Volleyball Thread

[wadesworld]

I may or may not have happened upon a couple tickets to the match at Madison tomorrow from somebody on UW’s staff. Wish it wasn’t going to be in the UW guest list section. Would love to wear a Marquette sweatshirt but don’t think I should given where I’ll be sitting and who I got tickets from. Might have to settle for a Packers shirt.

[wadesworld]

Baylor is going to be tough for MU. MU was able to have success keeping UW’s pins from scoring without blocking at all because UW’s pins just aren’t dynamic so they could funnel everything to the left side of MU’s court defensively and the libero and outsides just ate everything up. This outside on Baylor is going to be able to go down line over the block on MU. UW got a huge lead set 1 by serving tough and blocking everything. MU can’t block like that.

[wadesworld]

Well that got very ugly very quickly.  If you don't win the serve and pass game against Baylor you're probably not winning the match, and Marquette certainly did not win the serve and pass game.  Didn't think it was a great gameplan for Marquette.  Looked totally unprepared for the setter being offensive, Stafford swung cross body left every single swing she took and the block continued to player to her right, and they continued to target one passer and put the serve onto the passer rather than hit the seams, which is where Baylor gets in trouble.

Baylor is good.  Position by position they win pretty much every matchup.  L1 they win (and I'm counting Barber as our L1), L2 a wash, maybe a SLIGHT advantage to Wirch, S it's laughable the difference between the 2 sides in favor of Baylor, L wash, RS and MBs not even close in favor of Baylor.  Marquette is probably somewhere between the 8th or so and 15th best team in the country, but the difference between the 5th or so best team and even the 8th best team is usually massive in women's volleyball.

The bright spot is that freshman outside can play and is going to be really good. Aggressive with her swing but smart and made some nice shots when the set wasn't perfect.  Big and her ball control is decent for a freshman.  Lines just overmatched by the Baylor block today.

I still think Marquette's ceiling is Elite 8 this year, and realistically probably a Sweet 16.  The hope would be take care of everyone other than Illinois the rest of the non-conference season, split with Creighton and take care of the rest of the Big East like they should.  If they do that they should be a top 8 seed come NCAA Tournament time and maybe you get a nice draw and can hold your seed.

[Mr. Nielsen]

I was at the game today. Excellent crowd of almost 1,700. Baylor was just too good for Marquette.

"They executed perfectly from the serve pass, and we did not," head coach Ryan Theis said. "We have to play better at the beginning of matches. If they start off that confident its tough to win. You have to make people uncomfortable and we did not do that."

[dw3dw3dw3]

My first game this season,  agree with Wade's, they were superior at every position. Pressley was at a different level, she was fun to watch. 
Ryan has had P5 offers and MU has done enough. There's a hometown discount in play, but theres probably 5-10 programs which would be hard to turn down.

[Mr. Nielsen]

Many P5 offers are just not that great. Depends on the school, not the league. I would think the pay is around the same for most schools.

[Benny B]

General v-ball question:

Not enough 5th graders at my kids' school were interested in volleyball this year, so they opened the team up to the 4th grade girls.  My daughter participated in an intro to volleyball class with the local parks district last winter (essentially, one hour of skills instruction each Saturday for 6 weeks) so she was among several 4th graders who volunteered to round out the team.

They had their first game this past weekend, and it's clear that the girls - both the 4th and 5th graders - need significant work.  (I was not at the game, but my wife said she and the other moms stopped keeping track of the score.)

The girls only practice twice a week, which seems pretty light, so I'd like to supplement with some at-home instruction... I don't want to overwhelm, so my thought was to have her focus on one skill at home and let her work on the rest at practice.

The question is what to work on at home.  Of the three basic skills at this level:

1) Setting is the easiest to work on,
2) Bumping is the primary move in games, and
3) Serving is essentially scoring (many serves aren't returned, so any serve in-bounds scores a point >75% of the time).

Since there's really no passing at this level, #1 seems like a waste.  And between #2 and #3, my thought is that she'll have way more bumping opportunities than serving in a given game, so unless she can serve with great consistency (which I don't think 20 mins/day of is going to develop that consistency), my thought is bumping will likely make her more helpful to the team than serving.

Any thoughts?

[StillAWarrior]

General v-ball question:

Not enough 5th graders at my kids' school were interested in volleyball this year, so they opened the team up to the 4th grade girls.  My daughter participated in an intro to volleyball class with the local parks district last winter (essentially, one hour of skills instruction each Saturday for 6 weeks) so she was among several 4th graders who volunteered to round out the team.

They had their first game this past weekend, and it's clear that the girls - both the 4th and 5th graders - need significant work.  (I was not at the game, but my wife said she and the other moms stopped keeping track of the score.)

The girls only practice twice a week, which seems pretty light, so I'd like to supplement with some at-home instruction... I don't want to overwhelm, so my thought was to have her focus on one skill at home and let her work on the rest at practice.

The question is what to work on at home.  Of the three basic skills at this level:

1) Setting is the easiest to work on,
2) Bumping is the primary move in games, and
3) Serving is essentially scoring (many serves aren't returned, so any serve in-bounds scores a point >75% of the time).

Since there's really no passing at this level, #1 seems like a waste.  And between #2 and #3, my thought is that she'll have way more bumping opportunities than serving in a given game, so unless she can serve with great consistency (which I don't think 20 mins/day of is going to develop that consistency), my thought is bumping will likely make her more helpful to the team than serving.

Any thoughts?

I would think that at that age/level, the most "bang for your buck" items would be passing (i.e., "bumping" -- get with the new lingo, old man  ) and serving.  Being able to pass the ball solidly in the right direction (or over the net, if appropriate) is a really good start.  A good, solid platform and facing the target.  And I'd work with her slowly but surely in being able to serve overhand.  A good toss and solid contact and develop strong enough contact to get it over the net.  Even if it doesn't come around for this year, you want that overhand contact to start to feel comfortable.  At that age, a kid who can serve and hit overhand is a force.

Good luck.

[wadesworld]

I would think that at that age/level, the most "bang for your buck" items would be passing (i.e., "bumping" -- get with the new lingo, old man  ) and serving.  Being able to pass the ball solidly in the right direction (or over the net, if appropriate) is a really good start.  A good, solid platform and facing the target.  And I'd work with her slowly but surely in being able to serve overhand.  A good toss and solid contact and develop strong enough contact to get it over the net.  Even if it doesn't come around for this year, you want that overhand contact to start to feel comfortable.  At that age, a kid who can serve and hit overhand is a force.

Good luck.

And coincidentally those two skills win at the highest of high levels of volleyball.  You can never be too good at serving or passing.  For as complicated as volleyball can get, it almost always comes down to the serve and pass game.

My recommendation is to get good instruction on passing and from there to find a neighborhood kid (or brother/sister) also interested in the sport and to get out and pepper as much as possible.  That might be a year or two away still, but just simply peppering from a young age will give your daughter a natural touch on the ball that really isn't taught.

[Benny B]

And coincidentally those two skills win at the highest of high levels of volleyball.  You can never be too good at serving or passing.  For as complicated as volleyball can get, it almost always comes down to the serve and pass game.

My recommendation is to get good instruction on passing and from there to find a neighborhood kid (or brother/sister) also interested in the sport and to get out and pepper as much as possible.  That might be a year or two away still, but just simply peppering from a young age will give your daughter a natural touch on the ball that really isn't taught.

As I said, there's not a lot of passing at this level (at least of the controlled variety)... a free ball scores a point almost as often as an in-bounds serve.

We're going to work on the bumping forearm pass, first.  Once she's comfortable there, we'll move on to serving.

[StillAWarrior]

As I said, there's not a lot of passing at this level (at least of the controlled variety)... a free ball scores a point almost as often as an in-bounds serve.

We're going to work on the bumping forearm pass, first.  Once she's comfortable there, we'll move on to serving.

Good luck.  It's a great sport, and has been a huge part of our lives for the better part of a decade.  As maddening as it was at the time, I miss those early days.  I hope she loves it and does well.  I also hope she grows to be 6'+ with hops.

[Cheeks]

As I said, there's not a lot of passing at this level (at least of the controlled variety)... a free ball scores a point almost as often as an in-bounds serve.

We're going to work on the bumping forearm pass, first.  Once she's comfortable there, we'll move on to serving.

Huge part of our family’s lives.  Repetition, repetition, repetition.  Have fun. 

[21Jumpstreet]

Huge part of our family’s lives.  Repetition, repetition, repetition.  Have fun.

Totally agree. I’m coming at it from a soccer perspective, but confidence in the fundamentals breeds confidence in play and each other. My son trains three nights a week and outside of training has to complete 15,000 “touches” (for you passing, serving, etc.). Starts at the earliest level and increases in total and difficulty. Just be sure to do every touch perfectly, as perfect practice makes perfect. It is incredible to watch a young athlete grow, and when they plateau as all young athletes do, refocus on the basics. Enjoy!

[Benny B]

Daughter's first game was this past weekend.  The 4th graders rotate in and out to give the 5th graders the majority of the floor time, so she saw very limited action; however, she did go 3 for 3 on serves and was 1 for 1 on  kills (read: bumping for a point).

I quipped to my wife afterwards that [I was thankful] she wasn't the worst player on her team, by far.  Although I'm clearly biased on the matter, she might have been the best player on the team Saturday.

I stand corrected... having now seen a game, serving is clearly more important at this level.

[wadesworld]

Marquette is now behind BYU with the same overall record and a win AT BYU and behind Wisconsin despite a BETTER record and a win AT UW.  Pretty bad.

Not to mention Washington sweeping Wisconsin...TWICE...and being behind Wisconsin in the newest poll.

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

Marquette is now behind BYU with the same overall record and a win AT BYU and behind Wisconsin despite a BETTER record and a win AT UW.  Pretty bad.

Not to mention Washington sweeping Wisconsin...TWICE...and being behind Wisconsin in the newest poll.

How much do those polls correlate with NCAA seeding?

[wadesworld]

How much do those polls correlate with NCAA seeding?

I think they end up being pretty similar. I don’t know how much weight is put into each poll but they do have an RPI for women’s volleyball as well.

[ChitownSpaceForRent]

Marquette is now behind BYU with the same overall record and a win AT BYU and behind Wisconsin despite a BETTER record and a win AT UW.  Pretty bad.

Not to mention Washington sweeping Wisconsin...TWICE...and being behind Wisconsin in the newest poll.

That’s what happens when it gets to Big East season unfortunately. Needed that win against Illinois.

Also probably need to beat Creighton 3 times to boost their ranking.

[Billy Hoyle]

Marquette is now behind BYU with the same overall record and a win AT BYU and behind Wisconsin despite a BETTER record and a win AT UW.  Pretty bad.

Not to mention Washington sweeping Wisconsin...TWICE...and being behind Wisconsin in the newest poll.

Wisconsin is 6th in the RPI while MU is 12 and BYU 16.  That's what's going to be used for seeding over AVCA rankings. Conference reputation comes into play here. Big Ten and WCC are stronger traditionally and even this year.  After MU and Creighton the next highest RPI in the BE is Nova and 60 and St. John's at 90. Three teams over 200.  Maryland is the lowest Big Ten team at 105, eight teams in the top 50. 

[Cheeks]

Marquette is now behind BYU with the same overall record and a win AT BYU and behind Wisconsin despite a BETTER record and a win AT UW.  Pretty bad.

Not to mention Washington sweeping Wisconsin...TWICE...and being behind Wisconsin in the newest poll.

Don’t lose to Illinois and things look different.

[wadesworld]

Don’t lose to Illinois and things look different.

Not really, though. Neutral court 5 set loss an hour from a top 20 team.

[Mr. Nielsen]

#10 Marquette Volleyball To Host #13 Creighton
Saturday, October 12 | 6:00 PM | Al McGuire Center

We have a great opportunity, exclusive to #MUBB season ticket members, for the Marquette Volleyball game this Saturday, October 12.  Come cheer on your 10th ranked Marquette Volleyball team this Saturday! As a benefit to being a season ticket member we are offering you up to two (2) complimentary tickets for the game on Saturday. Any additional tickets can be purchased for just $2 each through the same link.

To take advantage of this offer click on the button below and enter the promo code: MUVB.

[wadesworld]

#10 Marquette Volleyball To Host #13 Creighton
Saturday, October 12 | 6:00 PM | Al McGuire Center

We have a great opportunity, exclusive to #MUBB season ticket members, for the Marquette Volleyball game this Saturday, October 12.  Come cheer on your 10th ranked Marquette Volleyball team this Saturday! As a benefit to being a season ticket member we are offering you up to two (2) complimentary tickets for the game on Saturday. Any additional tickets can be purchased for just $2 each through the same link.

To take advantage of this offer click on the button below and enter the promo code: MUVB.

Already bought two for $5.00 each. Oops.

[ChitownSpaceForRent]

Just unable to beat Creighton. I know they’re a good team but it’s so frustrating.

[wadesworld]

What happened to Lynes? Might be slightly better offensively when she’s out but the defense and serve receive are significantly worse.

The pin blockers block like they are middles and I’m not sure why. High and incredibly wide. Just targets for the tool or field goals to terminate through.

Setting stinks.