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Post by Onthebench on Sept 19, 2015 21:06:06 GMT -5
I don't think Lee is in a slump. She is a difference maker every time I see her come in. Maybe we'll see a lot of her against Wisconsin -- the Badgers seem to have no answer for her. But yes, it's tough to have so much talent getting so little playing time. We'd all like to see what they can do. Still, an oversupply of great players is part of what makes Penn State what it is. If you want to compete at the highest level, the tradeoff is you have to beat out all-American caliber players to win a starting spot. There will be two front row spots open next year and REALLY big shoes to fill. Courtney and Whitney will be sorely missed next season. They are both having terrific seasons so far. Indeed. Maybe in combination of two or three OHs can offset the offensive numbers that Whitney and Megan produced, but there's no one to replace Megan's blocking and defensive skills. Even though Megan does not have elite offensive stats, the reason she is viewed as the one of the best is her ability to block and play solid defense every game. she also carries intangible character that is very rare. We all know how coach Rose appraised her for her high volleyball IQ. I just hope she is finally recognized as AA and finishes her career as a three time national champion.
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Post by cross5 on Sept 19, 2015 21:19:20 GMT -5
Megan takes a lot of first contacts, much more than any other year.
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Post by psumaui on Sept 19, 2015 22:38:05 GMT -5
Wisconsin just lost to Arkansas in 5!
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Post by bob2061 on Sept 19, 2015 22:57:19 GMT -5
Lee had good night against USF. hope she continues her hitting.
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Post by nyline on Sept 20, 2015 4:52:10 GMT -5
Wisconsin just lost to Arkansas in 5! from ArkansasRazorbacks.com:
OMAHA, Neb. – For the second time in less than 12 hours, the University of Arkansas volleyball team found itself in a fifth set against a top-30 team in the country. And for the second time, the Razorbacks came out on top with a five-set victory over No. 11 Wisconsin Saturday evening at the Creighton Classic in Omaha. Arkansas defeated Kansas State earlier in the day. With the win, Arkansas finishes its non-conference slate with a 10-2 overall record. Chanell Clark-Bibbs set a new career high with 24 kills to go along with a .556 hitting percentage; six of her kills came in the fifth set. She also had a match-high six total blocks. Pilar Victoria registered her second double-double of the day and sixth of the season with 16 kills and 13 digs. Liz Fortado chipped in nine kills. In directing Arkansas’ offense, including setting the team to a .476 figure in the fifth set, Adrien Wohlschlaeger had a career-high 59 assists. Defensively, Arkansas posted 12.0 total team blocks, its fourth match of the season with 10 or more blocks. Four Razorbacks had at least three blocks against the Badgers. Okiana Valle tied for the match high with 17 digs. Coupled with her career-best effort earlier in the day against Kansas State, the freshman libero total 43 digs Saturday. FINAL Arkansas 3, No. 11 Wisconsin 2, (25-21, 22-25, 25-20, 13-25, 15-11) From UW Badgers.com:OMAHA, Neb. -- The 11th-ranked Wisconsin volleyball team endured its first five-set match of the season, but could not pull off the win, losing to Arkansas 21-25, 25-22, 20-25, 25-13, 11-15 in the final round of the Creighton Classic on Saturday night at D.J. Sokol Arena. Wisconsin finished the non-conference slate of its season with an 8-2 record. Fast Facts •Junior Haleigh Nelson and freshman Tionna Williams both set new career highs, with 18 and 16 kills respectively. •The Badgers outdug the Razorbacks 57-54, but Arkansas outblocked Wisconsin 12-8. •Wisconsin hit .293 (68 kills - 22 errors- 157 total attempts), while Arkansas hit .270 (66-25-152). “I liked our fight the last half of the match,” UW head coach Kelly Sheffield said. “I told them that there were plenty of positives to take out of that match. What we talked about going in was that if this was all about the net play, then we weren’t going to win this match. We had to out-serve them, we had to out-pass them, we had to out-defend them, and their passing numbers were better than ours.” The Badgers hit .293 (68 kills - 22 errors -157 total attempts), while Arkansas hit .270 (66-25-152). Highlighting the night were junior Haleigh Nelson and freshman Tionna Williams, who each recorded a new career high with 18 and 16 kills, respectively. “Haleigh, unfortunately, probably played her best match in a Badger jersey,” Sheffield said. “Although that was in a loss, we tried to get her involved early and we kept going to her. I thought Tionna, in the second half of the match, that was the best she’s played. We’ve really been challenging her and I think she just got tired of getting her butt kicked a little bit and started really, really driving and hitting the right shots, so I’m glad that she stepped up.” Attendance: 1,262 (session figure) | Time: 2:21 D.J. Sokol Arena | Omaha, Neb.
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Post by psumaui on Sept 20, 2015 13:37:30 GMT -5
That attendance figure as stated is for the entire weekend but watching the Wisconsin match, you could count the fans there. The players(both teams combined) outnumbered the fans during that match. Most of the fans must have been at a football game.
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Post by nik12 on Sept 20, 2015 20:52:14 GMT -5
That Wisconsin result is surprising indeed.
Meanwhile, Michigan State takes down North Carolina and Duke on the road in convincing fashion after some not great losses earlier on.
Lots of ups and downs this year.
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Post by nyline on Sept 21, 2015 4:57:08 GMT -5
That Wisconsin result is surprising indeed. Meanwhile, Michigan State takes down North Carolina and Duke on the road in convincing fashion after some not great losses earlier on. Lots of ups and downs this year. And Illinois seems to also have rollercoasteritis
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Post by psumaui on Sept 27, 2015 14:32:52 GMT -5
Florida just got upset by #24 Kentucky in 4. Florida not looking like a top 10 team (again) this year. They play Arkansas next week. Wisconsin knows about them!
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Post by cross5 on Sept 27, 2015 15:27:57 GMT -5
Wisconsin crashes and burns against OSU
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Post by nyline on Sept 27, 2015 15:46:44 GMT -5
Wisconsin crashes and burns against OSU In 5. Sandbothe with 20 kills. When asked about how his team defended her, Sheffield asked "Did we?"
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Post by psumaui on Sept 27, 2015 16:44:40 GMT -5
Wisconsin crashes and burns against OSU As I said before season started, I see Wisconsin as a middle of pack team in the BIG this year. Just don't have it together leadership wise.
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Post by nik12 on Sept 28, 2015 8:22:38 GMT -5
Looks like there are a handful of top-tier B1G games this week: (i) Penn State v. Nebraska; (ii) Nebraska v. Ohio State; (iii) Minnesota v. Illinois; and (iv) Illinois v. Wisconsin.
Tough weeks for Nebraska and Illinois, especially Nebraska who plays on back-to-back nights.
Could either be a week where some teams separate themselves or a week where the pack gets muddier.
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Post by nyline on Sept 28, 2015 9:16:22 GMT -5
Looks like there are a handful of top-tier B1G games this week: (i) Penn State v. Nebraska; (ii) Nebraska v. Ohio State; (iii) Minnesota v. Illinois; and (iv) Illinois v. Wisconsin. Tough weeks for Nebraska and Illinois, especially Nebraska who plays on back-to-back nights. Could either be a week where some teams separate themselves or a week where the pack gets muddier. And Iowa is lurking.
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Post by phillytom on Sept 28, 2015 13:37:55 GMT -5
It was an amazing feat of coaching what Shef accomplished this last two seasons with only one truly top-shelf front row hitter -- Courtney Thomas.
But they did have experience and all the intangibles -- tenacity, leadership, chemistry, whatever.
Now they have less talent and a bunch of newcomers who are struggling to figure out their roles. And the passing has been so erratic that even Carlini is not looking like Carlini any more. The transfers are showing their limitations and the freshmen aren't ready to play yet.
It could be a long season. They might well not make the tournament. If you don't have great players, at least it helps to have size -- and they don't have size.
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