Big 12 2024

[bluepenquin]

Aug 13, 2024 9:17:09 GMT -5 ay2013 said:

Aug 13, 2024 8:14:45 GMT -5 bluepenquin said:

By next year - I was referring to 2025.  

If Little becomes a star player and Bower works out as the setter (and a couple other of their highly regarded players become solid).  The team this year wins the B12 or is a something around a Pablo #20 team - then the addition of Davis and Blamires next season has the makings of a top 10 team in 2025. 

I get you meant 2025, but that’s still a pretty big jump, IMO.

The context was threefold:

1) BYU had a very good recruiting class in 2023 (at least in terms of perception).  It is time for them to show something this year.  
2) Losing Livingston this year may help getting those players moving.  BYU s/b turning the page from 2023 and targeting 2025 when I think they have a chance to be really good.
3) I have a very high opinion of Davis and Blamires

A lot of If's there, but I see it as a path if things work out well.  Doesn't mean it will work out.  

[bbg95]

Aug 13, 2024 8:14:45 GMT -5 bluepenquin said:

Aug 13, 2024 2:58:15 GMT -5 ay2013 said:

That would have to be a pretty big jump if you ask me. A brand new setter, a new passing rotation (that was suspect to begin with), with no proven scorers easily being a top 10 team the following year?

By next year - I was referring to 2025.  

If Little becomes a star player and Bower works out as the setter (and a couple other of their highly regarded players become solid).  The team this year wins the B12 or is a something around a Pablo #20 team - then the addition of Davis and Blamires next season has the makings of a top 10 team in 2025. 

Lol, I like how they act like you weren't qualifying your statement. Obviously, if they don't develop, then they won't be a top 10 team in 2025. But I agree with you that they have enough talent that if they develop well, then they should be very good by then. Again, another team with good coaching.

Edit: I also think that the Covid seniors finally cycling out of the system should help teams that are a bit more high school recruiting focused. Stanford is most the obvious example (their inability to really get transfers is killing them relative to their peers), but I think BYU falls into this category as well. They've gotten some good players out of the portal, but they're not likely to always be in the mix for top players on a fifth year the way that some other programs are. Obviously, there will still be players who are transferring that aren't going into a fifth year, but many of the most impactful recent transfers are in that category. Even players like Madi Skinner and Sarah Franklin that transferred earlier would be out of eligibility if not for the Covid year at this point.

[buttery]

Aug 13, 2024 10:08:18 GMT -5 bbg95 said:

Aug 13, 2024 8:14:45 GMT -5 bluepenquin said:

By next year - I was referring to 2025.  

If Little becomes a star player and Bower works out as the setter (and a couple other of their highly regarded players become solid).  The team this year wins the B12 or is a something around a Pablo #20 team - then the addition of Davis and Blamires next season has the makings of a top 10 team in 2025. 

Lol, I like how they act like you weren't qualifying your statement. Obviously, if they don't develop, then they won't be a top 10 team in 2025. But I agree with you that they have enough talent that if they develop well, then they should be very good by then. Again, another team with good coaching.

Edit: I also think that the Covid seniors finally cycling out of the system should help teams that are a bit more high school recruiting focused. Stanford is most the obvious example (they're inability to really get transfers is killing them relative to their peers), but I think BYU falls into this category as well. They've gotten some good players out of the portal, but they're not likely to always be in the mix for top players on a fifth year the way that some other programs are. Obviously, there will still be players who are transferring that aren't going into a fifth year, but many of the most impactful recent transfers are in that category. Even players like Madi Skinner and Sarah Franklin that transferred earlier would be out of eligibility if not for the Covid year at this point.

I feel like that’s an interesting and insightful take and I generally agree. I think it’s worth noting that it’s a two-way street though for Stanford/BYU. While you (mainly from your own doing through either school culture or academics) basically don’t have transfers in, Stanford and BYU are able to retain their players a lot more successfully than the majority of other schools. I think in volleyball, cohesion matters less though than talent (although certainly the last couple of years for Stanford has been a very similar very talented team and I don’t think you would’ve traded Gray/Hentz/Fitzmorris/Plummer with anyone else when they were playing). But I think it’s interesting to look outside of sports like volleyball - both programs are consistently at the very top for women’s soccer where I would argue cohesion is much much more important than talent (yes Stanford is 1A/1B in women’s soccer in terms of a recruiting destination, but BYU has a habit of doing much more with less talent).

Some COVID seniors still have a couple years left though and I think it’s a crazy idea still to have 17 and 18 year olds potentially playing with 25-26 year olds. Elnady from Kansas still has two years of eligibility (which is absurd - she could technically still actually take a normal redshirt and be around for the 2026 season). I think from a human biology standpoint this matters less in a sport like women’s volleyball (most athletes are done growing by the time they get to college) as opposed to say college football or men’s college basketball.

[JJVb]

Added the 2024 ESPN and FOX Sports National TV Schedule for Big 12 Volleyball to the OP for easy access info.

[JJVb]

Congrats teams, but I also thought TCU would be ranked too.

[uofaGRAD]

Big 12 preseason FOY doesn’t crack the lineup. cruel world😭 starting my Avery Scoggins agenda NOW!

[gatorjay]

Aug 30, 2024 14:47:37 GMT -5 uofaGRAD said:

Big 12 preseason FOY doesn’t crack the lineup. cruel world😭 starting my Avery Scoggins agenda NOW!

patiently waiting for the Burgess brigade to go into effect

[bluepenquin]

Cincinnati lost to Illinois - just 36.5% of the points scored (not good). No Zeta Washington in the match. Anyone know if she is injured, how long? That isn't good for them.

North Carolina transfer Sydney Nolan was good.

[bluepenquin]

West Virginia won in 4 sets - winning 55.7% of the points against Navy (a team that ended last season with a higher Pablo rating).

Looks like Louisville transfer Finnvold is the starting setter, taking over for last year's starter DeLo. Auburn transfer Tanton and Coppin State transfer Ibrahim combined with Coyle and McGrath to lead the team in scoring. Reed (transfer from Wisconsin) was the starting Libero.

This is a good result - and looks like I missed on projecting several of their starters.

[bbg95]

Aug 30, 2024 16:24:26 GMT -5 bluepenquin said:

West Virginia won in 4 sets - winning 55.7% of the points against Navy (a team that ended last season with a higher Pablo rating).

Looks like Louisville transfer Finnvold is the starting setter, taking over for last year's starter DeLo. Auburn transfer Tanton and Coppin State transfer Ibrahim combined with Coyle and McGrath to lead the team in scoring. Reed (transfer from Wisconsin) was the starting Libero.

This is a good result - and looks like I missed on projecting several of their starters.

West Virginia was probably pretty hard to figure out, given the coaching change.

[bluepenquin]

Texas Tech won in straight sets over Eastern Kentucky winning 59% of the points. Eastern Kentucky finished last year with a better Pablo rating than Texas, so this is a really good result for Texas Tech.

Mia Wesley was the leading scorer (6 rotation OH) - who had 12 kills and hit .303. Added 8 digs and 3 blocks. She is a transfer from Southern Mississippi. Fellow transfer from Southern Mississippi - Reagan Leinen hit .583 with 7 kills and 5 blocks. I am guessing she is playing MB, I think she has mostly been a pin in the past? Oregon State transfer Aliyah McDonald had 8 blocks. Emily Merrick with a big match (assume she is playing RS). Brynn Williams with a subpar match. Virginia Tech transfer Hannah Borer is the setter and they are running a 5-1 (I thought they might run a 6-2 this year).

It would appear that transfers have greatly improved West Virginia and Texas Tech for this season. Heck - the best player for Cincinnati was a transfer.

[bluepenquin]

Aug 30, 2024 16:35:39 GMT -5 bbg95 said:

Aug 30, 2024 16:24:26 GMT -5 bluepenquin said:

West Virginia won in 4 sets - winning 55.7% of the points against Navy (a team that ended last season with a higher Pablo rating).

Looks like Louisville transfer Finnvold is the starting setter, taking over for last year's starter DeLo. Auburn transfer Tanton and Coppin State transfer Ibrahim combined with Coyle and McGrath to lead the team in scoring. Reed (transfer from Wisconsin) was the starting Libero.

This is a good result - and looks like I missed on projecting several of their starters.

West Virginia was probably pretty hard to figure out, given the coaching change.

For sure - and with them not being any good last year.  Still - Hailey Green was their leading scorer last year and she hardly played.  

Also - the foreign player (Lederer from Germany) didn't play either.  I didn't have her projected to start, but I did consider her an upside wildcard to the lineup.  

[JJVb]

Big12 go 14-3 on day 1. Nice start! Only losses are KSU to Purdue, Texas Tech to Boston College, and Cincinnati, to Illinois. BYU and Baylor had 2 wins on the day.

[bluepenquin]

Iowa State with a 5 set win over Pacific. This is probably a match Iowa State should have won more easily. 5 set win after being up 2 sets to 0. Pacific won the marathon 3rd set 31-29.

Iowa State was led by Gonzalez (no surprise). But a huge night from Amiree Hendericks-Walker. Hendricks-Walker hit .458 with 12 kills (Middle Blocker). She transferred from South Florida where she missed the entire 2023 season. Pam McCune started at the other MB position ahead of West Virginia transfer Tierney Jackson. Jackson came in the 4th set, where ISU lost 25-19 and had 2 kills in 3 attempts, but didn't play the 5th. I am surprised that Jackson isn't starting or playing more, maybe she is dealing with an injury?

Freshman Rachel Van Gorp is the setter - winning the job over Stonestreet who has been the libero for the last several years (Stonestreet is now a DS). This makes me think Iowa State has probably improved their 1st contract for this season.

I am still pretty optimistic about this team for this season. Only 4 blocks in 5 sets is a huge concern here.

[VolleyballFella]

Colorado finished the 1st weekend away from home, 2-1

W: North Texas -- A close jittery battle for the 1st match of season with almost all CU underclassmen against the Tourney Host.
L:  (RV) Miami -- The Hurricanes were fire in this match, and CU didn't adjust appropriately.
W:  Rutgers -- CU easily swept Rutgers in a much-improved overall game for the Buffs, hitting .375 with 8 aces and 9 blocks.

Will update when Tourney team comes out later, but I anticipate OH-Burilovic and another CU player will be on it.

EDIT:  Burilovic (OH) and Payne (MB) were named to this weekend's All-Tournament Team --- as Colorado finishes 2nd to (RV) Miami.