2017 Volleyball

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Played better in set two, taking it 25-18. Still not very sharp however. A couple of the ladies really haven't had it through two sets.
 

25-21 to take set 3. Up 2-1 but this match still has me nervous. Could easily lose in 5.
 

Gee, I would take a .375 hitting offense and a .229 defense any day. That were the 2nd & 3rd sets combined.
 




Didn't see that fourth set performance coming, but it's encouraging to see the ladies absolutely hammer Oregon State to close it out.

Now they get a few hours to sharpen up for Boise State tonight.
 

The Gophers really struggled with the Oregon State block. Plus the Beavers were ready for the tips and punches. Not to mention, they also did a good job of taking Seliger-Swenson out of various stretches of the match.

However, Hart came around as the game went on and produced her best match this season. On the other hand, Jasmyn Martin struggled and was eventually replaced by Sydney Kleinman. Kleinman immediately helped the stabilize the Gopher block and became another offensive option. Pittman also produced some dominant rotations and a pretty nifty back set to Hart for a kill.
 

MRJ said:
That was one of the worst sets I've seen the team play in years. Frankly, it was embarrassing.
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I wouldn't very much agree saying anything of cheering for a college team is embarrassing; I think that omits the reality of these athletes ultimately still being growing people knowing how to handle playing in one of the top programs in the country but also learning how to handle being viewed and treated as one of the top programs in the country by opposition. There is something sometimes forgotten, naturally, when being viewed as a number 1 team as a member of that top team. That means everyone is going to be giving it their best to beat you. That means every game for the opposition will be approached by the opponents as their opportunity to define their season. Beating you becomes a focus for every team to create their own long lasting memories in their collegiate careers.

Unfortunately, as the number one team, getting everyone's best all the time will result in games/sets like this Oregon State match. It will result in losing sets because as humans are, sometimes hard to get up for an unknown unranked opponent at 9 in the morning in the middle of no where Idaho when it is much more desirable to sleep or do anything but complete in focused manner first thing in the morning.

I think it will be more representative of this team tonight to see if we still struggle against Boise St or crush like a number 1 team ought to do after such a wake up call happens such as that Oregon State match. We'll see. I think Hugh is aware of all this **** and have no doubt we'll come back tonight and destroy, imo.

Just my 2 cents.
 

Daize said:
I wouldn't very much agree saying anything of cheering for a college team is embarrassing; I think that omits the reality of these athletes ultimately still being growing people knowing how to handle playing in one of the top programs in the country but also learning how to handle being viewed and treated as one of the top programs in the country by opposition. There is something sometimes forgotten, naturally, when being viewed as a number 1 team as a member of that top team. That means everyone is going to be giving it their best to beat you. That means every game for the opposition will be approached by the opponents as their opportunity to define their season. Beating you becomes a focus for every team to create their own long lasting memories in their collegiate careers.

Unfortunately, as the number one team, getting everyone's best all the time will result in games/sets like this Oregon State match. It will result in losing sets because as humans are, sometimes hard to get up for an unknown unranked opponent at 9 in the morning in the middle of no where Idaho when it is much more desirable to sleep or do anything but complete in focused manner first thing in the morning.

I think it will be more representative of this team tonight to see if we still struggle against Boise St or crush like a number 1 team ought to do after such a wake up call happens such as that Oregon State match. We'll see. I think Hugh is aware of all this **** and have no doubt we'll come back tonight and destroy, imo.

Just my 2 cents.
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You can hold that view if you like. I don't and won't. Trust me, there are plenty of performances at the college level that are embarrassing.

Once you move past high school sports, expectations change. This is Division I athletics, a program that has been in the top-5 for the past three years and has been ranked in the top 25 regularly since the late 1990s. They've reached five final fours since 2003. They have received almost universal accolades from everybody when they play well, which is the vast majority of the time. When they fall short, which they did in a big way in the first set, they get called out. That's the way it works.

It doesn't make them bad people and it doesn't make others bad people for calling it out. It comes with the territory of being involved in big-time athletics. Nobody is great at all times, but there's nothing wrong with noting really poor showings. The fact of the matter is that the first set was incredibly bad by this program's standards. And trust me when I say this, they as a team would wholeheartedly agree.

They also played much better as the match went on and were lights out good in the fourth set, which was one of the best I've seen them play this season. So it wasn't a terrible all-around match. They had one really bad set and then rebounded.

But criticism comes with the territory.
 



The ladies look pretty locked in against Boise State.

First set was a battle with the Gophers winning 25-22. Offense wasn't hitting on all cylinders but the ladies' size really gave Boise fits in the opening set.

In the second set, the ladies took control early and were in control pretty much throughout to win the set 25-19 heading into the break.

As an aside, Sydney Kleinman is getting a lot of time and has looked really good so far.
 

Came out and played on their heels throughout the third, allowing Boise to take third set 25-21. Crowd is now getting rowdy.
 

So much for being focused. The ladies outright give away fourth set and now we're headed to five after dropping that set 25-23.

Wouldn't be at all surprised if they lose this. They've played increasingly poorly defensively and at the net since the break.
 





Found a way to win it, 15-12. That's about the only positive I see.

They were extremely sloppy for the most part after the break and had some really ugly moments of play.

Pretty disappointing after how well they played in Texas.
 

MRJ said:
Found a way to win it, 15-12. That's about the only positive I see.

They were extremely sloppy for the most part after the break and had some really ugly moments of play.

Pretty disappointing after how well they played in Texas.
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Still undefeated and about to head into Big Ten Play...
 

Sparlimb said:
Still undefeated and about to head into Big Ten Play...
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They play like this in the Big 10 and it's going to be a long conference season.

I'm sure they'll address the obvious issues from this weekend heading into the opener against Michigan. But they were incredibly sloppy for long portions of both matches today. Gotta get that figured out pronto.
 

Whew. Boise State ran a fast offense with some big hitters that kept the Gophers a step behind on the block. Once again Kleinman came in (this time much earlier) for an ineffective Martin and made some big plays. Kleinman's smash of a Boise State overpass late in the 5th was terrific. We also saw Hugh's quirky "blocker for the setter" switch produce a couple of points.

It's good to see Hart back on track offensively. At this point we don't appear to have a consistently tricky server. So far, this trip has produced the test Hugh was looking for.
 

Losses of note around the B1G: #25 Ohio State was swept at home by Western Kentucky. #23 Michigan State was swept by Notre Dame 3-0 in South Bend (-23, -26, -22).
 


Ignatius L Hoops said:
Losses of note around the B1G: #25 Ohio State was swept at home by Western Kentucky. #23 Michigan State was swept by Notre Dame 3-0 in South Bend (-23, -26, -22).
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Shaky weekend for the B1G so far. Add Northern Iowa beating #10 Nebraska 3-1 in Omaha. Illinois is down 0-2 at Missouri State.
 

Before heading off to football, I caught the Gopher sweep of Idaho State. It was pretty straight forward but there were a few notable items. Martin did not play while Beckley, Morgan, McLean and Buford did. Pittman hit .750 and the Gophers had 7 aces.

I'm thinking I'd rather not see Northern Iowa at the PAV this year in the NCAA tourney's first and second rounds.
 

Wrapping up the Boise State Classic, Oregon State swept Boise State -21, -16, -20.
 

Ignatius L Hoops said:
Wrapping up the Boise State Classic, Oregon State swept Boise State -21, -16, -20.
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Which means one of three things:

1. The ladies played worse than originally thought vs. Boise, or

2. The Broncos blew their wad vs. the ladies and had nothing left in the tank vs. Oregon State, or

3. Boise just isn't that good.

Personally, I think it's a combo of two and three.

Sent from my SM-G360V using Tapatalk
 


She is one cool lady taking the crap without flinching. I'm surprised though that the corner ref didn't come over to shut her up though.
 

https://www.avca.org/polls/di-women/9-18-2017.html

The top five in the AVCA poll (it shouldn't be long before the NCAA starts releasing RPI).

Minnesota's next opponent, MIchigan is #20. The other B1G teams in the top 25; #13 Purdue and #14 Nebraska. Michigan State and Ohio State dropped out of the top 25.

1. Minnesota
2. Penn State
3. Florida
4. Stanford
5. Wisconsin
 

http://www.gophersports.com/sports/w-volley/spec-rel/091817aaa.html


Stephanie Samedy and Samantha Seliger-Swenson both received Big Ten weekly conference honors, announced today by the league office. Seliger-Swenson was named the Big Ten Setter of the Week for the second time this season, while Samedy was named Co-Freshman of the Week. It marks Samedy’s third conference award in four weeks. The pair were both named to the Boise State Classic all-tournament team as they helped the Gophers win three matches this past weekend.

Samedy averaged 4.67 on the weekend, hit .322, had 29 digs and five blocks. Against Oregon State, Samedy hit .405 for 16 kills in 37 swings and also had10 digs. Against host Boise State, the Clermont, Fla., native added a season-best 26 kills and had her second double-double of the day with 12 digs. In the Gophers' weekend finale, Samedy hit .400 when she had 14 kills in 30 attempts. On the season, Samedy is averaging 4.55 kills per set and leads the team with 173.
 

With a projected Friday high of 87 degrees, it will be a toasty night in the PAV for the Michigan match.
 

Ignatius L Hoops said:
With a projected Friday high of 87 degrees, it will be a toasty night in the PAV for the Michigan match.
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Turn on the Lynx-required air in Williams Arena and open the doors . . .


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 

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