Nebraska Thread

[BeckysTXA]

Here is the Husker writeup.

http://www.huskers.com/ViewArticle.d...&DB_OEM_ID=100

We will have to do a lot of things well to beat Nebraska -- but three stick out to me -- we need to get our block going early and often. Only blocked so-so last weekend. Will need to up that part of our game. And we will need to serve receive/pass well. If we pass well, our freshman setter and our offense will be pretty good. If we pass so-so or badly, we will send too many balls to the left OHs or back row attackers and NE's block it too good to beat. It will be a long day at the office.

Finally, we need to serve really, really aggressively. NE did not pass well last weekend. That kept them out-of-system. We will need to pressure them with our serving to win.

Also, expect Coach John Cook to call their serving zones -- and send their serves to anyone but Janna Krafka. So Alaina, Rachel and Jess will need to handle their serves. In 2010 at NE Cook called every serve and kept the ball out of Amanda Cowdrey's hands on the first touch because she was so good passing. They went after Paige Vargus. Expect them to go after freshman Jess Sloan tonight. And for the record, I thought Jess held her own last weekend, being a freshman and teams went after her in the back row. They got her a couple times, but for the weekend I thought she passed very well in her first DI action.

GO FLYERS!!!

[UDBrian]

Agree 100%. I'm not sure about Tim's serving stategy. In his previous stint with UD most of the servers were conservative and it used to drive me nuts when some players just hit the ball over the net. I would expect that this has changed and I won't know until watching the match. If Nebraska is allowed to pass the ball with ease and have three options at the net it will be tough to control them.

I thought I saw that Janna had three service receive errors in one of the matches last week. She is a brilliant passer but sometimes you can let your guard down and not be totally prepared after the other team serves away from you ten times in a row.

I'm looking forward to seeing the new players against a quality opponent. I will have something about this match and what I expect some time this weekend. There are so many new players that I would have been totally guessing.

[BeckysTXA]

Glad to hear you're on the volleyball beat again. Always enjoy your articles and you are correct -- a lot if new.

Last week Z started out as our serving MB, but later in the BG match TH sent in Kelsey Osgood as a serving specialist. She also played that role in the other two matches last weekend, but I don't know how much or when she entered the matches. Kelsey did a nice job, but every time she comes in, it costs us 2 substitutions. We won't have that luxury if sets are close and neither team is scoring in runs of 3+ points. You simply run out of subs allowed by the rules. It would help us if either Angle or Z could up their serving skills along with their back row defense for that 1/2 rotation.

I'll be watching to see how aggressive and/or creative we serve against NE, as well as our serve receive. Both will be big parts of the equation if we are to compete against the Huskers.

[UDBrian]

I will take a notebook tonight, a lot of things to keep track of!

[Avid Flyer]

Making the trek in for the games this weekend. Looking forward to seeing TM again.

Z had difficulty last week with her early serves going into the net twice.
Was actually surprised to even see her serve as I don't recall her serving last year at all, but then my memory is not what it used to be.

Was impressed with the freshmen overall, not a bad first outing and especially away from home.

Lets see what home cooking will do for us.

Not expecting too much till A-10, till then lets get our roles worked out and bring "True Team" to the court. Go Flyers!

[Chris R]

A tough task tonight. I think realistically if we can get to 20 points in any one game vs. the Huskers we should consider that a moral victory.

Unfortunately when Sheff left along with all of our recruits, he set this program back about three full seasons. Its going to take Horsmon a couple years to begin to recover some of the momentum and maybe 3-4 to get us back to where we are used to. We dont have the horses or depth at the moment and a frosh setter is never ideal.

But, I think we will work very hard and get out as much as we can w/the talent we have. I think the goal w/this specific team is to get better as the season goes along and have a product playing its best ball by November.

I read the article on Horsmon in the DDN and I like that he feels UD is the place for him. Its one of the reasons coaches like Mike Kelly and Mike Tucker etc chose not to leave -- sometimes getting what you ask for is not what its cracked up to be at other places and you realize how much UD was a great 'fit'.

[Avid Flyer]

While losing 3-0 we showed we could play with a top program. First set going 29-27 to the Huskers took a toll on the players who showed it in the second set losing 25-14.

The 3rd set I feel was our best as we came from behind 5-1 to tie it and keep pace with the Huskers, losing 25-23. So using Chris R's argument we scored over 20 points twice in two sets with the Huskers.

It was great seeing Horsman again and he was quite frank after the match. He basically said we had our opportunities and just couldn't finish....way to many errors, unforced errors at that.

Horsman was honest also in stating that the second set is where the program is right now....just too many inconsistencies and its a work in progress. Right now its using the non con season to prepare for the A-10 where he feels we will be competitive and together by then.

A surprise was seeing Kray. She was with the team in some capacity and is working on her masters degree. Hopes to get back playing in Brazil or Puerto Rico after the first of the year if the doctors release her. She tore her rotator cup playing for Switzerland and is recuperating.

All in all it was a good night that could have been better but the crowd was into it and was a fairly good showing per say. When thinking about renovations for both the arena and Frericks Center they need to include Air Conditioning.....not a dry person in the house.

[UDBrian]

It is true that Kelly didn't do us any favors and some of those players would be getting playing time here.

But, some of the problems tonight can be corrected. The passing wasn't good enough to beat a good team. I am not a trained statistician but have played setter enough to rate passes. In set 2 I had UD passing at 1.4 out of three. We had ten service receives where the setter had zero or one overhand setting options. That is 10 out of 19 services returned. That number can and should get better. Tim was very successful with defense and serve receive when he was here earlier. I didn't track individual players but I thought that Rachel Jones was the best passer tonight. I also think that Jessica Sloan will become a very good defensive player with some time.

On offense the numbers weren't bad when you consider the mediocre passing. Alaina, Jill and Jessica all had their moments. Angel and Isolde could have been more successful if the passing had been better.

The serving has to improve Twelve service errors are too many when you aren't making passing difficult for the other team. In set 2 eight of nebraskas 11 service returns were 2s or 3s. In the same set UD had 9 out of 19. They hit some good tough serves and really need to be more consistent

This team will need to become good on serve receive to win. If the setter can sit in a rocking chair with three option passes during a match the team has enough offense to win. But, the team isn't going to beat good teams if they spend a lot of time out of system. There is no Rachel Krabacher to get kills from the back row or beat a double block when the opposition knows where the set has to go.

One good thing about volleyball is that one tremendous offensive player can make a huge difference if you have the other pieces in place.

Just in case anyone reading this is unsure a '0' pass means the setter doesn't reach it or had to set it with their forearms, a '1' pass means that the setter only had one option which is tough for the hitter, a '2' means the setter had two options and a '3' is a perfect pass tight to the net where the setter can set anyone they want.

[Chris R]

Im cautiously optimistic after tonight. I said reaching 20pts in any game would be a good step forward and we pushed Nebraska to a pair of 2pt wins in two games -- one that went additional.

We still have a long way to go and are not where we've been accustomed to, but my hope is this result puts a little skip in our walk moving forward.

[Figgie123]

That first set was neck and neck the entire way. Kept hoping they could get a 1pt advantage on their serve in that "overtime" period, but we kept giving it back to Nebraska with set point.

Second set was not great. Lots of errors.

In the third set, we played better, and Loiars came to play there. Had a stretch in 3 rotations where she went for 4 kills. Nice strong swing on that lady.

After the match, the ladies confirmed that Hannan won the jump height again this year.

Decent result, especially if Nebraska is as good as their #15 ranking. They didn't blow us out of our own building.

[BeckysTXA]

Video guy (new announcer this year - can't remember his name) said Z touches 10'7". Remember just a few years ago when touching 10' was the "wow" factor with recruits. Now it's just "average".

[BeckysTXA]

I've only seen the BG match and the NE match this year. And I followed live stats for the Pitt match. I can tell you that the first set against NE was really, really good. The best set I've seen this year. And it was impressive we came back in the 3rd set and gave NE all they could handle. If we had played Pitt like we played NE in sets 1 & 3, I'm pretty confident we would have beat Pitt.

But consistency will be a set-by-set challenge this year for a while. It doesn't look like TH is set on his line up yet -- so it's a work in progress. But I thought we certainly showed what is possible in those two sets against a top program.

Keep working hard ladies -- good things can happen in the A-10.

[UDBrian]

I would expect the team to improve continuously throughout the year. When you have a coaching change it takes a while for a team to reach mid season form. I also think that this team can win the A10 tournament and play in the ncaa tournament.

They had quite a few chances to win the 1st set and who knows what might have happened then. There were a lot of positives

[BeckysTXA]

Originally Posted by UDBrian I would expect the team to improve continuously throughout the year. When you have a coaching change it takes a while for a team to reach mid season form. I also think that this team can win the A10 tournament and play in the ncaa tournament. They had quite a few chances to win the 1st set and who knows what might have happened then. There were a lot of positives

I agree -- plus a new freshman setter who has to learn to set every hitter. That takes time -- usually going thru a spring together helps this aspect of the game and the team won't have that advantage until next year.

[UACFlyer]

My wife and I just started going to VB games....recently saw a UConn-Indiana match, won by IU 3-2.

Question: There were so many service faults that it was obvious that fewer would have/could have changed the outcome. I understand that really good serves are not easy and are important. Nonetheless, hitting a VB over the net is hardly the most difficult fete in sports. Are service faults common among good teams?

Thanks.

[UDBrian]

I actually touched on the serving subject with my new article at http://www.udpride.com/forums/showth...693#post366693

But, I will expand a little bit on this. The number one thing that you want to accomplish when serving is to prevent the other team from passing the ball close to the net in the middle of the court (a three option pass). When they pass to this area the setter has every offensive option available to them which makes it difficult to block.

At times a team will serve just barely over the net to a particular player to prevent them getting into position to hit the ball. Teams tryed this with Becky Novacek quite a bit but she was so quick she could pass the ball and usually get back into position to attack. So, when you see what looks like a strange serve to the front there is a strategy involved.

If the other team is passing the ball to the setter at front center on every serve you are in trouble.

There is a tradeoff between serving aggressively to hurt the other team's offense while having some service errors. The coach of Washington said at a clinic that he was forcing his players to serve aggressively but with limited errors.

Whenver I hit a bad jump floater it was almost always due to the toss. You should hit it the same way every time. You hit it hard and fast without follow through, kind of slapping it. That is where you get your movement.

Hope this helps

[BeckysTXA]

Someone with better memory than me might remember this - a couple years ago on this same topic the coaching staff gave us a number or percentage that they were comfortable with on service errors. This was their trade-off point, meaning they felt this number of service errors was acceptable because the other serves were aggressive and taking the other team out of system offensively to compensate for the points given up on service errors.

Maybe UDBrian can ask the current coaching staff where they are comfortable with SE's.

You will have some if you are an aggressive serving team -- and all the elite teams are aggressive. But I think the number of SEs we had this past weekend probably exceeded that trade-off point.

A couple years ago teams started publishing their sideout percentage -- I wish they would start publishing the team passing score. This would help us know how we are handling serves and how our serve is disrupting the opponent's offense.

[Avid Flyer]

From what I recall of the games I attended (NE & CSU Bakersfield) our servers were pretty aggressive, with the exception of Rachel Jones whose serves were soft and just getting over the net. Thought it was a good mix up as they weren't always ready for her serves.

Not sure what happened in one of our sets with the "Rivers" as they were called. Jill Loiars was going to get substituted out for her serve and the ref refused to let them sub out. Jill's serve went long as she really pounded it. It was the only time in both matches I'd seen where a substitution was not allowed, that I recall.

[ud69]

Originally Posted by Avid Flyer Not sure what happened in one of our sets with the "Rivers" as they were called. Jill Loiars was going to get substituted out for her serve and the ref refused to let them sub out. Jill's serve went long as she really pounded it. It was the only time in both matches I'd seen where a substitution was not allowed, that I recall.

Out of subs? She served at 27-26 in that first set that we eventually won 30-28.

[Glen Clark]

Originally Posted by BeckysTXA Someone with better memory than me might remember this - a couple years ago on this same topic the coaching staff gave us a number or percentage that they were comfortable with on service errors. This was their trade-off point, meaning they felt this number of service errors was acceptable because the other serves were aggressive and taking the other team out of system offensively to compensate for the points given up on service errors. Maybe UDBrian can ask the current coaching staff where they are comfortable with SE's. You will have some if you are an aggressive serving team -- and all the elite teams are aggressive. But I think the number of SEs we had this past weekend probably exceeded that trade-off point. A couple years ago teams started publishing their sideout percentage -- I wish they would start publishing the team passing score. This would help us know how we are handling serves and how our serve is disrupting the opponent's offense.

I think I recall Sheff saying he wanted one for two or better - one ace for every two service errors.
My recollection may be inaccurate, though . . .

___________________
Whether your glass is half empty or half full, you still have more to drink.

[Avid Flyer]

Originally Posted by ud69 Out of subs? She served at 27-26 in that first set that we eventually won 30-28.

All I know is that TM tried to substitute for her and the female ref would not allow the substitution. I don't know why. Yes Jill served, but TM wanted another to serve instead and was called off.

[BeckysTXA]

Originally Posted by ud69 Out of subs? She served at 27-26 in that first set that we eventually won 30-28.

I didn't see this match -- but out of subs is highly likely. At that point only the Libero could come in and out with the MBs -- since the Libero doesn't count towards your sub totals.

[UDBrian]

Originally Posted by Glen Clark I think I recall Sheff saying he wanted one for two or better - one ace for every two service errors. My recollection may be inaccurate, though . . . ___________________ Whether your glass is half empty or half full, you still have more to drink.

I believe that Sheffield and company tracked the sideout percentage of the opposing team for each server aces are great but the server who makes the opposing team pass poorly without missed serves can actually be more productive

[BeckysTXA]

Here is the NE paper write up on the Dayton match. NE Coach John Cook said Dayton had problems passing. That was definitely the case in the 2nd set. I couldn't watch the serve receive, serving or passing very well with the camera angle at UD. It cuts off about the last 25% of the court on both sides of the net. Not a great video set up for volleyball since those three areas of the game are so important. I hope UD takes a look at the footage of the video stream and makes some adjustments before the next home match for us out-of-town fans. (Thanks in advance!) Also, if you watch the video stream -- do the right thing and send even a small donation to UD Volleyball to help pay for it. I send something every year to help defer the costs and keep UD streaming free. A lot of other schools charge for these feeds.

Anyway...I wonder what our passing score was as a team by set for the NE match? In sets 1 and 3, we couldn't have passed that bad...and I might also point out NE didn't get their MBs going -- and you have to pass well to do that...so I wonder what their passing scores were? I do agree 12 SEs are too many. That's 4 points a set and two of those sets we lost by 2 points. Probably was the difference between winning those and losing. We need to find the balance between aggressive serving and SEs. It's a work in progress.

http://journalstar.com/sports/husker...181698212.html

[UDBrian]

I believe that Shayne brown and Meghan Campbell were the top servers two years ago. It is boring to say this to people who have played more v ball than I have but serving hard isn't enough if some hits a really hard top spin serve right to your midsection it isnt that tough to pass. Neither meghan or shayne hit the ball rally hard but they changed the heights of their serves and made returnees move their feet

[UDBrian]

I have the passing scores for set three I will try to remember to post them later

[UDBrian]

Here are the passing scores for the third set for UD. 3, 3, 1, 1, 1, 3, 1, 1, 0, 0, 3, 3, 0, 1, 3, 1, 1, 3, 3, 1, 3, 2, 2, 0, 3

That averages out to 1.7

Nebraska in that set (I probably missed a couple of theirs) was 0, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 0, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 2, 0, 0, 3) that averages out 2.2 But, look at the number of 2 or 3 option passes Only four passes that I counted were not 2 or 3 option passes.

I'm not an easy grader, I will admit. And I really just want to mention this as an item that can and will improve not to be negative.