Pitt match thread

[UDBrian]

I realize that quite a few people who post on the team were at the game. I was very impressed. Everything can improve but that was a very good first match. They kept a lot of pressure on a good team with their serving and blocking. On offense there were a few plays that were a little bit off but in general the offense looked very good.

[NovaFlyer]

Is Dayton really that good, or Pitt that bad? Great game to watch as a Flyer fan.

[jmitch]

Incredible game tonight. This is gonna be a fun team to watch this year.

[UDBrian]

I think Pitt had been receiving some preseason votes so I think UD beat a pretty good team tonight but probably not top 50 right now anyway. UD's serve really kept them off balance, there weren't a lot of times that the passes were right at the net where they could use all three hitters. And when they did get good chances to hit our blocking was very good.

I thought they looked pretty good hitting the ball before the match but UD kept the pressure on the entire match and didn't let up.

The crowd was great and the two students in the striped shirts who went into the crowd to fire up the students were fantastic

[John R]

I would have to say it was one of the largest crowds to see a VB game that didn't involve X or St Louis.

[ud86]

Great job to the vball team! I believe tonight is the start of a VERY SPECIAL YEAR for the team.

Go Flyers!

[ud69]

Golly - we have weapons all over the court. If the left one don't get you, then the right one will, or the middle one will, or the back row one will, .......

Fletemier and Campbell were like the iron curtain in that third set.


Props to the Red Scare - They were out in force big time!

[Chris R]

When you dominate defensively at the net, you dominate the match. Period.

If UD can somehow harness the net defense of the 3rd set into something reliable all year, we will beat those ranked teams from the past that overpowered us. Wasnt a perfect match and a lot to work on, but we went 10 deep, didnt miss a beat, and Eytch/Gaerke didnt play.

Very impressed with Vargas. Yanz was a huge get. Broerman is a pit bull in there.

Lots of work to do, but a solid first step!

[BeckysTXA]

Early on our blocks were there, Pitt was just rolling over the top for easy digs and passes for our defense. And we were getting our hands on balls too, just short of stopping them. In the third set, that took it's toll and either we picked up that half-step off a better read, or our earlier "hands" caught up to their hitters. I'm sure we also got better at reading their setter too. First weekend of the season is tough. You got last year's video, so you need to play a set or so before you start making adjustments.

Our speed was awesome. And I'd expect it to get better as Jess and the hitters have more time working together. Most of the preseason is spent working on passing and defense. And that looked pretty good tonight.

Also, someone asked if we are that good or Pitt that bad. Pitt is not a bad team. Went something like 14-2 in the Big East. Last year before we played teams like Fordham, LaSalle, Rhode Island, I posted we not only need to sweep these teams, we need to hold them to 15 points or less per set. Pitt would not have been on that list last year. I would not have even predicted a sweep. UD is so good, Pitt's on that list tonight. We just swept a solid DI team and held them to 13 kills on the night. That is off the charts good.

[Figgie123]

It was a nice match. Here are five things I took away.

1. Awesome 3rd set. Down 3-1, win 25-10. That's a 24-7 run. Before the Illinois game last year, I did a stat about largest lead without losing, and Dayton was a 6 or 7 point lead that never got beat on. I'm going to watch that this year too.
2. Lindsay. At 6ft 6inches, she had a 4-5 inch advantage over the entire Pittsburgh team. There were a few times when she could place it anywhere she wanted because she was so much higher/taller than the other team.
3. Jessica Yanz. I think it's great that she's out setter at 6ft 1in. I say this because she can block at the net on defense, and be in position already for setting. As well, being that tall, she knocked a couple sets over when she noticed an open spot for a kill.
4. Amanda. Based on this game, maybe she's going to battle Lindsay for kill leader on the team. It seemed most of the time she set to Jessica, Jessica sent it back to her for the kill attempt. Not sure if this is planned or not, but it seemed to 'orchestrated'.
5. Allyson Morey. She took the 'Broerman' spot from last year. Come in for serving, and come out immediately. But, she didn't seem to do well while serving. I think she was like 1-6, or 2-7, from a winning point per serve perspective. Just something I noticed.

Let's get number 2!

Figgie