NCAA Women's Volleyball Final Four is Set. An ACC or B1G Champion Will Be Crowned

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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's 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 the resident

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stat guy.

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The final four is set and all four one seeds have survived their respective regionals.

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There were some great matches played over the last few days, including a couple down

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to the wire round of 16 matches.

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We will be touching on those matches, but the focus of today's episode is definitely

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going to be on the four regional final matchups and what we can expect on Thursday.

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So let's get started.

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All right so as Sarah said, we're going to go over the round of 16 matches.

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I'm going to give a quick synopsis.

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I've been told two sentences, it might be a little longer.

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And Sarah's going to say whether she agrees with my assessment of the match or not.

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Now we didn't watch all of them.

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I think between the two of us, we watched six.

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So six of the eight.

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So we should be able to give a pretty quick recap.

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So in full transparency, we missed the Stanford Florida match and we missed the Penn State

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Marquette match.

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So Adam will probably not be giving a two sentence round of of those ones unless he

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checked the stats and saw something wacky.

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I saw the stats.

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So I'll give a quick a quick recap of those and we can go from there.

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Okay, we don't want you guys to think that this is the regional semis weren't important

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to us.

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Like they definitely were.

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They are worth noting.

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So that's why we want to touch on them.

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But we're just going to keep it short and sweet.

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Otherwise we're going to be here for two hours.

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As much as you may love that.

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No, I'm just kidding.

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Let's start with the Pitt Oregon match.

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I thought that was this was going to be a little breezier for Pitt than it was.

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Weezy breezy.

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We had Pitt go 3-2 with Oregon.

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And I think one of the things that worked in Oregon's favor was that they statistically

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hold right sides to a very low hitting percentage in general.

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And given Babcock is obviously a right side in their main point score, the matchup lined

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up well for them.

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I also thought that Oregon never gave up.

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They kept coming.

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They kept pushing.

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They pushed hard.

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They made great defensive plays.

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They never played like they were not supposed to win that match.

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And I thought that was really great to see.

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And Pitt just knows how to win.

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They were down in certain situations.

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They kept pressing.

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Their star players made plays at the end of sets to end up winning the match for them.

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And I think it was overall a good win, even if it wasn't clean.

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So Adam did more than two sentences there.

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But I'm not sure if you noticed this.

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He created the world's longest run on sentences to keep talking.

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Very good at that.

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Okay, I saw a few sets of this one.

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As I was watching, I do remember the announcer saying it was commented on frequently.

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Mimi Collier, they wanted to line her up with Babcock because she is a good blocker.

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She causes problems.

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I am going to say I agree with you.

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From what I saw, there was one set that Oregon absolutely dominated Pitt.

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And they gave them everything they could handle.

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Yeah, I believe that was the second set and Pitt just didn't pass well.

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They got aced a whole bunch of times.

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They were out of system.

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I believe Babcock made four or five errors in that set.

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Just the wheels came off in general in that one.

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Summary, really good fight by Oregon.

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Hats off to them.

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It was an entertaining match.

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I think the execution got higher in sets three, four, five.

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One and two were kind of back and forth.

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Pitt was great in one.

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Oregon was great in two.

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I enjoyed watching that match.

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Let's look at Kentucky, Missouri.

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This one wasn't close.

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I was really disappointed.

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I wanted to see more from Missouri.

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Kentucky did a great job of neutralizing Vernon.

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They served well to one, took the middles away, loaded up on her, and she did not have

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a great night.

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Missouri needed her to be great and she wasn't.

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I thought Ilyf played well.

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The top three Kentucky hitters were close to or over 400.

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They had a very balanced offense.

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Kentucky was just better in this match.

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More consistent, more balanced.

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I can't refute the points you made.

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I think the shock for me was that crown over looked to be completely off her game.

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I can't just say that she looked nervous.

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I will say that Missouri as a whole looked a little skittish and nervous, which is completely

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understandable, completely normal, but I don't think they really ever worked out of it.

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That is what is sticking in my mind from that match.

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I think Vernon started strong and set one and then kind of petered out after that.

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But overall, yes, a dominant performance by Kentucky and honestly I expected more from

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that match.

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Let's go to Stanford, Florida.

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Stanford winning 3-1.

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We did not watch this match, but it looked incredibly tight.

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Three of the four sets were won by two points in overtime.

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Sammy Francis had 36 attempts and hit 417.

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Kennedy Martin hit 320 on 50 attempts.

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It looks like it was a very well played, hard fought match and I'm guessing the star players

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had to make plays at the end of those sets and Stanford came out on top.

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The reporting I got from this match was from my bestie, Rachel Holloway.

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If you're a Huskers fan, you know who I'm talking about.

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She gave me the rundown.

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She was saying that she felt that Cammie Miner's setting was inconsistent and she was trying

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to push tempo way too fast out of system when Stanford was in trouble.

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I trust her.

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She was an outstanding setter.

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I'll take her word for it.

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But as we said, that's one of the matches that we didn't see.

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Seeing the scores, I wish we had seen that one.

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I would have loved to see Martin and Francis go head to head, honestly, because I'm assuming

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they lined Sammy Francis up with Kennedy Martin.

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Yeah, maybe I'll go back in the archives and check that one out.

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We have nothing to do until Thursday.

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So we'll go watch that one.

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I know.

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What are we going to watch?

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Jumping to Purdue Louisville, Louisville 1-3-0.

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Louisville was in system all night.

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They were balanced.

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All of their hitters were involved in the offense.

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I thought De Beer played really well.

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Purdue struggled to pass the ball, specifically their libero.

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I didn't think was particularly good.

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I will shout out Raven Colvin.

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I thought she played really well for Purdue.

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But overall, Louisville was just in system and scoring at will.

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You think that we are married or something or spend so much time together because I haven't

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disagreed once.

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Shocker.

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This was the other match that I had big hopes for.

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The other, one of the other matches I had big hopes for, I will say I was very disappointed

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with Eva Hudson.

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I thought the makeup of these two teams was very similar in that they are powered offensively

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by their two left sides who have a very similar like skill makeup, physical makeup.

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Their middles, they rely on heavily for their blocking.

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So I, you know, I thought it would be really interesting and I was very disappointed.

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Maybe I'm being too picky, but like I said, I expected way more.

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Yeah, the Purdue libero, Eva Hudson just didn't do it for me.

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Penn State Marquette was another match I didn't watch.

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Penn State winning 3-1.

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I would say it was an efficient match based on looking at the stats.

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Merzic 52 sets, Cameron Hanna 42 sets and hit 476.

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Not shocking.

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Penn State ran mostly to their outsides and their outsides scored efficiently and they

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won.

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I have no comments on this one.

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I, Merzic has kind of been leading the way for Penn State all season.

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Cameron Hanna has really stepped up in the later half of the season, putting up great

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numbers.

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Izzy Stark has been consistent.

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So yeah, I don't know.

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I would have been shocked if Marquette had pulled off the upset here.

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So that's about what I expected.

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Texas Creighton, Creighton winning 3-1.

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I guess that's an upset, but not based on the standings, but I think based on people's

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expectations.

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Based on my bracket, it's an upset.

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Okay.

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Fair enough.

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I'll start with Texas.

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It looks like either the pressure got to them or they ran out of gas, having gone to two

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consecutive finals.

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Skinner had 62 attempts and only hit 194 and you knew she was going to need to have a great

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game in order for them to win.

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And she just looked off to me and I'm not going to put anything on her in terms of what

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she was feeling, her pressure, whatever.

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It was just off.

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It wasn't the Maddie Skinner we've seen for the past two years.

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And on the same side, Wenis hit negative.

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I did think the Texas Middles were a bright spot for them, but you need one of your outside

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hitters to have a game once you get to this part of the tournament.

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And they didn't.

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Creighton out blocked them 11-2.

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They got points across the board.

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They were very balanced offensively.

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They won the Aces 8-3 and Creighton came to play.

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They were gritty on defense.

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They turned points.

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They kept coming at Texas and Texas didn't respond.

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I honestly think this match probably should have been over in three.

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Creighton gave up a massive lead in the first set.

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They had no business losing that.

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I thought when they gave up that lead that they were going to lose the match.

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That's fair.

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Yeah, that is a huge momentum shift, but to their credit, they righted the ship.

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They got back on track.

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They built themselves massive leads in every set.

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And I was very impressed with their outside hitter combo.

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I thought they were outstanding.

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Kendra Waite ran a great offense.

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I thought her on-two choices were creative and aggressive.

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I was very impressed with them.

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I agree.

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The Texas Middles.

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We have been critical of how little they were running the middle mid-season.

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But they were running and they were effective.

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And I agree, Maddie Skinner looked off in the first set.

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She looked tight, a little nervous perhaps.

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But she worked into the match.

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But yeah, that was the match that I was most excited about.

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I know I've said it about every other match that we've talked about so far.

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We're starting to sound like a volleyball broadcast where every player is the national

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player of the year.

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Every player is the best in the country at X skill.

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But I'm just excited, okay?

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Big difference.

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But no, this was the one I was looking most forward to.

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And Creighton busted my bracket.

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But you know what?

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If any team deserved it, they've had a great season, so it's fine.

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Wisconsin, Texas, A&M.

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If I had to pick a word, it would be surprising.

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I did not think that this match was going to go to five.

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Wisconsin is inconsistent.

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I don't know how else to say it.

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They hammered them the first set, lose the second.

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Win the third big, lose the fourth.

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End up winning the fifth in a close match.

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But they just can't seem to play good volleyball for a whole match.

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It comes in waves.

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And you have one player play well and one player doesn't play well.

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Something always falls apart in the set, it seems like, and they're fighting to find some

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kind of rhythm.

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The Wisconsin middles were really good.

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They had 14 blocks.

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But it was just inconsistent.

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That's all I can say.

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I got to give a shout out to Logan, Lednicki.

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When I get lots of questions by email, Instagram, whatever, of what I mean when I talk about

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a go-to hitter, and it is her.

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So if you want to understand what Adam and I are talking about when we say either A,

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a traditional opposite or B, a go-to hitter, it is her.

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And she personified that in that game.

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And my heart breaks for her because she had a swing to tie it up.

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And she didn't score in her reaction at the end of that rally because it was match point.

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She was devastated.

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00:12:54,400 --> 00:12:57,640
But like, this set, she was trapped.

248
00:12:57,640 --> 00:13:01,720
And it just like broke my heart because like she wanted that swing so bad.

249
00:13:01,720 --> 00:13:04,180
And she just was like put in such a bad position.

250
00:13:04,180 --> 00:13:05,920
But that was an entertaining match.

251
00:13:05,920 --> 00:13:09,640
It was much more entertaining than I expected.

252
00:13:09,640 --> 00:13:11,840
And yeah, Wisconsin.

253
00:13:11,840 --> 00:13:17,040
I will say Texas A&M came out to play an aggressive match.

254
00:13:17,040 --> 00:13:19,160
They brought it from the service line.

255
00:13:19,160 --> 00:13:21,160
They attacked the ball fearlessly.

256
00:13:21,160 --> 00:13:24,440
They made 26 errors on the match, which is a ton.

257
00:13:24,440 --> 00:13:26,920
But they were going to win that match their way.

258
00:13:26,920 --> 00:13:28,260
And they were going to go down swinging.

259
00:13:28,260 --> 00:13:30,960
And I have the utmost respect for that.

260
00:13:30,960 --> 00:13:34,120
And finally, we had the Dayton-Nebraska match.

261
00:13:34,120 --> 00:13:37,320
I was in and out of this one.

262
00:13:37,320 --> 00:13:41,800
But from what I could see, I thought Dayton played about as well as they could have been

263
00:13:41,800 --> 00:13:43,400
expected to play.

264
00:13:43,400 --> 00:13:49,500
I think that they were working and executing at a pretty high level.

265
00:13:49,500 --> 00:13:50,960
And Nebraska is just better.

266
00:13:50,960 --> 00:13:54,120
I watched part of that match and thought, good for you, Dayton.

267
00:13:54,120 --> 00:13:58,840
I think you can walk off the court and be proud of the effort that you put forward.

268
00:13:58,840 --> 00:14:01,600
I mean, Nebraska looked terrible to me.

269
00:14:01,600 --> 00:14:04,320
I watched this game from start to finish.

270
00:14:04,320 --> 00:14:09,880
They looked, I mean, a term that was thrown around a lot about that match was disjointed.

271
00:14:09,880 --> 00:14:12,240
They looked just off.

272
00:14:12,240 --> 00:14:15,480
It was not pretty.

273
00:14:15,480 --> 00:14:17,240
Harper Murray held it together for them.

274
00:14:17,240 --> 00:14:19,360
She did play very well.

275
00:14:19,360 --> 00:14:22,380
But Dayton, I mean, kudos to their setter.

276
00:14:22,380 --> 00:14:29,160
She pulled her hamstring early in the match and came back.

277
00:14:29,160 --> 00:14:31,840
She didn't want to leave the season.

278
00:14:31,840 --> 00:14:33,800
She didn't want to leave anything out there.

279
00:14:33,800 --> 00:14:35,960
And I have serious respect for that.

280
00:14:35,960 --> 00:14:37,520
She fought through.

281
00:14:37,520 --> 00:14:40,480
And she's clearly a leader for their team, which is why they put her back in.

282
00:14:40,480 --> 00:14:43,280
I think Dayton has a lot to be proud of, for sure.

283
00:14:43,280 --> 00:14:45,180
They've never been in that position before.

284
00:14:45,180 --> 00:14:51,400
But it was just like a lot of pieces would have had to fall in their favor to win that

285
00:14:51,400 --> 00:14:52,400
match.

286
00:14:52,400 --> 00:14:56,200
And obviously Nebraska not playing well is is one of those factors.

287
00:14:56,200 --> 00:15:05,080
But you know, I think the difference in skill level and experience and intangibles even

288
00:15:05,080 --> 00:15:09,680
was just so great that the writing was on the wall.

289
00:15:09,680 --> 00:15:13,200
But I think that Dayton, they made it respectable for sure.

290
00:15:13,200 --> 00:15:14,200
All right.

291
00:15:14,200 --> 00:15:20,640
Those two sentences turned into 29 per episode, but we tried to keep it short.

292
00:15:20,640 --> 00:15:24,280
Hopefully that was a nice little recap for all of you.

293
00:15:24,280 --> 00:15:28,440
If you guys watched all of those matches, I'm so proud of you and let us know if we

294
00:15:28,440 --> 00:15:30,000
missed anything.

295
00:15:30,000 --> 00:15:34,040
But for those of you who didn't get to catch everyone, I hope that was a good recap.

296
00:15:34,040 --> 00:15:35,040
All right.

297
00:15:35,040 --> 00:15:37,080
It's time for the main event.

298
00:15:37,080 --> 00:15:39,320
We're going to look at the four regional finals.

299
00:15:39,320 --> 00:15:43,360
We're going to talk about what we saw, what we thought overall impressions, what we thought

300
00:15:43,360 --> 00:15:44,360
teams could do better.

301
00:15:44,360 --> 00:15:46,160
We'll see where we end up.

302
00:15:46,160 --> 00:15:49,920
Let's start with Pitt versus Kentucky.

303
00:15:49,920 --> 00:15:55,560
What are the takeaways that you have just like right off the top of your head?

304
00:15:55,560 --> 00:16:01,880
After watching Pickle five with Oregon, I thought that this one could potentially be

305
00:16:01,880 --> 00:16:04,520
a knock down drag out fight.

306
00:16:04,520 --> 00:16:06,040
Pittsburgh had it together.

307
00:16:06,040 --> 00:16:10,160
They learned the lesson they needed to from the Oregon match and they did not take their

308
00:16:10,160 --> 00:16:11,440
foot off the gas.

309
00:16:11,440 --> 00:16:15,560
They were out to prove a point and it was fun to watch.

310
00:16:15,560 --> 00:16:16,560
Okay.

311
00:16:16,560 --> 00:16:20,200
This might be one of the first times we disagree ever.

312
00:16:20,200 --> 00:16:21,200
All right.

313
00:16:21,200 --> 00:16:22,200
I don't know.

314
00:16:22,200 --> 00:16:23,720
Like, okay.

315
00:16:23,720 --> 00:16:30,640
Watching the last couple matches, like the Oregon match and this Kentucky match, when

316
00:16:30,640 --> 00:16:37,960
things are rolling and going well for Pitt, they have that confidence, the swagger, the

317
00:16:37,960 --> 00:16:40,680
attitude, you name it.

318
00:16:40,680 --> 00:16:46,380
But when they start to give up a few points in a row, the communication stops.

319
00:16:46,380 --> 00:16:51,700
They aren't making that typical eye contact that I've been loving all season with them.

320
00:16:51,700 --> 00:16:59,000
They look nervous and I understand being number one for the entire season, there is a natural

321
00:16:59,000 --> 00:17:04,160
amount of pressure that you feel to like hold up your end of the bargain and like hold up

322
00:17:04,160 --> 00:17:07,600
the expectations that all these that everybody has of you.

323
00:17:07,600 --> 00:17:12,000
I obviously think that some of that has to do with the pressure they felt to make the

324
00:17:12,000 --> 00:17:15,680
final four and the what if we don't?

325
00:17:15,680 --> 00:17:23,040
I just think things got very quiet when and the energy completely disappeared when they

326
00:17:23,040 --> 00:17:24,680
would give up runs.

327
00:17:24,680 --> 00:17:31,680
I think that's a good observation, but I don't think it ever hindered their execution.

328
00:17:31,680 --> 00:17:34,480
I don't think they were ever really in trouble.

329
00:17:34,480 --> 00:17:36,880
They were down 22-15 in the second set.

330
00:17:36,880 --> 00:17:39,680
If that's not in trouble, like I don't know what is.

331
00:17:39,680 --> 00:17:45,280
I guess I look at the composure that they showed to come back and execute.

332
00:17:45,280 --> 00:17:47,520
They kept their foot on the gas.

333
00:17:47,520 --> 00:17:51,600
They never looked like they were worried about losing.

334
00:17:51,600 --> 00:17:52,600
Things happened.

335
00:17:52,600 --> 00:17:55,920
They did get down, but it was to me, it was serious.

336
00:17:55,920 --> 00:17:58,120
It wasn't, it didn't look negative.

337
00:17:58,120 --> 00:17:59,600
I didn't say negative.

338
00:17:59,600 --> 00:18:05,440
There's a big difference when you score a point and you look relieved versus when you

339
00:18:05,440 --> 00:18:10,160
score a point and you're like, hell yeah, we just scored that point.

340
00:18:10,160 --> 00:18:11,160
Let's go.

341
00:18:11,160 --> 00:18:15,160
And I think sometimes they scored points and it was almost relief.

342
00:18:15,160 --> 00:18:20,800
And to be honest, I think this weekend their passing did break down a few times and in

343
00:18:20,800 --> 00:18:26,440
the process, the communication broke down and I saw Fairbanks getting a little frustrated.

344
00:18:26,440 --> 00:18:31,280
People were stepping into set balls that she was, should have been taking.

345
00:18:31,280 --> 00:18:32,960
And like, I don't know.

346
00:18:32,960 --> 00:18:38,920
It just, there were moments that looked a little less crisp than normal.

347
00:18:38,920 --> 00:18:41,240
And don't get me wrong, I'm a huge pit fan.

348
00:18:41,240 --> 00:18:42,720
I think they're going to go all the way.

349
00:18:42,720 --> 00:18:44,720
I think they deserve to go all the way.

350
00:18:44,720 --> 00:18:46,800
I'm just being honest with what I saw.

351
00:18:46,800 --> 00:18:51,840
I guess I think about the Oregon match where they couldn't get it together and they couldn't

352
00:18:51,840 --> 00:18:55,280
find their execution and they ended up going to five here.

353
00:18:55,280 --> 00:18:59,400
They found ways to score when things weren't going well.

354
00:18:59,400 --> 00:19:02,880
So you talked about the passing being off the net.

355
00:19:02,880 --> 00:19:07,000
I thought specifically in the second set, Fairbanks did an amazing job of finding her

356
00:19:07,000 --> 00:19:10,660
middles from the eight to 10 foot range off the net, right?

357
00:19:10,660 --> 00:19:15,420
So they're loading up on the outsides when the pass doesn't go well, you're finding the

358
00:19:15,420 --> 00:19:18,760
middles and allowing them to be productive.

359
00:19:18,760 --> 00:19:23,480
I thought they're troubleshooting or they're problem solving in the match when things weren't

360
00:19:23,480 --> 00:19:25,400
going well was well done.

361
00:19:25,400 --> 00:19:30,480
Well, I mean, at the end of the day, you have got so many pieces that can score when you

362
00:19:30,480 --> 00:19:32,200
need them to score.

363
00:19:32,200 --> 00:19:38,280
I mean, you're not like some teams that have one super weapon that they go to nonstop.

364
00:19:38,280 --> 00:19:41,660
Like you need a point, you can set Babcock, you can set Stafford.

365
00:19:41,660 --> 00:19:44,140
If the pass is in range, you can set Bree Kelly.

366
00:19:44,140 --> 00:19:51,200
Like you have options and they are blessed to have so many options when things do go

367
00:19:51,200 --> 00:19:52,200
sideways.

368
00:19:52,200 --> 00:19:54,760
I'm just saying.

369
00:19:54,760 --> 00:19:55,760
Fair enough.

370
00:19:55,760 --> 00:19:57,720
I thought it was a better match than Oregon.

371
00:19:57,720 --> 00:20:02,920
I thought Fairbanks did a pretty good job managing those bad passes.

372
00:20:02,920 --> 00:20:06,200
I thought Stafford struggled a little bit in this match.

373
00:20:06,200 --> 00:20:09,000
I don't think she passed particularly well.

374
00:20:09,000 --> 00:20:10,160
I think they picked on her.

375
00:20:10,160 --> 00:20:11,440
I think they found a way to win.

376
00:20:11,440 --> 00:20:20,080
I will also add in, I think Vasquez Gomez has kind of become a little bit of a liability

377
00:20:20,080 --> 00:20:21,760
offensively.

378
00:20:21,760 --> 00:20:26,920
I didn't notice that early in the season or even mid season, but in the last few weeks,

379
00:20:26,920 --> 00:20:31,400
I've noticed how low her elbow is when she swings and it's almost like that roundhouse

380
00:20:31,400 --> 00:20:32,400
swing.

381
00:20:32,400 --> 00:20:37,200
And when she gets blocked, that thing is hitting the ground before she does.

382
00:20:37,200 --> 00:20:38,960
It's coming back fast.

383
00:20:38,960 --> 00:20:43,000
And so I feel like she is the last option offensively.

384
00:20:43,000 --> 00:20:45,280
Obviously, she has the experience.

385
00:20:45,280 --> 00:20:47,420
She holds the team together.

386
00:20:47,420 --> 00:20:52,820
She's good ball control, good defense, like heartbeat of the team kind of player.

387
00:20:52,820 --> 00:20:55,440
So she needs to be on 100%.

388
00:20:55,440 --> 00:21:00,280
But you're seeing Blair Bayless, you know, kind of come in and attack for her sometimes.

389
00:21:00,280 --> 00:21:06,600
And so I'm wondering how that is going to kind of work itself out in the final four.

390
00:21:06,600 --> 00:21:12,160
Obviously, they've played Louisville several times already and have been successful.

391
00:21:12,160 --> 00:21:17,640
But at the end of the day, winners find ways to win, even when it's uncomfortable.

392
00:21:17,640 --> 00:21:21,280
And I know it may sound like I'm super critical of Pitt, whatever.

393
00:21:21,280 --> 00:21:22,440
They found a way.

394
00:21:22,440 --> 00:21:23,440
They made it.

395
00:21:23,440 --> 00:21:28,160
And like, let's see if that like, lets them relax a little bit because like making the

396
00:21:28,160 --> 00:21:31,720
final four is like one of the hardest things.

397
00:21:31,720 --> 00:21:34,500
What did you see from Kentucky?

398
00:21:34,500 --> 00:21:37,440
I have a lot of notes written down here about Kentucky.

399
00:21:37,440 --> 00:21:39,760
I think set one was close.

400
00:21:39,760 --> 00:21:48,040
But I think that there were some critical blocking errors made by the freshman, middle,

401
00:21:48,040 --> 00:21:50,660
daily down the stretch.

402
00:21:50,660 --> 00:21:56,080
The first one, there was this play that Bree Kelly ran a slide.

403
00:21:56,080 --> 00:22:01,960
Olivia Babcock was in the back row on the right side and Vasquez Gomez was on the left.

404
00:22:01,960 --> 00:22:06,880
And the young middle went and doubled up Vasquez Gomez.

405
00:22:06,880 --> 00:22:08,320
I'm sorry.

406
00:22:08,320 --> 00:22:11,440
No, how like what are you thinking?

407
00:22:11,440 --> 00:22:17,960
At a critical point in the match, they overload and put their two best attack options together,

408
00:22:17,960 --> 00:22:19,280
two options together.

409
00:22:19,280 --> 00:22:25,640
And you decide I'm going to go with the last of the three options and leave their two best

410
00:22:25,640 --> 00:22:27,720
attackers alone.

411
00:22:27,720 --> 00:22:29,400
That was the first one.

412
00:22:29,400 --> 00:22:35,080
And at the very end, she left Babcock one on one in transition, Pitt got a dig, Babcock

413
00:22:35,080 --> 00:22:38,600
was in the back row and she went and doubled up on the outside.

414
00:22:38,600 --> 00:22:44,580
When it's again, critical, it's transition, they are going to give the ball to Babcock.

415
00:22:44,580 --> 00:22:51,920
You make sure that that woman has a double block on her every single ball.

416
00:22:51,920 --> 00:22:55,760
And I don't know like what the discussions were on Kentucky side before the match, but

417
00:22:55,760 --> 00:22:59,840
I feel like that should have been like play Pitt one on one.

418
00:22:59,840 --> 00:23:03,400
Do not let Olivia Babcock hit without two blockers.

419
00:23:03,400 --> 00:23:04,400
Sorry.

420
00:23:04,400 --> 00:23:06,220
No, I think that's fair.

421
00:23:06,220 --> 00:23:07,220
She's their best hitter.

422
00:23:07,220 --> 00:23:11,460
They use her to get out of trouble and to score points when they need them.

423
00:23:11,460 --> 00:23:14,640
You need to make her life difficult to beat Pitt period.

424
00:23:14,640 --> 00:23:17,760
I will say the other thing and set one that I thought killed them.

425
00:23:17,760 --> 00:23:22,080
They were trying to be aggressive with their serve, but they missed a ton.

426
00:23:22,080 --> 00:23:23,080
Oh my gosh.

427
00:23:23,080 --> 00:23:27,320
They missed six serves and they made seven attack errors in set one alone.

428
00:23:27,320 --> 00:23:33,720
I wanted to rip my eyeballs out and it was 25, 22, 13 errors and you lose by three points.

429
00:23:33,720 --> 00:23:34,720
Like why?

430
00:23:34,720 --> 00:23:37,880
And they gave up a seven point run in the second set.

431
00:23:37,880 --> 00:23:39,560
Kudos to Mallory Meyer for Pitt though.

432
00:23:39,560 --> 00:23:42,320
The freshmen she came in delivered.

433
00:23:42,320 --> 00:23:47,040
Anyway, that second set giving up that lead killed them.

434
00:23:47,040 --> 00:23:49,080
They were, I was like, they're toast after this.

435
00:23:49,080 --> 00:23:53,140
And this is what I loved about Pitt was that they just, they just didn't give up.

436
00:23:53,140 --> 00:23:56,520
They kept going no matter what the score was, there was a belief that they could win and

437
00:23:56,520 --> 00:23:57,520
they could execute.

438
00:23:57,520 --> 00:23:58,680
And I really liked seeing that.

439
00:23:58,680 --> 00:24:01,080
I will say shout out Brooke Baltimore.

440
00:24:01,080 --> 00:24:03,880
I thought she played very well.

441
00:24:03,880 --> 00:24:06,060
I think she attacked well.

442
00:24:06,060 --> 00:24:09,880
She brings great energy to the floor for her team.

443
00:24:09,880 --> 00:24:12,480
So I was very impressed with her.

444
00:24:12,480 --> 00:24:14,540
Also Brooklyn DeLay, she's solid.

445
00:24:14,540 --> 00:24:18,080
You know, the thing for me, like she scores her points.

446
00:24:18,080 --> 00:24:19,720
She's going to score her points.

447
00:24:19,720 --> 00:24:22,640
I felt like Pitt could have contained her a little more.

448
00:24:22,640 --> 00:24:23,800
I didn't like their game plan.

449
00:24:23,800 --> 00:24:28,440
I didn't like their game plan against her either because you could see it early when

450
00:24:28,440 --> 00:24:29,980
she was trying to swing angle.

451
00:24:29,980 --> 00:24:36,120
She was making errors and she started finding the line and there was like this massive run

452
00:24:36,120 --> 00:24:39,600
of points at the only time she was scoring was when she was swinging down the line and

453
00:24:39,600 --> 00:24:41,460
Pitt kept giving it to her.

454
00:24:41,460 --> 00:24:48,200
And I was like, shut down the line, funnel her to your libero and Vasquez Gomez and Torrie

455
00:24:48,200 --> 00:24:52,120
Stoffer like your two left sides in your libero who have great ball control, funnel them to

456
00:24:52,120 --> 00:24:53,120
her.

457
00:24:53,120 --> 00:24:56,600
You're going to probably force an error or have your three best players there to dig

458
00:24:56,600 --> 00:24:57,600
her.

459
00:24:57,600 --> 00:25:01,120
But they kept allowing her to go down the line and I was like, why?

460
00:25:01,120 --> 00:25:02,840
Yeah, I didn't understand that either.

461
00:25:02,840 --> 00:25:06,100
I thought the block should have taken that away and forced her into the shot.

462
00:25:06,100 --> 00:25:09,880
She was least comfortable making at least that's what it looked like watching that match.

463
00:25:09,880 --> 00:25:12,560
I have a couple other question marks with Kentucky.

464
00:25:12,560 --> 00:25:13,560
Sure.

465
00:25:13,560 --> 00:25:17,800
Number one, why is their libero jump setting every ball?

466
00:25:17,800 --> 00:25:22,080
You're like five feet behind the 10 foot line in your jump setting.

467
00:25:22,080 --> 00:25:25,000
Well the thing for me was they weren't perfect.

468
00:25:25,000 --> 00:25:32,880
If you're going to jump set because you want to because it looks cool, you better execute

469
00:25:32,880 --> 00:25:36,720
flawlessly or keep your feet on the ground and deliver a hittable ball.

470
00:25:36,720 --> 00:25:41,920
You're not fooling anyone, you're not making the blockers make a different decision.

471
00:25:41,920 --> 00:25:44,560
You're just doing it because who knows?

472
00:25:44,560 --> 00:25:46,600
Or it's not like you're like, oh, I'm on the edge here.

473
00:25:46,600 --> 00:25:48,200
I'm not a good like bump setter.

474
00:25:48,200 --> 00:25:50,600
Let me jump into this to set with my hand.

475
00:25:50,600 --> 00:25:53,840
No, you're literally in the backcourt jumping.

476
00:25:53,840 --> 00:25:54,840
And that's the thing.

477
00:25:54,840 --> 00:25:56,720
She didn't need to jump to get across the attack line.

478
00:25:56,720 --> 00:25:58,540
I just didn't see a reason for it.

479
00:25:58,540 --> 00:25:59,720
So that's my first question mark.

480
00:25:59,720 --> 00:26:07,120
My second question mark was the fact that they're running their opposite Wilson in the

481
00:26:07,120 --> 00:26:11,480
middle and their middle daily on the right side.

482
00:26:11,480 --> 00:26:14,320
I'm sorry, I don't know if I've missed something throughout the season.

483
00:26:14,320 --> 00:26:19,240
I know we didn't watch much of Kentucky, but that middle is very good at hitting in the

484
00:26:19,240 --> 00:26:20,240
middle.

485
00:26:20,240 --> 00:26:25,240
So I'm just like, why are you putting your middle on the right side and your right side

486
00:26:25,240 --> 00:26:26,240
in the middle?

487
00:26:26,240 --> 00:26:30,480
I'm wondering if it was to get Wilson going, to be honest, because she didn't have a great

488
00:26:30,480 --> 00:26:31,480
night.

489
00:26:31,480 --> 00:26:35,800
I'm wondering if based on her size and she actually looked pretty comfortable hitting

490
00:26:35,800 --> 00:26:36,960
quick out of the middle.

491
00:26:36,960 --> 00:26:40,120
I'm wondering if it was more about her and less about the middle.

492
00:26:40,120 --> 00:26:41,880
Maybe she did.

493
00:26:41,880 --> 00:26:43,920
Wilson did hit well out of the back row, though.

494
00:26:43,920 --> 00:26:45,640
I was pleasantly surprised with that.

495
00:26:45,640 --> 00:26:48,080
Yeah, but overall, she only hit 150.

496
00:26:48,080 --> 00:26:52,240
She had seven kills, four errors, and most of her kills, like you said, were from the

497
00:26:52,240 --> 00:26:53,420
back row.

498
00:26:53,420 --> 00:26:57,640
I thought she struggled in the front row, which is why I think maybe they did that.

499
00:26:57,640 --> 00:27:02,840
Pitt did a really good job of pushing Kentucky deep on serve receive.

500
00:27:02,840 --> 00:27:08,680
You and I mentioned it like very early on how shallow Kentucky was standing on serve

501
00:27:08,680 --> 00:27:09,760
receive.

502
00:27:09,760 --> 00:27:15,640
And Pitt finally found that depth where they were catching them high and Kentucky was not

503
00:27:15,640 --> 00:27:19,640
doing a good job of like opening their hip and like angling their platform.

504
00:27:19,640 --> 00:27:23,360
They were like, like standing straight up and getting caught high.

505
00:27:23,360 --> 00:27:27,400
So something I thought might be interesting and I was thinking about while I watched that

506
00:27:27,400 --> 00:27:33,000
match and their serve receive depth is their first assistant coach, Ben Josephson, coached

507
00:27:33,000 --> 00:27:38,400
men's in Canada and then went on to have a stint with the men's national team.

508
00:27:38,400 --> 00:27:41,660
And generally you see men pass float serves a little higher in the court because they're

509
00:27:41,660 --> 00:27:45,800
strong enough to take it with their hands and the net's a little bit higher.

510
00:27:45,800 --> 00:27:50,620
I'm wondering if that's his influence and they're trying to make that work or if that's

511
00:27:50,620 --> 00:27:54,480
just something that they've identified they can be good at.

512
00:27:54,480 --> 00:27:59,440
But I thought Pitt did a good job of taking advantage of that and really serving at their

513
00:27:59,440 --> 00:28:02,560
chest and forcing them to pass off on that.

514
00:28:02,560 --> 00:28:08,200
That definitely screams men's volleyball to me because when Babcock would serve, the whole

515
00:28:08,200 --> 00:28:11,080
server see formation would step back.

516
00:28:11,080 --> 00:28:15,520
And that's also what you see in men's volleyball is spin servers.

517
00:28:15,520 --> 00:28:20,240
The formation steps back so they can play the balls in front of them and then float

518
00:28:20,240 --> 00:28:24,440
serves they step up because they want to be able to control it with their hands.

519
00:28:24,440 --> 00:28:26,440
Women's volleyball is not the same.

520
00:28:26,440 --> 00:28:28,760
And I really do think that is his influence.

521
00:28:28,760 --> 00:28:33,080
I obviously can't say for certain but I just had that feeling too.

522
00:28:33,080 --> 00:28:34,620
Women's volleyball is not the same.

523
00:28:34,620 --> 00:28:41,400
The women are very tall and the trajectory that women can get on those float serves,

524
00:28:41,400 --> 00:28:48,000
they're coming down fast and nothing against female passers but you don't often see women

525
00:28:48,000 --> 00:28:51,440
have that same control server receiving with their hands.

526
00:28:51,440 --> 00:28:54,100
There are exceptions obviously Megan Hodge was one of them.

527
00:28:54,100 --> 00:28:56,560
You didn't see Kentucky try to take any passes with their hands.

528
00:28:56,560 --> 00:28:58,320
Yeah they just got jammed up.

529
00:28:58,320 --> 00:29:02,840
And I mean I can speak from experience I've practiced with some of your professional teams.

530
00:29:02,840 --> 00:29:06,660
Most women outsides are about my height and I will tell you that ball is coming hard and

531
00:29:06,660 --> 00:29:09,760
fast and it is it's tough to do.

532
00:29:09,760 --> 00:29:13,760
One thing I think Pitt is going to have to be better at in the final four if they expect

533
00:29:13,760 --> 00:29:16,640
to win is their out of system setting.

534
00:29:16,640 --> 00:29:20,880
Emily Stafford when they were digs I didn't think she did a great job of putting her hitters

535
00:29:20,880 --> 00:29:22,920
in a good spot to score.

536
00:29:22,920 --> 00:29:27,200
When they have transition opportunities and she's setting she needs to do a better job

537
00:29:27,200 --> 00:29:30,360
because you're going to need to capitalize on those opportunities.

538
00:29:30,360 --> 00:29:33,720
Don't you guys think we're just Debbie Downers this whole time?

539
00:29:33,720 --> 00:29:37,520
So well listen I've loved watching Pitt all season.

540
00:29:37,520 --> 00:29:42,620
I think they're the best team in the NCAA if they show up and play.

541
00:29:42,620 --> 00:29:44,800
I'm a huge Stafford fan.

542
00:29:44,800 --> 00:29:49,640
I just don't think she had her best game in that match and I think that they're going

543
00:29:49,640 --> 00:29:50,640
to win.

544
00:29:50,640 --> 00:29:53,360
I still think they're going to win but these are the things in my opinion that they're

545
00:29:53,360 --> 00:29:55,640
going to have to do to be successful.

546
00:29:55,640 --> 00:29:59,040
Like you said Fairbanks runs the middle off the net.

547
00:29:59,040 --> 00:30:01,640
She's one of the best in the country at it.

548
00:30:01,640 --> 00:30:04,840
Olivia Babcock is solid.

549
00:30:04,840 --> 00:30:09,720
She's another example of that traditional right side go to hitter mentality.

550
00:30:09,720 --> 00:30:15,120
She does not tab like she is coming at you which I have so much respect for.

551
00:30:15,120 --> 00:30:18,280
So you know hopefully they'll they'll show up.

552
00:30:18,280 --> 00:30:21,720
I'm looking forward to seeing them play on Thursday for sure.

553
00:30:21,720 --> 00:30:26,360
All right Stanford Louisville hit me with your thoughts.

554
00:30:26,360 --> 00:30:30,520
We were pretty worried about Louisville after the UNI match last week.

555
00:30:30,520 --> 00:30:37,680
But I will say it was a completely different team this weekend like I was very pleasantly

556
00:30:37,680 --> 00:30:39,880
surprised with the team that showed up.

557
00:30:39,880 --> 00:30:44,960
I mean we watched both of their matches but Stanford in particular I thought their middles

558
00:30:44,960 --> 00:30:46,520
particularly P.K.

559
00:30:46,520 --> 00:30:48,560
Kong played outstanding.

560
00:30:48,560 --> 00:30:54,200
I thought they ran their middles offensively a lot more than we have seen and they were

561
00:30:54,200 --> 00:30:56,800
more effective than we have seen.

562
00:30:56,800 --> 00:31:01,120
I think Anna De Beer was steady solid as usual.

563
00:31:01,120 --> 00:31:06,760
You know the usual suspects played well but the big difference maker for me in the elevated

564
00:31:06,760 --> 00:31:12,600
performance was how involved the middles were on both sides of the ball.

565
00:31:12,600 --> 00:31:19,040
I also thought that Maldonado Diaz had a really had a really good game and she's not usually

566
00:31:19,040 --> 00:31:22,580
somebody they rely on in that regard.

567
00:31:22,580 --> 00:31:25,320
She hit three eighty five on twenty six sets.

568
00:31:25,320 --> 00:31:26,440
She was very good.

569
00:31:26,440 --> 00:31:27,720
She was reliable.

570
00:31:27,720 --> 00:31:32,280
It felt like Stanford was willing to let her beat them.

571
00:31:32,280 --> 00:31:36,100
Like when you're game planning for a team you go OK we're going to we're going to focus

572
00:31:36,100 --> 00:31:40,960
on this player we're going to focus on that player and you kind of leave one player and

573
00:31:40,960 --> 00:31:45,360
you know from a coach mentality you're thinking you know if she beats us she beats us.

574
00:31:45,360 --> 00:31:50,560
And I kind of felt like that was the role that Maldonado Diaz fell into and she rose

575
00:31:50,560 --> 00:31:51,560
to the occasion.

576
00:31:51,560 --> 00:31:52,560
I thought she was really good.

577
00:31:52,560 --> 00:31:57,400
I agree she was pretty quiet in the first set but really stepped up in sets two three

578
00:31:57,400 --> 00:31:58,400
and four.

579
00:31:58,400 --> 00:32:03,880
I mean again last week we said if Louisville wants to do well moving forward they're going

580
00:32:03,880 --> 00:32:07,920
to need better production from their right sides and their middles are going to have

581
00:32:07,920 --> 00:32:09,160
to be used more.

582
00:32:09,160 --> 00:32:10,160
And they did that.

583
00:32:10,160 --> 00:32:16,600
Stanford and Louisville kind of switched passing abilities in set one.

584
00:32:16,600 --> 00:32:21,520
Stanford was passing very very well putting a lot of pressure on Louisville with their

585
00:32:21,520 --> 00:32:25,600
serve and then in set two that completely flip flopped.

586
00:32:25,600 --> 00:32:27,600
Louisville started passing really well.

587
00:32:27,600 --> 00:32:30,040
Stanford their server see completely fell apart.

588
00:32:30,040 --> 00:32:31,040
The wheels fell off.

589
00:32:31,040 --> 00:32:35,280
Louisville was just like flip flop from set one and two and like to Louisville's credit

590
00:32:35,280 --> 00:32:37,920
they maintained it in sets three and four.

591
00:32:37,920 --> 00:32:43,920
Yeah I felt like here you take one we'll take one and I will play a best of three and Louisville

592
00:32:43,920 --> 00:32:46,680
just kept the momentum rolling after that second set.

593
00:32:46,680 --> 00:32:49,160
I thought Stanford looked great in set one.

594
00:32:49,160 --> 00:32:50,840
They got their middles going.

595
00:32:50,840 --> 00:32:52,880
Sammy Francis was on fire.

596
00:32:52,880 --> 00:32:54,360
She was scoring well.

597
00:32:54,360 --> 00:32:59,440
Elia Rubin and E. Park Hurt were great.

598
00:32:59,440 --> 00:33:05,440
And like I said passing was outstanding amazing connection with the setter and then the wheels

599
00:33:05,440 --> 00:33:07,640
just fell off.

600
00:33:07,640 --> 00:33:09,680
Well let's let's talk about this.

601
00:33:09,680 --> 00:33:15,880
We've we've discussed this and I almost hate to talk about this because I have the utmost

602
00:33:15,880 --> 00:33:17,800
respect for Cammie Miner.

603
00:33:17,800 --> 00:33:24,560
But you alluded to it in their semifinal match about her not being able to connect with her

604
00:33:24,560 --> 00:33:26,840
hitters out of system.

605
00:33:26,840 --> 00:33:30,580
And I think we saw a lot of that in that Louisville match.

606
00:33:30,580 --> 00:33:34,000
It started in the second set when the passing broke down.

607
00:33:34,000 --> 00:33:36,480
And for me it never got better.

608
00:33:36,480 --> 00:33:43,400
They looked like they were trying to push tempo all match no matter what happened.

609
00:33:43,400 --> 00:33:47,880
And I'm not sure if this is game plan or I'm not sure if it's what they practice all the

610
00:33:47,880 --> 00:33:51,880
time or they're just not used to being that far out of system.

611
00:33:51,880 --> 00:33:57,760
But it looked to me like the outside hitters never had any options at a system.

612
00:33:57,760 --> 00:34:02,520
Louisville would set two blocks up and the ball would come in so fast they just had to

613
00:34:02,520 --> 00:34:06,320
make contact and they couldn't go sharp angle they couldn't go down the line.

614
00:34:06,320 --> 00:34:09,280
It was you know swing and hope for the best.

615
00:34:09,280 --> 00:34:15,720
And that's the first time I've watched her set and been disappointed.

616
00:34:15,720 --> 00:34:18,520
And I hate I hate to say that because she's a senior.

617
00:34:18,520 --> 00:34:19,760
She's been great all season.

618
00:34:19,760 --> 00:34:20,760
She's a leader.

619
00:34:20,760 --> 00:34:23,360
I just didn't think she executed.

620
00:34:23,360 --> 00:34:26,320
We're equal opportunists when it comes to critiques.

621
00:34:26,320 --> 00:34:29,840
So I'm sorry Cammy you're not immune.

622
00:34:29,840 --> 00:34:31,040
Yeah I love her too.

623
00:34:31,040 --> 00:34:33,080
I think she's a great setter.

624
00:34:33,080 --> 00:34:34,160
I have a lot of respect for her.

625
00:34:34,160 --> 00:34:36,240
I still I love her.

626
00:34:36,240 --> 00:34:39,400
That pace that she was pushing to the outside.

627
00:34:39,400 --> 00:34:44,120
You know what it has worked for them up to this point but you just saw they looked like

628
00:34:44,120 --> 00:34:47,820
they were kind of dying inside a little bit.

629
00:34:47,820 --> 00:34:54,900
And when you've got your the Louisville middles like working like that that's tough.

630
00:34:54,900 --> 00:35:00,920
And I think it kind of translated even when the pass was good and there weren't many but

631
00:35:00,920 --> 00:35:07,640
even when they were finding themselves in system the sets looked low to the middle.

632
00:35:07,640 --> 00:35:08,640
They looked low.

633
00:35:08,640 --> 00:35:15,360
The Sammy Francis Cammy Minor connection disappeared like that's when I knew things were bad was

634
00:35:15,360 --> 00:35:21,040
when it just like nobody could seem to get a feel for it.

635
00:35:21,040 --> 00:35:26,320
What was strange it looked like they were running Sammy really close to the setter when

636
00:35:26,320 --> 00:35:31,800
she was running the slide and normally I've seen them push her out to the antenna or use

637
00:35:31,800 --> 00:35:36,280
different locations to try and spread and open the block and she just didn't seem to

638
00:35:36,280 --> 00:35:37,560
know where to go.

639
00:35:37,560 --> 00:35:41,520
If the ball was off she couldn't go as far as she wanted to or there was no connection

640
00:35:41,520 --> 00:35:42,520
there.

641
00:35:42,520 --> 00:35:44,800
I mean it's definitely not all Miners fault.

642
00:35:44,800 --> 00:35:50,600
They did not pass well they didn't put her in a position to be successful but I think

643
00:35:50,600 --> 00:35:55,620
when you watch really good setters they're able to put their hitters in good situations

644
00:35:55,620 --> 00:36:01,440
even when the pass isn't great and in my opinion that didn't really happen in this match.

645
00:36:01,440 --> 00:36:05,680
And I mean we talked about it last time Louisville and Stanford played how it looked like Stanford

646
00:36:05,680 --> 00:36:12,840
was varying the locations of their offense or along the net for everybody and unfortunately

647
00:36:12,840 --> 00:36:17,240
I don't think they got into enough of a passing rhythm in sets two through four to be able

648
00:36:17,240 --> 00:36:20,280
to you know try that again.

649
00:36:20,280 --> 00:36:27,320
But yeah when things are going bad you should especially when the middle blockers for Louisville

650
00:36:27,320 --> 00:36:33,480
are so big and they're so effective blocking like spread it like make them move don't allow

651
00:36:33,480 --> 00:36:38,520
the blockers to bunch and not have to make any decisions or movement like you want to

652
00:36:38,520 --> 00:36:44,420
create that movement to open things up and you didn't really see that and honestly another

653
00:36:44,420 --> 00:36:50,320
thing that really frustrated me is how many Stanford did get a bunch of digs but how many

654
00:36:50,320 --> 00:36:55,080
free balls they put back over the net after those digs like they weren't even able to

655
00:36:55,080 --> 00:37:00,760
put their hitters in a position to swing in transition and that was so frustrating to

656
00:37:00,760 --> 00:37:01,760
watch.

657
00:37:01,760 --> 00:37:04,980
They just didn't look cohesive in this match.

658
00:37:04,980 --> 00:37:10,640
It just seemed like everybody was on a different page when they were in system it wasn't clicking

659
00:37:10,640 --> 00:37:15,080
that didn't happen very often when they were out of system hitters were early or didn't

660
00:37:15,080 --> 00:37:17,140
know what tempo to expect.

661
00:37:17,140 --> 00:37:20,800
They just never looked like they were all on the same page.

662
00:37:20,800 --> 00:37:27,080
And then to flip that Louisville kind of looked like that in the first set but completely

663
00:37:27,080 --> 00:37:30,000
cleaned it up in sets two through four.

664
00:37:30,000 --> 00:37:32,100
They wanted to play that final four at home.

665
00:37:32,100 --> 00:37:37,280
They learned they had a really rough time last weekend they learned their lesson and

666
00:37:37,280 --> 00:37:40,800
they completely cleaned it up and I think that that's great.

667
00:37:40,800 --> 00:37:45,020
Yeah you definitely saw and I think this is kudos to the beer.

668
00:37:45,020 --> 00:37:47,480
She calmed them down.

669
00:37:47,480 --> 00:37:50,540
She didn't have the best match offensively.

670
00:37:50,540 --> 00:37:59,400
She only hit say only 200 on 45 swings but she got all of the junk and she was expected

671
00:37:59,400 --> 00:38:05,120
to take care of it and I think that that lessened the load on the other hit other hitters because

672
00:38:05,120 --> 00:38:08,800
you saw Maldonado Diaz go 385.

673
00:38:08,800 --> 00:38:12,560
You saw Charity Looper go 346.

674
00:38:12,560 --> 00:38:16,880
To me her leadership the presence that she brought the calmness that she brought after

675
00:38:16,880 --> 00:38:22,800
that first set and then she had some great plays defensively passing wise offensively

676
00:38:22,800 --> 00:38:25,700
in big moments she executed.

677
00:38:25,700 --> 00:38:28,880
She is very good at finding those hands.

678
00:38:28,880 --> 00:38:31,200
Little struggles from the service line but we'll let that go.

679
00:38:31,200 --> 00:38:32,200
We will let that go.

680
00:38:32,200 --> 00:38:38,880
You know I think if this is the Pitt the Louisville team that shows up next weekend or on Thursday

681
00:38:38,880 --> 00:38:41,500
I think we can expect a great match.

682
00:38:41,500 --> 00:38:42,880
I think so too.

683
00:38:42,880 --> 00:38:48,220
I think if both teams play well Pitt is better.

684
00:38:48,220 --> 00:38:52,720
They need to be able to do that and both teams have been up and down.

685
00:38:52,720 --> 00:38:56,600
Both teams had pretty convincing wins in that last round.

686
00:38:56,600 --> 00:38:59,480
Pitt had to fight through to find theirs.

687
00:38:59,480 --> 00:39:04,960
Louisville lost the first set came back but I think part of what you said to me was you

688
00:39:04,960 --> 00:39:08,240
know there's a lot of pressure to make it to the final four.

689
00:39:08,240 --> 00:39:14,040
I think we're going to see a little bit more freedom on the court and I think this is going

690
00:39:14,040 --> 00:39:15,840
to be a great match.

691
00:39:15,840 --> 00:39:20,120
I think there was a lot of pressure on Louisville particularly hosting the final four to actually

692
00:39:20,120 --> 00:39:26,000
be there and I think you know that is kind of what we saw in week one of the tournament

693
00:39:26,000 --> 00:39:35,080
and I think they learned to embrace that pressure this week and I think now we'll see the reins

694
00:39:35,080 --> 00:39:40,520
off and they're just going to be free because like mission accomplished they made it and

695
00:39:40,520 --> 00:39:45,560
I know every team that is going to be playing on Thursday like their goal is to bring home

696
00:39:45,560 --> 00:39:53,040
the national championship but you know Louisville did what they needed to do in being there.

697
00:39:53,040 --> 00:39:56,320
So I think they will definitely be playing free.

698
00:39:56,320 --> 00:40:02,600
I think the key for Louisville next week is whether they can get point production from

699
00:40:02,600 --> 00:40:04,160
their right sides.

700
00:40:04,160 --> 00:40:10,000
All right all right let's take a look at Nebraska versus Wisconsin.

701
00:40:10,000 --> 00:40:11,600
What were your thoughts?

702
00:40:11,600 --> 00:40:14,240
I was disappointed.

703
00:40:14,240 --> 00:40:16,960
I feel like everybody's going to be so mad at us they're going to be like you guys were

704
00:40:16,960 --> 00:40:18,360
so negative this week.

705
00:40:18,360 --> 00:40:19,360
I'm sorry.

706
00:40:19,360 --> 00:40:25,560
Well I know I think that there were a lot of a lot of good individual efforts but I

707
00:40:25,560 --> 00:40:31,440
think there's a lot of pressure and I think my expectations for the games were really

708
00:40:31,440 --> 00:40:32,920
high.

709
00:40:32,920 --> 00:40:39,360
Nebraska had kind of walked all over Wisconsin all year and I was expecting a response.

710
00:40:39,360 --> 00:40:44,240
I was expecting this match to go to five and it definitely did not.

711
00:40:44,240 --> 00:40:49,960
I was expecting at least better than what was put on the court.

712
00:40:49,960 --> 00:40:53,120
I will say that was a very hard match to watch.

713
00:40:53,120 --> 00:40:55,360
Let's start with the bright spots though.

714
00:40:55,360 --> 00:41:00,560
I think Taylor Landfair was a bright spot.

715
00:41:00,560 --> 00:41:05,120
You know we've been talking about that second left side position for Nebraska has kind of

716
00:41:05,120 --> 00:41:07,240
been a struggle all season.

717
00:41:07,240 --> 00:41:12,740
We didn't know what was going to happen in conference play etc. but when it mattered

718
00:41:12,740 --> 00:41:14,880
the second left side position showed up.

719
00:41:14,880 --> 00:41:16,320
She picked a good time.

720
00:41:16,320 --> 00:41:18,800
Absolutely and she's going to need to keep going.

721
00:41:18,800 --> 00:41:21,980
I thought offensively she was very good.

722
00:41:21,980 --> 00:41:25,740
She hit 267 and got 30 sets.

723
00:41:25,740 --> 00:41:28,300
She was making good aggressive swings.

724
00:41:28,300 --> 00:41:30,960
She was smart when she needed to be.

725
00:41:30,960 --> 00:41:33,020
I was really impressed.

726
00:41:33,020 --> 00:41:38,760
I think that was yeah I was really happy to see that come together for her.

727
00:41:38,760 --> 00:41:45,360
I think Nebraska's defense was I mean it's always a staple for them but I thought that

728
00:41:45,360 --> 00:41:47,360
it was relentless.

729
00:41:47,360 --> 00:41:53,280
I'm going to go into broadcaster mode and I'm going to say Nebraska's defense was world

730
00:41:53,280 --> 00:41:54,280
class.

731
00:41:54,280 --> 00:41:55,280
It was world class.

732
00:41:55,280 --> 00:41:56,280
I agree.

733
00:41:56,280 --> 00:41:57,280
It was so good.

734
00:41:57,280 --> 00:42:00,120
They don't let the ball hit the floor.

735
00:42:00,120 --> 00:42:02,040
Defense is an attitude baby.

736
00:42:02,040 --> 00:42:08,920
I couldn't agree more and it's actually so fun to watch them play defense.

737
00:42:08,920 --> 00:42:13,840
They throw their bodies all over the place and throwing their bodies all over the place

738
00:42:13,840 --> 00:42:19,480
is the fun part as a spectator to watch but the thing that I really like watching from

739
00:42:19,480 --> 00:42:24,680
a volleyball perspective is how connected their block and defense is.

740
00:42:24,680 --> 00:42:30,300
How well positioned their back row courts are based on the situation that's going on

741
00:42:30,300 --> 00:42:35,460
based on whether the block is closed based on the hitters tendencies.

742
00:42:35,460 --> 00:42:41,520
It's a symphony out there and how well they work together and sometimes you get a ricochet

743
00:42:41,520 --> 00:42:44,560
touch and they chase it down and they go again.

744
00:42:44,560 --> 00:42:47,020
It's amazing to watch.

745
00:42:47,020 --> 00:42:52,080
Block defense is a system and the best teams in the world I don't care if you're playing

746
00:42:52,080 --> 00:42:59,100
indoor I don't care if you're playing beach the best teams in the world their block defense

747
00:42:59,100 --> 00:43:01,620
is like you said a symphony.

748
00:43:01,620 --> 00:43:04,160
They are completely in sync.

749
00:43:04,160 --> 00:43:05,680
They're in the same wavelength.

750
00:43:05,680 --> 00:43:08,160
They know exactly what their responsibilities are.

751
00:43:08,160 --> 00:43:10,680
They don't try to try to do more than that.

752
00:43:10,680 --> 00:43:16,460
They will perform their duties to the best of their ability and then even more should

753
00:43:16,460 --> 00:43:20,120
they need to and I think it was beautiful.

754
00:43:20,120 --> 00:43:25,240
I think the defense doesn't get enough credit for the pressure it puts hitters under.

755
00:43:25,240 --> 00:43:32,080
I was watching Wisconsin's hitters go up time and time again and have to take big rips and

756
00:43:32,080 --> 00:43:38,080
big swings and they couldn't score they couldn't get the ball to hit the floor and that is

757
00:43:38,080 --> 00:43:44,000
wearing as a hitter to have to work so hard to score one point and I think it needs to

758
00:43:44,000 --> 00:43:50,000
be acknowledged that their defense is a nightmare for hitters to hit against especially when

759
00:43:50,000 --> 00:43:51,240
they're not in system.

760
00:43:51,240 --> 00:43:55,760
If they know they have two of four hitters two of three hitters available and their block

761
00:43:55,760 --> 00:43:59,120
is set they're a very difficult team to score against.

762
00:43:59,120 --> 00:44:03,280
I think another bright spot from the match was I think Charlie Furbringer did a pretty

763
00:44:03,280 --> 00:44:04,280
good job.

764
00:44:04,280 --> 00:44:10,420
I think her serving was very good that one-to-one serve.

765
00:44:10,420 --> 00:44:12,240
She digs a lot of balls.

766
00:44:12,240 --> 00:44:18,900
I think that she did a good job and her connection with Carter Booth has improved particularly

767
00:44:18,900 --> 00:44:25,880
in the last month or so and you could see that she was trying to run the middle more

768
00:44:25,880 --> 00:44:31,160
which I really appreciate so I think that was a positive.

769
00:44:31,160 --> 00:44:38,100
And I would say watching her in this tournament I can understand why she was the top ranked

770
00:44:38,100 --> 00:44:40,280
setter coming in this year.

771
00:44:40,280 --> 00:44:45,760
I think her all-around game is very good like you mentioned her serving she was their best

772
00:44:45,760 --> 00:44:51,840
server in my opinion defensively she does a really good job of reading hit versus tip

773
00:44:51,840 --> 00:44:53,120
and picking balls up.

774
00:44:53,120 --> 00:44:59,400
I thought she was pushing her team from an effort standpoint which probably shouldn't

775
00:44:59,400 --> 00:45:04,000
be the case because she's a freshman you want your seniors to step up in that case.

776
00:45:04,000 --> 00:45:09,960
Wisconsin did not make it easy for her I don't think they passed particularly well so you

777
00:45:09,960 --> 00:45:14,720
know kudos kudos to her I've definitely seen an improvement in her from the beginning of

778
00:45:14,720 --> 00:45:20,840
the season to now and that's all you can ask for I would agree with you I think well done.

779
00:45:20,840 --> 00:45:28,040
Okay let's be real now so as in sync as Nebraska's block defense was I was really scratching my

780
00:45:28,040 --> 00:45:35,040
head about Wisconsin's block defense I think in particular what their zone six defender

781
00:45:35,040 --> 00:45:40,720
was doing so when Charlie Furbringer was in the front row the Nebraska attackers were

782
00:45:40,720 --> 00:45:49,240
really working to go high line line seam kind of looking for that one six seam and then

783
00:45:49,240 --> 00:45:54,600
when she wasn't or when there was the bigger block in the front row they were really looking

784
00:45:54,600 --> 00:46:00,020
to go for that deep corner obviously they threw some tips down in the middle but like

785
00:46:00,020 --> 00:46:05,160
deep corner or the five six seam what was what it looked like they were trying to aim

786
00:46:05,160 --> 00:46:07,200
for with their attacks.

787
00:46:07,200 --> 00:46:11,260
The position six defender just sat in six the whole time.

788
00:46:11,260 --> 00:46:17,800
There was no situational awareness there was no adjustment there was no putting yourself

789
00:46:17,800 --> 00:46:21,320
in a position to have the best probability to dig the ball.

790
00:46:21,320 --> 00:46:26,400
If teams are going over Charlie whether it's Landfair who is really going for that deep

791
00:46:26,400 --> 00:46:32,200
corner consistently or Murray put zone six a little shaded in the seam of the block and

792
00:46:32,200 --> 00:46:38,640
drag your libero back to that deep corner and bring your front row off blocker a little

793
00:46:38,640 --> 00:46:43,100
deeper to the ten foot line there you go and then you have a player come closer up for

794
00:46:43,100 --> 00:46:49,520
tips to cover the donut and then if they're going for the corner like you can just shift

795
00:46:49,520 --> 00:46:54,440
other ways but the zone six defender was just sitting there doing nothing.

796
00:46:54,440 --> 00:46:59,440
I mean we don't have the greatest view on TV to be able to see how the defenses are

797
00:46:59,440 --> 00:47:06,800
moving in situations I always prefer to watch a match from the back of the court but I didn't

798
00:47:06,800 --> 00:47:12,840
notice any adjustments defensively as to what they were doing or the strategy or trying

799
00:47:12,840 --> 00:47:14,240
to take things away.

800
00:47:14,240 --> 00:47:15,240
I was confused.

801
00:47:15,240 --> 00:47:21,160
Well and I'm sorry I will Harper Murray had a great weekend she played very well.

802
00:47:21,160 --> 00:47:22,160
Absolutely.

803
00:47:22,160 --> 00:47:29,400
But if in the course of a rally if she gets set multiple times she mixes up her shots

804
00:47:29,400 --> 00:47:33,480
she if she gets set four times in a rally she's not hitting all four balls.

805
00:47:33,480 --> 00:47:38,240
She will throw a tip down she'll roll shot into the middle like she'll alternate sometimes

806
00:47:38,240 --> 00:47:43,520
but like it's like they were surprised whenever that happened and the number of roll shots

807
00:47:43,520 --> 00:47:45,840
that she hit that just hit the ground with nobody there.

808
00:47:45,840 --> 00:47:52,040
I was like she varies her attack she very rarely does the same thing three times in

809
00:47:52,040 --> 00:47:53,040
a row.

810
00:47:53,040 --> 00:47:58,560
It seemed everybody had their own individual responsibility on players but it wasn't working

811
00:47:58,560 --> 00:48:04,320
together and I'm not sure whether that's because their block is generally so big or what the

812
00:48:04,320 --> 00:48:09,320
thought process was but it wasn't cohesive and it was a stark difference to what you

813
00:48:09,320 --> 00:48:10,880
saw on the other side of the net.

814
00:48:10,880 --> 00:48:13,120
Two more things let me know what you think.

815
00:48:13,120 --> 00:48:19,600
Number one both right sides for me in Beeson and Smrak not good.

816
00:48:19,600 --> 00:48:24,800
Beeson I think has struggled since the PVF draft if I'm being honest and this NCAA tournament

817
00:48:24,800 --> 00:48:28,760
she has like been on one like she has disappeared for me.

818
00:48:28,760 --> 00:48:32,840
Do you think that's a direct correlation or just a random coincidence?

819
00:48:32,840 --> 00:48:33,840
I don't know.

820
00:48:33,840 --> 00:48:38,440
I hope it's a random coincidence and then Smrak like sure her hitting numbers look okay

821
00:48:38,440 --> 00:48:44,320
but like the number she was a drill killer and what I mean is like there were so many

822
00:48:44,320 --> 00:48:49,980
long rallies that ended with her passing a free ball over the net.

823
00:48:49,980 --> 00:48:52,000
We're talking volleyball 101 here.

824
00:48:52,000 --> 00:48:57,440
The big difference that I noticed in that match is when Nebraska was in trouble if they

825
00:48:57,440 --> 00:49:01,840
were forced to tip if they were forced to give a free ball they gave it to Anna Smrak

826
00:49:01,840 --> 00:49:07,540
because she has zero ball control and they were getting balls sent right back into their

827
00:49:07,540 --> 00:49:08,800
blockers hands.

828
00:49:08,800 --> 00:49:13,880
Wisconsin when they were in trouble they were just tipping over the block down the line.

829
00:49:13,880 --> 00:49:16,840
Tip it to Taylor Landfair you guys.

830
00:49:16,840 --> 00:49:19,680
The girl doesn't move on defense.

831
00:49:19,680 --> 00:49:20,680
She's very often.

832
00:49:20,680 --> 00:49:26,520
If there is any liability or a weak spot in the Nebraska defense it is Taylor Landfair

833
00:49:26,520 --> 00:49:27,840
I'm sorry.

834
00:49:27,840 --> 00:49:33,160
They did not give her any free ball they did not make her move for a tip one time and let

835
00:49:33,160 --> 00:49:36,200
me tell you Nebraska's plan was not by accident.

836
00:49:36,200 --> 00:49:42,520
You need to have an offensive plan against Nebraska because they are so disciplined.

837
00:49:42,520 --> 00:49:47,900
They don't have many holes but you have to be able to exploit the ones that you can find.

838
00:49:47,900 --> 00:49:53,960
They just didn't do that and I don't know you know again you have a freshman setter.

839
00:49:53,960 --> 00:49:58,620
I don't know if you're just trying to find a rhythm and work it through but again and

840
00:49:58,620 --> 00:50:04,040
I said this the last time they played Nebraska looked prepared to play Wisconsin.

841
00:50:04,040 --> 00:50:09,400
Wisconsin looked like they were all hoping to have career matches individually.

842
00:50:09,400 --> 00:50:12,840
To be fair they did change up their serving strategy.

843
00:50:12,840 --> 00:50:16,720
They didn't just serve to zone one it looked like they challenged Harper.

844
00:50:16,720 --> 00:50:19,120
They were they know I only served Harper.

845
00:50:19,120 --> 00:50:23,400
I'm sorry you can change the strategy but they didn't execute.

846
00:50:23,400 --> 00:50:26,820
They served Harper Murray in the middle third of the court.

847
00:50:26,820 --> 00:50:28,560
They didn't make her move.

848
00:50:28,560 --> 00:50:30,080
I know I said this before.

849
00:50:30,080 --> 00:50:33,480
Harper Murray is not a bad passer.

850
00:50:33,480 --> 00:50:37,700
She's just the worst passer on a team of very good passers.

851
00:50:37,700 --> 00:50:43,800
You can't serve her lollipops and expect to get Nebraska out of system.

852
00:50:43,800 --> 00:50:45,080
You've got to challenge her.

853
00:50:45,080 --> 00:50:46,320
You've got to serve her seams.

854
00:50:46,320 --> 00:50:47,720
You've got to move her short deep.

855
00:50:47,720 --> 00:50:51,160
You've got to hit her in the chest and they did not do that.

856
00:50:51,160 --> 00:50:52,520
They served the middle third of the court.

857
00:50:52,520 --> 00:50:56,160
I don't know how many times I watched her just stand there stick her platform out and

858
00:50:56,160 --> 00:50:57,760
go thank you very much.

859
00:50:57,760 --> 00:50:58,760
Run Jackson.

860
00:50:58,760 --> 00:51:02,280
Honestly I was very disappointed.

861
00:51:02,280 --> 00:51:07,100
I think Wisconsin should be embarrassed at that performance.

862
00:51:07,100 --> 00:51:11,760
You got blanked 9-0 on the season set wise to Nebraska.

863
00:51:11,760 --> 00:51:18,520
I think part of it for me coming into this match was you have how many seniors on that

864
00:51:18,520 --> 00:51:20,920
team the whole team pretty much.

865
00:51:20,920 --> 00:51:22,280
You've lost.

866
00:51:22,280 --> 00:51:24,860
You got swept twice in the season.

867
00:51:24,860 --> 00:51:28,240
I was expecting a little more.

868
00:51:28,240 --> 00:51:30,080
I'm not going to say what I was going to say.

869
00:51:30,080 --> 00:51:31,080
Yes.

870
00:51:31,080 --> 00:51:32,080
Pride.

871
00:51:32,080 --> 00:51:35,480
But what I was expecting for me is they came out and they actually started the match pretty

872
00:51:35,480 --> 00:51:36,480
well.

873
00:51:36,480 --> 00:51:42,320
They were up 11-7 in the first set and then you saw hitting error from Franklin, hitting

874
00:51:42,320 --> 00:51:48,320
error from Smrec, overpass from Orzull, 11-10 Nebraska never looked back.

875
00:51:48,320 --> 00:51:57,360
You need your players to execute and make a stop or make a play and it seemed like Nebraska's

876
00:51:57,360 --> 00:52:02,360
team was the only one making the extraordinary plays, winning the long rallies.

877
00:52:02,360 --> 00:52:04,560
We've said it before.

878
00:52:04,560 --> 00:52:08,120
I think Pitt and Nebraska are the two best teams in the country.

879
00:52:08,120 --> 00:52:09,800
I'm not surprised Nebraska won.

880
00:52:09,800 --> 00:52:15,160
I think they were going to win regardless of what Wisconsin team showed up.

881
00:52:15,160 --> 00:52:17,080
I was expecting more fight.

882
00:52:17,080 --> 00:52:18,080
Absolutely.

883
00:52:18,080 --> 00:52:21,760
But I think the better team is moving on.

884
00:52:21,760 --> 00:52:28,120
Now our last match and the reason we are recording this at 10 p.m. on Sunday night.

885
00:52:28,120 --> 00:52:29,880
Yay.

886
00:52:29,880 --> 00:52:34,920
Probably the most exciting regional final match was the we saved for last.

887
00:52:34,920 --> 00:52:38,200
Penn State versus Creighton went five.

888
00:52:38,200 --> 00:52:44,480
I thought this had a little bit of a Louisville match field tour where they went, okay, you

889
00:52:44,480 --> 00:52:45,600
take the first set.

890
00:52:45,600 --> 00:52:49,220
We'll take the second set and then we'll play for real.

891
00:52:49,220 --> 00:52:52,760
It definitely was another flip flop situation for sure.

892
00:52:52,760 --> 00:52:55,320
We saw Creighton struggle to pass in set one.

893
00:52:55,320 --> 00:52:57,200
They made a ton of errors.

894
00:52:57,200 --> 00:52:59,840
Norris could not get going at all.

895
00:52:59,840 --> 00:53:04,040
And then in set two, the opposite happened.

896
00:53:04,040 --> 00:53:05,560
Literal opposite.

897
00:53:05,560 --> 00:53:07,840
And then it was a game.

898
00:53:07,840 --> 00:53:12,120
So I thought we'll talk a little bit about the first two sets even though they just kind

899
00:53:12,120 --> 00:53:13,120
of switched.

900
00:53:13,120 --> 00:53:17,040
I thought the set selection for Creighton was really strange to start the match.

901
00:53:17,040 --> 00:53:22,900
I know they didn't pass well, but they ran five or six back row balls almost right off

902
00:53:22,900 --> 00:53:24,060
the hop.

903
00:53:24,060 --> 00:53:29,100
And I will tell you, as a hitter, that's not fun.

904
00:53:29,100 --> 00:53:33,180
You want to find a little rhythm in the front row before you start getting yost back row

905
00:53:33,180 --> 00:53:36,520
balls that you have to score on against a good team.

906
00:53:36,520 --> 00:53:38,120
It's a tough way to start.

907
00:53:38,120 --> 00:53:40,620
It was definitely an interesting strategy to start.

908
00:53:40,620 --> 00:53:43,200
And it was Ava Martin in the back row too.

909
00:53:43,200 --> 00:53:44,200
Maybe that is what contributed.

910
00:53:44,200 --> 00:53:49,120
And when Norris says was in the front row, maybe that contributed to her hitting struggles.

911
00:53:49,120 --> 00:53:50,120
Who knows?

912
00:53:50,120 --> 00:53:53,520
Hey, I'm in the front row, but just don't set me.

913
00:53:53,520 --> 00:53:54,520
Where are we going?

914
00:53:54,520 --> 00:53:55,520
Thanks so much.

915
00:53:55,520 --> 00:53:56,520
Yeah.

916
00:53:56,520 --> 00:53:59,440
That was something that stuck out to me early on watching the match thinking, oh, that's

917
00:53:59,440 --> 00:54:00,440
tough.

918
00:54:00,440 --> 00:54:03,520
Honestly, like I said, Norris has had struggles.

919
00:54:03,520 --> 00:54:08,000
She didn't really come out of it the whole match, I thought.

920
00:54:08,000 --> 00:54:09,840
No, she was awash.

921
00:54:09,840 --> 00:54:12,080
She hit zero on the night.

922
00:54:12,080 --> 00:54:17,800
She was eight kills, eight errors on, I think, 33 sets.

923
00:54:17,800 --> 00:54:21,320
She needed to be better for them to have a chance to win this game.

924
00:54:21,320 --> 00:54:24,160
I thought Ava Martin did okay.

925
00:54:24,160 --> 00:54:25,160
But only okay.

926
00:54:25,160 --> 00:54:28,120
I think all of their hitters only did okay.

927
00:54:28,120 --> 00:54:30,860
And did their one middle get any sets at all?

928
00:54:30,860 --> 00:54:32,640
So let me break this down.

929
00:54:32,640 --> 00:54:36,760
We got Ava Martin had 53 swings, hit 132.

930
00:54:36,760 --> 00:54:39,000
Norris says we talked about her.

931
00:54:39,000 --> 00:54:46,120
Jaya Johnson actually had the best match of the team hitting 261, but only had 23 sets.

932
00:54:46,120 --> 00:54:50,600
Like across the board, their numbers were not amazing and their team hitting percentage

933
00:54:50,600 --> 00:54:51,880
was not very good.

934
00:54:51,880 --> 00:54:56,600
Yeah, their one middle, Kiara Reinhart hit less than 100 as a middle.

935
00:54:56,600 --> 00:54:57,840
Yeah, not the best.

936
00:54:57,840 --> 00:55:00,800
I'm honestly shocked that this even went five sets.

937
00:55:00,800 --> 00:55:03,800
But Penn State didn't really show up either.

938
00:55:03,800 --> 00:55:05,960
I thought Cameron Hanna really struggled.

939
00:55:05,960 --> 00:55:10,280
Yeah, Jess Merzick won them that match, in my opinion.

940
00:55:10,280 --> 00:55:13,280
Jura Vicious like held her own.

941
00:55:13,280 --> 00:55:14,600
I thought she did okay.

942
00:55:14,600 --> 00:55:16,960
Yeah, she hit just under 300.

943
00:55:16,960 --> 00:55:17,960
But she did good for her.

944
00:55:17,960 --> 00:55:19,560
Those are good numbers for her, I think.

945
00:55:19,560 --> 00:55:26,080
She only got 24 sets in five sets, which I mean, again, she was good when she got the

946
00:55:26,080 --> 00:55:27,960
ball, but they didn't set her a ton.

947
00:55:27,960 --> 00:55:31,080
Creighton just kept the ball alive.

948
00:55:31,080 --> 00:55:34,660
They just their defense was outstanding.

949
00:55:34,660 --> 00:55:37,700
They kept the ball off the floor.

950
00:55:37,700 --> 00:55:39,940
And they put up some good block.

951
00:55:39,940 --> 00:55:42,640
I thought they blocked pretty well.

952
00:55:42,640 --> 00:55:47,880
Jess Merzick, when she brought it, Penn State won those sets.

953
00:55:47,880 --> 00:55:51,280
She definitely had some up and down moments throughout the match.

954
00:55:51,280 --> 00:55:53,520
Jura Vicious held her own.

955
00:55:53,520 --> 00:55:56,840
But like I said, Cameron Hanna, I think struggled.

956
00:55:56,840 --> 00:56:00,440
Mendelsohn looked like she was on a different planet, got taken out.

957
00:56:00,440 --> 00:56:03,280
Yeah, she watched the game from the sidelines after that.

958
00:56:03,280 --> 00:56:08,520
And honestly, the calmest and most collected player from start to finish for me was Izzy

959
00:56:08,520 --> 00:56:09,520
Stark.

960
00:56:09,520 --> 00:56:10,520
I agree.

961
00:56:10,520 --> 00:56:13,640
And I thought Taylor Trammell did a really good job in that match as well.

962
00:56:13,640 --> 00:56:15,440
But I will say something really interesting.

963
00:56:15,440 --> 00:56:18,200
And we've watched Izzy Stark a ton.

964
00:56:18,200 --> 00:56:20,480
And we both really like her.

965
00:56:20,480 --> 00:56:23,560
First of all, I would just say, I really like watching the ball come out of her hands because

966
00:56:23,560 --> 00:56:27,040
it's so clean and the trajectory is so good.

967
00:56:27,040 --> 00:56:30,040
And it's just fun to watch as a pure aside.

968
00:56:30,040 --> 00:56:33,580
But she puts her hitters in a great spot and she was an offensive threat.

969
00:56:33,580 --> 00:56:36,640
She had 16 attack attempts.

970
00:56:36,640 --> 00:56:43,680
And it's just amazing to see a freshman with so much composure and good decision making.

971
00:56:43,680 --> 00:56:46,720
Creighton gave her opportunities and she said, I'm going to take them.

972
00:56:46,720 --> 00:56:48,080
I don't care who else is there.

973
00:56:48,080 --> 00:56:49,080
You're going to give it to me.

974
00:56:49,080 --> 00:56:50,080
I'm going to take it.

975
00:56:50,080 --> 00:56:51,080
And I thought that was awesome.

976
00:56:51,080 --> 00:56:55,040
Well, I found it interesting because Kendra Waite is the setter that has the reputation

977
00:56:55,040 --> 00:57:00,680
for being so offensive and so like such a threat at the net.

978
00:57:00,680 --> 00:57:05,240
And I wonder if Izzy Stark kind of like put a chip on her shoulder a little bit and was

979
00:57:05,240 --> 00:57:07,720
like, I'll show you.

980
00:57:07,720 --> 00:57:10,640
So I don't obviously don't know Izzy Stark at all.

981
00:57:10,640 --> 00:57:15,920
But just watching her move around the court and watching her interact with her teammates,

982
00:57:15,920 --> 00:57:18,840
I could definitely see that being the case.

983
00:57:18,840 --> 00:57:23,280
I think she undoubtedly won the setter offensive battle.

984
00:57:23,280 --> 00:57:24,280
I totally agree.

985
00:57:24,280 --> 00:57:28,440
I was shocked at how little Waite went on to.

986
00:57:28,440 --> 00:57:35,400
Granted, Creighton did have some passing struggles, particularly as we said, in set one towards

987
00:57:35,400 --> 00:57:37,640
the back half of set four and into set five.

988
00:57:37,640 --> 00:57:39,100
So there was that.

989
00:57:39,100 --> 00:57:42,760
Maybe she didn't have the opportunities that she normally does.

990
00:57:42,760 --> 00:57:47,000
Yeah, I was impressed at seeing Izzy Stark just go for it.

991
00:57:47,000 --> 00:57:48,000
I think it was interesting.

992
00:57:48,000 --> 00:57:50,160
And I think that this plays a role in it.

993
00:57:50,160 --> 00:57:55,920
They kept saying on the broadcast, hey, both of these teams are 30 and two or 32 and two,

994
00:57:55,920 --> 00:57:58,560
whatever the record was, it was the same.

995
00:57:58,560 --> 00:57:59,640
But it's not the same.

996
00:57:59,640 --> 00:58:01,920
It's not the same level of competition.

997
00:58:01,920 --> 00:58:07,200
And granted, you can only take care of what is put in front of you.

998
00:58:07,200 --> 00:58:10,740
When you look at the divisions, Penn State has to beat better teams.

999
00:58:10,740 --> 00:58:14,860
And I think, I don't think it was overall Penn State's cleanest match.

1000
00:58:14,860 --> 00:58:19,140
But in the fifth set, when it came down to it, they knew how to win and how to apply

1001
00:58:19,140 --> 00:58:25,320
pressure and Creighton just doesn't get pushed like that during the season.

1002
00:58:25,320 --> 00:58:27,160
And I think it plays a huge part.

1003
00:58:27,160 --> 00:58:29,040
I think it makes a massive difference.

1004
00:58:29,040 --> 00:58:30,760
And there's nothing Creighton can do about it.

1005
00:58:30,760 --> 00:58:31,760
But it's reality.

1006
00:58:31,760 --> 00:58:33,800
Thank you for saying that.

1007
00:58:33,800 --> 00:58:39,560
I was getting I was like, just shaking my head every time the announcers were like,

1008
00:58:39,560 --> 00:58:43,000
oh, yeah, both of these teams are 32 and two.

1009
00:58:43,000 --> 00:58:46,400
And I'm like, it is a very different 32 and two, you guys.

1010
00:58:46,400 --> 00:58:50,680
Like, I know Creighton had a heavy non-conference schedule.

1011
00:58:50,680 --> 00:58:52,920
Like they beat some very good teams.

1012
00:58:52,920 --> 00:58:55,900
I'm not trying to take that away from them at all.

1013
00:58:55,900 --> 00:58:59,840
They had some huge wins this season against formidable opponents.

1014
00:58:59,840 --> 00:59:04,600
But the in conference play, you cannot compare the big East to the big 10.

1015
00:59:04,600 --> 00:59:05,600
I'm sorry.

1016
00:59:05,600 --> 00:59:07,600
The what?

1017
00:59:07,600 --> 00:59:13,000
The other thing that I was just like, please stop saying this was they were like, oh, Creighton

1018
00:59:13,000 --> 00:59:16,920
has the second highest hitting percentage in the NCAA behind Pitt.

1019
00:59:16,920 --> 00:59:21,600
And I'm like, Lady Pitt plays in the ACC and they have the highest hitting percentage in

1020
00:59:21,600 --> 00:59:22,600
the country.

1021
00:59:22,600 --> 00:59:23,600
Like, what?

1022
00:59:23,600 --> 00:59:26,520
Like, can we not like good for Creighton?

1023
00:59:26,520 --> 00:59:27,520
Like that's awesome.

1024
00:59:27,520 --> 00:59:28,520
Great numbers.

1025
00:59:28,520 --> 00:59:30,800
But like, stop, stop it.

1026
00:59:30,800 --> 00:59:33,040
Moving on from the pet peeves of the match.

1027
00:59:33,040 --> 00:59:36,760
I will say since we're talking about it, I thought the announcer for that match actually

1028
00:59:36,760 --> 00:59:39,320
Paul Sunderland showed out he did awesome.

1029
00:59:39,320 --> 00:59:41,640
I thoroughly enjoyed listening to him.

1030
00:59:41,640 --> 00:59:44,280
He clearly has a volleyball knowledge.

1031
00:59:44,280 --> 00:59:49,320
And I've watched a ton of college volleyball over the last month and a half.

1032
00:59:49,320 --> 00:59:51,760
He's the best one I've heard thus far.

1033
00:59:51,760 --> 00:59:52,760
So kudos to you.

1034
00:59:52,760 --> 00:59:55,240
He was excellent on that play by play.

1035
00:59:55,240 --> 00:59:57,960
Back to the volleyball part.

1036
00:59:57,960 --> 00:59:59,960
I thought it was really interesting.

1037
00:59:59,960 --> 01:00:02,720
Jess Merzik has struggled down the stretch in my opinion.

1038
01:00:02,720 --> 01:00:07,400
I don't think she's played her best volleyball leading into the tournament.

1039
01:00:07,400 --> 01:00:12,160
You know, they've done well enough to win, but you haven't really seen her shine in my

1040
01:00:12,160 --> 01:00:13,160
opinion.

1041
01:00:13,160 --> 01:00:15,520
Well, teams have been putting their whole focus on her.

1042
01:00:15,520 --> 01:00:16,520
So.

1043
01:00:16,520 --> 01:00:17,960
And that happened in this match too.

1044
01:00:17,960 --> 01:00:19,640
They were prepared for her.

1045
01:00:19,640 --> 01:00:22,520
I thought she elevated in this match.

1046
01:00:22,520 --> 01:00:26,560
She you know, some of her teammates didn't have their best matches, you know, and you're

1047
01:00:26,560 --> 01:00:28,500
always going to bounce that out on a team.

1048
01:00:28,500 --> 01:00:32,520
Some people are going to play well, you know, some people aren't but they needed her to

1049
01:00:32,520 --> 01:00:34,120
be great today.

1050
01:00:34,120 --> 01:00:35,120
And she was.

1051
01:00:35,120 --> 01:00:42,280
And she had that angle swing hard in tough situations down pat and she was going for

1052
01:00:42,280 --> 01:00:43,280
it.

1053
01:00:43,280 --> 01:00:44,560
I think I've seen her tip a lot in the last.

1054
01:00:44,560 --> 01:00:50,360
I was just about to jump in and be like she tipped a little too much for me in certain

1055
01:00:50,360 --> 01:00:51,920
situations.

1056
01:00:51,920 --> 01:00:57,480
But when their backs were to the wall, she did not tip and I loved it.

1057
01:00:57,480 --> 01:00:58,480
Okay.

1058
01:00:58,480 --> 01:01:02,120
I know I keep jumping back to Creighton's passing, but after their struggles and set

1059
01:01:02,120 --> 01:01:07,880
one they did make a great adjustment and they moved their whole server safe back and I thought

1060
01:01:07,880 --> 01:01:14,520
their passing picked up substantially in sets two, three and at the beginning of set four.

1061
01:01:14,520 --> 01:01:20,400
I found it interesting that Penn State just kept trying to push that deep serve.

1062
01:01:20,400 --> 01:01:25,440
They didn't try to drop any inshore and I think those would have been really effective

1063
01:01:25,440 --> 01:01:29,100
because like they just kept going back to what was working in set one.

1064
01:01:29,100 --> 01:01:33,960
But I don't think they realized that Creighton had made that adjustment.

1065
01:01:33,960 --> 01:01:38,200
Well I think that's actually more common than you might think.

1066
01:01:38,200 --> 01:01:43,720
A lot of teams go hey we want to drive the passers back, we want to serve deep and flat.

1067
01:01:43,720 --> 01:01:49,680
I'm wondering how many of them are comfortable serving short in those situations and maybe

1068
01:01:49,680 --> 01:01:51,600
the coaching staff didn't pick up on it.

1069
01:01:51,600 --> 01:01:52,960
It's a good observation.

1070
01:01:52,960 --> 01:01:55,320
I'm curious how often they practice that.

1071
01:01:55,320 --> 01:01:56,320
Fair.

1072
01:01:56,320 --> 01:02:01,800
The other thing I noticed was when Jura Vicious was blocking and Izzy Stark was in the back

1073
01:02:01,800 --> 01:02:03,400
row.

1074
01:02:03,400 --> 01:02:11,120
Penn State had Izzy Stark coming under for tips and their position six defender was sliding

1075
01:02:11,120 --> 01:02:18,440
over into the angle leaving a solid third of the court open down the line.

1076
01:02:18,440 --> 01:02:24,700
I kept screaming at my TV just like, tip a quick ball down the line, tip a quick ball

1077
01:02:24,700 --> 01:02:31,000
down the line because they were, Penn State was giving that to the Creighton left sides

1078
01:02:31,000 --> 01:02:35,800
when Stark was in the back row and they did not go for it once.

1079
01:02:35,800 --> 01:02:41,640
They went for a couple line swings when the conditions were right which, but it didn't

1080
01:02:41,640 --> 01:02:42,640
happen.

1081
01:02:42,640 --> 01:02:48,080
Like I just, you just need to do a couple things to reset the defense because like obviously

1082
01:02:48,080 --> 01:02:54,520
Penn State planned, oh Nora Siss, Ava Martin, they like to swing deep angle.

1083
01:02:54,520 --> 01:03:00,040
This is how we're going to set up our defense but all you need to do as an attacker is take

1084
01:03:00,040 --> 01:03:05,760
the open area a couple times to make that defense reset and then you can go back to

1085
01:03:05,760 --> 01:03:09,820
what you love and have it open but they didn't do that.

1086
01:03:09,820 --> 01:03:14,640
So that point that you made and I know we talked about this already about seeing what's

1087
01:03:14,640 --> 01:03:17,640
open and taking it to reset the defense.

1088
01:03:17,640 --> 01:03:19,800
I think Izzy Stark did a really good job of that.

1089
01:03:19,800 --> 01:03:24,680
You saw the blocker shading to the outside when she was in the front row and when she

1090
01:03:24,680 --> 01:03:29,320
saw that movement she would dump or she would attack the ball or she would push one back

1091
01:03:29,320 --> 01:03:33,840
to make the defense reset and open up for her hitters and Creighton had opportunities

1092
01:03:33,840 --> 01:03:36,600
to do that but just didn't follow through.

1093
01:03:36,600 --> 01:03:40,080
I thought Penn State was a little bit up and down throughout the sets.

1094
01:03:40,080 --> 01:03:44,500
It had a little bit of a Wisconsin vibe to me in terms of playing well, kind of letting

1095
01:03:44,500 --> 01:03:46,760
their foot off the gas and Creighton played better.

1096
01:03:46,760 --> 01:03:50,320
When she comes to shove down on the fifth set they had the experience.

1097
01:03:50,320 --> 01:03:52,080
Jess Merzuch really stepped up.

1098
01:03:52,080 --> 01:03:53,080
She played well.

1099
01:03:53,080 --> 01:03:57,200
I really liked what Izzy Stark did and they managed to pull out the win and I mean they

1100
01:03:57,200 --> 01:03:59,040
just beat Nebraska.

1101
01:03:59,040 --> 01:04:05,000
I don't think the odds are in their favor with that matchup coming up on Thursday but

1102
01:04:05,000 --> 01:04:08,720
they're going to be confident because they've just done it and it's a neutral location so

1103
01:04:08,720 --> 01:04:10,560
it could be a very good match if...

1104
01:04:10,560 --> 01:04:13,320
Is it a neutral location though?

1105
01:04:13,320 --> 01:04:15,960
The Nebraska fans travel very well.

1106
01:04:15,960 --> 01:04:19,320
Okay, well it's not the Devaney Center.

1107
01:04:19,320 --> 01:04:22,040
We're on equal ground now.

1108
01:04:22,040 --> 01:04:24,760
Everybody made it to the dance, the big final.

1109
01:04:24,760 --> 01:04:31,600
I think in this particular case it will be interesting to see if landfare can have a

1110
01:04:31,600 --> 01:04:34,280
great match for Nebraska and what happens with Beeson.

1111
01:04:34,280 --> 01:04:36,040
Those are the two question marks for me.

1112
01:04:36,040 --> 01:04:41,120
Otherwise Nebraska is pretty set and standard and you can count on them and it will be interesting

1113
01:04:41,120 --> 01:04:47,160
to see how Penn State does if both Cameron Hanna and Jess Merzuch play well at the same

1114
01:04:47,160 --> 01:04:48,160
time.

1115
01:04:48,160 --> 01:04:50,220
And I'm going to add in another piece.

1116
01:04:50,220 --> 01:04:55,120
We saw last time these two teams played they really focused...

1117
01:04:55,120 --> 01:05:00,240
Nebraska focused their defense on the Penn State outsides, Jess Merzuch in particular.

1118
01:05:00,240 --> 01:05:06,680
Caroline Gervishas and Mendelson going off was not on their bingo card so I'm curious

1119
01:05:06,680 --> 01:05:12,280
A, if those two former Huskers are going to come out with that same attitude and chip

1120
01:05:12,280 --> 01:05:16,520
on their shoulder to prove a point and B, I wonder if...

1121
01:05:16,520 --> 01:05:18,960
I mean they have a few days to prepare.

1122
01:05:18,960 --> 01:05:23,560
I wonder just how in depth they're going to go with their defensive preparation so they're

1123
01:05:23,560 --> 01:05:25,000
not caught off guard again.

1124
01:05:25,000 --> 01:05:29,160
Yeah, Mendelson will need to be better than she was today.

1125
01:05:29,160 --> 01:05:34,320
Their replacement Jordan Hopp did a serviceable job but she hasn't played a ton.

1126
01:05:34,320 --> 01:05:35,600
She doesn't have a lot of experience.

1127
01:05:35,600 --> 01:05:37,560
But Mendelson's going to need to show up.

1128
01:05:37,560 --> 01:05:40,720
So this week might be my favorite week that we've had.

1129
01:05:40,720 --> 01:05:43,600
There was so much good high level volleyball.

1130
01:05:43,600 --> 01:05:48,540
It was really fun to hunker down for four days and just watch matches.

1131
01:05:48,540 --> 01:05:50,640
We're coming to the end of the show.

1132
01:05:50,640 --> 01:05:51,640
We've got the final matches...

1133
01:05:51,640 --> 01:05:52,680
Not the end of the show.

1134
01:05:52,680 --> 01:05:54,980
We're still going to continue the podcast.

1135
01:05:54,980 --> 01:05:59,880
The end of the show being the NCAA Final Four for women's volleyball.

1136
01:05:59,880 --> 01:06:05,700
We're going to see two matches on Thursday and the finals are on Sunday at 3pm Eastern.

1137
01:06:05,700 --> 01:06:08,260
We've got the ACC and the Big Ten.

1138
01:06:08,260 --> 01:06:11,120
It's guaranteed those two conferences will meet.

1139
01:06:11,120 --> 01:06:13,360
On Thursday we'll see Pitt and Louisville.

1140
01:06:13,360 --> 01:06:15,220
I think that's going to be a great match.

1141
01:06:15,220 --> 01:06:17,520
Then we'll see Nebraska play Penn State.

1142
01:06:17,520 --> 01:06:22,020
That one to me could go either way and it could be a really good match.

1143
01:06:22,020 --> 01:06:23,280
So we'll see what happens.

1144
01:06:23,280 --> 01:06:26,160
But I'm looking forward to Thursday and finally on Sunday.

1145
01:06:26,160 --> 01:06:29,560
I think both of these matches have the potential to go the distance.

1146
01:06:29,560 --> 01:06:31,920
I'm hoping for good volleyball.

1147
01:06:31,920 --> 01:06:35,400
You know, we've seen some blowouts.

1148
01:06:35,400 --> 01:06:37,600
I just hope both teams play.

1149
01:06:37,600 --> 01:06:42,260
All teams kind of play to their potential so they can walk off the court proud of themselves

1150
01:06:42,260 --> 01:06:44,000
and with their heads held high.

1151
01:06:44,000 --> 01:06:49,600
But play begins at 6.30pm Eastern time on Thursday so be sure to tune in.

1152
01:06:49,600 --> 01:06:50,720
I am very excited.

1153
01:06:50,720 --> 01:06:55,160
I cannot believe the NCAA women's season is coming to a close.

1154
01:06:55,160 --> 01:06:57,720
But we're going to soak up what's left of it.

1155
01:06:57,720 --> 01:07:00,520
That concludes this week's episode of Volley Talk.

1156
01:07:00,520 --> 01:07:03,860
There's always something shaking in the volleyball world and we hope you enjoyed this

1157
01:07:03,860 --> 01:07:05,040
little fix.

1158
01:07:05,040 --> 01:07:09,400
Be sure to follow the show so you don't miss any updates and we'd be so grateful if you'd

1159
01:07:09,400 --> 01:07:11,600
leave us a five star review.

1160
01:07:11,600 --> 01:07:16,720
You can also find us on Instagram at Volley Talk underscore podcast.

1161
01:07:16,720 --> 01:07:20,360
If you have a topic that you want us to discuss, be sure to let us know by reaching out on

1162
01:07:20,360 --> 01:07:24,680
Instagram or at info at Sarah pavin dot com.

1163
01:07:24,680 --> 01:07:27,800
Thanks so much for joining us and we will be back next week.