Post by Deleted on Sept 5, 2016 21:37:19 GMT -5
Saturday, September 3rd
Let me offer you impressions about Penn State’s game against Colorado at the Coors Event Center? Before I begin, let me tell you a bit about myself so that you might understand what you’re receiving.
I’m not a Penn State alumni. I grew up in eastern PA and became aware of PSU football as Coach Paterno started his career. I quickly became a PSU fan, our local paper supported the team. I applied for admission to PSU, was accepted, and chose to go elsewhere. Four years later, I applied for grad school, was accepted, and attended elsewhere. I stayed a fan anyway. In 2010, my wife and the granddaughter we're raising introduced me to PSU volleyball thanks to the Big 10 Network. I’ve been a fan since.
As I followed PSU volleyball I gravitated to Nyline’s DigNittany site. Over the last six years I’ve become a fan and PSU’s performance has only strengthened my “fanitude.” As I lived in Colorado, I thought my chances of ever seeing the team were nil. Last year, as Colorado joined the B1G-PAC-12 showdown, I realized my hopes of seeing the team were about to be realized. Then decisions and changes got me moved to Alabama. Fortunately, my family bought me a ticket to Denver so that I could attend.
In person, I’ve only seen one high-level NCAA match—that being UCLA vs Colorado in 2011. I saw a USA Volleyball team that included Katie Slay and Maddie Martin play a Central American team at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Spring. Of course, I’ve watched all of PSU’s games for the past six years on TV or streamed on the net.
So, this is who you have trying do Nyline’s job.
I went to the game with a long-time friend who has been one of my granddaughter’s coaches. He’s involved in club volleyball coaching and helps with his local high school. He was and is an athlete—he did decathlon at BYU. We were joined by the mother of one of my granddaughter’s friends. She grew up in California and played on the beach with the likes of St John (or is in Sinjin?) Smith. They both know more about the game than I ever will.
Let me get the Stanford-Illinois game out of the way. You know both teams are well coached. All of their main players are healthy. Jordyn Poulter (6-2) is a very good setter who seldom sets with both feet on the ground. Naya Crittenden, 6-2 left-handed opposite, is a very strong hitter who can hit from all positions, but does most of her damage from the right side. For Stanford, Inky Ajanaku, 6-3 middle, is back with no signs of weakness. Adrianna Fitzmorris, a 6-6 freshman middle, is more mobile than 6-8 middle Merete Lutz. Except for an Illini lapse in the third set, they both played great volleyball. Based on what I saw Saturday evening, Stanford should defeat PSU in four sets of less.
Colorado played smart volleyball. They are likely well-coached and seemed able to implement the game plan Coach Mahoney had established for them. They never got flustered, their block improved as the game went on, and they seemed incredibly aware that PSU’s defense featured a gaping hole in the middle of the floor—and they hit there every time they could. They always seemed to be “under” PSU’s hits and too many of these impacts were turned into passes.
In particular, I want to call your attention to Gabby Simpson, a 6-3 left-hander (#13 on your program ladies and gentlemen) who set and hit quite well. She was Haleigh Washington’s setter at Colorado Spring’s Doherty High School. She set Haleigh when she set a Colorado High School record for most kills in a match. She was there when Haleigh was named Gatorade Player of the year. She was injured and didn’t play last weekend. She came ready to play last night. Do you understand what I’m trying to say?
Now, about our team. First off: By far, they are the most athletically talented team of the four. My friends and I were amazed at how smooth and fast everything could work when they were in system. We were sitting in the third row—so no overview, but we were viewing the action at just below net level. When Simone Lee hit from the back row, it was a blur. We were all amazed at how fast both setters fed Tori Gorrell. She looks like a short 6-2 (on my program) but she has incredible quickness on offense and has great communication with both setters. Kendall White is exceptional. I like the way she flies around. Reminds me of Lacey Fuller. Both friends like her play and were troubled on occasions when a player would step in front of her to take away a play. Haleigh Washington seemed more focused and had some great blocks—especially during PSU’s high water mark fourth set.
Things that most troubled me: Seeing Coach Rose request replays of calls to save a timeout. He looked genuinely bewitched, bothered, and bewildered as he returned to his seat after a timeout late in the game. The absolute collapse in the 5th set was Twilight Zone like. I don’t know if it was altitude or some kind of switch that tripped. It seemed to happen as they were trying to close out the fourth set and continued. During that stretch, Colorado outscored PSU something like 18-4. Ugh.
Why no comments from the coach? At Colorado, Coach Mahoney and the media have a formal session after the game. If I wanted to ask question of Coach Rose, his staff, or the players, I needed to ask PSU’s Sports Information Director who was siting along with the broadcasters and scorekeepers. So, after the third set, I introduced myself and informed him that IF Coach Rose would want to share a few remarks, I’d like to hear them. I did tell him that I felt a bit awkward asking as PSU was down 2-1. As PSU turned things around in the fourth set I got optimistic and Nyline and I even discussed some questions. As the fifth set played out, we discussed “graceful exit strategies.”
After the game, as I waited for the SID to complete the game write-up, I recognized Erica Denny. She was at PSU from 2010 though 2013, but never got much playing time because of injuries. She’s a Colorado “product” and spent her last year of eligibility helping the University of Denver make the 2014 Tournament. i had met and spoken to her in the summer of 2014 at the Olympic Training Center—the was there to see Katie Slay and Maddie Martin. Anyway, I asked her, “Since you know Coach Rose way better than I, do you think he’ll want to say anything after the game?” Her opinion was that coach would want to hit the bus and head for the hotel. I subsequently spoke with the SID and I communicated to him that I hoped Sunday would present a better opportunity for an audience with Coach Rose. He agreed and said that he wanted to get me something as well.
Overall, I’d compare PSU’s effort against Colorado as a person with a hammer against a swarm of ants. When PSU swung the hammer—when everything was working—we smashed them. But overall, there were just too many good plays (especially digs) by Colorado for PSU to prevail. And our hammer arm seemed to tire.
Sunday, September 4th
Notes from Sunday’s PSU-Stanford Game
Not a whole lot to say really.
I got to the court shortly after the team started their warmups. Considering how the Colorado game ended, they seemed remarkably upbeat. They were loud, lots of smiles, kidding with each other.
As I went to my seat, I passed Erica Denny who I’d spoken to briefly following Saturday night’s game. She had been doing the radio broadcast and I expected her to do Sunday’s game as well. I figured she’d be a great person to speak with after the game. It turned out she didn’t do the broadcast and I couldn’t locate her.
There were fewer PSU fans in the stands for Sunday’s games. Spirits were good as the first set drew to a close and most of us stood up when PSU got to set point. As you all know, things didn’t end as we’d hoped as Stanford came back to win the first set.
The PSU fans were pretty much subdued for the rest of the match, only getting vocal over some of the seemingly too frequent bad calls from the PAC-12 refs. Bad calls did not determine the set. But they did get some noise from the fans. The most egregious being a non-call for interference in the third set.
Three players stood out: Freshman Libero Kendal White had a tremendous game and seemed to be stepping into a leadership role. Salima seemed to be relaying her directions through her. Tori Gorrell continues to play well and was one of the leading scorers. And, Abby Detering set well, and her kills when she went over in two were most impressive—reminiscent of another left-handed PSU setter. Despite losing in three straight sets, they didn’t suffer as many lapses they did on Saturday night. All of the players had good moments; Simone led in kills, Haleigh and Ali had some kills that reminded us of their freshman years, back row players Taylor Krause and Keeton Holcomb worked hard and sold out to make their digs.
On the flip side, errors killed the team. And, Stanford is a better team than Colorado. As Nyline’s interview of Talking Head stated, Stanford’s height did not make the difference. For those of you worried about coaching, Consider: Coach Rose and the staff devised a game plan that neutralized Stanford’s height advantage, they communicated it to the team, and the team executed. Everybody knows, or can find out who made the most errors and at key times. I’m not going to call anybody out.
Personally, it was a lot of fun. I got three friends I’d made in the Colorado area to the games and they were all impressed at the level of play. I got to see PSU play for the first time and that was fun, despite the outcome. It’s always fun to see people you’ve seen on TV in “real life.”
Not having the opportunity to catch after game remarks from Coach Rose was a major disappointment. But it was fun to see how the press pass system works, even though Coach Rose wasn't available for comment.
Let me offer you impressions about Penn State’s game against Colorado at the Coors Event Center? Before I begin, let me tell you a bit about myself so that you might understand what you’re receiving.
I’m not a Penn State alumni. I grew up in eastern PA and became aware of PSU football as Coach Paterno started his career. I quickly became a PSU fan, our local paper supported the team. I applied for admission to PSU, was accepted, and chose to go elsewhere. Four years later, I applied for grad school, was accepted, and attended elsewhere. I stayed a fan anyway. In 2010, my wife and the granddaughter we're raising introduced me to PSU volleyball thanks to the Big 10 Network. I’ve been a fan since.
As I followed PSU volleyball I gravitated to Nyline’s DigNittany site. Over the last six years I’ve become a fan and PSU’s performance has only strengthened my “fanitude.” As I lived in Colorado, I thought my chances of ever seeing the team were nil. Last year, as Colorado joined the B1G-PAC-12 showdown, I realized my hopes of seeing the team were about to be realized. Then decisions and changes got me moved to Alabama. Fortunately, my family bought me a ticket to Denver so that I could attend.
In person, I’ve only seen one high-level NCAA match—that being UCLA vs Colorado in 2011. I saw a USA Volleyball team that included Katie Slay and Maddie Martin play a Central American team at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Spring. Of course, I’ve watched all of PSU’s games for the past six years on TV or streamed on the net.
So, this is who you have trying do Nyline’s job.
I went to the game with a long-time friend who has been one of my granddaughter’s coaches. He’s involved in club volleyball coaching and helps with his local high school. He was and is an athlete—he did decathlon at BYU. We were joined by the mother of one of my granddaughter’s friends. She grew up in California and played on the beach with the likes of St John (or is in Sinjin?) Smith. They both know more about the game than I ever will.
Let me get the Stanford-Illinois game out of the way. You know both teams are well coached. All of their main players are healthy. Jordyn Poulter (6-2) is a very good setter who seldom sets with both feet on the ground. Naya Crittenden, 6-2 left-handed opposite, is a very strong hitter who can hit from all positions, but does most of her damage from the right side. For Stanford, Inky Ajanaku, 6-3 middle, is back with no signs of weakness. Adrianna Fitzmorris, a 6-6 freshman middle, is more mobile than 6-8 middle Merete Lutz. Except for an Illini lapse in the third set, they both played great volleyball. Based on what I saw Saturday evening, Stanford should defeat PSU in four sets of less.
Colorado played smart volleyball. They are likely well-coached and seemed able to implement the game plan Coach Mahoney had established for them. They never got flustered, their block improved as the game went on, and they seemed incredibly aware that PSU’s defense featured a gaping hole in the middle of the floor—and they hit there every time they could. They always seemed to be “under” PSU’s hits and too many of these impacts were turned into passes.
In particular, I want to call your attention to Gabby Simpson, a 6-3 left-hander (#13 on your program ladies and gentlemen) who set and hit quite well. She was Haleigh Washington’s setter at Colorado Spring’s Doherty High School. She set Haleigh when she set a Colorado High School record for most kills in a match. She was there when Haleigh was named Gatorade Player of the year. She was injured and didn’t play last weekend. She came ready to play last night. Do you understand what I’m trying to say?
Now, about our team. First off: By far, they are the most athletically talented team of the four. My friends and I were amazed at how smooth and fast everything could work when they were in system. We were sitting in the third row—so no overview, but we were viewing the action at just below net level. When Simone Lee hit from the back row, it was a blur. We were all amazed at how fast both setters fed Tori Gorrell. She looks like a short 6-2 (on my program) but she has incredible quickness on offense and has great communication with both setters. Kendall White is exceptional. I like the way she flies around. Reminds me of Lacey Fuller. Both friends like her play and were troubled on occasions when a player would step in front of her to take away a play. Haleigh Washington seemed more focused and had some great blocks—especially during PSU’s high water mark fourth set.
Things that most troubled me: Seeing Coach Rose request replays of calls to save a timeout. He looked genuinely bewitched, bothered, and bewildered as he returned to his seat after a timeout late in the game. The absolute collapse in the 5th set was Twilight Zone like. I don’t know if it was altitude or some kind of switch that tripped. It seemed to happen as they were trying to close out the fourth set and continued. During that stretch, Colorado outscored PSU something like 18-4. Ugh.
Why no comments from the coach? At Colorado, Coach Mahoney and the media have a formal session after the game. If I wanted to ask question of Coach Rose, his staff, or the players, I needed to ask PSU’s Sports Information Director who was siting along with the broadcasters and scorekeepers. So, after the third set, I introduced myself and informed him that IF Coach Rose would want to share a few remarks, I’d like to hear them. I did tell him that I felt a bit awkward asking as PSU was down 2-1. As PSU turned things around in the fourth set I got optimistic and Nyline and I even discussed some questions. As the fifth set played out, we discussed “graceful exit strategies.”
After the game, as I waited for the SID to complete the game write-up, I recognized Erica Denny. She was at PSU from 2010 though 2013, but never got much playing time because of injuries. She’s a Colorado “product” and spent her last year of eligibility helping the University of Denver make the 2014 Tournament. i had met and spoken to her in the summer of 2014 at the Olympic Training Center—the was there to see Katie Slay and Maddie Martin. Anyway, I asked her, “Since you know Coach Rose way better than I, do you think he’ll want to say anything after the game?” Her opinion was that coach would want to hit the bus and head for the hotel. I subsequently spoke with the SID and I communicated to him that I hoped Sunday would present a better opportunity for an audience with Coach Rose. He agreed and said that he wanted to get me something as well.
Overall, I’d compare PSU’s effort against Colorado as a person with a hammer against a swarm of ants. When PSU swung the hammer—when everything was working—we smashed them. But overall, there were just too many good plays (especially digs) by Colorado for PSU to prevail. And our hammer arm seemed to tire.
Sunday, September 4th
Notes from Sunday’s PSU-Stanford Game
Not a whole lot to say really.
I got to the court shortly after the team started their warmups. Considering how the Colorado game ended, they seemed remarkably upbeat. They were loud, lots of smiles, kidding with each other.
As I went to my seat, I passed Erica Denny who I’d spoken to briefly following Saturday night’s game. She had been doing the radio broadcast and I expected her to do Sunday’s game as well. I figured she’d be a great person to speak with after the game. It turned out she didn’t do the broadcast and I couldn’t locate her.
There were fewer PSU fans in the stands for Sunday’s games. Spirits were good as the first set drew to a close and most of us stood up when PSU got to set point. As you all know, things didn’t end as we’d hoped as Stanford came back to win the first set.
The PSU fans were pretty much subdued for the rest of the match, only getting vocal over some of the seemingly too frequent bad calls from the PAC-12 refs. Bad calls did not determine the set. But they did get some noise from the fans. The most egregious being a non-call for interference in the third set.
Three players stood out: Freshman Libero Kendal White had a tremendous game and seemed to be stepping into a leadership role. Salima seemed to be relaying her directions through her. Tori Gorrell continues to play well and was one of the leading scorers. And, Abby Detering set well, and her kills when she went over in two were most impressive—reminiscent of another left-handed PSU setter. Despite losing in three straight sets, they didn’t suffer as many lapses they did on Saturday night. All of the players had good moments; Simone led in kills, Haleigh and Ali had some kills that reminded us of their freshman years, back row players Taylor Krause and Keeton Holcomb worked hard and sold out to make their digs.
On the flip side, errors killed the team. And, Stanford is a better team than Colorado. As Nyline’s interview of Talking Head stated, Stanford’s height did not make the difference. For those of you worried about coaching, Consider: Coach Rose and the staff devised a game plan that neutralized Stanford’s height advantage, they communicated it to the team, and the team executed. Everybody knows, or can find out who made the most errors and at key times. I’m not going to call anybody out.
Personally, it was a lot of fun. I got three friends I’d made in the Colorado area to the games and they were all impressed at the level of play. I got to see PSU play for the first time and that was fun, despite the outcome. It’s always fun to see people you’ve seen on TV in “real life.”
Not having the opportunity to catch after game remarks from Coach Rose was a major disappointment. But it was fun to see how the press pass system works, even though Coach Rose wasn't available for comment.
