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Post by jwvolley on Apr 14, 2024 17:49:37 GMT -5
I was very vocally more bullish on Nebraska last year than most, and pointed to stretches of sketchy play even whilst winning. I don’t have those doubts about them going into this next season. Even though I’m not a fan, objectively my prediction for 1, 2, 3 is Nebraska, Wisconsin, Penn State/Purdue (can’t decide. Tie?) Don't you mean less bullish?
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Post by badgerbyproxy on Apr 14, 2024 17:56:04 GMT -5
Re Wisconsin, IMO, their biggest issues the last couple seasons hasn't been the setting, it's been passing and defense, at the margins. Not really sure where Charlie F. helps there, but whatever. Also, I find it rather hilarious that people are using the phrase "big/massive upgrade" when talking about players who have NEVER PLAYED IN COLLEGE BEFORE. I'm not saying Starck and Fuerbringer can't or won't be good, but just "expecting" them to be great in their first year just seems kind of silly, especially in a conference as strong as the Big 10. Considering that Stark and Fuerbringer are replacing Podraza and Ashburn/Hammill respectively, it’s definitely an upgrade 😜 Plus, it’s not like there isn’t past precedent for freshman setters to step up: Carlini (CFOY & 2nd team AA), Selliger-Swenson (CFOY & 2nd team AA), Hilley (honorable mention AA), Reilly (CSOY & 2nd team AA), Jenna Gray (set to a national championship), Swindle (set to a national championship), Grome (CFOY & AA), Miner (CFOY), and Stucky (CFOY & 3rd team AA) are just a few examples of freshman setters who stepped up and had stellar seasons in their first year. Were there learning curves? Absolutely, they’re freshman. But elite programs recruit elite talent, and Fuerbringer and Starck should both be very good.
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Post by dizzydean on Apr 14, 2024 17:59:43 GMT -5
Re: Purdue, I have faith in their ability to develop one. They’ve been good at that position for years.
Charlie and Starck are “upgrades” because we’ve seen what they’ve done every step of the way so far.
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Post by hornshouse23 on Apr 14, 2024 18:05:16 GMT -5
I was very vocally more bullish on Nebraska last year than most, and pointed to stretches of sketchy play even whilst winning. I don’t have those doubts about them going into this next season. Even though I’m not a fan, objectively my prediction for 1, 2, 3 is Nebraska, Wisconsin, Penn State/Purdue (can’t decide. Tie?) Don't you mean less bullish? Less is more.
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Post by ay2013 on Apr 14, 2024 18:13:21 GMT -5
Re: Purdue, I have faith in their ability to develop one. They’ve been good at that position for years. Charlie and Starck are “upgrades” because we’ve seen what they’ve done every step of the way so far. You've seen what Charlie and Starck have done with their college teams? Interesting.
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Post by VolleyBurg96 on Apr 14, 2024 18:22:14 GMT -5
Minnesota to Washington mainly built I’ll take them all if you feel like it 💀 The middle is definitely a mess but here’s my thought process: 1. Wisconsin - there is some bias based on Wisconsin being my fav team, but I do think they have a good chance of taking the title back. They return the NPOY along with three other All-Americans. While they are losing both setters/captains, Fuerbringer is a big upgrade, and having an extra week of pre-season training will help build the connections with the Badger giantesses. Not much depth at OH, but we won a natty and three conference titles with Loberg so it’s realistic. 2. Nebraska - bring back nearly all of their starters and bring in some great transfers, but I have concerns with 1) ego and 2) Cook getting in his own way. Nebraska looked rough during the second half of Big 10 play this year, and a lot of teams are making upgrades this year. 3. Penn State - massive upgrade at setter and raided the Nebraska bench. 4. Purdue - one of the best OH duos and a great blocking team, but concerns at opposite and who can fill Schermerhorn’s jersey. 5. Minnesota - their roster’s thin in a lot of places (middle & L/DS), but based on their spring play so far and K Cook’s familiarity with the PAC 12 teams, I think they’ll be in good shape (especially if they run Swenson at setter). 6. USC - I don’t know as much about their roster, but I think they’ll perform the best of the PAC 12 schools. If they are bringing in Kahahawai as rumor has it, they could be a top 5 threat. 7. Oregon - great team last year, but pretty much all their starters save Colyer graduated. They’re supposed to have good talent on the bench and I’ll trust that, but I don’t see them being as much of a powerhouse as last year. 8. Indiana - they’ve been on an upward trajectory the last few years, and I think they’re going to work as hard as they can to get Haworth to an NCAA tournament in her final year. I think they’ll win the matches they should, but I don’t see them causing too many upsets. 9. Ohio State - last year’s roster was very young and went through some major growing pains, but a year of experience plus having Londot and Rader back will be a boon to their chances. And hopefully JFO schedules a smarter pre-conference. 10. Illinois - Terry’s gonna carry, but I don’t see them doing better than middle of the pack if they don’t figure out their passing woes. 11. Michigan State - I liked last year’s team and think Leah Johnson had them on the right track, but I don’t know if they’ll have the talent to break out of the middle. 12. UCLA - I don’t follow them as closely, but only being in their second year under a new coach, I think it’ll take a bit of time to climb up the ranks. 13. Washington - see UCLA, but I put UCLA above Washington based on their head-to-head from last year. 14. Maryland - Glad that Csire and Dowler are returning cuz otherwise they’d be closer to Iowa. 15. Michigan - they’ll have their coach there for all their matches and Jacobs will be back for her final year. They’ll certainly be better than last year at least. 16. Rutgers - I don’t think Rutgers will ever fully climb out of the basement, but Schweihofer has moved them up from the bottom of the Big 10 barrel. 17. Iowa - would be last but Northwestern’s off-season has been tragic. 18. Northwestern - bless this mess. OP: “Nebraska looked rough the second half of B1G play” NE: Goes on to win the title for the B1G and precedes to go to the national championship game without a senior on the court… I have no hate for the badgers, but wtf is this take 🤣
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Post by ay2013 on Apr 14, 2024 18:24:07 GMT -5
Re Wisconsin, IMO, their biggest issues the last couple seasons hasn't been the setting, it's been passing and defense, at the margins. Not really sure where Charlie F. helps there, but whatever. Also, I find it rather hilarious that people are using the phrase "big/massive upgrade" when talking about players who have NEVER PLAYED IN COLLEGE BEFORE. I'm not saying Starck and Fuerbringer can't or won't be good, but just "expecting" them to be great in their first year just seems kind of silly, especially in a conference as strong as the Big 10. Considering that Stark and Fuerbringer are replacing Podraza and Ashburn/Hammill respectively, it’s definitely an upgrade 😜 Plus, it’s not like there isn’t past precedent for freshman setters to step up: Carlini (CFOY & 2nd team AA), Selliger-Swenson (CFOY & 2nd team AA), Hilley (honorable mention AA), Reilly (CSOY & 2nd team AA), Jenna Gray (set to a national championship), Swindle (set to a national championship), Grome (CFOY & AA), Miner (CFOY), and Stucky (CFOY & 3rd team AA) are just a few examples of freshman setters who stepped up and had stellar seasons in their first year. Were there learning curves? Absolutely, they’re freshman. But elite programs recruit elite talent, and Fuerbringer and Starck should both be very good. Just to be clear, I never said freshman setters can't "step up", but stepping into a role is much different than making the claim that they will be big/massive upgrades over their predecessors in year one. Also, over half of the players you mentioned above (Gray, Swindle, Grome, Miner, Hilley) weren't actually better in their first year than their predecessors. I also agree with you, elite programs recruit elite talent, and I do agree that Charlie F. and Starck are elite talent, but that talent doesn't actually always come to fruition, especially in year one. Those same programs Wisconsin/Penn State have recruited elite talent for some time, and for every success story I can point out a highly recruited player that did NOT pan out. Again, I'm not saying Izzy or Charlie can't or won't be good/very good in their first year, but, in particular for Wisconsin, their setting wasn't bad last year to begin with, so making the claim that a freshman, who isn't even with the team yet, is going to come in and be some massive upgrade just seems like an opinion that isn't really based in reason. Podraza was wildly inconsistent last year (after having a rather strong year at Ohio State just the year prior), so I will say that Starck could surely improve on that overall performance, but, IMO, the reason why I think Penn State will be better next year than last year has less to do with the setting and more to do with the experience at the pins. Also, sometimes you don't really NEED exceptional setting in order to be great. Swindle is a perfect example, she was a serviceable setter, Texas did not win the title last year because Swindle was out there being an elite setter. I don't think Penn State OR Wisconsin needs a noticeable upgrade in setter in order to be very good next year.
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Post by uofaGRAD on Apr 14, 2024 18:24:08 GMT -5
Re Wisconsin, IMO, their biggest issues the last couple seasons hasn't been the setting, it's been passing and defense, at the margins. Not really sure where Charlie F. helps there, but whatever. I agree that setting wasn’t their biggest issue but there were a lot of matches where MJ couldn’t have set Victor Wembanyama😭
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Post by badgerbyproxy on Apr 14, 2024 18:44:36 GMT -5
The middle is definitely a mess but here’s my thought process: 1. Wisconsin - there is some bias based on Wisconsin being my fav team, but I do think they have a good chance of taking the title back. They return the NPOY along with three other All-Americans. While they are losing both setters/captains, Fuerbringer is a big upgrade, and having an extra week of pre-season training will help build the connections with the Badger giantesses. Not much depth at OH, but we won a natty and three conference titles with Loberg so it’s realistic. 2. Nebraska - bring back nearly all of their starters and bring in some great transfers, but I have concerns with 1) ego and 2) Cook getting in his own way. Nebraska looked rough during the second half of Big 10 play this year, and a lot of teams are making upgrades this year. 3. Penn State - massive upgrade at setter and raided the Nebraska bench. 4. Purdue - one of the best OH duos and a great blocking team, but concerns at opposite and who can fill Schermerhorn’s jersey. 5. Minnesota - their roster’s thin in a lot of places (middle & L/DS), but based on their spring play so far and K Cook’s familiarity with the PAC 12 teams, I think they’ll be in good shape (especially if they run Swenson at setter). 6. USC - I don’t know as much about their roster, but I think they’ll perform the best of the PAC 12 schools. If they are bringing in Kahahawai as rumor has it, they could be a top 5 threat. 7. Oregon - great team last year, but pretty much all their starters save Colyer graduated. They’re supposed to have good talent on the bench and I’ll trust that, but I don’t see them being as much of a powerhouse as last year. 8. Indiana - they’ve been on an upward trajectory the last few years, and I think they’re going to work as hard as they can to get Haworth to an NCAA tournament in her final year. I think they’ll win the matches they should, but I don’t see them causing too many upsets. 9. Ohio State - last year’s roster was very young and went through some major growing pains, but a year of experience plus having Londot and Rader back will be a boon to their chances. And hopefully JFO schedules a smarter pre-conference. 10. Illinois - Terry’s gonna carry, but I don’t see them doing better than middle of the pack if they don’t figure out their passing woes. 11. Michigan State - I liked last year’s team and think Leah Johnson had them on the right track, but I don’t know if they’ll have the talent to break out of the middle. 12. UCLA - I don’t follow them as closely, but only being in their second year under a new coach, I think it’ll take a bit of time to climb up the ranks. 13. Washington - see UCLA, but I put UCLA above Washington based on their head-to-head from last year. 14. Maryland - Glad that Csire and Dowler are returning cuz otherwise they’d be closer to Iowa. 15. Michigan - they’ll have their coach there for all their matches and Jacobs will be back for her final year. They’ll certainly be better than last year at least. 16. Rutgers - I don’t think Rutgers will ever fully climb out of the basement, but Schweihofer has moved them up from the bottom of the Big 10 barrel. 17. Iowa - would be last but Northwestern’s off-season has been tragic. 18. Northwestern - bless this mess. OP: “Nebraska looked rough the second half of B1G play” NE: Goes on to win the title for the B1G and precedes to go to the national championship game without a senior on the court… I have no hate for the badgers, but wtf is this take 🤣 An observant one. Nebraska’s service pressure deteriorated and they were serving lollipops over the net (if they made it over the net). They went from running a balanced offense to spamming the left pin. They allowed weaker opponents to hang around longer than they should (sets 3&4 against Illinois, first two sets against NW; LIU Brooklyn, etc.). Maybe they were “playing down” to their opponents, but with competitive as this team was, shouldn’t have been the case. 🤷♂️
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Post by ay2013 on Apr 14, 2024 18:48:27 GMT -5
OP: “Nebraska looked rough the second half of B1G play” NE: Goes on to win the title for the B1G and precedes to go to the national championship game without a senior on the court… I have no hate for the badgers, but wtf is this take 🤣 An observant one. Nebraska’s service pressure deteriorated and they were serving lollipops over the net (if they made it over the net). They went from running a balanced offense to spamming the left pin. They allowed weaker opponents to hang around longer than they should (sets 3&4 against Illinois, first two sets against NW; LIU Brooklyn, etc.). Maybe they were “playing down” to their opponents, but with competitive as this team was, shouldn’t have been the case. 🤷♂️ If your biggest knock on a team that lost two matches last year is that they can serve tougher and the distribute the ball better, those seem like very fixable issues.
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Post by badgerbyproxy on Apr 14, 2024 18:59:20 GMT -5
An observant one. Nebraska’s service pressure deteriorated and they were serving lollipops over the net (if they made it over the net). They went from running a balanced offense to spamming the left pin. They allowed weaker opponents to hang around longer than they should (sets 3&4 against Illinois, first two sets against NW; LIU Brooklyn, etc.). Maybe they were “playing down” to their opponents, but with competitive as this team was, shouldn’t have been the case. 🤷♂️ If your biggest knock on a team that lost two matches last year is that they can serve tougher and the distribute the ball better, those seem like very fixable issues. If they’re very fixable issues than they should’ve been addressed last season, but they weren’t, so…
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Post by jwvolley on Apr 14, 2024 19:03:38 GMT -5
Yea, let's point to Nebraska's issues from those matches they won and ignore things like Wisconsin's presumptive L2 for this upcoming season hitting .128 this past year or GG passing a 1.95 on the entire season for her second year in the program.
Also, wanna know a big part of Nebraska not being dominant at times? Maybe the outside hitter who, as I said, hit under .200 in conference. The one they're replacing with a former B1G POY. It's amusing to me that Charlie is a for sure upgrade but Landfair isn't.
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Post by VolleyBurg96 on Apr 14, 2024 19:07:37 GMT -5
Yea, let's point to Nebraska's issues from those matches they won and ignore things like Wisconsin's presumptive L2 for this upcoming season hitting .128 this past year or GG passing a 1.95 on the entire season for her second year in the program. it’s truly a worms for brains take… Like I’m sorry, but I’m betting on the team that graduated no seniors and brought in a 2x AA outside pin over a team that graduated their 6-2 system setters and has no clear libero on the court…
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Post by texasfight on Apr 14, 2024 19:34:48 GMT -5
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Post by badgerbyproxy on Apr 14, 2024 19:36:08 GMT -5
Yea, let's point to Nebraska's issues from those matches they won and ignore things like Wisconsin's presumptive L2 for this upcoming season hitting .128 this past year or GG passing a 1.95 on the entire season for her second year in the program. Also, wanna know a big part of Nebraska not being dominant at times? Maybe the outside hitter who, as I said, hit under .200 in conference. The one they're replacing with a former B1G POY. It's amusing to me that Charlie is a for sure upgrade but Landfair isn't. Yeah let’s look at the hitting percentage of a Libero. Great way to evaluate someone’s effectiveness. And a 1.95 passing rate but still won 5 of 8 sets played against Nebraska last season 😜 Landfair was great in 2022, but no assurance that’s the Landfair that Nebraska gets next season. High profile transfers don’t always translate well.
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