Match 4: Gophers v TCU (at Baylor) (9-10-24)

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Time to pack it in, season's over. Probably gonna lose our own tournament again.
 

Another grind it out five set loss. Damn, this team demands a heavy time commitment from its fans. Monster night from Shaffmaster. Not enough crunch time terminating.
 


I don't think the glass is empty, but I am not sure whether it is half empty or half full. They seem to have trouble focusing on points, situations, and streaks, but they don't quit. In the fifth set, they seemed to decide that they were going to live and die with Hansen. I kept hoping that they would find something different and that someone else would step up.
 

This was another frustrating match to watch. They played well in stretches and at other times looked lost. The passing from the back needs to improve. Schaffmaster is not getting the ball in good places leading to way too many taps or weak swings. Timing with the hitters appears a little off which is probably from those poor passes. Palabyik and Thibault need to step it up. Way too inconsistent. Julia Hanson was also out of position a lot in the back row. She was a beast hitting though.
 

I think Thibault, by far, has been their best passer, and Pilabyik has been fine (except for the Stanford match). The problems -- passing and defense -- are elsewhere.

They are a #20-30 team, at best. We may as well face it and support their efforts to improve. It's too bad, given how experienced they are.

I would like to see a little more creativity in ro4 and someone to step up as a serving specialist. They were scoring with McGhie, at least, against TCU. Too many quick sideouts otherwise (and service errors) by serving subs.

But nobody needs my doom and gloom. I am sure the team and staff is trying their hardest to find solutions. I'll keep my mouth shut from here on out.
 

You don't need to keep your mouth shut. Your opinions are based on your observations. Keep sharing them.
 



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