", is from Oahu, is a really great athlete who comes from a family of athletes and loves to surf. Stats for her are somewhat meaningless as, again, she has played out of what will be her natural college position (libero) because she was still usually her team's best pin option due to her athleticism. But that is a perfect place to start for Lulu, as she is a natural leader and individual who will sacrifice for the team. As some of you know, volleyball gets a lot of media attention in Hawaii, but you get a clear sense of how respected Lulu is on the islands as being selfless and a leader on the team from some of these articles and videos: scoringlive.com/story.php?storyid=19513 and www.staradvertiser.com/2023/09/05/sports/hawaii-prep-world/lulu-uluave-brings-elite-skiils-a-high-volleyball-iq-and-leadership-qualities-for-no-1-punahou/ (subscription required). Some post match interviews: www.instagram.com/reel/CzbyxW5NPxW/ and www.instagram.com/reel/CxJIqtXt_61/You also get an idea of her athleticism and jumping ability in seeing her angle of attack as an outside (as high as many taller players)--she jumps really well and explodes into the ball: www.fieldlevel.com/app/profile/kathleen.luluuluave/volleyballwomen/videos/1259495?t=undefined. As a senior, she made #3 on the "Fab 15" list of the Star Advertiser and was also all-state: www.scribd.com/document/693023207/All-state-girls-volleyball-2023. She as on John Tawa's list of Top Performers by State at mid-season: volleyballmag.com/national-hs-volleyball-midseason-watch-list-101823/My summary on Lulu is that I really like this signing too. She is an outstanding athlete, leader and individual. She will be a great cultural fit for BYU; I think this is the kind of signing that will mean BYU won’t have to go after the Hiapo’s and McCombers in the transfer portal later on. Playing a very good pin but only standing 5'8" means she likely won’t make a lot of national rankings as an outside but does give you lots of clues about how athletic she really is. Her drive and work ethic (and our coaching) will determine her ceiling but I like what I see. Again, I really like this signing. Reminds me of Hiapo. She was a great OH in high school. Me too! This is the kind of signing that likely gets overshadowed by higher profile, higher ranked recruits. But in the end, I think she will be terrific for us.
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Post by kk1971 on Jan 11, 2024 17:36:10 GMT -5
Guess I wasn't fast enough to get my preview's out before the official announcement: byucougars.com/news/2024/01/11/four-newcomers-join-byu-during-winter-semesterA few observations from this, though: (1) Having a Bower on campus after graduating early might bode well for her chances of possibly being the #1 setter come fall. I really like Silina Damuni, and I also think Alex will be elite as well; so an interesting battle there for sure; (2) Interesting to me that Hoybjerg is listed as a MB and not an Outside, and that she is listed at all for Spring. I think the MB move might be the Allie Hake's replacement plan as I think Abby is a bit undersized to be a high level D1 MB but we will see, and I think the fact that she is joining the team now tells us her injury is fully in the rear view mirror--good news for her! (3) I really like that Johnson will have the Spring to make her case to be a significant factor in the DS/Libero conversation. In my opinion, this is easily our biggest area of need, so getting her in sooner to help her get acclimated is only a good thing. My .02
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Post by pelagius on Feb 1, 2024 17:43:28 GMT -5
Some instagram posts about the new players:
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Post by marnvbc2 on Feb 4, 2024 3:52:12 GMT -5
Like how many Bower's exist in the world and will BYU volleyball ever be without one on a volleyball roster ever again and what happens when one rebels against the world and goes to Utah
You can see in Alex Bower's signing pics that there are three more after Alex. I would like to make a deal where BYU gets one of the Burgess kids for a Bower swap (simply for some diversification).
I don't mind having a Bower on the roster if they are legit starter material. It will be interesting to see which setter Heather starts. I know which one is the best, but that doesn't mean she will start or even get a shot because Alex Bower could be handed the job. Damuni is the simply the best. She should start every match. Alex should be redshirted. As for that talented Burgess clan, I wasn't ever impressed with the work ethic or maturity of oldest girl. Maybe she will grow up at Oklahoma. She is with another Club V girl on that OK roster so maybe they will hit it off? Her younger sister offers more potential than the older sister and I will not be shocked if she starts at Kansas as a freshman. Rumors swirl about her mental makeup but I think she moves well and has a solid handle on the game. The younger sister is the most talented. I haven't see all the younger Bower girls but the one right under Alex isn't a major prospect as a passer. Her mom has tried to get her recognized at every event and level of club and even national team recog to no avail. She is a Morgan Bower but that doesn't mean that Heather won't give her a scholly. I suspect that trojansc is right and one of the Bowers will defect to Utah, but that program is terrible so it won't be a good move by the Bower family. I just don't think Heather will tempt fate by not recruiting all the Bower girls.
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Post by marnvbc2 on Feb 4, 2024 4:06:38 GMT -5
In regard to Kaieva Johnson transfer. I tend to watch some Utah Volleyball so I do remember watching her play this last year. In particular, I remember her from their Utah State match early in the season and the Stanford match late in the season. She actually did play a lot of backrow for Utah as a DS. She played both in right back and center back for Utah at times. By the end of the season she was a regular DS and seemed to be rotating with Gibaldo; earlier in the season I think she rotated more often with the Opposite. In the middle of the season, she didn't play as much. For example, she didn't play much against BYU. So here are my small sample impressions, done without stats, and subject to all kinds of cognitive biases. I actually think she's a pretty solid add. My small sample impression is that she's ahead of both both Billeter and Miller as passers, has a nice platform, and has good coverage range. I don't remember her serving much. Is she going to become an elite or near elite backrow player, I doubt it (she does seem quite athletic so it's possible). I do think she's likely to be a solid backrow player for the next three years. I think she's the type of player that would be near ideal in the role as the number two backrow little behind a very good libero. We played against her club team and I agree with you pelagius. Johnson is a good passer and better than Miller and Billeter. From what I was told she wanted to go to BYU out of hs but Miller was recommended by the owner of Club V as the best DS. She wasn't! That doesn't excuse BYU from watching and evaluating her. I think Johnson's club team had the MB, Jepsen who went to Pitt. The current UVU assistant coach was head coach of the top V team and well .... you can see how his talent evaluation is at the college level. Johnson will work her way into the lineup and be a quality DS. I can't find my notes but I don't think she has a great serve so we will see how that works out.
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Post by marnvbc2 on Feb 4, 2024 4:16:15 GMT -5
I have been travelling so a bit of a delay in posting this next signed recruit "preview." This next one is for another member of this upcoming class that I am excited to see in action, mostly because once again I believe they have a lot of upside but we don't have a lot of tape against top competition to prove it. However, unlike in Hoybjerg's case where it was due to injuries, this time its due to playing out of position to help the team. And this time, its Kathleen Lulu Uluave (she goes by Lulu). Here is her signing: . Lulu is 5'8", is from Oahu, is a really great athlete who comes from a family of athletes and loves to surf. Stats for her are somewhat meaningless as, again, she has played out of what will be her natural college position (libero) because she was still usually her team's best pin option due to her athleticism. But that is a perfect place to start for Lulu, as she is a natural leader and individual who will sacrifice for the team. As some of you know, volleyball gets a lot of media attention in Hawaii, but you get a clear sense of how respected Lulu is on the islands as being selfless and a leader on the team from some of these articles and videos: scoringlive.com/story.php?storyid=19513 and www.staradvertiser.com/2023/09/05/sports/hawaii-prep-world/lulu-uluave-brings-elite-skiils-a-high-volleyball-iq-and-leadership-qualities-for-no-1-punahou/ (subscription required). Some post match interviews: www.instagram.com/reel/CzbyxW5NPxW/ and www.instagram.com/reel/CxJIqtXt_61/You also get an idea of her athleticism and jumping ability in seeing her angle of attack as an outside (as high as many taller players)--she jumps really well and explodes into the ball: www.fieldlevel.com/app/profile/kathleen.luluuluave/volleyballwomen/videos/1259495?t=undefined. As a senior, she made #3 on the "Fab 15" list of the Star Advertiser and was also all-state: www.scribd.com/document/693023207/All-state-girls-volleyball-2023. She as on John Tawa's list of Top Performers by State at mid-season: volleyballmag.com/national-hs-volleyball-midseason-watch-list-101823/My summary on Lulu is that I really like this signing too. She is an outstanding athlete, leader and individual. She will be a great cultural fit for BYU; I think this is the kind of signing that will mean BYU won’t have to go after the Hiapo’s and McCombers in the transfer portal later on. Playing a very good pin but only standing 5'8" means she likely won’t make a lot of national rankings as an outside but does give you lots of clues about how athletic she really is. Her drive and work ethic (and our coaching) will determine her ceiling but I like what I see. Again, I really like this signing. This is also a signing I really like. BYU has missed a lot of OH's who aren't D1 level but are certainly passers at a high level. I have harped on this type of recruiting and reassignment by the Cougars and they might have hit on one with Lulu. I have only seen her play twice and even then it was quick.
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BYU 2024
Feb 4, 2024 7:44:37 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by bkedane on Feb 4, 2024 7:44:37 GMT -5
How the setting situation resolves is perhaps the most important issue.
Unlike marnvbc2 I have not been in the spring practice gym to know which setter is doing better.
I'm surprised by the suggestion that the coaches won't start the better of the two in the Fall. That not common in high level D1 play is it? Coaches at this level mostly try to win in my experience.
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Post by azvb on Feb 4, 2024 17:51:00 GMT -5
So, where is Johnny Neeley?
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