TN

[BeckysTXA]

They got a new coach in January and she’s turning this program around after 2-3 down years. They’ve started 7-2. Last weekend they split 1-1 with #16 San Diego who dropped to #23 after the split. They also beat then-#22 Michigan St. MSU has also dropped to Re Irving votes (20). TN is also receiving votes (12).

TN has a good setter. I think she will move to all-time career sets #9 in TN history during the UD match. They also have a good blocking MB who also is in their all-time record books. The team is averaging 2.5 blocks per set - which is solid. Elite blocking teams average closer to 3.0. With young hitters you do always worry a little against good blocking teams - even tho Alli and Amelia have been playing great.

I saw a quote by the WA coach after our match and they keyed on Lauren. She is hitting so well I would expect she will see more defenses looking to stop her first. So our young hitters will need to continue to step up and play well. We also need to find a backrow attacker sometime this year. I think we can win the A10 without one, but we could use one this weekend and come A10 and NCAA tourney time.

I believe TN is going to finish 70-80 rpi and they have a chance to be top 50. This is a match we need to win. Time to close out a strong opponent.

[BeckysTXA]

I’m excited for this weekend starting with this match. We need to jump on TN early and keep pounding our attacks. Also need to get the block going. We struggled early with the block against WA early. Ended up ok, but it was late in set 1 before we had a block and the only block that set was a gift, so need to get it going early tonight.

[BeckysTXA]

Molly Asmus listed as a starter. ???Amelia put ????

[BeckysTXA]

Foot injury to Amelia. Happened yesterday. Molly next up.

[BeckysTXA]

UD started a little slow and tentative but TN called TO with UD up 9-5. Brooke also has her right shoulder taped. That wasn’t there last weekend.

[BeckysTXA]

Bruns serving and then a kill right down the center from the back row. We have 1/2 rotation backrow hitter and we will take it.

[BeckysTXA]

Freshman Alli just made two great plays. TO TN with UD up 17-8.

[BeckysTXA]

Out of TO Alli again powers thru a double block for 3 in a row.

[BeckysTXA]

UD wins first 25-12. A little slow to start but started to roll and totally dominated. You hold a team to 15 or less you’ve dominated. Great start to a big weekend. Keep it going. We hit an unreal 481 in set 1.

[BeckysTXA]

Horsmon with a dig. TN up 9-7

[BeckysTXA]

TN 11-7. TO UD. Gotta get our serve going again. We’ve had 3 error all into the net. We have been going long on service errors more than short this year. But TN struggled a little with our serves in set 1 so we need to get it going. Lauren scores out of the TO. UD serving.

[BeckysTXA]

UD behind 14-19. TO UD. I don’t think we have any blocks this set.

[BeckysTXA]

TN up 22-17 and they call TO. Somewhat unusual but we’ll see if UD can role.

[BeckysTXA]

Tied 1-1. 20-25 TN in 2nd. We are struggling on the block right now. Molly is getting frozen by the setter. She hasn’t played much at this level. We might see Sierra move inside and see if Molly can play Rightside. I’m not sure we have any other healthy hitters. Maybe Mikaylah but she was out last weekend and I think she would play before Molly if healthy. Slim pickings right now.

[BeckysTXA]

We could also go withBrooke on the Rightside for 6 rotations and Sierra and Kendyll at MB. That puts Bridget at Setter all 6 rotations, but I think she did that when Jane got hurt last year for a week or two.

[BeckysTXA]

Horsmon puts in freshman setter Josie. Just called TO behind 6-12. We’ve used every player that’s available - all 12. Everyone else is hurt. The 9 players that are the starting rotation have got to take it to another level to make up for Amelia out - the 10th starting player and to make up for the 3 players that are freshmen trying to fill holes.

[BeckysTXA]

We have our strongest rotation on the floor - Lauren-Kendyll-Sierra in front. Brooke-Maura-Margo in back. We need to score big now. Behind 10-14

[BeckysTXA]

Tied 20-20. Best rotation back in. Need to score and close it out.

[BeckysTXA]

22-20 UD. TO TN. Close. It. OUT.

[ud69]

Big come from behind in set 3. Now finish it!

[BeckysTXA]

Great comeback. UD wins 25-23 and go up 2-1 headed to the 4th. The 9 healthy starting rotation players did in fact up their games to close it out. Now jump on they early and let’s get out of this hot gym without any more injuries. Brooke looks like she is hurting a little. I hope nothing serious.

[BeckysTXA]

TN block coming alive. TO UD and Horsmon is coaching Alli about hitting into the block. She’s a great freshman hitter. She’ll pick it up. 10-6 TN

[BeckysTXA]

TO UD down 18-11. Looks like we are going to 5. We are getting called for a ton of doubles this year. Not sure Horsmon agrees with all of them, but it’s happing every week.

[BeckysTXA]

Pulled Brooke out after we got behind by 6+ late. Smart move. We need her in 5 th set. Track meet to 15. Veteran players will have to lead the freshmenin this one to win. It won’t be easy. Go Flyers.

[BeckysTXA]

First to 5. First to 10. First to 15.

Brooke with 5th point. Triple double

[BeckysTXA]

Brooke been one off a triple 2-3 Times this year. Gets it tonight. TO TN. UD up 7-4. Bridget just dug 3 balls in a row to save this point.

[BeckysTXA]

9-6 UD with best rotation in

[BeckysTXA]

10-8 UD. First to 15. Make it happen.

[BeckysTXA]

Flyers win 15-13.

[Chris R]

Man needed that W. We looked on life support mid-way through set 4. Same mojo as the other 5-set defeats. Cpl big points in set 5 helped us. Overcame injuries tonight with new names that have barely seen the court this year. Maybe a fortunate call to get to match point as well. Hopefully this will give us some confidence but we're definitely at our best at full strength.

Still, we have to stop giving away so many free points. Its making our job more difficult than it needs to be. I didnt think our passing was very good overall, and TN took it to us defensively in set 4. Aside from the service error in set 5 I thought overall serving was pretty solid. Digging -- ehh, we still spray too many out of bounds despite having bee-lines right on the ball out of the back line. But some of that may be youth and inexperience. Bruns' arm may fall off tonight. Without some other options, she had to carry us.

We were not at full strength tonight by any means and still won. TN beat #16 San Diego so they are on pace to make the NCAAs. Once we get older, healthier, more experienced, and get all our bodies on the team back, we're going to be pretty tough the next cpl seasons.

Flyers still definitely a work in progress, but program trajectory keeps pointing at the north star. As fans we just have to accept that this team needs to work for things on the court a bit harder than some past Flyer teams where it seemed to come easier like a well oiled machine all the time. Horsmon is still rebuilding metropolis and needs everyone to be patient. He can't be responsible for kids in scooters or buns in the oven. Gotta roll with what we have on any given night.

[BeckysTXA]

Molly had our 2nd point in the 5th. Carrissa had our 13th. We needed them both to win. And we needed Josie coming in for Brooke in the 4th to give our only 6-rotation player a few minutes on the sideline to recharge for the 5th.

Horsmon played and needed every healthy player for this win against a team that could very well end up a top 50 rpi team. No coach plays all their players in a big match like this, but TH did and it paid off big time. There were a lot of non-scholarship players on the court tonight. And it took the veteran scholarship players leading everyone by stepping up their game.

Great win! Just hope we get players back sooner rather than later. I did not see Weaver on the sideline, but you don’t see everything on video stream. Other players are injured, but had some kind of sickness earlier in camp before the season. If she wasn’t on the sidelines I fear she is still ill. She did not travel last week. Anyone see her tonight?

[BeckysTXA]

Chris...I agree we didn’t pass well against TN. Not every match has been streamed, but I’ve seen about half the matches and this was probably our worst effort. Maura has been great as a freshman, but she struggled some tonight. They went after her and she wasn’t her best for a patch especially mid-match. But I thought she came back fighting and that was good to see.

Teams have also attacked Bridget from the Rightside and usually can score with that attack. Tonight in the 5th Bridget came up with 3 tough digs in a row to help win a point.

You’re not going to dig everything. And passing is always a work in progress. Just happy to see we won enough and handled enough so-so passes to win this one. We’ve let a couple get away this year and drew the short schedule straw last week. Very happy for the team and staff we closed this one out.

[Lifelong Flyer Fan]

I asked a player's parent about MacKenzie. She quit the team and school. Also was told Amelia has a broken foot.

[ud69]

We really smoked the Lady Vols in set 1. Hard to tell if we were playing that well or Tennessee that poorly. If it was from playing well, then we have a very high ceiling. We were doing everything right.

Second set we made a lot of errors.

Third set was the key to the match IMHOP. We were down 7-14 and came back to win it.

Fourth set was inconsistent.

Big ace by Beyer in set 5. Horsman put her into the match to serve in set 2 and she promptly served the ball 10 feet long. Props to her for keeping it together in set 5.

Bruns had a monster match on 56 swings and hit .411. I can't tell you how many times she tooled the block. It was uncanny.

Westbeld with a triple double. when was the last time that happened? Selsky in 2011?

Stiil do not understand why we do not support the challenge rule. Makes us seem second class. I know this, Tennessee would have challenged the tip call at 13-12 in set 5. There were a couple of line calls that Horsmon would have challenged as well.

Evansville and tosu tomorrow.

[Chris R]

Originally Posted by Lifelong Flyer Fan I asked a player's parent about MacKenzie. She quit the team and school. Also was told Amelia has a broken foot.

The hits never stop. Name the sport at UD. We build infirmaries.

[Figgie123]

Originally Posted by ud69 Westbeld with a triple double. when was the last time that happened? Selsky in 2011?

Yes. 9/3/11 in a loss to Illinois, 10 kills, 44 assists, 13 digs.

Erin Schroeder did it twice, one in 07 (10/57/11) and once in 08 (10/55/22).

(I only have stats from 2007 until now...)

[BeckysTXA]

One of the benefits from putting in this floor was it was suppose to reduce foot/leg injuries. Until this year I think we have limited these injuries. We had shoulder/arm/hand injuries but not a lot of boots.

We got thru last night without Amelia and need to do the same today. Then I feel we are still good enough to win the A10 without Amelia in the rotation. It will help if we can get Jordan or Mikaylah back. Jordan was out of a boot last night, but still in a t-shirt not a Jersey, so not ready to play. Mikaylah was in a t-shirt too.

From the announcers info, Amelia said her foot felt odd Thursday. She took one jump and was done. So very little time to get Molly ready. She had 3 blocks and the 2nd point in the 5th. We needed all of that to win. There were also times she mis-read the setter and didn’t go the right way to set the block. And we didn’t set her a lot. She MIGHT not have been ready to attack (transition). Once she ran into I think it was Lauren as the ran a crossing pattern. She will get better at all of this. She’s a freshman thrown into the line up with little prep time. It’s important the veteran players step up their games to help her as she works to raise her game. I felt we did that in the 3rd set, which figgie is correct, was the key to us winnin the match.

Find a way to win again today - twice and we will buy ourselves some time to work on getting freshmen better during A10 play. One year maybe our conference will help us. We’ve got to get healthy.

[Avid Flyer]

Originally Posted by Lifelong Flyer Fan I asked a player's parent about MacKenzie. She quit the team and school. Also was told Amelia has a broken foot.

Not sure when she left but she is still on roster as of today.