2021 PSU WVB Thread
- Thread starter Tom McAndrew
- Start date
Set 4: PSU 25-13
Winner, winner, chicken dinner
Winner, winner, chicken dinner
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I can't even watch this team anymore. They have made a habit of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. The second set choke, giving up a big lead late, has become the norm for this team.
A little hash ya think? Lost to number 11 on their home court, disappointed but.....SMH
It isn't the loss. It's the way they lost and frequently lose that bothers me.
Do we know if Parker, Hord, Blossom and Rollins are coming back? We have no one coming in to replace if they decided to leave.
We don’t seem to have a big go to superstar player. Parker is very good but a little undersized. We’re an excellent blocking team but our sets seem slow and too often we’re hitting from too far away from the net. We need a few 6’4” girls to seal the deal. Put a Haleigh Washington on the front line with a Kendall White as the libero and leader and we’re back in business but I don’t see anyone like her on the roster.
I love volleyball,, but far from an expert.. My take is other teams have stepped up, but our service errors seem higher and more inopportune than the elite team's.
Off the top of my head.....
Much more competitive among college programs
Girls volleyball has grown exponentially in the last 10-15 years which means many very good players
Russ no longer has his pick of recruits, it used to be PSU, Texas and California schools were the best programs. Only real consistent ones.
The coaching trees have grown and there are many excellent coaches in play today
Judging how 16-17 year old girls may or may not develop is a crap shoot, you win some you miss on some.
Size matters! Parker is very good but cannot be your only go to hitter.
Russ Rose is a legend, maybe the best ever considering what he did as a non west coast program when all the best came from there. He is probably responsible for the growth in women’s volleyball as much as anyone due to the championship runs he orchestrated. Nothing lasts for ever, some of the criticism on this board is unfounded and comes from no nothings. Rant over
PS I come from the time frame of Dr. Tom Tait who really got Penn State going in the 70’s so I have witnessed a lot and coached volleyball some as well.
Only attended the first match this year and saw another on TV. Server receive was not very good as the setter was running around like crazy chasing down balls. Also, the setter seems to not get the ball where the hitters need it as I saw a lot of timing was off and the hitters aren't pounding the ball like PSU used to be able to do. I am by no means an expert but have played and followed volleyball for a long time now and you can noticed these differences from the top tier teams to the not top tier teams. Flawless play is what gets you top tier. Also, thanks to PSU and Russ Rose, volleyball on the east coast has grown immensely and the competition finally caught up to PSU. Russ will get this team top tier again but will take some time.
Receive of service is critical. If the first pass is not accurate the setter cannot make accurate sets and more importantly it limits your options of who to set. You are predictable and can be blocked with more frequency. A VERY good setter can mitigate this somewhat but not ideal. We have had receiving problems for sometime now which causes problems. I am sure Russ is aware of this. It is a difficult skill to master and some players may be very good at everything else but not receiving serve. Sometimes you have to go with the best players regardless of the warts/ deficiencies in their game.
Tough path to championship for PSU (based on winning out against bracket seeds prevailing)
no home games, 5 seed/ranked teams in top 16
Townson
#3 Pitt (home court advantage Pitt), believe former PSU mb Grey transferred to Pitt
#14 Creighton
#6 Purdue Lost to Purdue in 5 sets at Purdue 0n 10/17)
#2 Texas (lost to TX in last year's tournament)
#1 Louisville
Best of Luck and good Fortune wishes...Go Lions !!!
no home games, 5 seed/ranked teams in top 16
Townson
#3 Pitt (home court advantage Pitt), believe former PSU mb Grey transferred to Pitt
#14 Creighton
#6 Purdue Lost to Purdue in 5 sets at Purdue 0n 10/17)
#2 Texas (lost to TX in last year's tournament)
#1 Louisville
Best of Luck and good Fortune wishes...Go Lions !!!
I hope they do well but after watching them the other night against Minny, I don't have expectations of them making it past the 2nd round unless UMBC upsets Pitt. That being said, I hope they exceed expectations. Give 'em hell!!!
Sounds a lot like Joe.Off the top of my head.....
Much more competitive among college programs
Girls volleyball has grown exponentially in the last 10-15 years which means many very good players
Russ no longer has his pick of recruits, it used to be PSU, Texas and California schools were the best programs. Only real consistent ones.
The coaching trees have grown and there are many excellent coaches in play today
Judging how 16-17 year old girls may or may not develop is a crap shoot, you win some you miss on some.
Size matters! Parker is very good but cannot be your only go to hitter.
Russ Rose is a legend, maybe the best ever considering what he did as a non west coast program when all the best came from there. He is probably responsible for the growth in women’s volleyball as much as anyone due to the championship runs he orchestrated. Nothing lasts for ever, some of the criticism on this board is unfounded and comes from no nothings. Rant over
PS I come from the time frame of Dr. Tom Tait who really got Penn State going in the 70’s so I have witnessed a lot and coached volleyball some as well.
Really? That’s all you have?
Some people don’t know much, only to repeat the talking points of fools.
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I fear they are going home even if they play well. Pitt is very good but we have played a tougher schedule. We need to win set 1 to put the pressure on Pitt. Lose it and we may lose 3-1. Win it and we have a good shot to advance.
Couple of things going for Penn State
..Beat Pitt a few years ago at Pitt and played opening game there yesterday; so not a new venue
..Level of competition in B10 much tougher than ACC. Winning the 1st set would put pressure on Pitt
..Penn State is the Hunter and Pitt as the favorite is the Hunted
..WE ARE...Beat Pitt
..
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