#1 Penn State at #9 Michigan State - 11/01/17 - 7:00 pm ET

Has to be some combination of both.  If we are up 2-0 (and almost always have been), the opponents lift their play a little, and our intensity drops a little.  One other point, the scores against MSU were pretty close and three of  the four sets could have gone the other way.  For example, the third set last night could have been won by PSU. One untimely boo boo by either team determines who wins those deuce sets.  

So I am again marveling at the staff's choices last evening. Pretty much every selection they made worked really well.

I have to wonder how they select which player to act in what capacity on a given night. Against MSU, we saw Lainy Pierce serve better than she has so far this year, in place of Haleigh Washington who's serve has been notably tough all season. Maybe Pierce showed the improved serve in practice? Tortorello pointed out that in addition to serving, PSU would benefit from better back row defense with the sub.

Also, the DS choices worked really well. But we have other specialists who also did well earlier this season. How did they know who to use? Maybe Pierce's Senior experience makes her a better choice over Sciorra in a tight match. Whatever it was, Pierce put herself in the right places and executed well in several long rallys.

Kudos to BTN for a good broadcast. We got to see some nice replays, and the announcers pointed out a number of technical issues which for the most part enhanced my enjoyment.

Pierce was the primary DS serving and playing back row through the first 3 weeks of the season but once Holcomb was ready she took over that role.

Lainy has been a primary serving sub since then. She was subbed out after the 3 pt run ending with a net violation on our side in game 1. Crucial Ace indeed.

Holcomb serves and stays in often for Frantti in the backrow at least 1 time or sometimes for Lee like in game 2 and 3 when Simone was struggling.

Pierce had effective serves in game 1 and 2 not sure about 3. Holcomb had a ineffective game 3 and we lost that huge lead.

Coach felt Lainy was the hot hand and brought her in for Holcomb role in game 4 and she stayed in for that whole backrow rotation.

My take = its nice to have 2 DS that the coaches and team have confidence in to do multiple roles.

Our bench seems ready for a NC run.

Here's the direct link:

www.gopsusports.com/collegesportslive/?media=560180

Russ Rose interview starts around the 4:30 mark. It's worth a listen. 

Thanks traveler.

Steve Jones really does a great job. Coach was his usual candid self. Thanks for the heads up about this interview.

I was amused by the host's comment about Washington being a bookworm, and he gets confused by her sometimes, but he does not get confused by Simone Lee... It would be fun to hang out with these ladies sometime, and feel their personalities off the court...

I was struck by his response that there are very few players he "trusts" and that he does not trust all of the players who are presently on the court. I guess never being satisfied is what makes him so successful.