2022 Volleyball - Stacked as Hell

[Thatguy 8747]

7 hours ago, Gardner Barnes said:

Edit - tried to add more detail but it timed out so adding it here.


She has a scholarship offer.

I’ve seen lots of of HS age liberos. Lots. She is as good as it gets in her age group. She is a few years younger than my kid (mine had her first college scrimmage today as a matter of fact) However I am close to her family and I know how much work she has put in to perfect her craft. She plays behind a few D1 middles in club that frequently slow the ball, so a better evual can be made when she was playing out of position on the WHS HS team last year. Even out of position (because WHS OH passing was and still is atrocious) playing Middle back she was averaging a high 2 passing average.

In additional I’ve sat behind her at several tounements with a coaching friend of mine and my daughters college assistant and they are both consistently impressed how well she reads the attack.

Long story short texas is getting prob the best 24 Libero in the state.

   Saw Jordan Larson at Nationals and guess where she was? Courtside for AJV. Wasn't sure which age group it was but likely watching this kid.

[Js1 85407]

Anyone go today? Read Ewert was the better setter, Molly will 100% play right side, as she got no middle reps.  Caffey is still being integrated, so Bergmark may start at MB. Halter played more than Akana??

Edited August 14, 2022 by Js1

[SATXHorn 90]

Anyone go today? Read Ewert was the better setter, Molly will 100% play right side, as she got no middle reps.  Caffey is still being integrated, so Bergmark may start at MB. Halter played more than Akana??

Yes, I went. This is a pretty accurate summary, with some comments below. Also see @nellynel’s player-by-player summary on VT.

Setter: Ewert did very well. With so many changes to each side after each set, I couldn’t tell if she benefited from better passing vs SKT. But yes, it’s possible Ewert gets the starting nod.

Passing/Serve-Receive: looked much better than last year. Every L/DS played both positions and all had decent playing time (except for maybe Heinrich?) Fleck looked great. Halter had some fantastic digs. Overall passing and SR seemed to degrade with each set though. (could be all of the lineup and side changes with each set)

Parra did VERY well at OH.

Kahahawai is the real deal.

O’Neal/Bergmark as MBs to start the year is almost certain, but I don’t think it will take long for Caffey to jump in. She had a couple of great plays without getting a lot of sets. I wouldn’t be surprised if Singletary RS’d.

Despite the explicit PA announcements not to video the scrimmage, someone on VT did. They were going to upload it somewhere.

[SATXHorn 90]

Forgot to add… as the title of this year’s topic says, we are completely stacked! I do not envy JE having to decide on starters, when to substitute and with whom.

[SamMan 1365]

If you were creating a fantasy team just based on anecdotal info (with some random ties to the last championship Texas team), this one is as good as it gets—nba bloodlines, nebraska-trained (super) veteran, ucla all-American, Hawaiian flavor, Mexican serving specialist, Setter from Colorado, Bay Area MB, MB named Molly (I know RS), east coast OH, homegrown talent, national champions, olympians, usnt coaching experience, and Wonder Woman herself leading the charge. 

2012 was so long ago. And honestly, 2009 still sticks in my craw. Texas, and Elliott specifically, have had way too much talent pass through Gregory to only have one banner over the past two decades to show for it. I’d argue it has been the most talent-rich program on campus, certainly of the last fifteen years, if not the entirety (swimming always has an argument here, but Eddie is also the most consistently excellent SOB in collegiate athletics).

The talent is there, it always has been. The finish is what has been missing. So, here’s to hoping this talented team (I don’t see any obvious holes in this one, but I’m a lay person) finds its chemistry early, stays relatively healthy, finishes every match this year (in the tourney at the very least), and puts a fucking end to the championship drought. I’m ready.

[SL Xpress 7516]

6 hours ago, SamMan said:

If you were creating a fantasy team just based on anecdotal info (with some random ties to the last championship Texas team), this one is as good as it gets—nba bloodlines, nebraska-trained (super) veteran, ucla all-American, Hawaiian flavor, Mexican serving specialist, Setter from Colorado, Bay Area MB, MB named Molly (I know RS), east coast OH, homegrown talent, national champions, olympians, usnt coaching experience, and Wonder Woman herself leading the charge. 

2012 was so long ago. And honestly, 2009 still sticks in my craw. Texas, and Elliott specifically, have had way too much talent pass through Gregory to only have one banner over the past two decades to show for it. I’d argue it has been the most talent-rich program on campus, certainly of the last fifteen years, if not the entirety (swimming always has an argument here, but Eddie is also the most consistently excellent SOB in collegiate athletics).

The talent is there, it always has been. The finish is what has been missing. So, here’s to hoping this talented team (I don’t see any obvious holes in this one, but I’m a lay person) finds its chemistry early, stays relatively healthy, finishes every match this year (in the tourney at the very least), and puts a fucking end to the championship drought. I’m ready.

I would agree with you on pin hitters and middle blockers. Setters, liberos, and especially DSes not as much. And serving has tended to take a back seat over those 2 decades.

Now it's all coming together. This is THE most complete backcourt Elliot has ever fielded, by far. No one is even close to Fleck in terms of being a libero. I don't think either SKT or Ewert will be all timers as far as setting is concerned. I'm not convinced they'll be as good as Gabriel in that specific aspect. But they can be better than Gabriel on defense, serving, and especially in those front court rotations where Texas would get trapped with Gabriel being abused over and over, a la the Kentucky national championship. 

Another thing about having a setter at least 5 to 6 inches taller, with longer arms to boot, is that quick sets to the middle blocker will have better timing and have a better chance of being consistent and accurate. In the Louisville loss Karch Kiraly talked about the challenge of having Gabriel at 5'6 setting Brione Butler at 6'4, with Butler also being able to jump out of the gym. This isn't to diss on Gabriel, whom I loved and miss greatly, but it's just factual. 

Elliott for whatever reason has never focused on bringing on DSes the way other programs do, and it's shown on the court. Now he has a surfeit of riches. 

The serving should be a murderer's row. There's probably going to be someone who would be the best server on 95% of the teams in the NCAA not in the serving rotation. 

I've said it before on here, but Elliott reminds me of Bobby Bowden, or Tom Osborne, or Roy Williams, or Dean Smith. Guys who produced consistently excellent teams but fell short of a title. And it weighed on their legacy. But then later in their careers they win a couple, and that's the main thing anyone thinks of now. There hasn't been a program more consistent than Texas during Elliott's tenure. Even programs with more banners. Penn State has fallen on relatively hard times, and now they're going through a big coaching transition having lost probably the best coach in women's volleyball history to retirement. Stanford has had a rough few years after Hambly won the championship in his first year with Dunning's players. Nebraska has done well, but not quite as consistently as Texas, last year notwithstanding. They have the best argument, though. It sucks to have lost to them in the Elite Eight last year. It sucks badly, frankly.

My biggest issues with this team - and we're getting nitpicky here - is one, the block at MB will not be what Texas has put on the floor traditionally. Both Bergmark and Caffey come to Texas having made their reputation mostly as scorers. Caffey was a deserved 2nd team AA last year, so she's one of the best in the country. But she is 6'. If Parra ends up playing some OH, there's going to be a small block on that side, too, during her rotations on the front court. Other teams field OHes 6' or less all the time, but it's unusual for Texas pin hitters not to be at least 6'2. Plus they can jump out of the gym. Two, there's a lot of new parts with this team that are going to have to find a way to work together. For some of them, there's going to be a lot more time on the bench than they were anticipating. Three, the conference schedule is not going to be good. If you took the top 6 players off of Texas - 1 OH, 1 MB, 1 OPP, 1 Libero, 1 setter, and 1 DS - the rest of the roster would still be a prohibitive favorite to win the Big 12 and earn a protected seed for the first two rounds. That's absurd. 

That means come tournament time once Texas makes it to the 3rd round, they'll be facing a team of a caliber they haven't seen since Minnesota in September. And that Minnesota team will have a lot of kinks to iron out, too, as opposed to the tournament in December when everyone will know who they are a lot more. Remember Texas looked like they might get swept against Washington last year, being down 15-11 in the third set, down 2-0, before roaring back and dominating the Huskies the rest of the way.

That said, they also did a great job of earning honorary winners of the Big 10 conference in the spring of 2021, getting through Penn State, Nebraska, and Wisconsin in successive matches. One thing is for sure. This squad is loaded - or "stacked as hell" if you will. 

And that's not even including the coaching additions, which are substantial. 

BTW, @SamMan did you see Larson at the scrimmage at all?

Edited August 15, 2022 by SL Xpress

[LTtxfan 49247]

 

[TwiceHorn 31495]

Sounds good.  Thanks for the updates.

Gotta say, though, for all the embarrassment of riches, without Fleck, I'd be skeptical.

[LTtxfan 49247]

 

[Js1 85407]

Yeah I don't envy Elliot having to decide who plays, who subs, etc.  

A lot of it, early, is purely chemistry and reps.  They switched out the setters every 15 or so points, which meant hard to get in a rhythm.  Caffey has barely been here, so SKT and Ewert have no chemistry with her yet. Ewert was a later arrival, so the fact she's pushing SKT early, says to me that Ewert is the "better setter," but probably had worse hitters at CU so SKT looked better.  Both are so much bigger than Jhenna, but as mentioned above, less "athletic" and probably not as much moxie as our former-walk-on-DS-turned-setter who beat out Ashley Shook. 

Either way, it's a lot of riches and Texas has a banner in its sights if things line up.  Having Logan and Skinner in the backrow, but able to subbed anytime for those 3 rotations by Akana or Halter, just shows how versatile Texas is.  Need more offense?  They play 6 rotations, plus Parra can sub.  Need more defense?  2 capable DS off the bench, plus Parra, for backrow rotations. 

Serving should be dynamite.

I am so ready for this season. 

 

If Texas gets a top 4 seed, somehow Nebraska will be back in Gregory in a regional final.  If Texas is outside the top 4, they're going to Lincoln.  Go ahead and book both of those. 

[SL Xpress 7516]

36 minutes ago, Js1 said:

Yeah I don't envy Elliot having to decide who plays, who subs, etc.  

A lot of it, early, is purely chemistry and reps.  They switched out the setters every 15 or so points, which meant hard to get in a rhythm.  Caffey has barely been here, so SKT and Ewert have no chemistry with her yet. Ewert was a later arrival, so the fact she's pushing SKT early, says to me that Ewert is the "better setter," but probably had worse hitters at CU so SKT looked better.  Both are so much bigger than Jhenna, but as mentioned above, less "athletic" and probably not as much moxie as our former-walk-on-DS-turned-setter who beat out Ashley Shook. 

Either way, it's a lot of riches and Texas has a banner in its sights if things line up.  Having Logan and Skinner in the backrow, but able to subbed anytime for those 3 rotations by Akana or Halter, just shows how versatile Texas is.  Need more offense?  They play 6 rotations, plus Parra can sub.  Need more defense?  2 capable DS off the bench, plus Parra, for backrow rotations. 

Serving should be dynamite.

I am so ready for this season. 

 

If Texas gets a top 4 seed, somehow Nebraska will be back in Gregory in a regional final.  If Texas is outside the top 4, they're going to Lincoln.  Go ahead and book both of those. 

 

I want this. Last year left such a bitter taste in my mouth. I want a rematch. There will be a part of me that's disappointed regardless of how the team does this year if it somehow someway doesn't go through Nebraska at some point.

Remember, the Final Four is in Omaha this year as well. 

[Js1 85407]

Texas opens the season at #2, but got the most first place votes.

Nebraska (24)
Texas (27)
Wisconsin (12)
Louisville (1)
Minnesota

Texas opponents:
Minnesota is #5
Ohio State is #7
Stanford is #14
Baylor is #16
Kansas is #23

Texas will face #7 twice, #5 and #14 in the first 4 matches of the year.  NCAA-type environment early on.

[perfectchaos007 6673]

That Ohio State series is going to be tougher than I thought. In my mind they were top 25 but not top 10. With only 8 non conference matches, we need to take advantage and go no worse than 7-1

[SL Xpress 7516]

1 hour ago, perfectchaos007 said:

That Ohio State series is going to be tougher than I thought. In my mind they were top 25 but not top 10. With only 8 non conference matches, we need to take advantage and go no worse than 7-1

 

Even 7-1 is not great, Bob. Those first four matches are going to be critical to the final seeding. I do feel like we could eke out a top 4 seed with one loss, especially if we finish the season ranked #1. They put a heavy emphasis on RPI, but rankings do matter for those top seeds. But a second loss to me means a possible trip to someone else's regional. Nebraska got to the Final Four taking that path last year, as we all know, but it's not the ideal. 

But yeah, the first four matches are against some salty competition. You wish there was some way to mix in the High Points and Denvers (both of whom are RPI gold mines because they dominate their respective conferences) in between the first three. I'm just glad we got tOSU, Stanford, and Minnesota on the schedule. I guess this means we'll see tOSU in Austin for two matches next season, which will be cool. 

Funny thing is that tOSU and Minnesota are picked to finish 3rd and 4th in the Big 10. That conference is so loaded year after year. I envy that. 

[40acredropout 2902]

I've never kept up with Texas volleyball and have only really recently gained interest in the sport through playing recreationally.

Shoutout to @Js1 @SL Xpress and others for all the good info in this thread and making it a little easier to hop on the bandwagon this season.  Looking forward to following along and probably annoying you all with newb questions. 

[SamMan 1365]

17 hours ago, SL Xpress said:

I would agree with you on pin hitters and middle blockers. Setters, liberos, and especially DSes not as much. And serving has tended to take a back seat over those 2 decades.

Now it's all coming together. This is THE most complete backcourt Elliot has ever fielded, by far. No one is even close to Fleck in terms of being a libero. I don't think either SKT or Ewert will be all timers as far as setting is concerned. I'm not convinced they'll be as good as Gabriel in that specific aspect. But they can be better than Gabriel on defense, serving, and especially in those front court rotations where Texas would get trapped with Gabriel being abused over and over, a la the Kentucky national championship. 

Another thing about having a setter at least 5 to 6 inches taller, with longer arms to boot, is that quick sets to the middle blocker will have better timing and have a better chance of being consistent and accurate. In the Louisville loss Karch Kiraly talked about the challenge of having Gabriel at 5'6 setting Brione Butler at 6'4, with Butler also being able to jump out of the gym. This isn't to diss on Gabriel, whom I loved and miss greatly, but it's just factual. 

Elliott for whatever reason has never focused on bringing on DSes the way other programs do, and it's shown on the court. Now he has a surfeit of riches. 

The serving should be a murderer's row. There's probably going to be someone who would be the best server on 95% of the teams in the NCAA not in the serving rotation. 

I've said it before on here, but Elliott reminds me of Bobby Bowden, or Tom Osborne, or Roy Williams, or Dean Smith. Guys who produced consistently excellent teams but fell short of a title. And it weighed on their legacy. But then later in their careers they win a couple, and that's the main thing anyone thinks of now. There hasn't been a program more consistent than Texas during Elliott's tenure. Even programs with more banners. Penn State has fallen on relatively hard times, and now they're going through a big coaching transition having lost probably the best coach in women's volleyball history to retirement. Stanford has had a rough few years after Hambly won the championship in his first year with Dunning's players. Nebraska has done well, but not quite as consistently as Texas, last year notwithstanding. They have the best argument, though. It sucks to have lost to them in the Elite Eight last year. It sucks badly, frankly.

My biggest issues with this team - and we're getting nitpicky here - is one, the block at MB will not be what Texas has put on the floor traditionally. Both Bergmark and Caffey come to Texas having made their reputation mostly as scorers. Caffey was a deserved 2nd team AA last year, so she's one of the best in the country. But she is 6'. If Parra ends up playing some OH, there's going to be a small block on that side, too, during her rotations on the front court. Other teams field OHes 6' or less all the time, but it's unusual for Texas pin hitters not to be at least 6'2. Plus they can jump out of the gym. Two, there's a lot of new parts with this team that are going to have to find a way to work together. For some of them, there's going to be a lot more time on the bench than they were anticipating. Three, the conference schedule is not going to be good. If you took the top 6 players off of Texas - 1 OH, 1 MB, 1 OPP, 1 Libero, 1 setter, and 1 DS - the rest of the roster would still be a prohibitive favorite to win the Big 12 and earn a protected seed for the first two rounds. That's absurd. 

That means come tournament time once Texas makes it to the 3rd round, they'll be facing a team of a caliber they haven't seen since Minnesota in September. And that Minnesota team will have a lot of kinks to iron out, too, as opposed to the tournament in December when everyone will know who they are a lot more. Remember Texas looked like they might get swept against Washington last year, being down 15-11 in the third set, down 2-0, before roaring back and dominating the Huskies the rest of the way.

That said, they also did a great job of earning honorary winners of the Big 10 conference in the spring of 2021, getting through Penn State, Nebraska, and Wisconsin in successive matches. One thing is for sure. This squad is loaded - or "stacked as hell" if you will. 

And that's not even including the coaching additions, which are substantial. 

BTW, @SamMan did you see Larson at the scrimmage at all?

I’m sorry, I just saw this. Unfortunately, I was not in attendance. I just got psyched up reading the updates.

Totally agree with everything you said re the setters, the different MB cast this year, and size at OH. Size kills in the middle. I think about BYU and Nebraska having those gargantuan MBs. Definitely a different look to the blocking aspects of the game. Hooker was the most freakish OH I had ever seen, but Elliott has had a complement of ridiculously athletic and taller players there nearly every year. Not that it matters, but for some reason I always want to assume Parra is Bricio despite the fact that Elliott clearly made reference to Neal when Parra signed. My brain just pictures her on the serving line and nowhere else, so I appreciate the point about her on the block with Caffey.

I also have to say, I appreciate the explanation about bigger setters. I have watched a lot of broadcasts and lurked a bit on the vball message boards, so I am sure I’ve heard or read something about it before, but I’m thankful for you sharing it again here. I know there was a lot of discussion on that very subject when we went from collins (whom I thought did a more than admirable job pitching at her size, but have no idea if that is accurate) to shook..oh, and UK definitely abused Gabriel in that match. I also echo @TwiceHorn re Fleck’s importance to this team reaching its potential overall. I have followed the team for quite a long time, but I am still very much a novice, so I too really appreciate the discussion you and @Js1 and others provide here be it personnel, strategies and tactics, or general news.

The only issue I’ve had with Elliott is just that his teams are so talented, but there always seems to be that one team that they don’t match up well against, they know the matchup is a problem, yet they are simply unable to muster whatever it takes to overcome that barrier. I thought they had gotten past it in the 2020 season after soundly beating Nebraska and Wisconsin, but I was discounting UK.

Texas has been extremely fortunate, and when you have the talent at such a level where you only have to worry about two or three other teams, that is a damn good problem to have. I wished they had the mental fortitude to finish those tough ones, but I know that is bs on my part because I have seen Elliott’s teams dig deep and win close matches (frankly, where I’ve turned the match off). The truth is that there isn’t another coach I could even think of that I would rather have at Texas. I don’t know how geno gets his teams to be so ruthlessly efficient while simply bludgeoning their weak conference opponents, but even he has struggled to close the deal in the tourney since Stewie & co graduated (granted, after four straight, matching what Rose did in vball). Like you said, Elliott has been extremely consistent. If he wins another championship, the perception changes. I hope this is the year.

[Texas Wahoo 3397]

This seems odd, but I do not follow high school volleyball.

 

 

 

[Js1 85407]

9 minutes ago, Texas Wahoo said:

This seems odd, but I do not follow high school volleyball.

 

 

 

I think O'Neal sat out her last year of HS volleyball.  IIRC, Butler didn't even play her last 2 years of HS, only club. 

Could be wanting to rest before college. 

[SL Xpress 7516]

There’s some drama there. It’s not just about getting some rest. Don’t know what the drama is, exactly, but the coach’s comments were odd, pretty much throwing Helmers under the bus for quitting on the team. 

I hope she gets some resolution on whatever is causing her to take time away from volleyball, whether it’s getting away from her coach, recovering from her 2 concussions last year if she’s suffering from lingering effects, or anything else it might be. 

I believe her high school coach is also her club coach, btw. 

[Js1 85407]

5 minutes ago, SL Xpress said:

There’s some drama there. It’s not just about getting some rest. Don’t know what the drama is, exactly, but the coach’s comments were odd, pretty much throwing Helmers under the bus for quitting on the team. 

I hope she gets some resolution on whatever is causing her to take time away from volleyball, whether it’s getting away from her coach, recovering from her 2 concussions last year if she’s suffering from lingering effects, or anything else it might be. 

I believe her high school coach is also her club coach, btw. 

If she opted to sit out and rest and recover from her concussions, and coach has an issue with that, that’s on him.  She has to do what she has to do. 

[Gardner Barnes 1562]

Westlake Libero commit article at top of AAS sports page today:


Defensive specialist Reese Emerick is everywhere for the Westlake volleyball team.

And while she’s noticeable on the court for her bright red libero jersey, what makes her really stand out is her high-level athleticism, ability to seemingly be involved in every point and an uncanny ability to pull up opponents’ vicious attacks.

Emerick, who recently committed to play volleyball at Texas, showed Tuesday night in Westlake’s home match against San Antonio Cornerstone Christian that she can do everything you’d design an elite back-row player to do: pass precisely, set when needed, serve efficiently, communicate with teammates and — most importantly — frustrate a defense with impossible digs.

“On the court, she commands the back row,” said Westlake coach Miguel Saenz, who is in his first year leading the Chaps after successful tenures at Bowie and Regents. “She already makes reads that I taught her last week that usually take a month to get implemented. But the best thing I love about her is that she’s confident — and when you’re in serve-receive you have to be confident. She’s assertive and is a bit of a general on the court, and that’s really good to have my first season here.”

Just a junior, Emerick wasn’t allowed to be recruited by colleges until June,

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but she had already built an impressive resume that undoubtedly caught Texas’ attention.

In addition to what she’s done at Westlake the past two years, she was recruited to train with the U.S. Olympic program at different cities in the spring and summer and will continue to do so in the winter.

Already a frequent attender of Longhorn volleyball games, Emerick said she was open to playing at any college in the country, but that staying local was the right move.

“Since recruiting opened two months ago, I realized I loved (Texas) from the start and feel like I found my home,” she said. “I go to games all the time and already live here — so what’s not to love about it.”

Running all over the court on the way to 19 digs in just three games as the Chaps were swept 25-22, 25-11, 25-21 by Cornerstone — which has seven girls pledged to Division I schools, is not associated with TAPPS, travels all over the country for tournaments and is ranked in the top 10 nationally — Emerick also caught the attention of Warriors coach Mike Carter.

“She controlled 20 feet of sideline,” he said. “She read the ball well, knew where to position herself and was phenomenal the entire match.”

Emerick has already proved that she’s a serious volleyball player from a talent, intelligence and effort standpoint, but one thing she said she’s focused on this fall is simply enjoying the game with her Westlake teammates.

“I view myself as the defensive quarterback and like to be a leader and support and encourage everyone,” she said. “I’m all about having fun on the court, and whatever that means for us — we should do it.”

Westlake (7-4) fared well in the first and third games, especially as Saenz and what is a senior-heavy team not only have to adjust to each other, but have to deal with an injury to starting outside hitter Caroline Pence.

Lily Davis, Evie Naumann and Sophia Luo combined for 19 kills, while setters Isa Breeden and Cameron Shelly teamed up for 22 assists.

The Chaps are thought of as contenders for the District 26-6A title along with Dripping Springs and Lake Travis, and Saenz noted playing teams like Cornerstone only helps Westlake improve.

“We’re still figuring out rotations, and I want as tough a schedule as possible going into district play,” he said. “We’ve got a loaded district and our playoff path is really difficult, so even though it stinks to lose, we learn a lot about our weaknesses when we play good teams like this.”

With Emerick being arguably the top defensive specialist in Central Texas and the Chaps in general being a pretty experienced team, Westlake seems in as good a spot as any when district play starts in less than a week.

“This is a super fun team and we all have good friendships with each other,” she said. “We have a lot of seniors, and I just love how we’re all super close.”

[SL Xpress 7516]

It feels like something of an exception for Texas to stay in state for their scholarship talent these days, so it says a lot about what the staff thinks of her they went after her right away. I’m looking forward to seeing her wear burnt orange in 2025. 

[perfectchaos007 6673]

I see a lot of burnt orange in attendance at the Rice scrimmage. Texas won the first 3 sets, but they are going to play 2 more additional sets

 

 

 

[TwiceHorn 31495]

On 8/19/2022 at 11:31 AM, SL Xpress said:

It feels like something of an exception for Texas to stay in state for their scholarship talent these days, so it says a lot about what the staff thinks of her they went after her right away. I’m looking forward to seeing her wear burnt orange in 2025. 

For better or worse, usually worse, in-state DS talent has been local, very local, for quite some time.  There was some semi-rational explanation offered on VT at one time to the effect of Ms. Elliott, or the former Ms. Elliott, was plugged in to the centex club scene and that was the "hookup" for DS.

Rational or not, it was very much a part of the seeming Elliott blind spot for back row talent/development.

[Js1 85407]

47 minutes ago, perfectchaos007 said:

I see a lot of burnt orange in attendance at the Rice scrimmage. Texas won the first 3 sets, but they are going to play 2 more additional sets

 

 

 

Texas won all 5

[SL Xpress 7516]

I went to the scrimmage at Tudor Fieldhouse on the Rice campus. Very nice contingent of Texas fans, although we didn't really make any noise. The Rice students were the MVPs of the crowd, filling their entire section while chanting "safety school" and "horns down." I laughed.

The starting lineup was Eggleston, Skinner, Caffey, Fleck, SKT, and Akana. Phillips was the starting right side hitter. Shocking to me Caffey served instead of O'Neal. Probably my biggest shock of the entire scrimmage is that O'Neal didn't serve once during the 5 sets. I think O'Neal and Phillips were the only two players on the roster who didn't serve once. I'm guessing those will be the eight primary players in the rotation against Ohio State, although I do expect to see other players rotate in there, including Parra, Bergmark, and Ewert especially. 

The first set Texas was dominant in serve receive. I think I counted one point Rice scored while serving. Maybe two. Texas wasn't amazing in serve, which surprised me, since I felt like that would be a huge strength of the team, but they didn't have to be while getting a side out every time Rice came up to bat. 

Zoe Fleck's serve rotation was the difference maker in the first two sets. The team basically scored as many points off of her serve as every other server combined. It wasn't that her serve is so impressive, but it was effective, and that's all that matters. Caffey had two impressive aces, both of which were followed by service errors. Which is okay. A 50% conversion rate on your service rotation is outstanding. Skinner also had some effective serve rotations, - 3 more than anyone else not named Fleck at 5 over the course of 2 sets. But it's not like she was a monster or anything.

Eggleston looks like she's in midseason form. She was great in blocking, was the most effective terminator of the pins, was consistent at the service line over the 3 sets she played, and looked ridiculous as a threat out of the back row. She was also quite effective in serve receive. I just wish it seemed like Texas went to anyone else out of the back row. Skinner especially seems like a bit of a waste in the back row at serve receive if she's never going to be an offensive option. But it's a scrimmage after 12 days of practice. We'll see.

I'm going to keep waiting for the Skinner I saw as a freshman to show up. It's not like she's bad. Far from it. But she doesn't have a great connection with either SKT or Ewert, yet. At least that's what it seems to me. It's obvious Elliott sees her primary position being as the other OH besides Eggleston, mostly playing 6 rotations. The problem for me is I compare her to Fields from last year, who was as intimidating in her own right as Eggleston, or Skinner from her freshman season at Kentucky when she had Madison Lilley setting her all season, and this version simply doesn't compare. Parra in the 3rd and 4th set looked better at the pin to me, but that doesn't mean Parra is the better option. It's not clear who Rice was playing on their side of the court at that juncture. They had their starting setter in still, but the rest of the squad could have been backups for all I know.

Caffey and Bergmark look neck and neck to me. It wouldn't bother me to see either one of them out there. Bergmark has an amazing connection with Ewert. I guess they played club together. Whatever the reason, it's uncanny. It was so strange to see both Caffey and Bergmark behind the service line rather than O'Neal. 

SKT looked like the better setter to me over Ewert today. I'm not saying she should be the setter for the NCAA tournament, but I'd bet a lot of money she'll be the setter against Ohio State. I felt like SKT enjoyed better passing. She barely had to move most of the time, whereas it felt like Ewert was constantly having to chase balls down. SKT has the better looking serve (although Ewert's doesn't look bad per se). Statistically SKT had the better day serving, but only by a smidgen.

Akana came in with some really impressive numbers last year at Nebraska from the serving line, but in the first two sets she was terrible. When she came back as the libero she was relatively dominant. Her and Parra just destroyed Rice as a tandem from the service line, creating a blowout in set 4. As a DS she was good in the back row, but honestly everyone among the starters looked outstanding, and Fleck is the star back there. 

Among the other players, Parra delivered nuclear devastation from the service line in the 4th set. I thought she looked effective on the pins in the 3rd and 4th. She also looks much more comfortable in the back row from what I thought she did last year. 

Halter looked like a burgeoning superstar in the O/W scrimmage, but not so much so here. Probably just a rough outing for the most part. Nothing to be concerned about. 

I thought Kahahawei looked better in the O/W than here, but I thought she looked good against Rice, too. She's the future 6 rotation hitter for sure. She's just an all around very good volleyball player. 

I'm sure Singletary is going to redshirt at MB, but you can tell that girl can jump out of the gym. I can hardly wait for her to begin to make her mark next season.

Both Heinrich and Pierce look like superb bench players to have. Crownover as a lefty gave Rice some fits in the 5th set from the service line. She's nice to have as a walk on but she's no where near a threat for playing time. 

BTW, David Hunt is obviously specializing working with the setters. He had all three setters - SKT/Ewert/Crownover - in a huddle away from the rest of the team on several occasions. 

The only one I haven't talked about it O'Neal. She just didn't have much of a dominant match. No biggie. We know what she can do. I'm just surprised is all. She had a couple of slides. A couple of blocks. But she simply didn't shine as much to me as either Bergmark or Caffey. Not saying they should play in front of her. Mostly just surprised I feel that way. Maybe the stats prove me wrong.

 On to Saturday Friday in Columbus!

Edited August 21, 2022 by SL Xpress

[SL Xpress 7516]

For an amazing preview of the Buckeyes on Friday and Saturday night, there's this post by Nebraska fan Kingsley, who is doing a thorough preview of all the B1G teams:

https://volleytalk.proboards.com/post/3039558

(My apologies for the font color/background. It's a copy/paste thing from Volleytalk, and I don't know how to change it)

Quote

    Ohio State Buckeyes


Fall 2021 Overall Record: 27-6

Conference Record: 15-5 (T-3rd)

NCAA Tournament Placement: Regional Semifinals (L, 0-3 vs. Georgia Tech)

Final AVCA Ranking: 11


Head Coach: Jen Flynn Oldenburg (3rd season at Ohio State)

Record at Ohio State: 43-10


Returning Starters:

Gabby Gonzales - SR - 6'3 OH

Hannah Gruensfelder - SR+ - 5'6 DS/L

Mia Grunze - SR+ - 6'3 OH

Emily Londot - JR - 6'3 RS

Kylie Murr - SR - 5'6 L

Mac Podraza - SR - 6'2 S

Rylee Rader - JR - 6'2 MB


Departures (* denotes starter):

Vanja Bukilic - SR+ - 6'6 OH (Transfer to North Carolina State)

Arica Davis* - SO - 5'11 MB (Transfer to Minnesota)

Camryn Moeller - 5'8 DS/L

Josie Vondran - SR+ - 6'0 S (Transfer to LSU)



Incoming Players:

Anna McClure - FR - 5'9 DS/L

Zaria Ragler - FR - 6'1 MB

Chelsea Thorpe - FR - 6'3 OH



Further Reading:

THE Ohio State 2022 Thread by Brutus Buckeye



Fall 2021 Recap:

Ohio State went into the fall season looking to build on a successful spring campaign that got the Jen Flynn Oldenburg era off to a fast start.

The fall lineup for the Buckeyes was largely a reprise of the spring squad with a few tweaks. Rylee Rader shifted over to M1 in place of Lauren Witte, who opted not to take her bonus year. True freshman Arica Davis claimed the other middle spot. Mia Grunze emerged as the leader at L1 after overcoming some lingering injuries that limited her early in the calendar year. Besides that, there were a lot of familiar faces: Gabby Gonzales at L2, Hannah Gruensfelder at the DS for the L1, Emily Londot at opposite, Kylie Murr at libero, and Mac Podraza at setter.

OSU kicked off Fall 2021 with a marquee home win over Washington in the season's opening weekend. The rest of the Buckeyes' non-conference slate was not particularly challenging, although Notre Dame did force five sets in Columbus right before Big Ten play began.

The conference slate got off to a rough start as the Buckeyes dropped back-to-back road matches to Purdue and Penn State. OSU steadied out, though, and swept the following four opponents before getting revenge against the Boilermakers at home.

A pair of losses awaited in another tough road trip that featured Wisconsin and Minnesota. Jenaisya Moore got a little bit of time at opposite in place of Londot. OSU subsequently finished season sweeps of Michigan and Michigan State, but the Golden Gophers then accomplished the same feat against the Buckeyes after a four-set win in Columbus. Despite this, a big bounce-back win against Nebraska kept things pointed in the right direction for OSU.

At least, that seemed to be the case. After the home victory against Nebraska, some lineup turmoil hit the Buckeyes. OSU faced a road matchup against Northwestern without Podraza but still managed to pull through in a 3-1 win. Though Podraza would return following the one-match hiatus, this turned out to be the last match of the season for Grunze, who was sidelined with knee troubles once again.

Still, Ohio State polished off conference play with a seven-match winning streak while Moore took over most of the L1 duties. The 15-5 Big Ten mark was good enough to share third with Purdue and Minnesota.

The Buckeyes earned the #9 seed in the NCAA Tournament and defended their home court against Howard and Tennessee. Inconsistencies at the L1 spot lingered, though, and Vanja Bukilic got more opportunities at that spot in the postseason. Like the spring season, Ohio State sputtered in the regional semifinals and fell to Georgia Tech to wrap up 2021.



2022 Schedule:

Ohio State starts the season by throwing itself directly into a smoldering crucible.

Columbus welcomes the Texas Longhorns on opening weekend for a Friday-Saturday doubleheader with the Buckeyes. I'm not here to psychoanalyze the burnt orange, but I'm not blowing anyone's minds by saying that Texas will be a national title favorite. The best case scenario for Ohio State is for its experienced and cohesive lineup to capitalize on a new-look Texas roster that's figuring out how to gel. We'll see.

The challenges keep on coming after the Texas two-step, too. Ohio State faces the top three teams in the ACC--Louisville, Pitt, and Georgia Tech--and meets perennial WCC contenders BYU and San Diego on neutral courts. The Tennessee match is a reunion from last year's second-round NCAA battle.

Here's the conference breakdown:
 

Home + Away	Home	Away

2022 Lineup Overview:

OSU's 2022 lineup will feature a lot of the same pieces, but there are still a couple of preseason question marks.

The big offseason departure for the Buckeyes was Arica Davis, who left for Minnesota after a productive true freshman campaign. That void will be filled by either senior Reilly MacNeill, who played in three sets last season, or another true freshman like Zaria Ragler. Ohio State leaned on its middles throughout the 2021 season, so whoever emerges at this spot will need to do so with confidence.

More questions loom at L1. Can Mia Grunze put together a full season at full health? Perhaps this is when Jenaisya Moore seizes a bigger role in the offense after being in and out of the lineup for various reasons during her career. Whoever takes the L1 spot will probably get subbed for returning fifth-year senior Hannah Gruensfelder in the back row. Nothing new there.

Everything else is firmly established. Gabby Gonzales is the L2. Mac Podraza has raked in plenty of accolades while running the show from the setter spot. There will surely be a microscope on her connection with Emily Londot, and Ohio State would gladly take more six-rotation production from its star opposite. Londot's backcourt production gives Rylee Rader the license to hit quicks in front of the setter ad nauseam--a strategy that yielded a .433 hitting percentage from Rader last year. Kylie Murr is back to hold down the libero spot and has done so since she stepped on campus.



The Verdict:

Can OSU get over the hump and make the regional finals? This would be a good time to do it.

The Buckeyes can reasonably expect to stay among the Big Ten's top four this season. They were firmly at that level throughout the 2021 calendar year with largely the same core group that we'll see this fall.

Taking the next step hinges on answering the questions mentioned above. If everything comes together, that regional final appearance is clearly feasible. I usually don't like to put a ton of stock in early-season eye tests, but an opening weekend homestand against Texas should provide a nice initial barometer on this experienced Buckeye team.

 

[Steven Avery 19]

On 8/19/2022 at 11:31 AM, SL Xpress said:

It feels like something of an exception for Texas to stay in state for their scholarship talent these days, so it says a lot about what the staff thinks of her they went after her right away. I’m looking forward to seeing her wear burnt orange in 2025. 

Do we know if it was a scholarship offer and not a walk on offer? 

[SL Xpress 7516]

5 minutes ago, Steven Avery said:

Do we know if it was a scholarship offer and not a walk on offer? 

 

I don't know anything about anyone's scholarship status, whether in recruiting or on the actual roster. I can always make guesses, but that's all they ever are. But @Gardner Barnes says she has a legitimate scholarship offer, and he has some personal connections with her, so I'm going to go with that. 

[Steven Avery 19]

3 minutes ago, SL Xpress said:

 

I don't know anything about anyone's scholarship status, whether in recruiting or on the actual roster. I can always make guesses, but that's all they ever are. But @Gardner Barnes says she has a legitimate scholarship offer, and he has some personal connections with her, so I'm going to go with that. 

Thanks just got caught up and saw he explained that. I am somewhat surprised as we played her club team a few times this past year and i watched them a bunch and i cant say I ever thought that was a UT level prospect, but then again I dont usually study liberos either.  I do know our team bet hers and we played with a jv level high school libero on a much lower profile team lol. 

[Gardner Barnes 1562]

Thanks just got caught up and saw he explained that. I am somewhat surprised as we played her club team a few times this past year and i watched them a bunch and i cant say I ever thought that was a UT level prospect, but then again I dont usually study liberos either.  I do know our team bet hers and we played with a jv level high school libero on a much lower profile team lol. 

She wasn’t there when you guys played her in Dallas

[Steven Avery 19]

23 minutes ago, Gardner Barnes said:

She wasn’t there when you guys played her in Dallas

We played them at the Tour Finals in Houston. 

[Gardner Barnes 1562]

We played them at the Tour Finals in Houston. 

I don’t know if she was at that one. She prob was. I was done with prep VB by then.

[Steven Avery 19]

10 hours ago, Gardner Barnes said:

I don’t know if she was at that one. She prob was. I was done with prep VB by then.

She was there, I pm'd you the clips.

[Js1 85407]

😂

[Js1 85407]

Sounds like Elliot is still deciding at setter (SKT or Ewers) and MB (Bergmark or Caffey) prior to this week's opening matches.   Should cement the rest as :

OH Eggleston
OH Skinner
MB1 O'Neal
MB2 Bergmark/Caffey
OPP Phillips
S SKT/Ewers
L Fleck

Edited August 23, 2022 by Js1

[SL Xpress 7516]

1 hour ago, Js1 said:

Sounds like Elliot is still deciding at setter (SKT or Ewers) and MB (Bergmark or Caffey) prior to this week's opening matches.   Should cement the rest as :

OH Eggleston
OH Skinner
MB1 O'Neal
MB2 Bergmark/Caffey
OPP Phillips
S SKT/Ewers
L Fleck

 

I don't think he's actually deciding. I think he's going to go with SKT/Caffey, and then sub in Ewert/Bergmark as a package at some point. My best guess is the third set like he did at the Rice scrimmage.

He also had superlative praise for Halter - "best freshman we've ever had." I have to think he means DS/L here, otherwise it doesn't make any sense. I still don't think she surpasses Akana as DS1 to start the season, if for no other reason than Akana's serve. Not to mention her experience level. Her and Caffey are the two people on the team that have actually played in Columbus.

And I still have no idea how Elliott encompasses Parra's serve, if he does. And does Texas attack out of the back row with someone other than Eggleston? Does he try to accommodate Kahahawei at all?

I have a strong feeling we'll come out with as many question marks out of this 2 match series with tOSU as we do answers. 

[LTtxfan 49247]

 

[LTtxfan 49247]

 

[Texas Wahoo 3397]

 

 

[SL Xpress 7516]

Plenty of signs point to Jordan Larson and David Hunt no longer being together. I have no idea how this will impact the volleyball team. I guess we'll see moving forward.

One thing I would love is for Elliott to bring someone on if he can to break up the white male sausage fest he has going on on the sidelines. I know it wasn't his intention to create that dynamic, but with Larson not appearing with the team there's 5 white dudes on the sideline for each match, with DeAnne Koehler leading the girls in warmups adding the only flavor of any kind to the staff. You look at the makeup of the team, and something doesn't compute. I'm all for meritocracy, but there have to be some women and/or people of color qualified for the volunteer assistant job who would like to get their foot in the door of a coaching career. Probably too late to bring someone on at this point unless it's someone Elliott knows SUPER well given the strange dynamics on the coaching staff right now, but I'm hopeful it will be addressed in the offseason.

The Jordan/David stuff makes me sad in that unconnected/IDon'tKnowThesePeople sort of way. 

[Js1 85407]

Maybe they were better apart when she was playing abroad and with AUX and he was coaching in California.  Then they moved to Austin together and were like oh wow no

Edited August 24, 2022 by Js1

[Jambon 176]

Will the Texas/Ohio State series this weekend be shown on TV or stream anywhere?  I checked Texassports and all they have is a link to live stats.

[Js1 85407]

2 minutes ago, Jambon said:

Will the Texas/Ohio State series this weekend be shown on TV or stream anywhere?  I checked Texassports and all they have is a link to live stats.

FS1 on Friday

B1G Network on Saturday

[SL Xpress 7516]

43 minutes ago, Js1 said:

Maybe they were better apart when she was playing abroad and with AUX and he was coaching in California.  Then they moved to Austin together and were like oh wow no

Long distance relationships always create an artificial togetherness because both parties don’t want to rock the boat “we only have a short time together!”

Then when you’re with each other every day those same irritations and resentments come out whether you want them to or not. 

My advice for decades for long distance couples is to at least take a long road trip together before doing something as permanent as marriage. 

Of course then you add the stress of working with one another, so there’s no natural break. That’s rough on the most stable of couples. 

I bet Elliott never considers hiring a couple ever again. This is a big reason why so many organizations discourage fraternization among its members. It’s not only what favoritism might occur. It’s the drama when there’s a breakup. 

[SL Xpress 7516]

As expected, Jordan Larson removed from the coaching staff officially. 

And with the match tonight, the craziest offseason I can ever recall that didn’t involve a head coaching change - in any sport - comes to an end. 

[Js1 85407]

2 minutes ago, SL Xpress said:

As expected, Jordan Larson removed from the coaching staff officially. 

And with the match tonight, the craziest offseason I can ever recall that didn’t involve a head coaching change - in any sport - comes to an end. 

Tomorrow 

[SL Xpress 7516]

40 minutes ago, Js1 said:

Tomorrow 

So there’s still time for something else to happen!

[TwiceHorn 31495]

16 hours ago, SL Xpress said:

Long distance relationships always create an artificial togetherness because both parties don’t want to rock the boat “we only have a short time together!”

Then when you’re with each other every day those same irritations and resentments come out whether you want them to or not. 

My advice for decades for long distance couples is to at least take a long road trip together before doing something as permanent as marriage. 

Of course then you add the stress of working with one another, so there’s no natural break. That’s rough on the most stable of couples. 

I bet Elliott never considers hiring a couple ever again. This is a big reason why so many organizations discourage fraternization among its members. It’s not only what favoritism might occur. It’s the drama when there’s a breakup. 

Yeah, I shouldn't have laughed but the "oh wow no" made me chuckle.

And, even if there isn't drama, there's a high likelihood of losing one or both employees and all that entails.  See, e.g. Jordan Larson.

[perfectchaos007 6673]

If Jordan isn’t even willing to be on staff with her husband, that divorce is going to get real nasty (as most divorce proceedings are)