Jump to content

2024 Volleyball: SEC, here comes Daddy


Js1

Recommended Posts

Also Texas was 8th in the committee rankings today, 1 spot behind SMU. @perfectchaos007, we won’t see them in Austin

1. Nebraska
2. Pittsburgh
3. Louisville
4. Penn State
5. Stanford
6. Creighton
7. SMU
8. Texas
9. Purdue
10. Oregon
11. Wisconsin
12. Kansas
13. Minnesota
14. TCU
15. Utah
16. Arizona State

Lincoln Regional
1. Nebraska, 8. Texas, 9. Purdue, 16. Arizona State

Pittsburgh Regional
2. Pittsburgh, 7. SMU, 10. Oregon, 15. Utah

Louisville Regional
1. Louisville, 6. Creighton, 11. Wisconsin, 14. TCU

University Park Regional
1. Penn State, 5. Stanford, 12. Kansas, 13. Minnesota

  • Hook 'Em 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Texas has to win out and hope other teams lose some they shouldn't.

The Big 12 might be a better conference in the top half than the SEC this year. Not a lot of tests in the rest of the schedule. Kentucky and Florida are both a little down. I like the potential of this conference long term. Last year it was really good, but there was a lot of drop off.

I'm trying to compare how I feel about this team versus last year's squad at this time. I guess I'm just going to have to hope for the best and they turn on the jets in the post season after the sweet 16. The personnel is there. Backcourt passing and defense is a little suspect compared to the last year. Barnes really helped solidify things in the latter half of the season after she got her sea legs as a DS as opposed to the career libero she was coming in.

My expectations for Skinner and Rutherford were too high entering the season. But Skinner in particular can turn it on at any point. I love Kahahawai's emergence. Singletary looks like another plug and play spectacular middle for MBU. The serving overall looks really good. 

l don't know. Lots of good teams out there. Texas just doesn't seem to be playing as well as some of the top teams, but again, I feel like I would have said that last year, and those last 3 postseason matches ended up being dominant victories.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

27 minutes ago, Js1 said:

Also Texas was 8th in the committee rankings today, 1 spot behind SMU. @perfectchaos007, we won’t see them in Austin

1. Nebraska
2. Pittsburgh
3. Louisville
4. Penn State
5. Stanford
6. Creighton
7. SMU
8. Texas
9. Purdue
10. Oregon
11. Wisconsin
12. Kansas
13. Minnesota
14. TCU
15. Utah
16. Arizona State

Lincoln Regional
1. Nebraska, 8. Texas, 9. Purdue, 16. Arizona State

Pittsburgh Regional
2. Pittsburgh, 7. SMU, 10. Oregon, 15. Utah

Louisville Regional
1. Louisville, 6. Creighton, 11. Wisconsin, 14. TCU

University Park Regional
1. Penn State, 5. Stanford, 12. Kansas, 13. Minnesota

Shocked I am that they’d want us in Lincoln. I think the best way for us to move up is to have Nebraska lose and drop a couple spots so they will move us up accordingly. 

  • Rage+1 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

25 minutes ago, Pato del Muerto said:

Shocked I am that they’d want us in Lincoln. I think the best way for us to move up is to have Nebraska lose and drop a couple spots so they will move us up accordingly. 

I really don’t want to go to any of those top 4 seeds but I REALLY don’t want to go to Lincoln or Pittsburgh 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, SL Xpress said:

I feel like the solution is to play Carlson all the way around and use Kahahawai over Rutherford.

But I have an inordinate affection towards Swindle after last year. I don't want that to be the solution.

And I've watched Rutherford her whole career. I feel like we've marginalized her somehow. 

But right now I just want to beat Georgia. And I certainly don't want to lose another commanding lead. 

Good. Second set goes to the good guys. 

I really hate the 6-2 in general, as an aside. I understand why we're using it, but I'm just not a fan in general.

Avery is a huge liability in the front row.

Maybe it’s just me, because I like the 6-2 and I think our blocking numbers are much better in the 6-2 without Carlson in the front row, but I do think what hitters the setter typically gets matters a lot.

Rutherford has been kind of meh lately and that is the RS hitter that Swindle is paired with. Devin has been really good lately and she’s paired with Carlson.  Is it a better setter = better attacker in this case or is Swindle suffering from her RS hitter being in a funk? Or is her funk caused by Swindle?

Def for the coaching staff to figure out 

  • Hook 'Em 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't mind the 6-2 vs 5-1 discourse, but it's hard to beat the results.  9-0 and have only lost 3 sets (and should have been 2 if we don't blow that first set against Georgia) 

2.55 blocks per set (42nd nationally)
.272 hitting % (24th nationally)
12.57 assists per set (39th nationally)

I know we all miss the gaudy .300+ hitting % for the season, but it's been great since we switched to the 6-2.

Before the 6-2, we had 3 matches where we hit under .200 (Minnesota, Miami, Stanford) and just 2 matches above .300 (Houston and Indiana)
Since we switched, 1 match under .200 (aggy, who has a serious good block) and 5 matches above .300 (and  close to 6 or 7, we hit .296 versus Baylor and .281 versus Kentucky)

Before the switch, 3 matches with 10+ blocks (Wisconsin, Minnesota, Houston).  Since the switch, 5 matches with 10+ blocks

Before the switch, 4 matches with 5+ aces.  Since the switch, 6 matches with 5+ aces 

The 6-2 is better for our blocking (no Averi in the front row) and utilizing our best setters.  If we can get Rutherford out of this funk and Madi a little more efficient, the numbers will look better (for both the team and Ella's assists)

  • Hook 'Em 3
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, Js1 said:

I don't mind the 6-2 vs 5-1 discourse, but it's hard to beat the results.  9-0 and have only lost 3 sets (and should have been 2 if we don't blow that first set against Georgia) 

2.55 blocks per set (42nd nationally)
.272 hitting % (24th nationally)
12.57 assists per set (39th nationally)

I know we all miss the gaudy .300+ hitting % for the season, but it's been great since we switched to the 6-2.

Before the 6-2, we had 3 matches where we hit under .200 (Minnesota, Miami, Stanford) and just 2 matches above .300 (Houston and Indiana)
Since we switched, 1 match under .200 (aggy, who has a serious good block) and 5 matches above .300 (and  close to 6 or 7, we hit .296 versus Baylor and .281 versus Kentucky)

Before the switch, 3 matches with 10+ blocks (Wisconsin, Minnesota, Houston).  Since the switch, 5 matches with 10+ blocks

Before the switch, 4 matches with 5+ aces.  Since the switch, 6 matches with 5+ aces 

The 6-2 is better for our blocking (no Averi in the front row) and utilizing our best setters.  If we can get Rutherford out of this funk and Madi a little more efficient, the numbers will look better (for both the team and Ella's assists)

No volleyball expert but hitting % is also drastically overrated. We hit .260 and .270 in last year's national semis and finals. It didn't matter because of how we served and played defensively. 

I think the big turning point with Elliott was realizing that there's much more to winning titles than just prioritizing terminal players. Serving and defense is what got us over the hump. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

27 minutes ago, Rickylovesweed said:

No volleyball expert but hitting % is also drastically overrated. We hit .260 and .270 in last year's national semis and finals. It didn't matter because of how we served and played defensively. 

I think the big turning point with Elliott was realizing that there's much more to winning titles than just prioritizing terminal players. Serving and defense is what got us over the hump. 

You're not wrong -

Texas hit .333 in the 2020 finals against Kentucky, which should be good enough to win, but then we watched UK hit over Gabriel her entire 3 front row rotations and hit .349 to beat us in 4. 

Wisky won the 2021 finals only hitting .183, but 7 aces and 24 blocks. 

You can suck at hitting if you have the defense (like Wisconsin) and you can be an excellent hitting team, but lose because you have a front row blocking liability.

The 6-2 helps with that - Carlson never goes into the front row to block, so they're constantly having to hit at our OHs and MBs, which in turn, has created a really strong block.  At any one time, opponents are hitting at 6'4 Ames, 6'4 Singletary, 6'4 Devin, 6'0 Rutherford, 6'2 Skinner and 6'1 Wenaas. And our pins are extremely good blockers on their own - 23 blocks for RR, 32 for Skinner, 43 for Devin. Jenna may be the weakest front row blocker (12), but she's been doing what she has to do in the backrow. 

And then 88 for Mari, including 10 of Texas' 18 solo blocks, and 40 for Ames.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

RPI Futures has Texas finishing the regular season 6th, with 1 more loss.   Probably a road match at OU or Auburn, but it doesn't really specify who we lose to. 

Texas still has 3 more home matches in this homestand - tomorrow (aggy), Nov 1 (Mizzou), Nov 3 (OU).  Then we go 4 matches away from Gregory - MSST (Nov 6), Auburn (Nov 15), Bama (Nov 17), OU (Nov 22).  Then finish at home versus Tenn (Nov 27) and Ole Miss (Nov 30).  

Then it's Texas' favorite season - the postseason. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

22 hours ago, perfectchaos007 said:

We’ll have to be road warriors in the NCAAs once again thanks to our slow start. All part of Elliott’s plan?

Well good thing we've played in front of record road crowds basically every road match in 2024

Texas/aggy part 2 at Gregory - 7pm, ESPNU

  • Hook 'Em 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Advanced stats still has 3 Horns servers in the top 12 - Halter #2, Carlson #3 and Wenaas #12

We did run into issues closing out UGA because of Muoneke, who is #8 in advanced stats

The only top 20 server we have on our upcoming schedule is Jordan Iliff (Mizzou) at #11. 

Texas has faced #8 (Muoeneke), #9 (Sarah Franklin), #13 (Erin Lamb) and #14 (Julia Orzol) so far.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, sunset87 said:

Aggies going quick every time to the middles. You would think the block would figure out.

Forcing our middles to make quick decisions is not a bad game plan bc they’re young

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.



×
×
  • Create New...