2019 Texas Volleyball

[texfan11 90]

1 minute ago, TwiceHorn said:

Apparently?  Didn't really get that.

From the broadcast comments, I think it was for a delay in substitution... idk I think that’s BS if so. First there should be a a warning, and since it’s at the refs discretion, confusion after an injury is usually allowed a little more leeway before a penalty 

[TwiceHorn 31,240]

Fuuuuuck.

[TwiceHorn 31,240]

Need to use Brionne.

[Pato del Muerto 52,336]

The bad passing leading to bad sets is back. No terminating. 

[perfectchaos007 6,596]

Small deficits are larger in a first to 15 point set

[TwiceHorn 31,240]

Godalmighty.

[TwiceHorn 31,240]

7-3.

[TwiceHorn 31,240]

Goddammit Jhenna, set Brionne.

[Pato del Muerto 52,336]

That’ll do it

[TwiceHorn 31,240]

10-4.

[TwiceHorn 31,240]

Our point.

[LTtxfan 48,952]

Have to play GREAT to comeback and win Match...

GO HORNS!!!

Edited December 13, 2019 by LTtxfan

[TwiceHorn 31,240]

That will about do it.

[TwiceHorn 31,240]

No one does less with free balls than Texas.

[TwiceHorn 31,240]

Logan eases up and gets an ace.  Don't know why Micaya never does that.

[perfectchaos007 6,596]

Ouch

[TwiceHorn 31,240]

Welp.

[spystud13 2,371]

5 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

No one does less with free balls than Texas.

Their 14th point was a prime fucking example. 

[TwiceHorn 31,240]

There have been more nets this year than I have seen in seven plus years of watching.

[spystud13 2,371]

When does swimming & diving start? 

[TwiceHorn 31,240]

Well, Micaya's had a nice career, but I somehow think we will be better off without her. /unpopular opinion

[Js1 85,085]

So long underachieves 

[ruitxn 295]

Just now, TwiceHorn said:

Well, Micaya's had a nice career, but I somehow think we will be better off without her. /unpopular opinion

Agree   She struggled in big games last three years

[Pato del Muerto 52,336]

Now watch them get destroyed tomorrow 

[TwiceHorn 31,240]

Youth/lack of leadership is the obvious answer.

But the other one is having little or no viable alternative to two six-rotation players.

Defense matters, Jerritt.

[LTtxfan 48,952]

Tough loss... but poor play shouldn't be rewarded with a victory.

DAMN!!

[UDontKnow 10,439]

1 minute ago, TwiceHorn said:

Well, Micaya's had a nice career, but I somehow think we will be better off without her. /unpopular opinion

Not as unpopular of an opinion as you might think it is.

1 minute ago, Js1 said:

So long underachieves 

This is an unfortunate truth. Some of these players really needed to focus more on their game, rather than their celebrity status. /unpopular opinion

[LTtxfan 48,952]

Thx everyone for watching this match and supporting Texas Volleyball...

Hook 'em

[ruitxn 295]

Maybe next year we will realize what a beast we have in Brionne and decide to really use her.  I doubt it though

[perfectchaos007 6,596]

8 minutes ago, spystud13 said:

When does swimming & diving start? 

I was hoping CDC would boost our other UT athletics programs before Volleyball/Swimming started to decline. Don't know if that's going to happen. Elliot's philosophy may be becoming outdated and once Reese retires who knows what'll happen with that program. 

[UDontKnow 10,439]

1 minute ago, perfectchaos007 said:

I was hoping CDC would boost our other UT athletics programs before Volleyball/Swimming started to decline. Don't know if that's going to happen. Elliot's philosophy may be becoming outdated and once Reese retires who knows what'll happen with that program. 

I was afraid I was the only person thinking that. I'm not suggesting it's time to move on from him...but he needs some assistant coaches that can help provide a reboot. Also, seriously tone down the volleyball team's social media presence - I think it's been adversely impacting the team's collective performance. 

[TwiceHorn 31,240]

5 minutes ago, UDontKnow said:

I was afraid I was the only person thinking that. I'm not suggesting it's time to move on from him...but he needs some assistant coaches that can help provide a reboot. Also, seriously tone down the volleyball team's social media presence - I think it's been adversely impacting the team's collective performance. 

Kindly elaborate?  I don't follow social media, but was aware that Lexi Sun seemed to be quite the gadfly on it.  And the DS we had, Olivia something, that flamed out.  And Ebony did a bit of navel gazing online, but I think she was kind of a special case.

Edited December 13, 2019 by TwiceHorn

[TwiceHorn 31,240]

10 minutes ago, ruitxn said:

Maybe next year we will realize what a beast we have in Brionne and decide to really use her.  I doubt it though

I assume this is mostly the result of her injury and the Gabriel/Shook competition so there wasn't much of a connection. But boy, under pressure, Jhenna just cannot or will not set her.

[TexasDPT 297]

3 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

Youth/lack of leadership is the obvious answer.

But the other one is having little or no viable alternative to two six-rotation players.

Defense matters, Jerritt.

Jerritt focuses a lot on blocking, which is fine when the opponents have weak hitters.  But when Texas faces hitters of the same caliber who can hit over the block or with teams that run fast-tempo offenses, backrow defense truly gets exposed...just like in years' past.

Jerritt either needs to get:

1)Haley/Bailey-type left side hitters with strong DS's for them in the back row with a strong passing Opposite (like Ashley Engle or Sha'Dare McNeal) to run his offense

or

2) start recruiting 6-rotation OH with libero-like passing skills if he wants 6 rotation hitters 

.... but having 2 six-rotation OHs with mediocre passing skills isn't going to work.

 

 

[TwiceHorn 31,240]

11 minutes ago, perfectchaos007 said:

I was hoping CDC would boost our other UT athletics programs before Volleyball/Swimming started to decline. Don't know if that's going to happen. Elliot's philosophy may be becoming outdated and once Reese retires who knows what'll happen with that program. 

Is it outdated, or just fundamentally inadequate?

[TwiceHorn 31,240]

4 minutes ago, TexasDPT said:

Jerritt focuses a lot on blocking, which is fine when the opponents have weak hitters.  But when Texas faces hitters of the same caliber who can hit over the block or with teams that run fast-tempo offenses, backrow defense truly gets exposed...just like in years' past.

Jerritt either needs to get:

1)Haley/Bailey-type left side hitters with strong DS's for them in the back row with a strong passing Opposite (like Ashley Engle or Sha'Dare McNeal) to run his offense

or

2) start recruiting 6-rotation OH with libero-like passing skills if he wants 6 rotation hitters 

.... but having 2 six-rotation OHs with mediocre passing skills isn't going to work.

 

 

Yeah, I got tired of hearing "they're serving Micaya/Logan."  

I assume that the six-rotation player thing is not really a philosophy as much as an "indulgence" of the gals that have the talent to do it.  And this year, we didn't have enough adequate DS to take both of them off the court.

Edited December 14, 2019 by TwiceHorn

[UDontKnow 10,439]

5 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

Kindly elaborate?  I don't follow social media, but was aware that Lexi Sun seemed to be quite the gadfly on it.  And the DS we had, Olivia something, that flamed out.  And Ebony did a bit of navel gazing online, but I think she was kind of a special case.

If you follow Texas Volleyball on Twitter, you'd understand more what I am talking about. All the superhero themed gifs that the account posts during the game and video clips of the team dancing and celebrating even the most minor things. To me, it bordered on arrogance. Of course the girls should have fun, but it feels like they got carried away to the point they didn't respect their opposition. This performance as the #2 seed is absolutely unacceptable (but an argument could be made that they weren't #2 seed worthy in the first place).

[perfectchaos007 6,596]

10 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

Is it outdated, or just fundamentally inadequate?

I've felt his philosophy has been to focus on recruiting the biggest/best hitters and blockers, because having the best hitters on the court will win you matches. His philosophy somewhat neglects the importance of a prime setter, and players who know how to handle a free ball well enough to distribute it to their hitter properly. We need more than just big hitters, we need high IQ players that can scramble and more importantly set the ball where they need to with consistency. That's very important when you have long points and are playing against teams who are great defenders/scramblers themselves. At the end of the day, Elliot has only produced 1 championship for us in all the years he's been our coach. I think we can all agree that given the talent we've had, and talent we have, we should have more success than that.

Edited December 14, 2019 by perfectchaos007

[Pato del Muerto 52,336]

Probably can’t fire Elliott, but is there any chance he feels the need to move on just for a change of scenery, thereby allowing us to backfill with someone great?

[TwiceHorn 31,240]

1 minute ago, perfectchaos007 said:

I've felt his philosophy has been to focus on recruiting the biggest/best hitters and blockers, because having the best hitters on the court will win you matches. His philosophy somewhat neglects the importance of a prime setter, and players who know how to handle a free ball well enough to distribute it to their hitter properly. We need more than just big hitters, we need high IQ players that can scramble and more importantly set the ball where they need to with consistency. At the end of the day, Elliot has only produced 1 championship for us in all the years he's been our coach. I think we can all agree that given the talent we've had, and talent we have, we should have more success than that.

Agreed at the risk of being an entitled fan.  We are extraordinary at the net, year in and year out, but quite ordinary in the back row.  It's a long-standing problem.  Hence why I question whether anything is "outmoded."  It's the same as it ever was, with a little bit of luck here and there with the players.

[TwiceHorn 31,240]

8 minutes ago, UDontKnow said:

If you follow Texas Volleyball on Twitter, you'd understand more what I am talking about. All the superhero themed gifs that the account posts during the game and video clips of the team dancing and celebrating even the most minor things. To me, it bordered on arrogance. Of course the girls should have fun, but it feels like they got carried away to the point they didn't respect their opposition. This performance as the #2 seed is absolutely unacceptable (but an argument could be made that they weren't #2 seed worthy in the first place).

I have no doubt we have problems with believing our own bullshit.  I imagine that would be a problem for any coach with our talent in the BIg XII.  And I suppose every little thing counts and I suppose they spend some time backslapping each other over the team twitter.

[texfan11 90]

TBH most of Elliot’s offensive philosophy mirrors the majority of successful programs - Stanford, Penn State, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Minnesota, the US Olympic team, etc - all run low speed, high set offenses on the outsides because their hitters are so athletic and talented, they can usually hit over/around the block + at least one strong slide middle. 

Where we differ is the lack of focus on quality back row players. We brag about how we carry a short roster, but we really only have depth at MB and S. This philosophy gets us through the Big 12 and allows our players to win prestigious awards, but somehow other teams are able to recruit awesome DS players or other total package players. 

Also, I have always thought Elliot was an a**hole on the sideline and in the 3 interactions I had with him while I was at UT. So, maybe his coaching style/attitude is lacking compared to other successful coaches.

 

 

Overall, I wish Micaya, Autumn, and Claire the best, and I hope that Asjia recovers well from her injury.🤘🤘

[TwiceHorn 31,240]

2 minutes ago, texfan11 said:

Overall, I wish Micaya, Autumn, and Claire the best, and I hope that Asjia recovers well from her injury.🤘🤘

Indeed.

[TwiceHorn 31,240]

9 minutes ago, texfan11 said:

TBH most of Elliot’s offensive philosophy mirrors the majority of successful programs - Stanford, Penn State, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Minnesota, the US Olympic team, etc - all run low speed, high set offenses on the outsides because their hitters are so athletic and talented, they can usually hit over/around the block + at least one strong slide middle. 

Where we differ is the lack of focus on quality back row players. We brag about how we carry a short roster, but we really only have depth at MB and S. This philosophy gets us through the Big 12 and allows our players to win prestigious awards, but somehow other teams are able to recruit awesome DS players or other total package players. 

Also, I have always thought Elliot was an a**hole on the sideline and in the 3 interactions I had with him while I was at UT. So, maybe his coaching style/attitude is lacking compared to other successful coaches.

Ok, that's definitely worth an elaboration.  Never been within 100 miles of the guy, so wouldn't know.  Cook seems like an asshole, Elliott doesn't.

And this time, usually a week later, every year, it's the same shit.  Poor passing and backrow play.  Disheartening.

Also maddening.  If we can see it, why can't he?  The fix seems easy enough.

Edited December 14, 2019 by TwiceHorn

[TwiceHorn 31,240]

18 minutes ago, Pato del Muerto said:

Probably can’t fire Elliott, but is there any chance he feels the need to move on just for a change of scenery, thereby allowing us to backfill with someone great?

Unless he just wants to go to California or something, doubtful.  Judging by the twats on volleytalk, no one much respects him as a coach and I don't think any near-equivalent program to Texas would touch him with a 10-foot pole.

[texfan11 90]

18 minutes ago, UDontKnow said:

If you follow Texas Volleyball on Twitter, you'd understand more what I am talking about. All the superhero themed gifs that the account posts during the game and video clips of the team dancing and celebrating even the most minor things. To me, it bordered on arrogance. Of course the girls should have fun, but it feels like they got carried away to the point they didn't respect their opposition. This performance as the #2 seed is absolutely unacceptable (but an argument could be made that they weren't #2 seed worthy in the first place).

Idk... I think the social media accounts cannot really be tied to the team’s beliefs directly. I loosely follow many big, successful college volleyball twitter accounts, and they are about the same in “arrogance”. I’m pretty sure that those graphic creators are other UT students or interns trying to showcase their creativity and abilities in order to help them book future jobs. Claire is an advertising major, and is also using her volleyball blog to gain followers. 

[TwiceHorn 31,240]

5 minutes ago, texfan11 said:

Idk... I think the social media accounts cannot really be tied to the team’s beliefs directly. I loosely follow many big, successful college volleyball twitter accounts, and they are about the same in “arrogance”. I’m pretty sure that those graphic creators are other UT students or interns trying to showcase their creativity and abilities in order to help them book future jobs. Claire is an advertising major, and is also using her volleyball blog to gain followers. 

Yeah, I'm a bit of the same mind.  I assume that twitter gets little or no input from players or staff and is just enthusiastic undergrads or something.  But, I assume the players all follow it and get ego stroking from it.

[TexasDPT 297]

45 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

Is it outdated, or just fundamentally inadequate?

On serve-receive, Elliott coaches his players to be 'safe' with difficult serves and to just pass the ball to the 10-foot line. So the setter has limited options...usually going to the left pin.  That's why he needs big hitters because the opposing defenses are just going to camp out on them either with their block or backrow D.

When Texas is in their transition defense and the opposing hitters get past the Texas block, back row players are coached just to get the ball up.  That's why you see the setter running all over the place...and when this happens, Texas has only one option to just set the left pin hitter. 

The only time Texas is in-system is if the passers get a lollipop serve on serve-receive or if the Texas block can slow down the ball enough to get a decent pass up to the setter to run an offense with other hitting options. 

The elite teams train their passers and backrow players to consistently dig/pass the ball in front of the 10 foot line and 3-4 feet off the net between zones 2 and 3 so the setter can run a more consistent offense.  Watch UCSB's and Louisville's setters...they don't have to run around the court like Jhenna does to get to balls...that's why they can win without elite hitters on their rosters.  

That's why Shook can't set this offense....she isn't fast enough to get to balls and has terrible location when she is always on the run (yet she can set her club teams to National Championships where the passing was solid).  Jhenna does well with what she is given (as did Chloe Collins) but they are still blocking liabilities in the front-row.

So for Texas to get better, Elliott either has to change his coaching philosophies or we are going to have to wait for someone new.

 

Edited December 14, 2019 by TexasDPT

[texfan11 90]

13 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

Ok, that's definitely worth an elaboration.  Never been within 100 miles of the guy, so wouldn't know.  Cook seems like an asshole, Elliott doesn't.

And this time, usually a week later, every year, it's the same shit.  Poor passing and backrow play.  Disheartening.

Yes, I also think Cook is an a**hole. But IMO, (only based off what I observed in person at games or watching games on TV) Elliott is a hothead that either ignores or berates his players that are performing poorly, instead of trying to build them up- I may be totally wrong, but this is just the impression I get.

The biggest a**hole experience I had regarding Elliott was shagging balls for a match. UT pays the “balls people” for each match. For the match I was working, UT was having a closed practice that ran too long. Me and the other balls people arrived at Gregory at the time we were given to get briefed by the officials.  Elliott saw us and freaked out. He stopped their (too long) practice, chewed us out in front of all the players/staff, and then refused to pay us our money even though we worked the game. (I am biased and was very embarrassed, so this story may not be actual evidence of Elliott’s a**hole behavior) 

[TwiceHorn 31,240]

I'm usually more outraged at this annual event.  I guess now I'm at the acceptance stage. 

I'm running out of football substitutes.

It does seem a bit odd that Elliott can continue to recruit high-profile players so successfully, including some non-hitters.  I rely on js1 for this information, but we apparently do have some hot shit coming on.  Everyone seems to have the "book" on him.

I kind of also wonder if the embarrassment of riches in the front row doesn't cause some problems in one way or the other.  Seems like some of the non-mainstay players have trouble getting into a groove, for example.

Edited December 14, 2019 by TwiceHorn