GW Thread

ud69 · #1 10-07-2011, 08:23 PM

Flyers sweep - 25-17,25-12,26-24

Last set pretty loose.

udisit19 · #2 10-07-2011, 10:39 PM

To be honest, I think this is what you want to see from the Flyers. Clearly capable of routing GW, but got some experience in a close set. Dayton hasn't had too many matches where they have been able to win in close sets due to schedule and dominance. Pepperdine set 3 and Wisc. Green Bay set 4 are some of the only sets that come to mind. It's clearly tough to see us play down to inferior competition, but I love seeing UD take an opponents best shot and still hold them off down the stretch.

This team has typically played average at the start and made adjustments in the second and 3rd that lead to big wins. Tonight they looked good early, played unreal in the 2nd, and then came back from being down 12-8 and 13-12 (Vargas and Morey serving during 4 and 2 point runs to take the lead) in the close third. Note Dayton didn't hit poorly in the 3rd set hitting .319. GW just hit really well at .381. And Dayton still found a way to win the set!

Once again let's compare this younger, inexperienced, un-ranked 2011 Flyer team to last year's experienced, ranked 2010 squad. 2010 Flyers went to GW but dropped one set and won by a 16 point differential. The 2011 Flyers don't drop any sets and win by a 23 point differential. So while the box score isn't impressive at first glance, they performed better today than they did last year. Obviously, the GW team is different too, but they are a fairly similar opponent in the same setting. Road matches are tough and I'd say this was a solid performance. I like where this team is right now, and I think this young team adds some confidence after the close win in set 3 down the stretch. It's important to have moments like that where you face some adversity and this team is starting to build a resume of moments where they succeed after nice runs by their opponents.

udisit19 · #3 10-07-2011, 10:47 PM

In other news:

Xavier sweeps Charlotte (25-18, 25-23, 25-16)
Illini sweep Buckeyes on the road
Duquesne gets swept by RI in a shocker. Falls to 2-3 in A-10
Tennessee sweeps Alabama
Marquette sweeps Georgetown
SLU struggles against a bad Forham team (30-28 25-23 20-25 25-14)
Michigan loses in 5 to a very good Minnesota team (Dayton could have used a Michigan win here.)

BeckysTXA · #4 10-08-2011, 08:42 AM

First, I didn't see the match, so can't really comment on details. And I agree "any win is a good win". But I can't see this team being happy about "how they played" at GW. I anderstand where you are coming from udisit. I felt the same way last year about our A-10 schedule. Basically it is what it is and we can't change it so get as much out of it as you can to prepare for NCAAs. You get a lot of different playing styles/offenses/defenses, etc. Learn from all of them. It's great preparation. Get some close matches and/or drop a set or two along the way and learn to bounce back and win the match.

Well I hope we learned last year that's not good enough. I would hope we learned you have to come out and bury teams that are not on your level, period. You can't be satisfied with just coming home with a win if you are trying to prepare for what it will take to get to the second weekend of the NCAAs. We dropped a set to SLU, who isn't that good and my guess is these 3 sets at GW -- not our best effort. Again, I didn't see the match, but I think players like Hammer, Paige, Kray, Von, etc expected to roll over GW and that didn't happen.

I would expect not only the coaches, but also the team itself, to right the ship and take it to Charlotte on Sunday. To continue on this journey to being really good in December, this team's goal against every A-10 team should be to win sets by 10+ points every match. Dominate performances in the A-10 is what we are striving for every match.

I'm sure this team and all the personalities on it will get after it even harder after the GW match and I think they'll get it done.

Finally, kudos to UDBrian for the information/quotes from Sheff about serving and what the team is working on here. ZERO service errors is great, but it's really special when you pair it up with 10 aces. Now if we had a stat that told us what GW's passing grade was on the 0-3 scale -- we could really measure how well we served in this match. Hopefully sometime in the next year or two volleyball boxscores will add this stat.

Avid Flyer · #5 10-08-2011, 10:11 AM

I under stand that UD should bury the A-10 teams but for some reason UD does not come out like that in any sport consistently. There is this tendency to rest on your achievements and not respect your A-10 opponents.

Example, how the vball team played SLU and how the nationally ranked womens soccer team has played their two A-10 opponents; barely beating a much inferior X team in overtime and losing on the road to LaSalle in OT. Dayton has owned the A-10 in both sports the last ten years and this is by far one of the best womens soccer teams at UD, yet they can't put their A-10 opponents away.

There is no question Kansas, tOSU and Ky. are far better than the A-10 teams and UD took all three of them on and defeated them.

At least the vball team lost to top 25 teams with a very young squad and had Illinois on the ropes.