Volleyball Thread

[B. McBannerson]

MU back on winning streak with win against the Hoyas.

[StillAWarrior]

The daughter is playing at Marquette tonight.  If I would have planned it properly, I'd be there for the match and the opener.  Doh!

Already planning for a road trip next year with my middle daughter to be at MU for the match and also visit some schools.

[wadesworld]

The daughter is playing at Marquette tonight.  If I would have planned it properly, I'd be there for the match and the opener.  Doh!

Already planning for a road trip next year with my middle daughter to be at MU for the match and also visit some schools.

If you’re in town early come check out the boys high school state volleyball tournament just down the road at Wisconsin Lutheran College. Going on all day. Roughly 90th and Bluemound.

[StillAWarrior]

If you’re in town early come check out the boys high school state volleyball tournament just down the road at Wisconsin Lutheran College. Going on all day. Roughly 90th and Bluemound.

Unfortunately, not going to be in town for this one. Work schedule wouldn’t allow it. That’s why I’m planning early for next year.

[#TheThing]

Hilltoppers with the state title!  Whoop whoop.

[ChitownSpaceForRent]

Was just at the Illinois girls state finals this past weekend. A lot of unbelievable players, and the final match between Marist and Minooka was as high quality of a game I've ever seen. (Well at least the first two sets)

Funnily enough though, the best player I saw all weekend came from class 2A (second smallest enrolment). Her name was Mica Allison from St. Thomas More. She's a 6'1" lefty setter/right side. Still can't decide if she's a better setter or hitter, and not in a bad way.

[StillAWarrior]

Well, I can tell you that there is one coaching vacancy in the Big East, and I've heard rumors that there will definitely be one more.  Maybe more.

[wadesworld]

Well, I can tell you that there is one coaching vacancy in the Big East, and I've heard rumors that there will definitely be one more.  Maybe more.

Chitown and I have some coaching experience.

[wadesworld]

Also was anybody able to make the Lewis vs. Loyola match at the Al on 11/11?  I wanted to go but was celebrating a state title in the family.  Unfortunate timing.

[StillAWarrior]

Chitown and I have some coaching experience.

Well, feel free to throw your hat in the ring.  I'll put in a good word for you.

[Mr. Nielsen]

Marquette just made it to their 7th straight NCAA Tournament as the bracket is coming out. They will be in Ames, Iowa versus Wisconsin Badgers.

[warriorchick]

Marquette just made it to their 7th straight NCAA Tournament as the bracket is coming out. They will be in Ames, Iowa versus Wisconsin Badgers.

Also, they lost the Big East Tournament in a heartbreaker, losing in 5 sets to Creighton.

[StillAWarrior]

Not related to Marquette, but Lexi Sun just rocked the NCAA VB world.  The former national No. 1 recruit, who was a unanimous first-team all Big 12 as a freshman at Texas, is transferring to defending National Champ Nebraska.   

[ChitownSpaceForRent]

Not related to Marquette, but Lexi Sun just rocked the NCAA VB world.  The former national No. 1 recruit, who was a unanimous first-team all Big 12 as a freshman at Texas, is transferring to defending National Champ Nebraska.   

No need to sit out a year for volleyball as well. She will be eligible immediately.

[StillAWarrior]

No need to sit out a year for volleyball as well. She will be eligible immediately.

Right.  I think Sun's nickname should be "Little KD"

[ChitownSpaceForRent]

Hey Wades,

Caught a UC Irvine game the other week forgot to ask, how did they open up s Midwest/Wisconsin pipeline. I knew Dante was on Irvine but there were like 3 Wisconsin kids in the lineup as well.

[wadesworld]

Hey Wades,

Caught a UC Irvine game the other week forgot to ask, how did they open up s Midwest/Wisconsin pipeline. I knew Dante was on Irvine but there were like 3 Wisconsin kids in the lineup as well.

Hah.  The short story is that their coach, David Kniffin, was an assistant under John Speraw at UCI before taking an assistant job with the Illinois women's program, so that is the Midwest connection.  When Speraw took the UCLA job (his alma mater) Kniffin got the UCI head job (his alma mater).

There are a couple longer reasons for the Wisconsin connections.  The first being that the player that really put Wisconsin volleyball on the map nationally, Jeremy Dejno, chose UCI because both Speraw was a great coach building a very good program and it is a good school, and he was looked up to by pretty much every boys volleyball player in the state so everyone was following his college career.  So my guess is that is probably at least partly why Carl, the big right side, ended up there.

The 7' MB from Watertown, Scott Stadick, is a kid I coached when he was 14.  He has two older sisters that played D1 volleyball.  The older one played at Iowa State and was a starter on a solid team during her time.  The younger one ended up going to Illinois while Kniffin was an assistant coach there, so not only did the entire Stadick family build a relationship with Kniffin, but the older sister ended up dating him and they are now married.  So when it came time for Scott to go through the recruitment process UCI had a pretty big advantage.

The kid was insane.  In terms of strictly defense he would've been been an above average college blocker by the time he was 16.  He has done all of the youth USA teams (Junior National, Youth National, and I believe he even made the Pan Am roster last summer) and won the Best Blocker awards at a number of different international tournaments.  He was ranked the #1 recruit in the country for his class 2 yers ago and his high school doesn't even offer boys volleyball.  When we would be at big recruiting tournaments their court would be packed with college coaches.  I would literally hear bystanders say, "He's not that good" when they'd see him offensively, and the coaches around would respond with, "Just wait until you see him block."  UCLA's assistant coach used to ask us if we could give him a list of players to keep an eye on before he'd come out to scout Midwest tournaments.  We obviously had Scott on our list when he was 15 and on but didn't want to hype him up too much since he was playing in our club and we didn't want to look like homers.  He came up to as at the tournament and thanked us for the list, said it was a good list "except for Stadick."  We asked him if he really didn't like Stadick and he was like, "No.  You said he was good.  Just good?!  His nipples are above the net when he's blocking!"  He's still not strong enough right now but if he fills out he'll be starting for the National team shortly out of college.

[ChitownSpaceForRent]

UCI really effed that match up.

[wadesworld]

UCI really effed that match up.

Thought both sides played very bad volleyball most of the match. The only thing OSU does well is serve very tough. When your setter can make Scherzens look not great you know you have a setting problem.

[ChitownSpaceForRent]

Thought both sides played very bad volleyball most of the match. The only thing OSU does well is serve very tough. When your setter can make Scherzens look not great you know you have a setting problem.

Yea, if you're going to be a 6'0" setter you need to be absolute money like the kid from Hawaii. Heard a lot of nice things about him though. Speaking of, how did UCI get in over Hawaii?

Dante had a really rough ending as well. Really want him to do well because he's a really nice kid, but serving an easy jump float into the net and trying to pull off a setter dump off a perfect pass are such Dante moves. He has gotten better at not attacking too much but he really reverted in those last five points.

[wadesworld]

Yea, if you're going to be a 6'0" setter you need to be absolute money like the kid from Hawaii. Heard a lot of nice things about him though.

Dante had a really rough ending as well. Really want him to do well because he's a really nice kid, but serving an easy jump float into the net and trying to pull off a setter dump off a perfect pass are such Dante moves. He has gotten better at not attacking too much but he really reverted in those last five points.

Yup. Coached against both of them my last year coaching. The OSU setter set for Ultimate the same age group that Dante set for Vortex. Dante was an athlete but very predictable. Their team was not well coached. He’s better than I thought he was going to be at Irvine though. Seems like a smart kid. The OSU kid just isn’t very good. But he’s setting in a national semifinal in 2 nights so good for him.

[wadesworld]

Absolutely BRUUUUTAL setting again tonight.  You have a 2 time National Player of the Year that is clearly the best player in the country hitting .452 and you give him the 3rd most swings on your own team.  Every bail out ball was set high to a right side freshman with a noodle arm.  In a 22-25, 23-25, 27-25, 30-32 match if you give Szerszens the ball in just a few of those out of system plays you win 3-1 instead of lose 1-3.

If you're going to be a short setter you need to be the smartest player on the court with great location.  And you need to play lights out defense.  I would give Thomas a D- for on court IQ, C- for location, and C+ for defense.  Szerszens should have had twice as many attempts as OSU's second best hitter.  Instead Hanes had 47 attempts (.234), Hervoir had 34 attempts (really good .412), and Szerszens had 31 attempts (.452).  That's insanity.

I can see giving a guy hitting a lower percentage more attempts if that player is the senior 2 time NPOY who is just not having his best night but you're going to go down with your big gun getting the ball.  For it to be a freshman getting all the attempts while the senior plays 3rd fiddle, YIKES!  Some of that is on the coaching, but 90% goes to the setter.

[ChitownSpaceForRent]

Who ya got in game 2?

[wadesworld]

Who ya got in game 2?

I haven’t watched much of either of these two teams this year. Both programs seem to struggle in big matches the last couple years. BYU I think is a bit better but UCLA is Home in a National semifinal.

I’ll say BYU in a tight 5 setter and then LBSU (sadly) in 4 in the finals.

[ChitownSpaceForRent]

I haven’t watched much of either of these two teams this year. Both programs seem to struggle in big matches the last couple years. BYU I think is a bit better but UCLA is Home in a National semifinal.

I’ll say BYU in a tight 5 setter and then LBSU (sadly) in 4 in the finals.

Side note, thank god it's not the Pac 12 stream tonight. That was rough to watch.