2024 Volleyball: SEC, here comes Daddy

[Js1 86945]

Chalky too, this year. 

[Cairn Horn88 8500]

11 hours ago, Rickylovesweed said:

I think Pitt is winning it all. 

…..frankly, my dear…..I don’t give a damn.

[Js1 86945]

2 hours ago, Js1 said:

Chalky too, this year. 

One non-1/2 seed in the Regional Finals and it was a 3 seed. All 1 seeds advanced.

At least the regional semifinals had a little parity - two 5, two 6, and a 7 made it. But none of them could pull off the Sweet 16 upset - Aggy was the closest with a 5 set loss 

[torre 1293]

12 hours ago, Js1 said:

I’m rooting for Pitt/Louisville. One of them can win their first. Fuck Corn and fuck Pedo

Especially after Cook's comments after last year's championship game.

 

Quote

But you look at tonight’s match, I mean, they’ve got half their starting team are transfers. They’re all fourth- and fifth-year players, except for Ella, the setter, who did a great job.

So that’s how they’ve been building their team. That’s how they built last year’s team.

I like what we’re doing. I like recruiting kids and trying to make them be great.

— John Cook

https://brobible.com/sports/article/nebraska-volleyball-texas-john-cook-transfer-roster/

[Js1 86945]

Just now, torre said:

Especially after Cook's comments after last year's championship game.

 

https://brobible.com/sports/article/nebraska-volleyball-texas-john-cook-transfer-roster/

Beason, Landfair, Blackwell (who he bought and stuck on the bench so other teams couldn’t have an experienced MB) 

[Js1 86945]

She's staying! 

 

[TwiceHorn 31991]

5 minutes ago, Js1 said:

She's staying! 

 

Excellent news.

[Js1 86945]

Wisconin's Gulce Guctekin is in the portal.  She'd fit right in at DS, alongside Emma. 

191 digs in only 92 sets, .935 reception % on serve receive (9 errors on 139 attempts), 27 aces/34 errors and 35 assists

Wisconsin weirdly employed the 2 libero system for a while, but Schumacher ended up taking over as the sole libero. 

Akana had 177 digs in 98 sets, .950 receiption % on serve receive (14 errors on 278 attempts), 17 aces/36 errors and 22 assists

[Pogo 286]

47 minutes ago, Js1 said:

She's staying! 

That is shocking!  Maybe I'm just a pessimist, but there's only one plausible reason I think she stays.  Carlson is about to leave because nobody likes her.  That would explain the complete lack of cohesion this team has displayed all season.

It still wouldn't explain why JE chose her over Ella, but I guess he made a decision and stuck with it.  Still surprising Ella didn't say "peace out. I'm not dealing with this."  I just can't picture both of them here next year.

[Js1 86945]

Still don't know JE's plan for the pin spots (Devin, Whitney, Byrd, AVW, Spears) but if Purdue's Eva Hudson is in the portal (as rumored), I want her badly. 

Career 4.50 kills per set, 62 aces/57 errors, 0.5 blocks per set

.951 reception % as a 6 rotation OH (23 reception errors in 466 chances) 

Edited Monday at 07:56 PM by Js1

[Js1 86945]

3 hours ago, Pogo said:

That is shocking!  Maybe I'm just a pessimist, but there's only one plausible reason I think she stays.  Carlson is about to leave because nobody likes her.  That would explain the complete lack of cohesion this team has displayed all season.

It still wouldn't explain why JE chose her over Ella, but I guess he made a decision and stuck with it.  Still surprising Ella didn't say "peace out. I'm not dealing with this."  I just can't picture both of them here next year.

Yeah, idk.

I guess it would be another open battle for the setter position all spring/summer.  Carlson played 2 years at Baylor and 1 at Texas, so in theory, she could graduate in the spring and transfer without restriction if she loses the job after spring ball. 

In theory, Elliot could have an entire offseason with a 6-2, Ella takes over the 5-1 in 2026 after Carlson graduates and Harris gets to sit and watch and take over as a sophomore in 2027. 

I'm just so happy Ella stayed.  That's my damn setter right there. 

[BevoBae 31]

Guctekin plays good defense but would be a serve receive liability - Wisconsin hides her because she is error prone and streaky. I don't think she's enough of an upgrade.

[SL Xpress 7608]

10 hours ago, Pogo said:

That is shocking!  Maybe I'm just a pessimist, but there's only one plausible reason I think she stays.  Carlson is about to leave because nobody likes her.  That would explain the complete lack of cohesion this team has displayed all season.

It still wouldn't explain why JE chose her over Ella, but I guess he made a decision and stuck with it.  Still surprising Ella didn't say "peace out. I'm not dealing with this."  I just can't picture both of them here next year.

I don't know, man. Elliott has a little Mack Brown in him. There's a few players that leave with bitterness, but there are a lot of players that stick around through their entire eligibility because they just really like it here. 

If I was Kahahawai's mentor I would have been telling her to transfer last year no ands, ifs, or buts. It's not for everyone, but for the players who seem to fit in with the rest of the team, they don't seem to want to go anywhere. 

[Js1 86945]

8 hours ago, SL Xpress said:

If I was Kahahawai's mentor I would have been telling her to transfer last year no ands, ifs, or buts. It's not for everyone, but for the players who seem to fit in with the rest of the team, they don't seem to want to go anywhere. 

I remain totally surprised she stayed.  I will likely remain totally surprised if we make it to Jan 6 and she's still not in the portal.  

And then Swindle and Devin lead up to the Final Four in 2025. 

[Pogo 286]

15 hours ago, Js1 said:

I'm just so happy Ella stayed.  That's my damn setter right there.

Ditto.  Which is why I'm so surprised she stayed.  It's also why I got so disillusioned this year.  Carlson just never seemed like an upgrade.

9 hours ago, SL Xpress said:

If I was Kahahawai's mentor I would have been telling her to transfer last year no ands, ifs, or buts. It's not for everyone, but for the players who seem to fit in with the rest of the team, they don't seem to want to go anywhere. 

Agreed on that as well.  I'll be just as surprised if she stays.

That said, if Ella, Devin, and Emma are the foundation next year, then I am ALL IN!!

[Js1 86945]

1 minute ago, Pogo said:

Ditto.  Which is why I'm so surprised she stayed.  It's also why I got so disillusioned this year.  Carlson just never seemed like an upgrade.

It was obviously early on how much of a step back our back row took and you could see JE not getting a third little was going to be a downfall. Right back to 2013-2021 issues. (Well not totally, 2020 was more having Gabriel abused in the front row by Kentucky, because we had M’OB in the back row)

Plus Madi seemed so tired/burned out/checked out to start the year. The roster never came together, we had horrible back row play, we waffled with the 6-2/5-1 and we had to just suffer through so many youth issues in the middle 

[TexasDPT 333]

Not having a 3rd elite DS in the backrow really hurt this team.

Because Ella having to set while chasing errant passes is a disaster and takes her out of the offense when she is in the front row. That's one reason Carlson took over at setter...she's able to locate the ball on the run better, but the trade-off with that is her block is going to get abused.

But even with good passes, Ellas struggled with her location. The only difference between this season and last year's tournament run was that she wasn't jump-setting. So that's on the coaching staff.

Combine that with new middle blockers who struggled closing the block all season, Wenaas being Wenaas (such a streaky player), and Madi going through her mid-season funk really just foreshadowed how the season was going to end. 

[Js1 86945]

I’m just not putting a lot of it on Jenna bc she was asked to do so much more than she should have had to. If Elliot had recruited another little from the portal, we had options to sub Devin in for Jenna when she was struggling (and only playing 3 front row rotations)

The coaching staff failed her 

[Js1 86945]

16 hours ago, BevoBae said:

Guctekin plays good defense but would be a serve receive liability - Wisconsin hides her because she is error prone and streaky. I don't think she's enough of an upgrade.

No worries - GG wants the jersey, she does not want to transfer somewhere to be a DS.  Emma ain't giving it up. 

[TexasDPT 333]

OH Jordyn Byrd and DS/L Brennan Ramirez are in the portal.

That gets the roster down to the NCAA limit of 18.

 

[TexasDPT 333]

5 minutes ago, TexasDPT said:

OH Jordyn Byrd and DS/L Brennan Ramirez are in the portal.

That gets the roster down to the NCAA limit of 18.

 

Add OH Sydney Helmers and RS Auburn Tomkinson to the list.

[Js1 86945]

All expected, really. Gives us some portal room - currently at 16.

Should target a DS and a 6 rotation OH (EVA HUDSON PLEASE)

 

Edited 14 hours ago by Js1

[Js1 86945]

Could see Byrd go home to Florida. Wisconsin was in her top 5 and Purdue has openings now with Chicoine and Hudson bolting. LSU should be one to watch, Tonya recruited her 

Edited 14 hours ago by Js1

[Gardner Barnes 1573]

I'd like to jump in here and state for the record that my daughter started in the D2 final 4. We lost. Kinda sucked but man what an incredible experince for her.

Thier win the Elite 8 game was one of thr most exciting games she has ever been involved in.

They finished number 4 in the nation. 32-3


Ok. Carry on.

[SL Xpress 7608]

What a waste of a class. I don't blame them for transferring out. I'm a little surprised Bunton isn't on the list. 

Not to blame the coaching staff wholly. Not sure how anyone can be upset with 2 national championships. But with all the transfers coming in there wasn't a chance for playing time. 

Hopefully we get to see the incoming players develop some. 

[Js1 86945]

Just now, SL Xpress said:

I'm a little surprised Bunton isn't on the list. 

Assuming Harvey is redshirting, she’s so damn important for having a 3rd MB. Hell, you need 2 MBs on the other side of the net just at practice 

[shadow_operative2.0 16182]

6 hours ago, TexasDPT said:

Add OH Sydney Helmers

What’s the story with this one, she leave awhile back or something? Or has she just not officially announced it yet? A lot of the indoor girls have posted well wishes to the other 3, but nothing about her.