#2 Nebraska Completes Season Sweep of #6 Wisconsin, #15 Georgia Tech Struggles to Finish ACC Season Strong

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Hi volleyball fans and welcome back to Volley Talk, the podcast created for volleyball lovers

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who want to dig deep into what is going on in NCAA and international volleyball.

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I'm your host Sarah Pavin, I'm an Olympian, beach volleyball world champion, former Nebraska

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Cornhusker and longtime pro, both indoor and on the beach.

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And I'm Adam Schultz, former indoor player, international volleyball coach and resident

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stats guy.

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You changed the intro.

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I wasn't really comfortable calling myself a guru, so we're going to change it up.

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I wrote that intro so I called you that, but fair, you can do whatever you want.

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Okay you guys, the pressure is mounting as we start seeing conference champions being

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named and selection Sunday is coming up very soon.

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This is my favorite time of year, I love to see which teams step up, which ones can't

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handle the pressure and who's ready for tournament time.

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We have already seen several conference champions be named, but there are still a lot of titles

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up for grabs including in the ACC, the SEC and the Big Ten.

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We saw some big upsets this week, we got to watch some highly anticipated matches including

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the classic Nebraska-Wisconsin showdown.

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We're going to take a look at that match a little later on, but we have got a lot to

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discuss this week.

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So let's get started.

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We had some teams in the Big Ten have really important weeks.

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So both Purdue and Wisconsin split matches this weekend.

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Wisconsin beat Minnesota 3-2 and that was honestly a much closer game than I thought

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it was going to be.

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My prediction was Wisconsin in 3, but Minnesota really pushed them having a better hitting

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percentage and really applied pressure and blocked well against them.

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We also saw Wisconsin lose to Nebraska which we will talk about later in the show.

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Very interesting matches across the board for Wisconsin this week.

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I've been hating on Minnesota in recent weeks and they're like, hey, here we are, let's

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just take Wisconsin to five.

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I feel like Minnesota is a Jekyll and Hyde team.

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They have the potential to be incredibly good.

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They're very good at the block.

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They can put pressure on teams from the service line, but they don't pass particularly well

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and their defensive structure seems non-existent at times.

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So if they can put those two pieces together, they're going to cause some trouble in the

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tournament, but we haven't seen it yet.

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They actually had a couple swings for the match.

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Correct.

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So how did they not finish it?

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Like, I'm not going to get into it, but they did have a couple swings for a match.

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Purdue also split this week as Adam mentioned.

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They lost 3-0 to Penn State in state college, but then they turned around and beat USC 3-0.

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So they, both of those teams had a tough week this week.

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Both of the teams split.

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We are going to dive into Wisconsin, Nebraska a little bit later, but another result from

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the big 12 saw BYU getting upset by Cincinnati 3-2.

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At the time of that match, BYU was ranked number 24.

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I feel like that could definitely knock them out of the top 25 this week and potentially

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cause them issues heading into tournament time, but who knows.

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We saw Claire Little and Ellie Mortenson have tough outings.

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Claire Little hit 172 and Ellie hit 059 and Cincinnati out-dug them 74-56, so it wasn't

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a good night for the hitters from BYU.

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Claire Little did miss last week in that trouncing BYU took from Utah.

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Looks like she's back.

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Looks like she's getting a lot of sets again, but not the most efficient night.

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We're going to talk about Georgia Tech this week, and they had a tough go.

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They lost two matches in five to lower ranked teams, number 23 Florida State and then unranked

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Miami, and this puts them in a really tough place leading into the conference championships.

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We'll get into that one in detail.

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Those were interesting matches.

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We also had Missouri, my dark horse team, lose to Mississippi State 3-1, which is jamming

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me up right now.

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So they're out of the running for the SEC title with that loss, but I still think they

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can do damage in the tournament.

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We were talking of Missouri so much last week.

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You were like, they're going to go so far in the tournament, and they're like, thank

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you so much for the compliment.

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Let's lose to Mississippi State.

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Goodbye.

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You know what?

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I'm going to take this is their one loss that's going to flip the switch for them, and they're

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going to be ready to play come tournament time.

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I'm still choosing them.

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That loss was a real head scratcher.

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And speaking of head scratchers, ladies and gentlemen, number 18 Dayton got swept by Loyola

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Chicago in the championship match for the Atlantic 10 title.

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Okay?

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Dayton had lost one match the entire season.

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They lost to Marquette early during preseason.

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They have rolled through the Atlantic 10 conference this year like nobody's business.

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Okay?

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And they played Loyola Chicago twice, swept them both times.

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Things were looking good.

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Things were looking bright for Dayton.

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But Loyola Chicago said not today.

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Thank you so much for holding this conference together singlehandedly all season, but we

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will take the title.

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That was wild.

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This is a prime example of why I love this time of year.

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You're poised, you're ready to go, and you're looking ahead to the tournament, and you didn't

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take care of business.

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It's just so fascinating to watch teams.

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Needless to say, this week was intense.

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It was crazy.

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We had a lot of ups, a lot of downs, but we were here for it.

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We watched a ton of volleyball.

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We watched actually the majority of the matches we just mentioned.

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Yeah, just when we think that things are not going to be crazy, the NCAA surprises us.

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Well, as everybody probably knows, Selection Sunday is coming up December 1st.

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I wouldn't say I'm new to NCAA volleyball, but I'm diving into it for the first time

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in depth.

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I had some questions, which I'm assuming other people had as well.

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We're going to go over how the bracket actually works, where the teams are coming from, and

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give you a little background.

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The tournament is a 64-team bracket.

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You have 32 automatic qualifications from conference winners.

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I didn't realize there were 32 conferences, so that was news to me.

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Then you have 32 at-large bids, which are selected.

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Generally done by ranking, RPI, that sort of thing.

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Basically how they try to organize it.

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We've touched on it briefly in recent weeks.

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The NCAA likes to set up the bracket in such a way that as many conferences as possible

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will be represented at the end.

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So even if all season long the AVCA ranking, which is what you typically see every Monday,

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is a certain way, you will see adjustments to that in the tournament bracket ranking

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because they're looking for certain matchups to get conferences represented as equally

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as possible.

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In the first and second weekend for round one and two, they like to keep travel to a

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minimum.

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Even if matchups might not make complete sense, geographically they'll make it as easy as

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possible for travel, particularly for the smaller conferences whose budgets maybe aren't

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as big to be able to travel across the country and things like that.

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So week one is typically more regional.

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Obviously there are exceptions.

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And then as you get into week two, which are the regional championships, that's when we

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see more of a mix up.

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As of this recording, the following schools have earned automatic births by winning their

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conference championships.

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We've got New Hampshire, Florida Gulf Coast, Western Kentucky, Wichita State, Loyola Chicago,

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Cleveland State, Fairfield, Colgate, Charleston, Yale, Chicago State, UT Arlington, and Arizona

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State.

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One of the other interesting things is that not all championships are decided the same

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way.

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Some of the conferences take into effect the whole record over all of conference play and

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other conferences have a tournament at the end of conference play and the winner gets

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to go on.

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So it depends which conferences you're following as to which teams get to come out of that

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conference specifically.

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So that's what happened to Dayton.

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If the Atlantic 10 operated in the same way that the Big 10 did, for example, Dayton would

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have won.

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They went undefeated.

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They had the best record.

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They would have won.

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But the Atlantic 10 does do a tournament playoff among the top seeds and that's how that happened

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for them.

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Whereas like in the Big 10, whoever has the best record just wins.

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Speaking of teams that have clinched their conference, ASU has earned at least a share

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of the Big 12 title.

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So they're battling with Kansas as well.

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If ASU loses their final game and Kansas wins, they will both be tied, meaning they will

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share that conference title as there is no competition for that.

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We also have the Big 10 title coming down to Nebraska and Penn State this coming week.

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And that will be a game everybody needs to watch.

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Nebraska hasn't lost in Big 10 play.

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They're undefeated.

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Penn State has lost one match.

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Obviously, they have other matches.

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We're assuming they will win those, but anything can happen.

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But if Penn State should beat Nebraska, then both will be tied.

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What's your prediction for that match?

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I think Nebraska is going to win three straight.

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I'm going to go Nebraska in four.

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And then we get to the ACC.

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Nothing is certain in the ACC.

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This is the conference that I'm going to be paying attention to this week for sure.

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So coming into this final week of conference play, Pitt and Louisville are both 17-1.

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Stanford and SMU are both 15-3.

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Pitt has Georgia Tech and Louisville.

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Stanford also has Georgia Tech and Louisville.

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And SMU has Florida State and NC State.

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So if we're playing probabilities here, SMU is probably going to win out.

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So they'll end with three losses.

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Louisville is playing Pitt and Stanford.

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That is tricky.

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That's must see TV.

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Pitt has Georgia Tech and Louisville.

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Who knows what's going to happen?

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And then Stanford has, like, I don't know what's going to happen here.

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So the ACC is really going to come down to who can play the best this weekend and who

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takes care of the matches that they should take care of.

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After seeing Georgia Tech this week, I'm pretty confident that both Pitt and Stanford will

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beat them.

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But then I feel like it's up in the air for both of those teams against Louisville.

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People are going to have to show up.

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This is going to be, get your popcorn out, everybody, because this is going to be crazy.

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There should be some great volleyball with some really high level teams this coming week

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in the ACC.

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We are for sure going to be tuning in to Selection Sunday on December 1st.

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We want to see how things are laid out.

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We want to create our own bracket to see how closely we can get to perfect.

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I don't think it'll be close.

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I'm really excited because I've watched a lot of these teams pretty in depth over the

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last month and a half that we've been doing this.

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And I'm probably overconfident, but I'm really looking forward to it.

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Let's talk about Georgia Tech.

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As we mentioned earlier, they had a pretty rough week this week, dropping two matches

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in five sets to both Florida State and Miami.

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It was a bad trip to Florida on the volleyball court.

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That is for sure.

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Not only did they lose two matches, but they really created some uncertainty in their standings

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moving into the tournament.

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Yes.

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At this time, Georgia Tech, Florida State, and North Carolina are all 12 and 6 in the

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ACC.

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Thinking about that, Georgia Tech could potentially have been 14 and 4 and locked up a spot.

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That is correct.

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And it's absolutely wild because they, as we just said in our last segment, play Pitt

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and Stanford this week.

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So I'm just going to throw this out there.

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Obviously I'm shocked every week at these results, but I'm going to say they're probably

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going 0 and 2 this week against those teams, which will put them at 12 and 8 to finish

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ACC play.

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And I'm not sure that's good enough to make the tournament, depending on what happens

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with the other teams, because there are five teams jockeying for that position right below

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the top four we spoke about earlier.

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Well, and not to mention, Miami and Virginia are 11 and 7.

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We talked about all the top teams and how they're playing each other this upcoming week.

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So the Florida State, obviously Florida State has SMU, but Florida State, UNC, Virginia,

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Miami, they're not playing the top teams.

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So their records will likely improve, meaning Georgia Tech could maybe go from fifth in

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the ACC to what?

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Tenth?

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Correct.

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What a terrible way to end your conference play.

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And we watched both of those matches and I've got some things to say.

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Let's hear it.

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First of all, I think a lot of what happened this week, now it's always on the players

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to perform, but I was unimpressed with the coaching staff for Georgia Tech.

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I think your team takes on the identity of the coaching staff and the attitude that you

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present and they were all over the map.

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In that first match against Florida State, you saw the coaches walk off and basically

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clap their clipboards at the refs after losing their minds in the fifth set.

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They got a yellow card and you could see the team tighten up, start complaining in the

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fifth set, looking at the refs.

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You have to remember, these is not professional sports.

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These are young athletes and there's emotion involved.

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Some of them are freshmen.

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This is their first time through.

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You look to your coach in big moments and I thought the Georgia Tech coaching staff

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let their team down.

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Obviously in every match there is the potential for some questionable calls.

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Things might not always go your team's way, but the way that these coaches were treating

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the referees, the way that they were talking, their body language, it was awful.

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And I will say even as a professional, I have played for very volatile coaches, even with

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a ton of experience and self-confidence and things like that, seeing a coach act up like

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that on the side of the court is very distracting.

249
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Georgia Tech should not have lost both of those matches in my opinion.

250
00:16:11,000 --> 00:16:13,000
They should not have lost.

251
00:16:13,000 --> 00:16:22,080
Against Florida State, they were up 15-8, which became 18-12 in the fourth set and they

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were winning two sets to one.

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They lost and honestly it happened after the coach had a meltdown.

254
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And then they were winning two sets to zero against Miami and got reverse swept.

255
00:16:35,320 --> 00:16:39,400
And again, as an athlete you have to play and we'll get into some of the performances

256
00:16:39,400 --> 00:16:45,880
and numbers, but watching that match I thought the coaching staff had a direct impact on

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the mood, the feeling and the confidence of the team on the floor in a negative way.

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As far as the on court stuff goes, I think that within those four lines, I wasn't seeing

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00:17:00,400 --> 00:17:08,840
anybody from Georgia Tech's team bringing energy, leading the team.

260
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I saw a lot of looking to the sidelines.

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00:17:12,280 --> 00:17:16,160
There was nobody on the court that was kind of directing things.

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I would agree with that and I think that was both emotionally, mentally, but also technically

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or performance wise.

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They don't have a standout hitter in my opinion.

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They don't have somebody who is a go-to player that can just score for them.

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And the other thing that I noticed was they don't run their middles.

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They rely heavily on their outside hitters.

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Now they run a 6-2 so they always have a front row opposite.

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They played okay, but if you look at the stats against Florida, they only ran their middles

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00:17:50,800 --> 00:17:52,680
19% of the time.

271
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They hit 371, which isn't bad, but isn't great for middles.

272
00:17:57,080 --> 00:18:01,520
And against Miami, they only ran the middle 15% of the time and they were ineffective

273
00:18:01,520 --> 00:18:03,660
hitting 136 as a pair.

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00:18:03,660 --> 00:18:08,200
So as those five set matches go on and we've talked about this, if you're not running your

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00:18:08,200 --> 00:18:14,040
middle and they don't have a consistent back row ball, you have the blockers putting up

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solid double blocks.

277
00:18:15,360 --> 00:18:19,660
The defense has a chance to get a read on those hitters and you just make life difficult

278
00:18:19,660 --> 00:18:22,720
for your pin hitters if you can't run the middle.

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00:18:22,720 --> 00:18:26,360
I feel like we say this about everybody.

280
00:18:26,360 --> 00:18:28,000
It seems to be a common thing.

281
00:18:28,000 --> 00:18:31,200
When teams are not successful, they're not running their middles.

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We love middles.

283
00:18:33,140 --> 00:18:34,520
Run the middle.

284
00:18:34,520 --> 00:18:38,560
I know you have to pass the ball to be able to do that, but I wouldn't say that Georgia

285
00:18:38,560 --> 00:18:41,720
Tech's passing was that big of a liability.

286
00:18:41,720 --> 00:18:42,720
I didn't think.

287
00:18:42,720 --> 00:18:45,840
No, I thought they had the opportunity to run it.

288
00:18:45,840 --> 00:18:49,280
And again, running the middle is a little more of a high risk set if the pass isn't

289
00:18:49,280 --> 00:18:53,800
perfect, but it pays dividends and we're just not seeing that.

290
00:18:53,800 --> 00:18:57,660
And it could be obviously when you're running a 6-2, you don't have a setter who can dump,

291
00:18:57,660 --> 00:19:00,320
but if you have a setter who's front row, they need to dump.

292
00:19:00,320 --> 00:19:02,020
You need to run a back row ball.

293
00:19:02,020 --> 00:19:04,240
You need to establish the middle of the court.

294
00:19:04,240 --> 00:19:07,280
And I think that was lacking in both of their losses.

295
00:19:07,280 --> 00:19:10,760
I feel like they were under setting their middles a lot too.

296
00:19:10,760 --> 00:19:12,180
They're pretty low.

297
00:19:12,180 --> 00:19:18,940
And again, as much as we love middles, I think we've expressed our disdain for 6-2 offenses.

298
00:19:18,940 --> 00:19:20,240
It is so hard.

299
00:19:20,240 --> 00:19:27,340
A connection between a middle and their setter is so important and it requires so much attention

300
00:19:27,340 --> 00:19:29,120
and training.

301
00:19:29,120 --> 00:19:32,820
When you're running a 6-2, you're spending two rotations with one setter and one with

302
00:19:32,820 --> 00:19:35,060
another as a middle.

303
00:19:35,060 --> 00:19:38,400
And you could definitely see the disconnect there as they were switching.

304
00:19:38,400 --> 00:19:45,000
I actually, Georgia Tech's numbers against Florida overall, the game was pretty consistent

305
00:19:45,000 --> 00:19:49,840
for the different skills, but they edged Florida in a few different categories, out digging

306
00:19:49,840 --> 00:19:52,680
them 86 to 76.

307
00:19:52,680 --> 00:19:56,680
They had similar number of blocks.

308
00:19:56,680 --> 00:20:00,200
They had similar number of service aces and errors.

309
00:20:00,200 --> 00:20:02,220
So this was a very tight match.

310
00:20:02,220 --> 00:20:07,520
We're talking about they traded first and second set kickings at 13 and 15, but then

311
00:20:07,520 --> 00:20:11,760
it was 25-21, 26-24, 15-10.

312
00:20:11,760 --> 00:20:17,640
They just needed someone to step up and make a play and it didn't happen.

313
00:20:17,640 --> 00:20:23,840
I personally did not think they were a very good blocking team.

314
00:20:23,840 --> 00:20:30,600
The number of balls that the block was there, it was set, it was composed, that ended up

315
00:20:30,600 --> 00:20:33,400
going between the blockers and the net.

316
00:20:33,400 --> 00:20:34,800
It was frequent.

317
00:20:34,800 --> 00:20:37,720
It's really interesting that you bring that up.

318
00:20:37,720 --> 00:20:42,080
I will say that I was focused on the sidelines for a lot of that match, given what was going

319
00:20:42,080 --> 00:20:47,880
on and you could see the coach putting her hands straight up and down and then pushing

320
00:20:47,880 --> 00:20:49,280
over the net.

321
00:20:49,280 --> 00:20:55,120
I don't know whether she was trying to get her athletes to press earlier, but almost

322
00:20:55,120 --> 00:20:59,520
all of their athletes go straight up and then try and time the block versus putting their

323
00:20:59,520 --> 00:21:02,800
hands over the net as they start to create space.

324
00:21:02,800 --> 00:21:04,000
I saw the same thing.

325
00:21:04,000 --> 00:21:08,920
Do you think she was telling them that you're going up and then over and that's the problem?

326
00:21:08,920 --> 00:21:12,080
Or do you think she was telling them to do that?

327
00:21:12,080 --> 00:21:16,960
I can't say because there's no audio, but I saw her making the motion of exactly what

328
00:21:16,960 --> 00:21:18,560
they were doing wrong.

329
00:21:18,560 --> 00:21:21,320
So I was curious thinking about that watching the match.

330
00:21:21,320 --> 00:21:27,560
You do not want to put your hands up and then over so that you're like waving your arms

331
00:21:27,560 --> 00:21:28,560
almost.

332
00:21:28,560 --> 00:21:34,080
You almost want to think about extending your elbows straight as soon as possible to cover

333
00:21:34,080 --> 00:21:35,220
that distance.

334
00:21:35,220 --> 00:21:38,480
I hope she wasn't telling them to go up and then over.

335
00:21:38,480 --> 00:21:40,080
It's what they were doing.

336
00:21:40,080 --> 00:21:41,300
Yikes.

337
00:21:41,300 --> 00:21:46,560
If you do look at the total blocks, Georgia Tech had six to Florida's eight and against

338
00:21:46,560 --> 00:21:49,280
Miami they were 10 to 13.

339
00:21:49,280 --> 00:21:52,500
But I think the bigger issue isn't total blocks.

340
00:21:52,500 --> 00:21:56,120
But as soon as the ball hits your hands and comes down in front of you, you have no chance

341
00:21:56,120 --> 00:21:57,600
to play defense either.

342
00:21:57,600 --> 00:22:00,040
The rally ends there.

343
00:22:00,040 --> 00:22:04,660
And so you're taking away a defensive opportunity if you're not sealing the net.

344
00:22:04,660 --> 00:22:10,640
The other thing that I couldn't tell was I couldn't pick up on a strategy that Georgia

345
00:22:10,640 --> 00:22:12,680
Tech was trying to implement.

346
00:22:12,680 --> 00:22:15,000
I didn't pick up a serving strategy.

347
00:22:15,000 --> 00:22:21,540
I couldn't figure out if they were trying to overload or attack a certain player.

348
00:22:21,540 --> 00:22:24,160
It just looked like they were on the court playing.

349
00:22:24,160 --> 00:22:28,160
I don't know if you had that same sense, but it looked the same in both matches I watched.

350
00:22:28,160 --> 00:22:34,320
Yeah, I kind of felt like they were just playing their game and then reacting.

351
00:22:34,320 --> 00:22:36,440
I think that's a good way to put it.

352
00:22:36,440 --> 00:22:41,240
Reacting to what was happening instead of imposing their game plan on the other team.

353
00:22:41,240 --> 00:22:48,600
But it was also so confusing because their position six defender kept coming up almost

354
00:22:48,600 --> 00:22:53,480
in line with the libero and the back row setter on defense.

355
00:22:53,480 --> 00:22:59,600
And the number of balls I saw land behind her was staggering.

356
00:22:59,600 --> 00:23:06,400
As position six, in my opinion, if somebody is going to hit the ball straight down, i.e.

357
00:23:06,400 --> 00:23:12,440
where these defenders were playing, that's on the block or it's on the serve.

358
00:23:12,440 --> 00:23:15,440
Free ball, too many options available.

359
00:23:15,440 --> 00:23:20,800
As a position six defender, I think the job is to get the touches off the block, to get

360
00:23:20,800 --> 00:23:23,760
the balls that are being driven deep around the block.

361
00:23:23,760 --> 00:23:27,200
I think being that shallow, you're doing absolutely nothing.

362
00:23:27,200 --> 00:23:33,720
And as I saw attack after attack, get like sometimes a decent touch and go high out the

363
00:23:33,720 --> 00:23:40,400
back line or be hit with force behind these players, I was like, why are they positioned

364
00:23:40,400 --> 00:23:41,400
there?

365
00:23:41,400 --> 00:23:48,560
Do you think that was undisciplined play game plan or trying to compensate for the poor

366
00:23:48,560 --> 00:23:49,920
block we spoke about earlier?

367
00:23:49,920 --> 00:23:54,040
Well, I saw it in both matches that we watched.

368
00:23:54,040 --> 00:24:00,040
So I don't want to say it might just be their tendency and how they play defense, but I

369
00:24:00,040 --> 00:24:05,160
can't as a coach, I don't understand how you don't correct that.

370
00:24:05,160 --> 00:24:10,360
So if it's not being corrected, that leads me to believe that that is what the coaching

371
00:24:10,360 --> 00:24:15,400
staff wants from their position six defender or it was a game plan.

372
00:24:15,400 --> 00:24:19,760
But I can't see them having the same game plan against both teams because that is a

373
00:24:19,760 --> 00:24:22,040
very strange position.

374
00:24:22,040 --> 00:24:23,640
I would agree with that.

375
00:24:23,640 --> 00:24:31,240
Overall, for a number 15 ranked team, I was underwhelmed and quite frankly, unimpressed.

376
00:24:31,240 --> 00:24:32,240
I would agree.

377
00:24:32,240 --> 00:24:35,880
I think the number 15 ranking is probably a little high.

378
00:24:35,880 --> 00:24:39,720
They're consistent with their hitters, but there were nothing spectacular.

379
00:24:39,720 --> 00:24:43,640
And I'm assuming they're going to drop given that I believe they'll lose their last four

380
00:24:43,640 --> 00:24:45,680
matches before the tournament starts.

381
00:24:45,680 --> 00:24:49,000
Again, I've been pretty critical of Minnesota and their ranking.

382
00:24:49,000 --> 00:24:54,440
Georgia Tech is currently ranked higher than Minnesota, but I think the team that we saw

383
00:24:54,440 --> 00:25:00,120
play this weekend in Georgia Tech would not stand up against Minnesota right now.

384
00:25:00,120 --> 00:25:01,120
Agreed.

385
00:25:01,120 --> 00:25:06,600
Now the time that everybody has been looking forward to, and I'm just going to say, I called

386
00:25:06,600 --> 00:25:12,120
it Nebraska three zero against Wisconsin, but let's get into it.

387
00:25:12,120 --> 00:25:13,520
Let me hear your thoughts.

388
00:25:13,520 --> 00:25:15,020
And I know you have a lot to say.

389
00:25:15,020 --> 00:25:23,400
I'm going to start this segment out with like an apology pre warning buckle up, ladies and

390
00:25:23,400 --> 00:25:26,240
gentlemen, because it's about to be a bumpy ride.

391
00:25:26,240 --> 00:25:29,560
And I was watching this match and I was so frustrated.

392
00:25:29,560 --> 00:25:31,740
I have got a lot of thoughts.

393
00:25:31,740 --> 00:25:33,360
You might not like all my thoughts.

394
00:25:33,360 --> 00:25:35,160
You might not agree with all my thoughts.

395
00:25:35,160 --> 00:25:39,000
So that is why I'm giving you this pre warning slash apology.

396
00:25:39,000 --> 00:25:41,280
Okay, let me let me start.

397
00:25:41,280 --> 00:25:47,680
I'll tell you a few things that I think and then you can you can finish with your thoughts.

398
00:25:47,680 --> 00:25:51,380
Nebraska is just a better team than Wisconsin flat out.

399
00:25:51,380 --> 00:25:56,420
What I like about them as a team is a they have a balanced offense.

400
00:25:56,420 --> 00:25:59,060
They don't rely on one person.

401
00:25:59,060 --> 00:26:03,120
They are able to do that because they pass so well.

402
00:26:03,120 --> 00:26:06,500
They put Wisconsin in trouble from the baseline.

403
00:26:06,500 --> 00:26:09,640
And this to me was is the most evident.

404
00:26:09,640 --> 00:26:10,940
They had a game plan.

405
00:26:10,940 --> 00:26:14,260
They executed that game plan flawlessly.

406
00:26:14,260 --> 00:26:15,720
And it was incredibly effective.

407
00:26:15,720 --> 00:26:18,780
I said this about Georgia Tech and I will say it about Wisconsin.

408
00:26:18,780 --> 00:26:21,760
I had no idea what Wisconsin was trying to do.

409
00:26:21,760 --> 00:26:27,100
But it was clearly evident what Nebraska came to do against Wisconsin.

410
00:26:27,100 --> 00:26:28,220
And they executed.

411
00:26:28,220 --> 00:26:30,480
They went after the young libero.

412
00:26:30,480 --> 00:26:33,960
Once she passed a couple good balls, they got off of her.

413
00:26:33,960 --> 00:26:36,100
They served the front court left side.

414
00:26:36,100 --> 00:26:38,960
Then they jammed up the middle from the service line.

415
00:26:38,960 --> 00:26:40,820
I thought they were brilliant.

416
00:26:40,820 --> 00:26:44,940
They never let Wisconsin get into any kind of rhythm.

417
00:26:44,940 --> 00:26:45,940
Let me clear my throat.

418
00:26:45,940 --> 00:26:46,940
Here we go.

419
00:26:46,940 --> 00:26:49,940
Are you shocked that I agree with everything you said?

420
00:26:49,940 --> 00:26:56,300
No, I mean anybody who was watching who has played volleyball at a high level, I think

421
00:26:56,300 --> 00:26:58,020
would be able to see the same thing.

422
00:26:58,020 --> 00:27:03,940
I thought Wisconsin was worse this outing against Nebraska than they were a couple weeks

423
00:27:03,940 --> 00:27:04,940
ago.

424
00:27:04,940 --> 00:27:10,780
The last time these two teams played, I understood and could pick up immediately what each

425
00:27:10,780 --> 00:27:12,540
team was trying to do.

426
00:27:12,540 --> 00:27:16,540
I also could pick up what Nebraska was trying to do this time around.

427
00:27:16,540 --> 00:27:20,820
I had no clue what Wisconsin's plan was.

428
00:27:20,820 --> 00:27:22,160
Absolutely none.

429
00:27:22,160 --> 00:27:27,460
They started out serving zone one, which they did last time.

430
00:27:27,460 --> 00:27:29,860
Fair, which we spoke about.

431
00:27:29,860 --> 00:27:33,100
They serve zone one because they're so preoccupied with Andy Jackson.

432
00:27:33,100 --> 00:27:35,980
They don't want her to get set and make Bergen Riley spin around.

433
00:27:35,980 --> 00:27:36,980
Fair.

434
00:27:36,980 --> 00:27:39,660
But as a match progressed and don't get me wrong.

435
00:27:39,660 --> 00:27:41,820
Andy Jackson did not have a good offensive match.

436
00:27:41,820 --> 00:27:43,220
What were her numbers?

437
00:27:43,220 --> 00:27:48,860
She hit 0 67 15 swings, seven kills, six errors.

438
00:27:48,860 --> 00:27:54,940
So if their game plan was to neutralize her, you succeeded at that piece.

439
00:27:54,940 --> 00:28:00,500
That might be the only piece because as the game progressed, the serves started going

440
00:28:00,500 --> 00:28:04,840
to zone six and Lexi Rodriguez was passing in zone six.

441
00:28:04,840 --> 00:28:10,180
So not only are you serving an incredible serve receiver, she's right in front of Bergen

442
00:28:10,180 --> 00:28:11,180
Riley.

443
00:28:11,180 --> 00:28:12,240
Perfect view.

444
00:28:12,240 --> 00:28:18,100
So the setter can keep an eye on every single attack option and see where the pass is coming.

445
00:28:18,100 --> 00:28:19,100
Piece of cake.

446
00:28:19,100 --> 00:28:20,380
Volleyball basics.

447
00:28:20,380 --> 00:28:24,760
And not only were they serving her, they were serving her in the middle third of the court.

448
00:28:24,760 --> 00:28:26,240
She didn't have to move short.

449
00:28:26,240 --> 00:28:29,140
She didn't have to open up and push the ball to the net.

450
00:28:29,140 --> 00:28:33,140
She literally could have eaten an ice cream cone and pass those balls.

451
00:28:33,140 --> 00:28:38,860
I will say Charlie Furbringer had a couple cross court serves to the zone one sideline

452
00:28:38,860 --> 00:28:40,540
that were very effective.

453
00:28:40,540 --> 00:28:44,020
She got a couple aces that way, but that was the exception.

454
00:28:44,020 --> 00:28:46,300
Okay, since we're on serving.

455
00:28:46,300 --> 00:28:47,940
Oh boy.

456
00:28:47,940 --> 00:28:53,900
Not only do you have your DS that is missing a ton of serves, your current libero Sage

457
00:28:53,900 --> 00:28:56,340
Damro is missing a ton of serves.

458
00:28:56,340 --> 00:28:57,340
She is playing good defense.

459
00:28:57,340 --> 00:28:58,340
I will give her that.

460
00:28:58,340 --> 00:29:04,380
I do think that she is playing well defensively, but passing is an issue.

461
00:29:04,380 --> 00:29:07,460
Sarah Franklin is passing three quarters of the court.

462
00:29:07,460 --> 00:29:15,300
When your go to hitter is diving on the ground to make your libero not have to pass, that's

463
00:29:15,300 --> 00:29:16,660
a head scratcher.

464
00:29:16,660 --> 00:29:22,860
And then on top of that, you're bringing in yet another DS who is hidden in serve receive.

465
00:29:22,860 --> 00:29:27,620
They do not let this girl even pass and then she's not really digging anything either.

466
00:29:27,620 --> 00:29:32,820
So my question is you're telling me that you just do what you do.

467
00:29:32,820 --> 00:29:34,360
This is what we do.

468
00:29:34,360 --> 00:29:35,780
This is how we're going to operate.

469
00:29:35,780 --> 00:29:39,500
I'm going to make these subs even if they make no sense.

470
00:29:39,500 --> 00:29:40,860
These subs make no sense.

471
00:29:40,860 --> 00:29:45,940
You're serving sub missing serves your defensive specialist isn't digging balls and she's not

472
00:29:45,940 --> 00:29:51,660
passing and your libero your main attackers taking balls poaching balls from her to please

473
00:29:51,660 --> 00:29:52,980
don't serve her again.

474
00:29:52,980 --> 00:29:53,980
Why are you?

475
00:29:53,980 --> 00:29:55,020
Why do you continue to do this?

476
00:29:55,020 --> 00:29:56,260
Like let's be flexible.

477
00:29:56,260 --> 00:29:57,260
Let's be adaptable.

478
00:29:57,260 --> 00:30:01,780
You're trying to tell me there is not one person on your entire bench, even a potential

479
00:30:01,780 --> 00:30:07,420
left side that could go in and serve a ball in that could go in and maybe make a dig.

480
00:30:07,420 --> 00:30:08,660
I'm clearly passionate.

481
00:30:08,660 --> 00:30:10,360
I think you can hear it in my voice.

482
00:30:10,360 --> 00:30:13,380
Like this makes absolutely no sense to me.

483
00:30:13,380 --> 00:30:17,580
You're just doing things because it's how you do it and you're not changing.

484
00:30:17,580 --> 00:30:23,180
Well, and in fairness to Wisconsin, I believe there are two starting liberos are injured.

485
00:30:23,180 --> 00:30:24,980
So they've had some injury trouble.

486
00:30:24,980 --> 00:30:29,300
I mean something I thought about is Orzel played libero.

487
00:30:29,300 --> 00:30:31,140
Why not move her?

488
00:30:31,140 --> 00:30:33,820
Clearly your issue is passing and ball control.

489
00:30:33,820 --> 00:30:38,260
Move her back to libero that will alleviate some of the pressure on Sarah Franklin.

490
00:30:38,260 --> 00:30:41,980
It will allow her to focus on being able to attack.

491
00:30:41,980 --> 00:30:49,060
You can't tell me one of the other six foot something flying athletes you have on the

492
00:30:49,060 --> 00:30:51,780
bench can't go in and score some points for you.

493
00:30:51,780 --> 00:30:56,940
I mean if you have Orzel and Sarah Franklin passing in the back row, that other passer

494
00:30:56,940 --> 00:30:58,540
needs to pass a sliver.

495
00:30:58,540 --> 00:30:59,780
Pass the balls at you.

496
00:30:59,780 --> 00:31:02,220
Go hit, get some experience.

497
00:31:02,220 --> 00:31:06,260
This just isn't working and I'm shocked that there wasn't at least something different

498
00:31:06,260 --> 00:31:10,780
tried, especially after you didn't really play that well against Minnesota either.

499
00:31:10,780 --> 00:31:13,740
You have a massive roster.

500
00:31:13,740 --> 00:31:20,380
Let's do some problem solving and find a way to make it happen because this like DS like

501
00:31:20,380 --> 00:31:23,860
turnstile we have going on here, it's not working.

502
00:31:23,860 --> 00:31:26,540
I understand Lola Schumacher is out with a concussion.

503
00:31:26,540 --> 00:31:33,420
I understand that Guchtiken is also injured in some capacity, but like the core of your

504
00:31:33,420 --> 00:31:35,460
team is healthy.

505
00:31:35,460 --> 00:31:37,860
Is healthy and it's not like I'm sorry.

506
00:31:37,860 --> 00:31:40,260
It's not like Sarah Franklin is injured.

507
00:31:40,260 --> 00:31:44,420
It's not like we're talking about your main score is out.

508
00:31:44,420 --> 00:31:45,420
No.

509
00:31:45,420 --> 00:31:52,220
I know in a DS and quite frankly in last few weeks we have said that we don't think Lola

510
00:31:52,220 --> 00:31:54,300
Schumacher is it either.

511
00:31:54,300 --> 00:31:55,300
So yeah.

512
00:31:55,300 --> 00:31:58,260
Well, you have great middles on that team.

513
00:31:58,260 --> 00:32:02,940
Carter Booth could be an absolute weapon for you and actually I thought she was their best

514
00:32:02,940 --> 00:32:10,420
player against Nebraska going 545 on 11 swings, but you don't pass particularly well so you

515
00:32:10,420 --> 00:32:16,460
can't get her the ball and you have a first year setter who is playing in big matches,

516
00:32:16,460 --> 00:32:22,220
figuring out how to be an NCAA athlete in the big 10 on the biggest stage, help the

517
00:32:22,220 --> 00:32:23,300
girl out.

518
00:32:23,300 --> 00:32:25,800
They pass so many balls at the attack line.

519
00:32:25,800 --> 00:32:29,940
You need to shore up your passing so that Furbringer has the chance to actually run

520
00:32:29,940 --> 00:32:34,180
an offense, get the middles involved and then you might have a chance, but until you do

521
00:32:34,180 --> 00:32:36,740
that you're going to lose to good teams period.

522
00:32:36,740 --> 00:32:37,740
Well, C.C.

523
00:32:37,740 --> 00:32:39,700
Crawford barely got set at all.

524
00:32:39,700 --> 00:32:40,700
Five sets.

525
00:32:40,700 --> 00:32:41,700
Five sets.

526
00:32:41,700 --> 00:32:46,020
You have a middle that's hitting 545 or whatever you just said and I'm sorry, but there were

527
00:32:46,020 --> 00:32:48,900
more opportunities to set her than she did.

528
00:32:48,900 --> 00:32:52,580
I personally, I thought Carter Booth was great.

529
00:32:52,580 --> 00:32:53,700
Feed her more.

530
00:32:53,700 --> 00:32:54,700
Feed C.C.

531
00:32:54,700 --> 00:32:55,700
Crawford more.

532
00:32:55,700 --> 00:32:56,700
100%.

533
00:32:56,700 --> 00:32:59,940
Well, Devin Robinson went zero on 12 swings, three kills, three errors.

534
00:32:59,940 --> 00:33:02,460
So you have to get Crawford involved in the game.

535
00:33:02,460 --> 00:33:08,260
I do think watching that Furbringer was setting the pins too tight.

536
00:33:08,260 --> 00:33:13,780
There were a lot of sets that were trailing towards the net that she completely trapped

537
00:33:13,780 --> 00:33:17,940
her outsides and I'm hearing the announcers being like they need to be aggressive.

538
00:33:17,940 --> 00:33:18,940
They need to be aggressive.

539
00:33:18,940 --> 00:33:19,980
They couldn't.

540
00:33:19,980 --> 00:33:22,020
They could not be aggressive.

541
00:33:22,020 --> 00:33:29,100
When a set is trailing towards the net into the blockers hands, it is stupidity to be

542
00:33:29,100 --> 00:33:32,140
aggressive and to try to take a big swing on that.

543
00:33:32,140 --> 00:33:34,580
They were just trying to keep the ball in play.

544
00:33:34,580 --> 00:33:41,020
This is an observation that has no factual basis to it, but I think Sarah Franklin is

545
00:33:41,020 --> 00:33:44,340
really struggling to hit Furbringer sets.

546
00:33:44,340 --> 00:33:47,300
I think she is not finding a rhythm.

547
00:33:47,300 --> 00:33:51,680
I think there's a lack of trust of knowing where that ball is going to be.

548
00:33:51,680 --> 00:33:56,020
It's better out of the back row, but in the front row, she looks tentative.

549
00:33:56,020 --> 00:34:00,300
She looks like she's slowing down her approach to try and find the ball and see where it's

550
00:34:00,300 --> 00:34:03,460
going and it's affecting her ability to attack.

551
00:34:03,460 --> 00:34:08,720
And like I said, it's not just Charlie setting because the passing is not great, but she

552
00:34:08,720 --> 00:34:10,100
looks hesitant.

553
00:34:10,100 --> 00:34:11,780
I understand what you're saying.

554
00:34:11,780 --> 00:34:16,540
Part of me is wondering if maybe she's tired and exhausted.

555
00:34:16,540 --> 00:34:22,940
Honestly, I think in the last few matches, Sarah Franklin is looking like a way worse

556
00:34:22,940 --> 00:34:24,720
player than she actually is.

557
00:34:24,720 --> 00:34:26,020
I think she's very good.

558
00:34:26,020 --> 00:34:29,820
I think she's being put in positions that are difficult to score.

559
00:34:29,820 --> 00:34:34,460
I think, yeah, I'm not saying that the trust thing and the uncertainty is not a factor.

560
00:34:34,460 --> 00:34:39,460
I think it definitely could be, but I think she has been put in this position with Wisconsin

561
00:34:39,460 --> 00:34:42,660
that she is expected to do everything.

562
00:34:42,660 --> 00:34:43,860
Well that I agree with.

563
00:34:43,860 --> 00:34:49,220
Your poaching passes from the libero so that you can run your offense.

564
00:34:49,220 --> 00:34:50,400
You're expected to do that.

565
00:34:50,400 --> 00:34:52,300
You're expected to make digs.

566
00:34:52,300 --> 00:34:57,500
Nobody, if you think about having Orzel behind you as a libero, you just have so much more

567
00:34:57,500 --> 00:35:01,220
confidence because she's a great ball control player most of the time.

568
00:35:01,220 --> 00:35:03,540
You're asking so much of her.

569
00:35:03,540 --> 00:35:08,740
Not only is it like, hey, make sure to pass two thirds of the court because our libero

570
00:35:08,740 --> 00:35:14,340
is getting aced off the court, but then get up and be ready to hit this back row ball

571
00:35:14,340 --> 00:35:21,700
because I'm sorry if and when Charlie Furbringer was setting somebody else, as soon as they

572
00:35:21,700 --> 00:35:25,540
didn't score, the next ball immediately went to Franklin.

573
00:35:25,540 --> 00:35:28,140
You need to repeat hitters.

574
00:35:28,140 --> 00:35:30,340
If somebody makes a mistake, you need to go back to them.

575
00:35:30,340 --> 00:35:34,540
You can't just panic and then immediately be like, oh, the next one has to go to Sarah.

576
00:35:34,540 --> 00:35:37,600
And I don't know if that is like messaging from the coaching staff.

577
00:35:37,600 --> 00:35:42,180
Like you need to get Sarah the ball if we don't score or if that's her and Sarah is

578
00:35:42,180 --> 00:35:46,980
like a security choice for her, which like, yeah, she should be absolutely.

579
00:35:46,980 --> 00:35:54,500
But like the weight of all the things Sarah Franklin has to do right now, I can see it.

580
00:35:54,500 --> 00:35:59,340
And I would also say that pattern of going to Sarah after an error, good coaches will

581
00:35:59,340 --> 00:36:04,300
pick up on that and she'll have a double triple block on the next one.

582
00:36:04,300 --> 00:36:07,340
Yeah, you're just you're setting her up to fail right now.

583
00:36:07,340 --> 00:36:09,940
You know, we've talked about Carter Booth's performance, C.C.

584
00:36:09,940 --> 00:36:15,460
Crawford not getting set enough, Orzel and her, you know, back row ball control strengths.

585
00:36:15,460 --> 00:36:20,440
Franklin, I think, you know, the one person we haven't really mentioned is Anna Smrech.

586
00:36:20,440 --> 00:36:25,960
I think that if you look at her statistics over the season, you her her hitting numbers

587
00:36:25,960 --> 00:36:26,960
are impressive.

588
00:36:26,960 --> 00:36:33,060
However, if you break those down into when she plays against really good blocking teams

589
00:36:33,060 --> 00:36:38,800
that are sizable, six, three, six, four, six, five, those numbers change drastically.

590
00:36:38,800 --> 00:36:41,860
Or teams that have a solid game plan.

591
00:36:41,860 --> 00:36:42,860
Fair.

592
00:36:42,860 --> 00:36:47,380
She likes to hit that deep seam, which is generally very effective to her over top of

593
00:36:47,380 --> 00:36:52,380
the block with a lot of pace into the back corner when that shot is not available to

594
00:36:52,380 --> 00:36:57,180
her because it's going off the top of the block and they're getting recycled touches.

595
00:36:57,180 --> 00:37:02,080
She's not as comfortable going down the line or swinging sharp angle to make them block

596
00:37:02,080 --> 00:37:03,140
move.

597
00:37:03,140 --> 00:37:07,380
She just tries to go harder and higher and it's not working for her.

598
00:37:07,380 --> 00:37:11,580
Well, we said this last time Nebraska and Wisconsin played in that it was very obvious

599
00:37:11,580 --> 00:37:15,460
that Sarah Franklin is the only person who can hit out of system balls.

600
00:37:15,460 --> 00:37:17,820
And a smrack is not an out of system hitter.

601
00:37:17,820 --> 00:37:19,840
She goes in at one speed.

602
00:37:19,840 --> 00:37:23,140
She needs a very specific set.

603
00:37:23,140 --> 00:37:28,340
And you can talk about the setting, but the reality of it is for bringers of freshmen

604
00:37:28,340 --> 00:37:32,960
and as a senior hitter, you need to build that setter out sometimes in the past.

605
00:37:32,960 --> 00:37:37,940
She's had experienced setters putting the ball in a very good place to allow her to

606
00:37:37,940 --> 00:37:40,200
be successful.

607
00:37:40,200 --> 00:37:45,860
And now that you're a senior, it's your job to do the same thing for your freshmen setter.

608
00:37:45,860 --> 00:37:49,340
The ball is not always going to be perfect, but you need to find a way to be better than

609
00:37:49,340 --> 00:37:50,340
you currently are.

610
00:37:50,340 --> 00:37:52,280
If you want the team to have success.

611
00:37:52,280 --> 00:37:57,820
I would argue not even as a senior, but as a good opposite hitter all over the world.

612
00:37:57,820 --> 00:38:01,860
The best opposites are the ones that get set the out of system balls.

613
00:38:01,860 --> 00:38:06,140
When the team's in trouble, they throw them the ball and that hitter has to clean up the

614
00:38:06,140 --> 00:38:07,300
mess.

615
00:38:07,300 --> 00:38:09,120
You can't do that with Anna Smrack.

616
00:38:09,120 --> 00:38:14,940
She doesn't vary her attack enough and for whatever reason doesn't hit well enough angles

617
00:38:14,940 --> 00:38:16,640
to be able to be effective.

618
00:38:16,640 --> 00:38:18,540
So is this overly critical?

619
00:38:18,540 --> 00:38:23,680
I'm sure I'm sure I'm going to hear some comments about it, but especially with their passing

620
00:38:23,680 --> 00:38:27,020
issues that you're seeing now, it's tough.

621
00:38:27,020 --> 00:38:31,540
If we flip sides of the court and look at Nebraska, it was a really good team effort.

622
00:38:31,540 --> 00:38:36,340
They move the ball around incredibly effectively.

623
00:38:36,340 --> 00:38:39,920
Nobody got that many more sets than anybody else.

624
00:38:39,920 --> 00:38:45,180
They passed well, they executed their defensive strategy, they put service pressure on.

625
00:38:45,180 --> 00:38:50,060
It was, it was a classic execution of a team game plan.

626
00:38:50,060 --> 00:38:56,260
I mean, as confused as I was watching Wisconsin side, it was very clear what Nebraska set

627
00:38:56,260 --> 00:39:02,400
out to do and to be able to see the execution of that plan was great.

628
00:39:02,400 --> 00:39:08,220
You know, I think from an offensive perspective, when Anna Smrack was in the front row, it

629
00:39:08,220 --> 00:39:13,100
was very clear they were not setting the left side unless they were out of system.

630
00:39:13,100 --> 00:39:17,060
They were forcing the middle and right side when Smrack was in the front row.

631
00:39:17,060 --> 00:39:20,900
As soon as Furbringer got to the front row, they started pumping the balls out to the

632
00:39:20,900 --> 00:39:23,540
left side and it was effective.

633
00:39:23,540 --> 00:39:28,160
From a serving standpoint, they were testing Sage Damrow early.

634
00:39:28,160 --> 00:39:32,740
They got a lot of points, a lot of bad passes off of her, but then as soon as she would

635
00:39:32,740 --> 00:39:37,720
nail a perfect pass, they would switch it up and go somewhere else.

636
00:39:37,720 --> 00:39:41,100
They did not allow the libero to get into a rhythm.

637
00:39:41,100 --> 00:39:44,220
Meanwhile, they were in rhythm almost the entire match.

638
00:39:44,220 --> 00:39:50,500
I mean, there were times early, I think in set one, you know, we saw Riley running around

639
00:39:50,500 --> 00:39:52,380
a little more than usual.

640
00:39:52,380 --> 00:39:58,140
Well, Nebraska was up 2016 and then it was 21-19 and that was on the back of some passes.

641
00:39:58,140 --> 00:39:59,340
They were passing and setting trouble.

642
00:39:59,340 --> 00:40:04,100
Yeah, they had a little run there where things weren't as clean as usual.

643
00:40:04,100 --> 00:40:08,580
And I think also in that run, when Bergen Riley was forced to run around, I think her

644
00:40:08,580 --> 00:40:10,220
sets got a little inconsistent.

645
00:40:10,220 --> 00:40:13,820
She was pulling the ball off the net for both pins.

646
00:40:13,820 --> 00:40:20,260
But I think the big difference between the two is that Nebraska never disappears.

647
00:40:20,260 --> 00:40:26,340
You don't have stretches where the whole team is just gone.

648
00:40:26,340 --> 00:40:27,660
Like nobody's perfect.

649
00:40:27,660 --> 00:40:32,820
There everybody makes errors, but it happens to maybe one person and the rest of the team

650
00:40:32,820 --> 00:40:35,460
is there to cover their back.

651
00:40:35,460 --> 00:40:40,280
Wisconsin on the other hand, everybody would disappear sporadically.

652
00:40:40,280 --> 00:40:46,340
You see Wisconsin try and get Andy Jackson out of rhythm and she doesn't play particularly

653
00:40:46,340 --> 00:40:47,340
well.

654
00:40:47,340 --> 00:40:53,980
But you see Rebecca Alec step up and go 10 for 12 and she holds the middle.

655
00:40:53,980 --> 00:40:59,740
In neutralizing one of their most dynamic players, somebody else steps up and you have

656
00:40:59,740 --> 00:41:00,740
other options.

657
00:41:00,740 --> 00:41:08,340
I mean, I was critical of Rebecca Alec when we started this podcast about her lack of

658
00:41:08,340 --> 00:41:13,000
connection with Bergen Riley and miss hitting a lot of balls.

659
00:41:13,000 --> 00:41:16,700
And I would say for the first half of the season, that was the case.

660
00:41:16,700 --> 00:41:22,380
I have to give her credit and it is very clear that Nebraska has been working on that connection

661
00:41:22,380 --> 00:41:28,740
between Alec and Bergen Riley and Alec is a much bigger offensive threat now than she

662
00:41:28,740 --> 00:41:30,300
was earlier in the season.

663
00:41:30,300 --> 00:41:32,620
She's making really good contact.

664
00:41:32,620 --> 00:41:34,300
She's hitting good angles.

665
00:41:34,300 --> 00:41:39,260
The opposing middle blockers need to respect her now because she's putting pace on the

666
00:41:39,260 --> 00:41:41,420
ball and it's very hard to dig.

667
00:41:41,420 --> 00:41:47,460
So I have to give her credit and the Nebraska team credit for making that change.

668
00:41:47,460 --> 00:41:51,440
Another thing that has kind of developed is earlier in the season, Beeson was being taken

669
00:41:51,440 --> 00:41:53,020
out for serving.

670
00:41:53,020 --> 00:41:55,860
She wasn't staying in all the time.

671
00:41:55,860 --> 00:41:58,820
Nebraska has a back row option at all times.

672
00:41:58,820 --> 00:42:03,680
Now when Beeson rotates to the back row, she's back there with the Barrow and a DS.

673
00:42:03,680 --> 00:42:08,340
So she is serving and in that serve receive rotation, she's hitting back row.

674
00:42:08,340 --> 00:42:12,540
Harper Murray then enters the back row and Beeson is taken out and Harper Murray is hitting

675
00:42:12,540 --> 00:42:14,300
from the back row.

676
00:42:14,300 --> 00:42:19,860
Nebraska has made sure not only in their set distribution to be balanced, but in their

677
00:42:19,860 --> 00:42:23,340
available options to be balanced as well.

678
00:42:23,340 --> 00:42:28,700
So I can see the evolution of Nebraska over the last couple months and the things that

679
00:42:28,700 --> 00:42:33,300
they have implemented and improved upon and changed and I can tell what they've been focusing

680
00:42:33,300 --> 00:42:34,300
on.

681
00:42:34,300 --> 00:42:37,420
I can't say the same for Wisconsin.

682
00:42:37,420 --> 00:42:41,820
I think that's a fair summary of that match and the season so far.

683
00:42:41,820 --> 00:42:47,340
I honestly think based on all of the volleyball that we've been watching, seeing the ebbs

684
00:42:47,340 --> 00:42:53,340
and flows, the positive and the negative moments, the momentum, etc.

685
00:42:53,340 --> 00:42:56,060
Nebraska and Pitt are on a collision course.

686
00:42:56,060 --> 00:43:04,780
I just don't think that there are any teams out there that are as good as those two.

687
00:43:04,780 --> 00:43:12,500
Both of them are complete teams with dynamic offenses where everybody is contributing.

688
00:43:12,500 --> 00:43:15,440
That is going to be a fun match if we get there.

689
00:43:15,440 --> 00:43:22,180
By one last question for you is, if we see a Wisconsin-Penn State quarterfinal, where's

690
00:43:22,180 --> 00:43:23,180
your money?

691
00:43:23,180 --> 00:43:25,740
It's all going to come down to Wisconsin's passing.

692
00:43:25,740 --> 00:43:29,660
I think if Wisconsin can pass, they will win.

693
00:43:29,660 --> 00:43:32,380
I mean just throwing it out there, I'll say Wisconsin.

694
00:43:32,380 --> 00:43:34,440
I would say Wisconsin in five.

695
00:43:34,440 --> 00:43:37,180
This was not the match that I was hoping it would be.

696
00:43:37,180 --> 00:43:42,220
I was hoping that we would have seen Wisconsin make some improvements from the last matchup,

697
00:43:42,220 --> 00:43:47,300
but it was nice to see Nebraska playing well.

698
00:43:47,300 --> 00:43:53,260
Do they have, like you said, they don't have any player that's standing out and just shining

699
00:43:53,260 --> 00:43:54,700
above the rest.

700
00:43:54,700 --> 00:44:01,740
The set distribution is even, the hitting numbers are respectable, nothing crazy.

701
00:44:01,740 --> 00:44:03,300
They're a well-oiled machine.

702
00:44:03,300 --> 00:44:07,100
They know what their responsibilities are and they execute and honestly, that's all

703
00:44:07,100 --> 00:44:08,100
you can ask.

704
00:44:08,100 --> 00:44:10,300
It has been a big week.

705
00:44:10,300 --> 00:44:16,580
A passionate week, clearly, if the last segment was any indication of how I feel.

706
00:44:16,580 --> 00:44:21,420
But I think we're going to have an even bigger week this coming week.

707
00:44:21,420 --> 00:44:26,500
I'm going to sit on the couch all day Wednesday getting ready to eat a really big meal on

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Thursday.

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But on Wednesday, we'll be watching the following matches.

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You've got Pitt Louisville, potentially for first place in the conference.

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00:44:36,540 --> 00:44:42,340
You've got Stanford and Georgia Tech, who is fighting for their tournament spot.

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00:44:42,340 --> 00:44:45,620
You've got SMU and Florida State.

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You've got Oregon and Purdue, BYU and Kansas, and Kentucky and Missouri.

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I mean, buy another TV, set it up, watch five volleyball matches.

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It's going to be a great day.

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Just hunker down.

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Don't make any plans for Wednesday because you already know what you're going to be doing.

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On Friday, Penn State is hosting Nebraska, which, as we mentioned before, will likely

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be the key match to determine the Big Ten champion.

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00:45:15,760 --> 00:45:20,680
And on Saturday, be sure to check out the ACC matches of Louisville versus Stanford

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and Pitt versus Georgia Tech.

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00:45:23,600 --> 00:45:26,060
That concludes this week's episode of Volley Talk.

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There's always something shaking in the volleyball world, and we hope you enjoyed this little

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fix.

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00:45:31,140 --> 00:45:35,180
Be sure to follow the show so you don't miss any updates, and we'd be so grateful if you'd

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leave us a five-star review.

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00:45:37,300 --> 00:45:42,220
You can also find us on Instagram at VolleyTalk underscore podcast.

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If you have a topic that you want us to discuss, be sure to let us know by reaching out to

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us on Instagram or at info at SarahPavin.com.

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Thanks so much for joining us, and we'll be back next week.