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Post by uofaGRAD on Aug 7, 2024 14:44:14 GMT -5
idk if this is an unpopular take.... but preseason freshmen of the year award is just ?? I agree lol, like even a team would be pushing it but it’d be better than a preseason freshman on the year award
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bluepenquin
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Post by bluepenquin on Aug 7, 2024 15:10:53 GMT -5
2018 preseason freshman - Eggleston. She was 1st team B12 that year. 2019 preseason freshman - Fields and Nalls. Fields was 1st team B12 that year. Nalls would be 1st team the following (full) season. 2021 preseason freshman - Bien. She was 1st team B12 that year. 2022 preseason freshman - Carlson. She was 1st team B12 that year. 2023 preseason freshman - Stowers and Swindle. Neither made first team last year. Stowers would have made it had she not gotten hurt. Swindle was the starting setter for the National Champions.
I like the odds that a preseason B12 freshman of the year is going to be darn good.
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bluepenquin
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Post by bluepenquin on Aug 8, 2024 9:06:05 GMT -5
#5 KANSAS STATE
2023 Record: 16-11 (10-8) 2023 Pablo: #28 (6th in conference) 2023 NCAA Tournament: No
4 of 7 starters return 2X conference schedule: Iowa State, Kansas, UCF, West Virginia
Players Lost: Sydney Bolding - MB Kadye Fernholz - MB Mackenzie Morris - L (transfer to Oregon)
Players Returning: Aliyah Carter - OH Aniya Clinton - OH Izzi Szulcewski - S Shaylee Myers - OH Brenna Schmidt - MB Liz Gregorski - DS Reagan Fox - RS
Player Additions: Meg Brown - MB (transfer from Pepperdine) Jordyn Williams - MB (transfer from Kentucky) Ella Larkin - L (transfer from LSU)
Projected Starters: S: Izzi Szulcewski - 5-7 (SR) OH: Aliyah Carter - 5-9 (GR) OH: Aniya Clinton - 6-2 (SO) MB: Meg Brown - 6-3 (SR) MB: Jordyn Williams - 6-2 (JR) RS: Shaylee Myers - 6-0 (JR) L: Ella Larkin - 5-10 (SR) DS: Liz Gregorski - 5-11 (GR)
Kansas State lost their leading scorer in Elena Baka and their RS in Haley Warner heading into 2023. They went out and got Izzi Szulcewski from Oregon State to take over the setting (2022 setter Laren Hinkle moved to DS). Redshirt freshman Clinton had a terrific season taking over for Baka, and Carter had over 4 kills per set as she rebounded from a tough 2022 season. Myers took over on the RS for Warner - but didn't have nearly the solid hitting percentage as she had in her freshman season as an OH sub for Carter/Baka who was getting 3.3 k/s over 65 sets. Kansas State didn't have a good nonconference - and this ultimately kept them out of the tournament. Losing 15-17 in the 5th set to Lipscomb was a real killer - and zero wins from teams inside the Pablo top 100 is indicative of their soft schedule. Kansas State rolled in the 2nd half of conference season - taking down Texas and BYU twice at home. But losses on the road to Kansas (twice) and Houston in the last game ended their shot at making the tournament.
Kansas State brings back both OH who were terrific last season in Carter and Clinton. Szulcewski returns after a solid season being the setter. The first issue to solve was replacing both MB - where Bolding hit .341 and was getting 1.4 blocks per set (and a very good server). Meg Brown from Pepperdine should be able to replace Bolding - Brown is a very similar player. The 2nd MB will come down to Kentucky transfer Jordyn Williams or returning junior Brenna Schmidt. Williams was a top 10 prepvolleyball recruit from 2021 - and probably has the inside edge. She hit 317 in just 38 sets last year for Kentucky - and looks to have had + blocking skills. Schmidt hit .300 last year for K-State in 73 sets. Myers returns to play RS - but it is possible that one of those 3 middles move to the RS and Myers goes back to her 2022 role as a super sub. They also have redshirt freshman Reagan Fox who had to sit out last season as a very late freshman transfer from Rutgers as a potential RS this year. The major issue for this team is going to ball control. Losing breakout Mackenzie Morris is a huge loss. Having Larkin, Gregorski, Sims lock down the backrow for Kansas State is going to be critical.
Head coach Jason Mansfield was very impressive in his first season with Kansas State and it easy to be optimistic about the future. Carter, Clinton, and Szulcewski provides a solid baseline to build around this year's team. And 3 quality transfers address the position losses from last year. It seems like Kansas State is in good position to continue forward from their solid 2nd half to last season. But - ball handling was already an issue and that was before losing an outstanding libero. For me - there isn't much difference between #5 and #7 on this list. I can see those 3 teams in any order. And the distance to #4 on my list is probably a fairly big jump. Making the tournament this year should be the goal, and it is very much attainable.
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bluepenquin
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Post by bluepenquin on Aug 8, 2024 9:19:19 GMT -5
I am down to the final 4 teams in my preseason rankings. For me - any of these 4 teams can win the conference this year, but I do see a bit of a break between the top 2 and #3 and #4.
I clearly see a variance with the coaches when it comes to Baylor. I don't see them in the same tier as TCU/Iowa State/Kansas State. I see them in the same tier as Kansas/BYU/Arizona State. More on this over the next 4 days.
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Post by ay2013 on Aug 8, 2024 9:26:58 GMT -5
I wouldn't be surprised to see Kansas State futz with a 6-2. LeGrand got a lot of action in the spring, and looked every bit as solid running the offense as Izzy.
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bluepenquin
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Post by bluepenquin on Aug 9, 2024 9:34:52 GMT -5
#4 BYU
2023 Record: 25-7 (13-5) 2023 Pablo: #13 (2nd in conference) NCAA Tournament: Yes (lost in the 2nd round)
3 of 7 starters return 2X conference schedule: Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, Utah
Players Lost: Erin Livingston - OH Whiteny Bower - S Whitney McEwan-Llarenas - MB Kamaile Hiapo - L Arai McComber - DS
Players Returning: Mia Lee - MB Kate Prior - RS Eden Bower - OH Claire Little - OH Brielle Kemavor - MB Hannah Billeter - DS Elyse Stowell - OH
Player Additions: Kjersti Strong - MB (transfer from St. Mary's) Kaivena Johnson - DS (transfer from Utah) Blaykli Bobic - OH (freshman) Alex Bower - S (freshman) Abby Hoybjerg - MB (freshman) Elina Mortensen - OH (freshman) Lulu Uluave - L (freshman)
Projected Starters: S: Alex Bower - 5-11 (FR) OH: Claire Little - 6-3 (SO) OH: Eden Bower - 6-3 (JR) MB: Mia Lee - 6-0 (SO) MB: Kjersti Strong - 6-3 (GR) RS: Kate Prior - 6-4 (JR) L: Lulu Uluave - 5-8 (FR)
2023 saw BYU needing to replace Gneiting and Grimmer. They brought in Hiapo to be the libero. 3 of their top 4 scorers returned (Livingston, Llarenas, and Stowell) along with setter Whitney Bower for her final season. Sophomore Kate Prior moved over from the middle to take over for Grimmer and freshman Mia Lee took over for Gneiting. Eden Bower and Elyse Stowell alternated at the 2nd OH position in 2022 - and freshman Claire Little turned this into a 3 person scramble for the position. BYU started off hot with a 4 set win over Pittsburgh to start the season. They later beat LMU at home and then took their only loss in the nonconference @ Washington State. The season was a slight improvement over 2022 (in terms of Pablo ranking) - as this team has consistently been a top 15 team for while now. The season ended in the 2nd round of the tournament at home against new conference rival Arizona State.
I think BYU will be good this year - but they do lose their top two scorers in Livingston and McEwan-Llarenas. They lose their setter and their libero. This is a lot to lose in a season (57% of their serve receive, 62% of their kills, 48% of their blocks, and effectively 100% of their assists). The good news - BYU recruits. BYU is the #1 recruiting program in the conference and are on a par with the top programs in the country (outside that very top tier). Little and Kemavor were VB Mag Fab 50 recruits in 2023 - along with another top recruit in Mia Lee. 2022 saw prepvolleyball top 100 recruits in Prior , Bower, and Billeter (Prior #25 overall). Elyse Stowell was prepvolleyball #9 in 2021. The issue may be finding someone that can pass the ball on the outside - plus they will need to find a libero.
Fab 50 freshman Alex Bower (I forgot to mention her as a top candidate for B12 freshman of the year in an earlier post) should take over for her sister as the setter. Mia Lee (MB) and Kate Prior (RS) should return from their starting jobs last year. Everything else is up for grabs this year. The #1 priority is probably for Claire Little to develop into their 6 rotation OH and go to scorer. Eden Bower or Elyse Stowell in the other OH position. Kjersti Strong probably gets the 2nd MB job - but Kemavor could take this job. And I have no idea who wins the libero position and primary DS. There is a lot to figure out for this season along with a ton of a talent to choose from, but this creates too much uncertainty for me to rank them higher than here. Upside - they win the conference.
I probably have an alternative opinion for this season with BYU. I think the team should be loose - and any success is 'gravy'. What they really need is to figure out a star for this team (Claire Little) and figure out a core of very good complimentary players. Because next year - they bring in Davis and Anna Blamires. IMO, Davis is close to being a cannot miss major star. Blamires on the RS is going to be another Fab 50 recruit - and the limited time I watched her play, I was rather impressed. I believe not having Livingston on the roster this year is potentially a huge long term blessing for the team. If the right players make a serious advancement this year - this team will easily be a top 10 team next year.
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bluepenquin
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Post by bluepenquin on Aug 10, 2024 7:25:34 GMT -5
#3 BAYLOR
2023 Record: 17-13 (8-10) 2023 Pablo: #25 (5th in conference) 2023 NCAA Tournament: Yes (lost in 2nd round)
5 of 7 starters return 2X conference schedule: Cincinnati, Houston, TCU, Texas Tech
Players Lost: Averi Carlson - S Kyndal Stowers - OH Riley Simpson - OH Alexis Dacosta - DS Sophia Keene - DS
Players Returning: Elise McGhee - OH Allie Sczech - RS Manuela Bibinbe - MB Lauren Briseno - L Alicia Andrew - MB Kendal Murphy - OH Harley Kreck - S Sophia Keene - DS Tehani Ulufatu - DS
Player Additions: Jackie Frazier Barrett - S (transfer from Auburn) Brielle Warren - OH (transfer from Purdue) Jennifer Bolden - RS (transfer from Howard) Grace Carroll - RS (freshman) Taylor Crain - DS/L (freshman Emelyn Stettin - S (freshman)
Projected Starters: S: Jackie Frazier Barrett - 6-2 (GR) OH: Elise McGhee - 6-4 (SR) OH: Kendal Murphy - 6-3 (SO) MB: Manuela Bibinbe - 6-3 (SR) MB: Alicia Andrew - 6-3 (JR) RS: Allie Sczech - 6-4 (JR) L: Lauren Briseno - 5-7 (SR) DS: Sophia Keene - 6-1 (JR)
2023 didn't work out as intended and the team ended up with the exact same Pablo rating as the year before as they have been trying to pivot from the Pressley (and Avery Skinner) years. They lost their top 2 scorers in Harrison and Kara McGhee along with very effective senior MB Mallory Talbert. In came a very highly touted recruiting class and what became a surprising impactful transfer from Missouri State - West Plains (Bibinbe). Stowers was the leading scorer on the team as an effective 6 rotation OH, but injuries limited her to just half the season. Baylor made the tournament and lost to Kentucky in the 2nd round.
The offseason hasn't gone as expected. Stower's injury has forced her to retire (leave) Baylor. Averi Carlson transferred to Texas. Riley Simpson (who has started several matches over the past couple years) transferred to Pepperdine. These transfers would seem to be major blows - but Baylor has been recruiting very well in the conference and are always in good position to reload and not rebuild. Baylor brings back their top 3 scorers in McGhee, Sczech, and Bibinbe. Briseno has consistently been among the best libero's in the country and returns for her Junior season. Alicia Andrew started at MB last year and hit close .300. This leaves two positions up for grabs this year. Replacing Averi Carlson is job 1 - and for this Baylor brought in the starting setter from Auburn (Jackie Frazier Barrett). They also have Fab 50 recruit from last year - Harley Kreck, who redshirted as she was blocked by Carlson. I am not sure Baylor will miss a beat at the setting position this year. The other open position is at OH - where 2023 Fab 50 recruit Kendal Murphy will compete with top 50 prepvollyball recruit from Purdue - Brielle Warren. It is unknown how good Warren will be - she redshirted her freshman season and couldn't get on the court with Hudson and Chiroine on the team. Sophomore Victoria Davis could challenge incumbent starter Andrew. Jennifer Bolden was the 2nd leading scorer for Howard last year and comes in as a graduate transfer RS.
I view BYU and Baylor as similar programs right now in the Big 12. They are the clear best programs in terms of consistent recruiting in the conference - which means they are consistently going to be able to reload and avoid bad seasons. I may like BYU's upside more for this season - but Baylor does bring back way more production this season and are pretty loaded with many highly touted recruits to step up. In addition - Baylor did a bit more in terms of transfers. Also similar to BYU - they need to figure out who is going to play among so many great choices. The key to Baylor is going to be - just how good was that 2023 recruiting class outside of Stowers? Now is the time for some of these players to make their mark from that class: Murphy and Kreck were Fab 50 recruits. Davis and Ulufatu could/should see more of the court. These players need to step up to go along with their top 3 returning scorers from last season - and the typical outstanding ball control from their L/DS positions.
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Post by outofrotation on Aug 10, 2024 7:52:08 GMT -5
#3 BAYLOR2023 Record: 17-13 (8-10) 2023 Pablo: #25 (5th in conference) 2023 NCAA Tournament: Yes (lost in 2nd round) 5 of 7 starters return 2X conference schedule: Cincinnati, Houston, TCU, Texas Tech Players Lost: Averi Carlson - S Kyndal Stowers - OH Riley Simpson - OH Alexis Dacosta - DS Sophia Keene - DS Players Returning: Elise McGhee - OH Allie Sczech - RS Manuela Bibinbe - MB Lauren Briseno - L Alicia Andrew - MB Kendal Murphy - OH Harley Kreck - S Sophia Keene - DS Tehani Ulufatu - DS Player Additions: Jackie Frazier Barrett - S (transfer from Auburn) Brielle Warren - OH (transfer from Purdue) Jennifer Bolden - RS (transfer from Howard) Grace Carroll - RS (freshman) Taylor Crain - DS/L (freshman Emelyn Stettin - S (freshman) Projected Starters: S: Jackie Frazier Barrett - 6-2 (GR) OH: Elise McGhee - 6-4 (SR) OH: Kendal Murphy - 6-3 (SO) MB: Manuela Bibinbe - 6-3 (SR) MB: Alicia Andrew - 6-3 (JR) RS: Allie Sczech - 6-4 (JR) L: Lauren Briseno - 5-7 (SR) DS: Sophia Keene - 6-1 (JR) 2023 didn't work out as intended and the team ended up with the exact same Pablo rating as the year before as they have been trying to pivot from the Pressley (and Avery Skinner) years. They lost their top 2 scorers in Harrison and Kara McGhee along with very effective senior MB Mallory Talbert. In came a very highly touted recruiting class and what became a surprising impactful transfer from Missouri State - West Plains (Bibinbe). Stowers was the leading scorer on the team as an effective 6 rotation OH, but injuries limited her to just half the season. Baylor made the tournament and lost to Kentucky in the 2nd round. The offseason hasn't gone as expected. Stower's injury has forced her to retire (leave) Baylor. Averi Carlson transferred to Texas. Riley Simpson (who has started several matches over the past couple years) transferred to Pepperdine. These transfers would seem to be major blows - but Baylor has been recruiting very well in the conference and are always in good position to reload and not rebuild. Baylor brings back their top 3 scorers in McGhee, Sczech, and Bibinbe. Briseno has consistently been among the best libero's in the country and returns for her Junior season. Alicia Andrew started at MB last year and hit close .300. This leaves two positions up for grabs this year. Replacing Averi Carlson is job 1 - and for this Baylor brought in the starting setter from Auburn (Jackie Frazier Barrett). They also have Fab 50 recruit from last year - Harley Kreck, who redshirted as she was blocked by Carlson. I am not sure Baylor will miss a beat at the setting position this year. The other open position is at OH - where 2023 Fab 50 recruit Kendal Murphy will compete with top 50 prepvollyball recruit from Purdue - Brielle Warren. It is unknown how good Warren will be - she redshirted her freshman season and couldn't get on the court with Hudson and Chiroine on the team. Sophomore Victoria Davis could challenge incumbent starter Andrew. Jennifer Bolden was the 2nd leading scorer for Howard last year and comes in as a graduate transfer RS. I view BYU and Baylor as similar programs right now in the Big 12. They are the clear best programs in terms of consistent recruiting in the conference - which means they are consistently going to be able to reload and avoid bad seasons. I may like BYU's upside more for this season - but Baylor does bring back way more production this season and are pretty loaded with many highly touted recruits to step up. In addition - Baylor did a bit more in terms of transfers. Also similar to BYU - they need to figure out who is going to play among so many great choices. The key to Baylor is going to be - just how good was that 2023 recruiting class outside of Stowers? Now is the time for some of these players to make their mark from that class: Murphy and Kreck were Fab 50 recruits. Davis and Ulufatu could/should see more of the court. These players need to step up to go along with their top 3 returning scorers from last season - and the typical outstanding ball control from their L/DS positions. First off, thank you for doing all of these. One of my top things to do each day is come and read your summaries of the teams, very helpful as season is about to take off. This one I have a hard time with. I think Baylor is closer to the 7/8 range. It has surprised me on Texas threads and now here how much credit is given to Averi Carlson. Not only is she just a good setter in her own standalone right but she makes pins and especially middles look REALLY GOOD. I think all attackers on Baylor are going to take a decent step back this year because they don’t have the location, consistency and tempo Carlson provided ( I know she is a liability on the block). This is not to knock the Auburn girl or redshirt freshman, it’s just to say Carlson is that good. Hope I’m wrong cuz Big 12 is fun when Baylor is good but see them struggling to find their place this year finishing 7/8.
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bluepenquin
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Post by bluepenquin on Aug 10, 2024 8:31:15 GMT -5
First off, thank you for doing all of these. One of my top things to do each day is come and read your summaries of the teams, very helpful as season is about to take off. This one I have a hard time with. I think Baylor is closer to the 7/8 range. It has surprised me on Texas threads and now here how much credit is given to Averi Carlson. Not only is she just a good setter in her own standalone right but she makes pins and especially middles look REALLY GOOD. I think all attackers on Baylor are going to take a decent step back this year because they don’t have the location, consistency and tempo Carlson provided ( I know she is a liability on the block). This is not to knock the Auburn girl or redshirt freshman, it’s just to say Carlson is that good. Hope I’m wrong cuz Big 12 is fun when Baylor is good but see them struggling to find their place this year finishing 7/8. My opinion on Baylor is certainly a minority opinion. There is potential downside here w/o Carlson.
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Post by houstonbear15 on Aug 10, 2024 9:02:46 GMT -5
First off, thank you for doing all of these. One of my top things to do each day is come and read your summaries of the teams, very helpful as season is about to take off. This one I have a hard time with. I think Baylor is closer to the 7/8 range. It has surprised me on Texas threads and now here how much credit is given to Averi Carlson. Not only is she just a good setter in her own standalone right but she makes pins and especially middles look REALLY GOOD. I think all attackers on Baylor are going to take a decent step back this year because they don’t have the location, consistency and tempo Carlson provided ( I know she is a liability on the block). This is not to knock the Auburn girl or redshirt freshman, it’s just to say Carlson is that good. Hope I’m wrong cuz Big 12 is fun when Baylor is good but see them struggling to find their place this year finishing 7/8. My opinion on Baylor is certainly a minority opinion. There is potential downside here w/o Carlson. The good thing is outside of Brielle Warren, the whole team got a lot of good playing experience together on the Europe tour. That’s especially important for Barrett-Frazier to start building connections with the hitters. She brings a good amount of experience and on-court leadership to the team, which is something that Carlson lacked. Baylor had no seniors on their team last year, and definitely experienced some of those growing pains. I expect McGhee, Bibinbe, and Brisenño to have too good of a senior season to see Baylor drop to 8th in conference.
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Post by outofrotation on Aug 10, 2024 9:51:59 GMT -5
My opinion on Baylor is certainly a minority opinion. There is potential downside here w/o Carlson. The good thing is outside of Brielle Warren, the whole team got a lot of good playing experience together on the Europe tour. That’s especially important for Barrett-Frazier to start building connections with the hitters. She brings a good amount of experience and on-court leadership to the team, which is something that Carlson lacked. Baylor had no seniors on their team last year, and definitely experienced some of those growing pains. I expect McGhee, Bibinbe, and Brisenño to have too good of a senior season to see Baylor drop to 8th in conference. How do you expect passing will be? Obviously Briseño is a stud but people just won’t serve her. I would think they DS their outsides but if they run the 6-2 they won’t have the subs. Stowers not being there hurts cuz she was a good passer where as all the other outsides at Baylor are not.
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bluepenquin
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Post by bluepenquin on Aug 10, 2024 13:29:49 GMT -5
My opinion on Baylor is certainly a minority opinion. There is potential downside here w/o Carlson. The good thing is outside of Brielle Warren, the whole team got a lot of good playing experience together on the Europe tour. That’s especially important for Barrett-Frazier to start building connections with the hitters. She brings a good amount of experience and on-court leadership to the team, which is something that Carlson lacked. Baylor had no seniors on their team last year, and definitely experienced some of those growing pains. I expect McGhee, Bibinbe, and Brisenño to have too good of a senior season to see Baylor drop to 8th in conference. #8 in conference seems like an unlikely drop to me. Way too much depth on the roster - even a couple major injuries and they are probably right back where they have been the last couple years.
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Post by bbg95 on Aug 10, 2024 16:34:52 GMT -5
The good thing is outside of Brielle Warren, the whole team got a lot of good playing experience together on the Europe tour. That’s especially important for Barrett-Frazier to start building connections with the hitters. She brings a good amount of experience and on-court leadership to the team, which is something that Carlson lacked. Baylor had no seniors on their team last year, and definitely experienced some of those growing pains. I expect McGhee, Bibinbe, and Brisenño to have too good of a senior season to see Baylor drop to 8th in conference. #8 in conference seems like an unlikely drop to me. Way too much depth on the roster - even a couple major injuries and they are probably right back where they have been the last couple years. Also, Baylor has a really good coach. I tend to think that in almost any sport, a really good coach will figure out a way to at least be competitive.
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Post by houstonbear15 on Aug 10, 2024 18:22:18 GMT -5
The good thing is outside of Brielle Warren, the whole team got a lot of good playing experience together on the Europe tour. That’s especially important for Barrett-Frazier to start building connections with the hitters. She brings a good amount of experience and on-court leadership to the team, which is something that Carlson lacked. Baylor had no seniors on their team last year, and definitely experienced some of those growing pains. I expect McGhee, Bibinbe, and Brisenño to have too good of a senior season to see Baylor drop to 8th in conference. How do you expect passing will be? Obviously Briseño is a stud but people just won’t serve her. I would think they DS their outsides but if they run the 6-2 they won’t have the subs. Stowers not being there hurts cuz she was a good passer where as all the other outsides at Baylor are not. Baylor was one of the better passing teams in the conference last year, and that was without Stowers for the second half of the season. Losing Dacosta does hurt certainly, but Keene and Ulufatu passed close to the level of many liberos in 2023. I would imagine they are used as DS's for Murphy and Sczech (there is also Taylor Crain as a DS option). I don't foresee a 6-2 as that hasn't really been Baylor's style since McGuyre has arrived. We will most likely see McGhee play 6-rotations, but she won't be tasked to pass too much. She has also shown to be a terminal hitter, even out of system, which is needed if there are any passing woes. I am not sure we have a big enough sample size to declare that her and Murphy are bad passers though. Ball control has always been pretty solid under McGuyre and I don't expect it to become a weakness in 2024. And with the way that Baylor is recruiting DS's/liberos, serve receive should continue to be a staple in the future.
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bluepenquin
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Post by bluepenquin on Aug 11, 2024 7:19:55 GMT -5
#2 ARIZONA STATE
2023 Record: 28-7 (14-6) 2023 Pablo: #9 (1st in conference) 2023 NCAA Tournament: Yes (lost in the 3rd round)
4 or 7 starters return 2X conference schedule: Arizona, BYU, Colorado, Utah
Players Lost: Mart Levinska - OH Shannon Shields - S Maddie McLaughlin - OH
Players Returning: Geli Cyr - OH Roberta Rabelo - OH Claire Jeter - MB Mary Shroll - L Shania Cromartie - OH Estella Zatechka - DS
Player Additions: Argentina Ung - S (transfer from Washington State) Savannah Kjolhede - MB (transfer from Indiana) Bailey Miller - OH (transfer from West Virginia) Bella Faria - OH (freshman) Jadyn Wilgus - MB (freshman)
Projected Starters: S: Argentina Ung - 6-0 (GR) OH: Geli Cyr - 5-10 (SR) OH: Bailey Miller - 6-3 (JR) OH: Roberta Rabelo - 6-0 (GR) MB: Claire Jeter - 6-3 (GR) MB: Savannah Kjolhede - 6-3 (GR) L: Mary Shroll - 5-8 (GR) DS: Estella Zatechka - 5-8 (JR)
That went better than expected in 2023. In 2022, Arizona State went 7-13 in conference (9th place) and was Pablo #77 (which would have been 13th in the newly constituted Big 12 and almost 20 spots behind #12). They lost their top scorer in Iman Isanovic (Isanovic and Levinska were getting ~ 3.5 kills per set leading the 2022 team) along with about 75% of their serve receive. Shania Cromartie transferred in from Mississippi State (she finished 7th on the team in kills for 2023, but appeared to provide some back row help). Mary Shroll (from LMU) and Estella Zatechka (from Missouri) transferred in for L & DS.
Arizona State started out the season winning all 12 of their non-conference matches. This was mostly brushed off as a series of wins against bad competition. It was only after week 3 that Arizona State was getting votes in the coaches' poll. They were 29th in votes in the coaches' poll heading into the Pac 12 schedule. It was only after week 6 that Arizona State cracked the top 25 - coming in at #20 while sporting a 15-1 record. Pablo saw the rise of Arizona much more quickly. It only took until week 2 (when Arizona State was 6-0) that Pablo had Arizona State pegged as the #13 team in the country. The following week - Arizona State came in at #9 in Pablo - the spot where they would end the season.
Every returning player for Arizona State saw an uptick in their production. Levinska took on a larger role - going from 3.4 k/s to 4.68 while raising her H% from .280 to .345. She was a complete offensive force. Cyr, Rabelo, and Jeter all saw increases in their k/s and H%. Maddie McLaughlin came in as their 5th hitter - and she hit .346. Shields took over the full time setting and Shroll and Zatechka stabilized their ball handling in the back row. Although there are no readily available stats on serve receive and team defense - it would appear that Arizona State vastly improved those part of the game in 2023. Arizona State just missed out on hosting the first 2 rounds of the NCAA tournament. They advanced out of the 2nd round with a straight set win at BYU. Finally - they lost to Stanford in 4 sets in the 3rd round.
Arizona State loses their mega star in Levinska - along with their setter and a productive McLaughlin. However - they return 100% of their serve receive, which I strongly suspect was a huge key to the 2023 success. Argentina Ung comes in from Washington State to set - so there shouldn't be any fall off from the setting position. Transfer Bailey Miller and Savnannah Kjolhede transfer in to replace Levinska and McLaughlin. Shania Cromartie returns as a multidimensional backup. 5 of their 7 starters are Graduate players - 7 of the 9 main players are either seniors or graduates. This is an older and very experienced team.
I believe the top 2 in my rankings are very close heading into this season. There are also several important similarities between these two teams in what they bring back. Many are going to look at the production lost from Levinska to be irreplaceable. But this team brings back 100% of their serve receive (which is such a key). I don't know where their team goes after this year - there is a lot being put into this season - because next year it will be a complete makeover. Winning the conference is the goal - and very much attainable.
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