NCAA Volleyball Tournament Rounds 1 and 2 Deliver Excitement and Some Surprises

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

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

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I'm your host Sarah Pavin, 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 coach and resident stat guy.

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Round one and two of the NCAA volleyball tournament finished on Saturday and there were a lot

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of entertaining matches so we have a lot to dive into there.

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Also we're going to take a look at the PVF draft that happened a couple weeks ago and

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answer some listener questions which may help people as they watch the regionals matches

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this week.

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There is a lot to cover so let's get started.

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So this week we saw rounds one and two of the NCAA playoffs happen.

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Now let's go through this starting in order.

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We'll look at round one matches that maybe didn't go as expected and then we'll move

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into the round two matches and there were some serious upsets including bracket busters

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for both of us.

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My bracket got busted in the very first match of this tournament dang it.

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Yeah it's not it's not the thing I realized looking at the results was I watched a lot

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of volleyball but I didn't watch enough volleyball because there were teams that I hadn't seen

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play who were very good and I wish we would have known or seen them a little bit earlier

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in the season.

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So round one notable highlights here Loyola Chicago beat the five seed BYU three straight.

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Claire Little did not have a great game she only hit 086 on 35 sets and I think the story

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there was Loyola Chicago out dug BYU 53 to 37.

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We watched this game and Loyola Chicago would literally get hit by the ball and it would

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be controlled.

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Like I was watching it and part of me just felt bad for BYU.

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I honestly at the beginning based on body language and stuff I got the impression that

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they thought that they were going to roll through that match.

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Is it true?

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I don't know can't say for sure I'm just talking about what I observed but I wouldn't say BYU

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played like terrible but there were some things everything was going Loyola Chicago's way

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like broken plays, plays that had no business like trickling over the net getting pelted

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with swings and their control like I felt bad for BYU.

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It was interesting watching BYU's body language in that match because the roll off the tape

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would happen the tip just over the block would happen and you could see them trying to shake

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it off but it looked a little laissez faire and they just never seemed to hit their stride

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or be able to bounce back from all of those little plays not going their way.

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So that's the match that just really set things off for my bracket toast before we even began.

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The other round one surprise maybe highlight I don't know was that Ole Miss defeated the

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seven seed Florida State 3 to 2.

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Now this game was very close by the numbers we saw Sasha Ratcliffe hit 458 on 24 sets

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and we had Peyton Burgach go 500 on 30 sets.

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They also had Nia Washington get 43 and Shayla Meyer go 39 sets so they distributed their

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offense really well and they had a couple hitters who played incredibly well with really

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good numbers.

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I think the difference for me looking at this match was Ole Miss had 19 blocks to Florida

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State's 8 and out dug them 66 to 56.

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In a close match where sets are decided by two points those stats make a difference.

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I mean it's impressive how evenly distributed the Ole Miss offense was like the two players

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you mentioned at the beginning Ratcliffe and Burgach are middles that's good numbers and

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they got set similar amount to the outsides.

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Yeah one that was a testament to their ball control in that match they had the option

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to run those two players and they performed.

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We saw Corey Lewis for Florida State also had a good game hit 486 on 35 sets and Taylor

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Head went 229 on 48 which was also a decent performance.

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I mean we saw about half of this match and it was a good volleyball like there wasn't

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anything that we were just like scratching our heads you know.

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Yeah there were no glaring mistakes or missteps it was just high level volleyball and Ole

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Miss made plays down the stretch when it counted.

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Those are the two noticeable upsets in round one but let me tell you round two got intense.

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There were some amazing matches we're going to talk about those a little bit later but

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man what a great three days of volleyball.

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As we mentioned last week we are going to go over the PVF draft that happened.

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I mean it's a very exciting time you're finishing your college career you have the opportunity

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to play at the professional level at home meaning not having to go overseas so I think

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this is a big deal so we just wanted to touch on that draft and like the notable you know

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things that happened with that.

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So in looking into the draft I thought it was important to have some background information

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about the league I personally didn't know much about it.

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I'm assuming some of our listeners do but some of them may not so I'm going to hit you

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with the highlights of the league and then we can get into the draft.

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So PVF has eight teams in their league.

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Atlanta Columbus Grand Rapids Indy Omaha Orlando San Diego and Vegas.

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Now the draft was five rounds so 40 players total.

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For those of you who are interested the league starts in January goes until May.

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Now this part was interesting and affects draft decisions in my opinion.

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They play with eight substitutions so FIVB is six and NCAA is 15 so what we're going

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to see is teams needing to draft players that can play a full six rotations.

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That's very different from the college game and I think the smart teams will have taken

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that into consideration.

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A couple other interesting things about the PVF for people to know is it's a 24 match

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season they have a 14 player roster with a maximum of two foreign players so they need

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to have and fill their rosters with players from the US.

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It's a 14 playoff so your regular season really matters.

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Now we didn't watch any of the league last year so we don't know anything about the teams

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but from my understanding and if anyone knows differently please correct me the players

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are not required to play in this league so it's different than other major sports where

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you declare for the draft and the team that gets you you don't have any option other than

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to play with them.

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These athletes can be drafted and then decide to go play professionally overseas they can

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decide to go play for another league or they could decide just not to show up.

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So it's not a true skill choice necessarily you have to take into consideration whether

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this athlete is going to choose to play for your team and that includes the location,

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team, coach all of those things.

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So there's probably a lot of conversations that go on with these players that we don't

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see or know about going into the draft.

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Yeah I mean as Adam said we didn't follow the PVF last season we know you know who won

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who played in the final last year but other than that we didn't really follow too closely

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you know based building off of what you were saying there are obviously some notable senior

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athletes that were not in the draft Sarah Franklin, Lexi Rodriguez two that are just

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off the top of my head.

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So when I was watching the draft and stuff I was wondering you know this is also a curiosity

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and a question if any of our listeners out there have the answer is I know that these

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athletes have affiliations with love I don't know if they have made commitments to play

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love or play overseas I know you were saying that if a player is drafted they don't necessarily

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have to play so maybe they just knew that they didn't weren't interested in playing

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in that league and so they're like do not put my name on the list like the pool of athletes

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we aren't sure of the details of exactly who was in it and I think a notable thing to mention

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is Jess Merzik was the last pick in the fifth round so like that kind of also adds into

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it like let's hedge our bets like maybe she'll come maybe not but like maybe she'll make

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a different choice so I thought that was interesting.

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Yeah let's talk about the round one draft order and then we can kind of build on what

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you were saying as far as international rules and why we think certain decisions were made.

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So if we look at the first round we saw Atlanta choose Merrick Beeson.

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Which is interesting let me just jump in I didn't even give him a second there.

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Nebraska Atlanta is actually coached by Kayla Banorth who is a former Nebraska corn husker.

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Coincidence I think not I mean Beeson's a good player obviously but yeah just interesting.

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Indianapolis chose Anna DeBeer from Louisville Orlando Nora Siss from Creighton Vegas Cameron

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Hanna from Penn State San Diego Devin Robinson from Wisconsin Atlanta Corey Lewis from FSU

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Grand Rapids Raven Colvin from Purdue and Omaha Toyozzi Anabonjo from Kansas.

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So as you were mentioning because the substitution rules are closer to international volleyball

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than NCAA we need or teams are going to need players that are reliable for six rotations.

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So when we look at the college game and the number of substitutions what you generally

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see is players who will come in play three rotations in the front row very good attackers

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very good blockers then they go out and they're replaced by a DS and those DS players play

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three rotations in the back and then come back out and because of the number of substitutions

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you can rotate them in and out all match.

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That is not the case when it comes to a more international substitution rule.

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So we actually have a player in the first round who got chosen and I was a little surprised

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you had Devin Robinson who plays that for Wisconsin you also have Anna Smreck who was

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drafted later on who plays that same role.

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These players are really hard to choose high in the draft because you really only get them

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for one rotation unless they develop their full volleyball skills.

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So what you're seeing are like Merritt Beeson is she doesn't necessarily play six rotations

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for Nebraska but she is capable you know she's a threat offensively from the back row Anna

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DeBeer six rotation player Cameron Hanna like we don't know exactly what each individual

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team needs or was looking for but typically in the pro level you do see point scorers

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going first and I would say that this is the case.

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Clearly Atlanta Grand Rapids Omaha they all picked middle blockers who went at the bottom

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of round one so they clearly had a need for that position but it also brings up the libero

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discussion for example Elena Scott went at the top of round two outstanding libero but

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because she's not scoring points for a team it is very rare to see a libero go early so

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that's the explanation I agree with you looking at this list I have no comments it makes sense

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to me other than Devin Robinson.

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I agree with you looking at Devin Robinson the thing to think about that we don't see

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maybe she's a six rotation player in practice we don't see it at the NCAA level obviously

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the DS is a better defender than she is but she could be capable and just not given a

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chance in matches so I'm assuming that GMs and coaches have done their homework they've

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talked to coaches you know Devin Robinson can play in the back row she might need a

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little practice but it's probably close that would be my best reasoning through that choice.

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With Love starting up this season too I'm very interested to compare the two leagues

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you know Love has backing from really big names national team athletes those like founding

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athletes of the program and then when we go through the rosters of PVF you know we're

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not seeing necessarily like powerhouse schools represented across the board or even athletes

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that we recognize so I mean the same can be said for Love too I've looked at some of the

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rosters and I'm kind of like has this person played in the last decade but yeah I'm very

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curious to see the Love model with their national team athletes and PVF and how they're doing

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things.

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Well there's a couple other things now that you brought Love up that people should know

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the PVF is running like a normal professional league so they have locations they have teams

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there is nothing about the sport other than those professional teams and they're trying

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to make that work.

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Love has taken a different approach where they have bought youth clubs they're trying

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to run a developmental system from club volleyball through to college and then into the professional

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league so it's a more holistic approach to the development of volleyball and I think

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that's where you see a lot of the national team athletes get involved because they're

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helping grow the game from the grassroots they're trying to increase the number of girls

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who play sport and the visibility and then work through that progression of club to university

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to pro and so we have two different approaches and it will be interesting to see which one

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lasts, which one takes hold, which one gains popularity.

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I think we're going to see several years of them competing and my guess would be eventually

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we'll see an amalgamation of those two leagues into one set pro league.

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Since the PVF athletes aren't required to play if they're drafted I'm willing to bet

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that this first round group the GMs and coaches were pretty sure that they're getting a commitment

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from these athletes so I'm excited to watch these newly graduated athletes compete at

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the professional level and see how that transition goes for them from the NCAA but yeah we're

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going to be following both the PVF and Love this season so stay tuned in the new year

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for more on that.

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Alright let's get into the meat of the show with our second round matchups.

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Unsurprisingly Pitt, Stanford, Nebraska, Texas, Purdue and Creighton all cruised through

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their second round matchups.

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And first round.

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And first round.

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Three nothing, no hiccups, no blips.

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Pretty much as expected I would say.

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I would say the only thing like maybe people could have had question marks about Texas

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USC I would say that is the one thing that I didn't mess up in my bracket.

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Well we all knew Texas has championship pedigree it was just a matter of did they have enough

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runway to get it together and to gel and so far the answer is yes.

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Penn State dropped a set to North Carolina in their second round and Wisconsin dropped

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a set to Georgia Tech in their second round.

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For the most part the teams we expected to take care of business took care of business.

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And that is where the predictability stopped this year.

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Yes.

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Let's get into a few of them.

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We watched I think five matches front to back this week.

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We'll talk about those in a little bit more depth but we also saw Marquette beat Utah

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in five.

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That was a four five matchup so I'm not sure it was an upset but we saw Marquette hit four

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twenty four in the first set which they won and then they won the second set hitting oh

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ninety one which seems a little strange to me and they ended up winning the fifth set

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hitting oh eighty seven.

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Looking at the air totals Marquette made thirty nine hitting errors to Utah's twenty four

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and they were out blocked seven to seventeen but they had nineteen more digs.

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So it seems like it was a very strange match.

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Let's just give sets away.

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Let's just give them away with straight up hitting errors.

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Once we saw that Marquette was up two zero we tuned in so we caught part way through

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the fourth and the fifth.

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It was wild.

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Okay I think Marquette was up like twenty four twenty.

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Yes.

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Twenty four nineteen actually in the fourth set to close out this match and then Utah

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sided out.

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And won twenty six twenty four.

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And won twenty six twenty four.

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We were hooked at that point.

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We had to finish it out.

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And then the fifth set was fifteen twelve and like I said Marquette hit oh eighty seven

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in the fifth set which was better than Utah's zero.

222
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So it wasn't necessarily a very high execution level.

223
00:18:22,620 --> 00:18:26,080
They battled it out and they kept going and Marquette ended up winning that one.

224
00:18:26,080 --> 00:18:27,880
Jardine showed up for me.

225
00:18:27,880 --> 00:18:30,620
The right side for Utah.

226
00:18:30,620 --> 00:18:37,420
I think she's single handedly won that fourth set for them and then every time she came

227
00:18:37,420 --> 00:18:40,960
in she's a front row player because Utah runs a six two.

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Every time she came in they were just like feeding her the ball and she was unconscious.

229
00:18:45,360 --> 00:18:51,280
This girl was on a mission and then when it really came down to it they set somebody else

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who then made an error and this this girl she looked like she wanted to kill somebody

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00:18:57,040 --> 00:18:58,040
understandably.

232
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Your team is on the ropes and you are like hitting a thousand from that point on and

233
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then they set somebody else and they mess it up.

234
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Come on.

235
00:19:06,640 --> 00:19:11,200
I think it was if my memory serves me correctly they ran a middle ball on that one and she

236
00:19:11,200 --> 00:19:12,800
was blocked for the game.

237
00:19:12,800 --> 00:19:17,560
You've got a hot hand on a right side who single handedly won you the last set.

238
00:19:17,560 --> 00:19:21,920
I don't care if everybody in the gym knows the ball is going to her.

239
00:19:21,920 --> 00:19:24,800
You go here you have the chance to win or lose for us.

240
00:19:24,800 --> 00:19:28,040
I was shocked at that set selection.

241
00:19:28,040 --> 00:19:31,920
It was fun to tune in for the end of that.

242
00:19:31,920 --> 00:19:34,040
A four or five matchup.

243
00:19:34,040 --> 00:19:35,480
Can you consider it an upset?

244
00:19:35,480 --> 00:19:37,120
No really it's pretty close.

245
00:19:37,120 --> 00:19:38,800
So this was a bit more of an upset.

246
00:19:38,800 --> 00:19:45,080
We had Texas A&M beat Arizona State which was a 3-6 matchup and they won 3-1.

247
00:19:45,080 --> 00:19:51,880
We had Logan Lednicki hit 500 on 48 swings for Texas A&M.

248
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That'll do it.

249
00:19:53,520 --> 00:19:57,520
Yeah seriously you don't need anything else to happen other than for that stat line to

250
00:19:57,520 --> 00:19:58,520
be true.

251
00:19:58,520 --> 00:19:59,920
Get your serves in please.

252
00:19:59,920 --> 00:20:06,500
Now I will say they had 19 more digs than Arizona State which gives you a ton of attacking

253
00:20:06,500 --> 00:20:08,960
opportunities that your opponent doesn't get.

254
00:20:08,960 --> 00:20:13,880
But other than that the stats across the board were pretty similar other than the team hitting

255
00:20:13,880 --> 00:20:20,560
percentage which was 303 for Texas A&M and 181 for Arizona State.

256
00:20:20,560 --> 00:20:27,560
I think when you have two teams that are generally balanced teams one player having a great night

257
00:20:27,560 --> 00:20:32,760
can often tip the scales and in this case Lednicki was able to do that.

258
00:20:32,760 --> 00:20:40,640
In the last round two matchup that we didn't fully watch Dayton beat Baylor 3-2 to make

259
00:20:40,640 --> 00:20:47,120
their first regional semi-final ever which is very exciting.

260
00:20:47,120 --> 00:20:52,960
Stats wise this match was very close when we looked at service errors, service aces,

261
00:20:52,960 --> 00:20:56,620
blocks were 8-8.

262
00:20:56,620 --> 00:20:59,440
We had 66 digs to 62 digs.

263
00:20:59,440 --> 00:21:02,520
Hitting percentages were very similar.

264
00:21:02,520 --> 00:21:04,920
Dayton hit 275 as a team.

265
00:21:04,920 --> 00:21:07,120
Baylor was 282.

266
00:21:07,120 --> 00:21:13,600
Again for me this match came down to execution after 20 and who was able to make plays.

267
00:21:13,600 --> 00:21:18,040
Alma Dovar from Dayton 34 kills.

268
00:21:18,040 --> 00:21:19,480
Pretty good numbers if you ask me.

269
00:21:19,480 --> 00:21:27,440
I think the surprising thing though is Elise McGee was held to pretty low points and Baylor

270
00:21:27,440 --> 00:21:31,200
kind of leans heavily on her for the most part.

271
00:21:31,200 --> 00:21:38,280
So I think we hadn't really watched a ton of Dayton and again for me this was one of

272
00:21:38,280 --> 00:21:42,200
the realizations that we need to watch a few more mid-major teams throughout the season

273
00:21:42,200 --> 00:21:46,680
so that we have an idea of what their strengths are and what their matchups are going to be.

274
00:21:46,680 --> 00:21:50,960
I mean again this was a 4-5 matchup so big upset.

275
00:21:50,960 --> 00:21:51,960
No.

276
00:21:51,960 --> 00:21:58,080
It was upsetting to me in my bracket however because I had not watched Dayton so I'm like

277
00:21:58,080 --> 00:22:00,160
you know what let's go with what I know.

278
00:22:00,160 --> 00:22:01,160
Big mistake.

279
00:22:01,160 --> 00:22:02,320
Well I did the same thing.

280
00:22:02,320 --> 00:22:05,760
If I looked at two teams who were matched up I did some quick research and then I looked

281
00:22:05,760 --> 00:22:10,720
at the conference and that was kind of how I made those choices where I hadn't watched

282
00:22:10,720 --> 00:22:12,840
the team play a ton.

283
00:22:12,840 --> 00:22:18,960
So most weeks we watch a whole bunch of matches and then we pick a couple that we really want

284
00:22:18,960 --> 00:22:25,360
to talk about that we found to be interesting or noteworthy.

285
00:22:25,360 --> 00:22:30,620
This week we watched a ton of matches and when we were looking at each other like which

286
00:22:30,620 --> 00:22:37,160
ones do we talk about we couldn't decide which is why we're kind of touching on all of them.

287
00:22:37,160 --> 00:22:43,280
So this week we're getting like the brief overview of like all the matches we watched

288
00:22:43,280 --> 00:22:50,440
without diving too too deep because to be quite honest teams are playing their best

289
00:22:50,440 --> 00:22:57,080
volleyball right now and there weren't many matches that we watched and we were just like

290
00:22:57,080 --> 00:23:01,320
confused about the decision making or things like that.

291
00:23:01,320 --> 00:23:05,180
Like we are on a typical conference week let's say.

292
00:23:05,180 --> 00:23:10,200
So we're just doing it all because we couldn't decide.

293
00:23:10,200 --> 00:23:14,140
Well let's look at the TCU Oregon match to start.

294
00:23:14,140 --> 00:23:19,960
This match in my opinion coming in was going to be all about Melanie Parra and how she

295
00:23:19,960 --> 00:23:20,960
played.

296
00:23:20,960 --> 00:23:23,840
I mean it always is for TCU quite frankly.

297
00:23:23,840 --> 00:23:29,480
And I think when a team is that reliant on one player the further along the season you

298
00:23:29,480 --> 00:23:34,520
get the more video there is the more you can collect and prepare for a player the harder

299
00:23:34,520 --> 00:23:37,760
it is to win and I think we saw that in this match.

300
00:23:37,760 --> 00:23:45,600
Well I mean TCU won the first set and Parra put up great numbers and then kind of you

301
00:23:45,600 --> 00:23:53,520
know slowed down as Oregon as a whole kind of picked up steam and it's wearing.

302
00:23:53,520 --> 00:24:01,640
When you have a team coming at you stopping and focusing on one player I mean it's a lot.

303
00:24:01,640 --> 00:24:05,720
And we definitely saw Oregon make some good adjustments they moved their block around

304
00:24:05,720 --> 00:24:12,520
they got touches they adjusted serving strategies they just made it really hard for her and

305
00:24:12,520 --> 00:24:17,800
TCU couldn't find another player to step up and take some of that load.

306
00:24:17,800 --> 00:24:24,120
I think I picked TCU to beat Oregon because I'm like she can do it.

307
00:24:24,120 --> 00:24:27,040
She can fight through this match.

308
00:24:27,040 --> 00:24:28,040
Oregon proved me wrong.

309
00:24:28,040 --> 00:24:29,960
Mimi Collier had a great game.

310
00:24:29,960 --> 00:24:31,520
It was a good team effort.

311
00:24:31,520 --> 00:24:34,640
Yeah I agree and I had Oregon in my bracket so I was really happy about that.

312
00:24:34,640 --> 00:24:38,360
I think I mixed them up I picked TCU for one and Oregon for one.

313
00:24:38,360 --> 00:24:42,520
Oregon's got a tough one coming up against Pitt so we will see what happens.

314
00:24:42,520 --> 00:24:45,560
Let's talk about Kentucky Minnesota.

315
00:24:45,560 --> 00:24:50,040
We hadn't watched Kentucky play all year so I was really looking forward to see what they

316
00:24:50,040 --> 00:24:51,160
were able to do.

317
00:24:51,160 --> 00:24:58,400
We know Minnesota we know the faults and flaws that they have but Minnesota is one of those

318
00:24:58,400 --> 00:25:03,120
teams where in the back of your mind you're always thinking man if they put it together

319
00:25:03,120 --> 00:25:04,360
they're going to be really good.

320
00:25:04,360 --> 00:25:07,120
So I was really looking forward to watching this match.

321
00:25:07,120 --> 00:25:12,120
Kentucky absolutely destroyed Minnesota in the first set.

322
00:25:12,120 --> 00:25:13,800
They are big.

323
00:25:13,800 --> 00:25:19,800
Brooklyn DeLay showed up the middles started off really strong for Kentucky.

324
00:25:19,800 --> 00:25:26,280
I think the offense was like really well balanced and again we say it every single week when

325
00:25:26,280 --> 00:25:30,880
you run the middles early it kind of sets you up for success and it sets your outside

326
00:25:30,880 --> 00:25:34,320
hitters up for success later on in the match.

327
00:25:34,320 --> 00:25:37,680
They definitely did slow down a little bit in the second.

328
00:25:37,680 --> 00:25:41,100
It was really interesting watching this match.

329
00:25:41,100 --> 00:25:47,800
It kind of looked like Minnesota was disengaged in the first set and that was evident by the

330
00:25:47,800 --> 00:25:54,800
score of 25-11 for Kentucky and I wasn't sure after that set if Minnesota was going to find

331
00:25:54,800 --> 00:25:56,120
anything in this match.

332
00:25:56,120 --> 00:26:04,900
I was surprised that they kind of figured it out and sets 2, 3, and 4 were kind of representative

333
00:26:04,900 --> 00:26:11,480
of the match I expected when I saw that these teams were playing each other.

334
00:26:11,480 --> 00:26:18,400
I was impressed at how balanced Kentucky's offense was especially like Jordan DeLay she

335
00:26:18,400 --> 00:26:23,120
is young but she hit 563 on 16 swings.

336
00:26:23,120 --> 00:26:30,840
Brooke Baltimore had 20 swings her percentage wasn't as high but like her energy was contagious

337
00:26:30,840 --> 00:26:36,720
and she like really brought it and I liked to see that.

338
00:26:36,720 --> 00:26:40,600
Brooklyn DeLay like she's been the go-to player for them all season.

339
00:26:40,600 --> 00:26:41,600
And she delivered.

340
00:26:41,600 --> 00:26:46,680
She did 18 kills on 45 swings 267 like decent night for sure.

341
00:26:46,680 --> 00:26:49,200
Her spin serve is definitely hit or miss.

342
00:26:49,200 --> 00:26:53,680
It's either an ace or an error and nothing in between here.

343
00:26:53,680 --> 00:26:57,280
You can have a couple players like that when you have the rest of your team is relatively

344
00:26:57,280 --> 00:27:03,240
consistent so I think they have a good balanced makeup but I'm not sure what's going to happen

345
00:27:03,240 --> 00:27:04,760
for them after this round.

346
00:27:04,760 --> 00:27:08,320
I thought for Minnesota Julia Hansen played pretty well.

347
00:27:08,320 --> 00:27:10,440
I thought she was one of their best players.

348
00:27:10,440 --> 00:27:14,040
Again I don't think anybody from Minnesota was good in the first set but after that she

349
00:27:14,040 --> 00:27:18,640
scored she was fearless she was going after the block and Kentucky's a big team so I thought

350
00:27:18,640 --> 00:27:19,840
she played well.

351
00:27:19,840 --> 00:27:25,880
I mean typical that we always see with Minnesota they do not set their middles hardly at all.

352
00:27:25,880 --> 00:27:32,760
We had 15 sets between the two of them for the entire match which is wild.

353
00:27:32,760 --> 00:27:38,360
I mean Minnesota blocked well that is their strength we know that but as we also see a

354
00:27:38,360 --> 00:27:43,920
lot with Minnesota when a team needs a point tip it usually in the middle of the court

355
00:27:43,920 --> 00:27:45,480
and it will land.

356
00:27:45,480 --> 00:27:51,920
So I think Kentucky was definitely prepared and I didn't see Minnesota do anything differently

357
00:27:51,920 --> 00:27:59,040
than they normally do and they just don't seem to be firing on all cylinders as a team.

358
00:27:59,040 --> 00:28:01,080
Yeah something definitely seemed off there.

359
00:28:01,080 --> 00:28:06,260
There was a definite lack of eye contact between players.

360
00:28:06,260 --> 00:28:10,640
There was very little you know togetherness and unity.

361
00:28:10,640 --> 00:28:16,840
They're out of system setting also like aside from the intangible things.

362
00:28:16,840 --> 00:28:21,040
The number of unhittable balls I saw it was unacceptable.

363
00:28:21,040 --> 00:28:26,040
I definitely think Kentucky was the better team in that match and they deserved to win.

364
00:28:26,040 --> 00:28:30,960
They looked more prepared they looked like they had more fight and they ran a really

365
00:28:30,960 --> 00:28:32,880
balanced offense.

366
00:28:32,880 --> 00:28:37,900
Based on what you guys know that I am not a Minnesota fan particularly this season so

367
00:28:37,900 --> 00:28:43,280
given what we've been observing this season and where I thought they fit in the big picture

368
00:28:43,280 --> 00:28:47,800
I think that this is exactly where they should have finished.

369
00:28:47,800 --> 00:28:53,560
But again Kentucky is going to take on Missouri for an SEC battle in the regional semifinal

370
00:28:53,560 --> 00:28:56,760
so we'll see what happens in that one.

371
00:28:56,760 --> 00:29:03,600
Speaking of Missouri probably the biggest round two upset arguably was number seven

372
00:29:03,600 --> 00:29:09,680
Missouri taking down the two seed in SMU 3-1.

373
00:29:09,680 --> 00:29:19,000
I'm so mad about this because I picked Missouri as my dark horse team and then I didn't follow

374
00:29:19,000 --> 00:29:21,840
through with my bracket picks.

375
00:29:21,840 --> 00:29:25,420
I'm so upset at myself for this.

376
00:29:25,420 --> 00:29:32,040
I'm so upset with Adam too because here we are talking big about Missouri for I don't

377
00:29:32,040 --> 00:29:36,880
even know how long and then it comes to bracket time and I'm like oh my gosh Missouri and

378
00:29:36,880 --> 00:29:41,840
SMU could match up I think I'm going to pick Missouri and what does this guy say?

379
00:29:41,840 --> 00:29:46,560
He's a traitor is what he is he's like oh SMU is going to beat them for sure and I'm

380
00:29:46,560 --> 00:29:50,880
like wait no we've been talking about how Missouri is so good like I really think that

381
00:29:50,880 --> 00:29:57,880
they can win and this man convinced me to change my bracket pick it's unforgivable.

382
00:29:57,880 --> 00:30:03,000
I'm so upset and the only reason I thought about that was because Missouri seemed to

383
00:30:03,000 --> 00:30:07,480
peter a little bit towards the end of conference play and I just didn't know if they were going

384
00:30:07,480 --> 00:30:13,160
to get it back and I should have trusted my gut and I didn't and I'm upset about it.

385
00:30:13,160 --> 00:30:19,680
But speaking of connectedness and teamwork Missouri is that.

386
00:30:19,680 --> 00:30:21,740
I loved watching them.

387
00:30:21,740 --> 00:30:24,280
They were in it together.

388
00:30:24,280 --> 00:30:34,000
You could tell they just had this fight this we are taking this eye contact you know attitude

389
00:30:34,000 --> 00:30:38,520
swagger like that was a team on the court.

390
00:30:38,520 --> 00:30:44,880
This match was so much fun to see because you had two teams that in my opinion don't

391
00:30:44,880 --> 00:30:53,440
necessarily have a standout star so it was really team versus team and the sets for the

392
00:30:53,440 --> 00:31:00,200
most part were close other than the second one and you saw these teams just scrapping

393
00:31:00,200 --> 00:31:01,200
it out.

394
00:31:01,200 --> 00:31:03,200
I loved watching this match.

395
00:31:03,200 --> 00:31:08,600
So Nia Sheme for SMU I thought was outstanding.

396
00:31:08,600 --> 00:31:13,360
I don't think I've seen so many clean kills in my life.

397
00:31:13,360 --> 00:31:14,860
She was untouchable.

398
00:31:14,860 --> 00:31:18,500
Like the defense was like just straight into the floor.

399
00:31:18,500 --> 00:31:22,000
No block touch no defensive like just straight down.

400
00:31:22,000 --> 00:31:28,280
She hit 487 on 39 swings 22 kills only three errors.

401
00:31:28,280 --> 00:31:32,840
It was impressive to watch and I know I just mentioned there were no stars on the court

402
00:31:32,840 --> 00:31:38,280
but she stepped up in this role and she was the reason it was close.

403
00:31:38,280 --> 00:31:39,680
A hundred percent.

404
00:31:39,680 --> 00:31:42,640
I thought Okamor blocked well.

405
00:31:42,640 --> 00:31:45,960
I thought she was lacking offensively.

406
00:31:45,960 --> 00:31:50,180
Foster usually relied upon for her serving.

407
00:31:50,180 --> 00:31:55,000
To me it felt a little off and Tabron she was okay.

408
00:31:55,000 --> 00:32:00,040
No she like made appearances sometimes and then she like went into a hole sometimes particularly

409
00:32:00,040 --> 00:32:01,760
at the end of set three.

410
00:32:01,760 --> 00:32:04,000
And I think her passing struggled.

411
00:32:04,000 --> 00:32:13,320
SMU was up what was it 24 22 or 24 21 in set three.

412
00:32:13,320 --> 00:32:18,480
Missouri side it out then proceeded to ace Tabron twice in a row and that is when we

413
00:32:18,480 --> 00:32:23,680
kind of saw the back and forth happening and that the end of that third set was very exciting.

414
00:32:23,680 --> 00:32:30,320
Well that set went to 33 31 and SMU kept their season alive by pulling that one out.

415
00:32:30,320 --> 00:32:34,440
But that's that's what I'm mentioning about her just like going into a hole like she started

416
00:32:34,440 --> 00:32:40,320
set one well she was scoring well and then she would just disappear and then she'd reemerge

417
00:32:40,320 --> 00:32:44,480
and come back and then disappear as we saw at the end of set three and it just so she

418
00:32:44,480 --> 00:32:51,680
was like pretty inconsistent in my opinion but then Natalie Perdue stepped up from the

419
00:32:51,680 --> 00:32:54,200
service line then they kept her in offensively.

420
00:32:54,200 --> 00:33:00,460
So they were trying to make adjustments but I think you know the person that kind of held

421
00:33:00,460 --> 00:33:04,200
it together for me for SMU was Chame.

422
00:33:04,200 --> 00:33:05,960
Oh hands down.

423
00:33:05,960 --> 00:33:12,520
This match looking at the numbers was incredibly interesting because they were almost identical.

424
00:33:12,520 --> 00:33:16,800
You have Missouri had 46 digs to 45.

425
00:33:16,800 --> 00:33:23,800
You had the blocks were 12 to 10 and the difference in the match was the serving and Missouri

426
00:33:23,800 --> 00:33:25,200
was relentless.

427
00:33:25,200 --> 00:33:31,660
Both teams made 14 errors but Missouri had 11 aces to SMU's one.

428
00:33:31,660 --> 00:33:37,800
That is a huge difference maker and it not only are the aces points straight out but

429
00:33:37,800 --> 00:33:41,960
it just goes to show the serving pressure that Missouri was able to put on SMU throughout

430
00:33:41,960 --> 00:33:42,960
the whole match.

431
00:33:42,960 --> 00:33:45,160
11 to 14 is an impressive.

432
00:33:45,160 --> 00:33:50,280
Like 11 aces to 14 errors that's an impressive ace to error ratio.

433
00:33:50,280 --> 00:33:53,840
One to 14 and you're playing at home.

434
00:33:53,840 --> 00:33:58,040
That's the kicker for me is you were playing at home.

435
00:33:58,040 --> 00:34:00,440
Granted I believe they're at a neutral location.

436
00:34:00,440 --> 00:34:02,280
They were at the Metroplex.

437
00:34:02,280 --> 00:34:06,240
I don't know if that's like their home gym usually somebody tell me.

438
00:34:06,240 --> 00:34:09,220
One ace to 14 errors.

439
00:34:09,220 --> 00:34:10,220
Not the best.

440
00:34:10,220 --> 00:34:11,880
Not the best.

441
00:34:11,880 --> 00:34:17,220
I thought Michael Vernon was spectacular to watch.

442
00:34:17,220 --> 00:34:19,600
She has got swagger.

443
00:34:19,600 --> 00:34:21,600
She is dynamic.

444
00:34:21,600 --> 00:34:25,900
She's got a little attitude on her which I love to see.

445
00:34:25,900 --> 00:34:32,400
She hit 308 on 52 sets 23 kills and she led the way for them.

446
00:34:32,400 --> 00:34:39,440
I will say their setter is probably the backbone of their team just from an attitude and a

447
00:34:39,440 --> 00:34:41,580
driving force perspective.

448
00:34:41,580 --> 00:34:44,240
But Vernon led the way in terms of their offense.

449
00:34:44,240 --> 00:34:51,720
Gosh I just want to look at her and be like when you don't think and just jump and swing

450
00:34:51,720 --> 00:34:53,520
you're unstoppable.

451
00:34:53,520 --> 00:34:57,740
It's like sometimes she'll jump and you'll see her like kind of try to look for the blocker

452
00:34:57,740 --> 00:35:01,240
defense or something and like delay her swing.

453
00:35:01,240 --> 00:35:06,220
That's when she makes mistakes but when she just jumps and goes and doesn't like hitch

454
00:35:06,220 --> 00:35:13,180
her arm it's like so much smoother to me and so much more effective.

455
00:35:13,180 --> 00:35:16,220
She had periods where the hitch came in.

456
00:35:16,220 --> 00:35:18,780
Yeah she was fun to watch.

457
00:35:18,780 --> 00:35:22,520
It's interesting talking about her and we talked about the professional leagues.

458
00:35:22,520 --> 00:35:26,400
For me watching her play she's going to have the ability to play at the next level if she

459
00:35:26,400 --> 00:35:30,960
wants to but that hitch in her arm swing is going to be the difference between whether

460
00:35:30,960 --> 00:35:34,720
she makes a successful pro or whether she struggles at that next level.

461
00:35:34,720 --> 00:35:40,480
I think Jordan Iliff also played awesome aced SMU off the court.

462
00:35:40,480 --> 00:35:42,960
She served outstanding.

463
00:35:42,960 --> 00:35:45,920
She scored well.

464
00:35:45,920 --> 00:35:50,320
So Vernon and Iliff kind of like held it together from an offensive perspective.

465
00:35:50,320 --> 00:35:52,880
I think Janet Demere also showed up.

466
00:35:52,880 --> 00:35:54,800
That was the best I think I've seen her play.

467
00:35:54,800 --> 00:36:01,220
Yeah she's been like steady but I think that she played really well.

468
00:36:01,220 --> 00:36:06,200
The thing I liked about this match was players were going for kills.

469
00:36:06,200 --> 00:36:09,760
There wasn't a lot of play it safe.

470
00:36:09,760 --> 00:36:15,720
Both teams were swinging to win and had that attitude of I want to score this point and

471
00:36:15,720 --> 00:36:17,240
I love watching volleyball like that.

472
00:36:17,240 --> 00:36:19,640
No tips, no play it safe.

473
00:36:19,640 --> 00:36:23,160
The athletes put the game on the line and wanted to be set.

474
00:36:23,160 --> 00:36:25,920
I thought this match was incredibly entertaining.

475
00:36:25,920 --> 00:36:36,160
The margins were very small and you had players making plays and this was the epitome of college

476
00:36:36,160 --> 00:36:37,440
sport to me.

477
00:36:37,440 --> 00:36:42,360
You could see the passion the athletes had and were playing to go on to the next round.

478
00:36:42,360 --> 00:36:45,320
This was probably my favorite match to watch this weekend.

479
00:36:45,320 --> 00:36:49,840
Well and it goes back to what I said before is like watching these matches and this match

480
00:36:49,840 --> 00:36:54,640
in particular it was we weren't looking at each other like what are they thinking or

481
00:36:54,640 --> 00:36:56,240
what is going on here.

482
00:36:56,240 --> 00:36:58,560
It was just like good volleyball.

483
00:36:58,560 --> 00:37:01,560
Both teams were playing well.

484
00:37:01,560 --> 00:37:06,960
Obviously there are dips and blips and errors that happen along the way but like this is

485
00:37:06,960 --> 00:37:11,960
what you want to see from NCAA tournament time.

486
00:37:11,960 --> 00:37:15,720
I said it before I rarely cheer for the underdog.

487
00:37:15,720 --> 00:37:21,520
I want the higher seed teams to win because for any number of reasons we can get into

488
00:37:21,520 --> 00:37:23,120
it another day.

489
00:37:23,120 --> 00:37:31,240
But this was just fun to watch and I love and we talked about it while we were watching

490
00:37:31,240 --> 00:37:37,300
more and more girls are getting that attitude and that swagger and that stare down and I

491
00:37:37,300 --> 00:37:43,800
love it because when I was playing college it was frowned upon and I got in so much trouble

492
00:37:43,800 --> 00:37:46,040
when I did it and like you're a bad sport.

493
00:37:46,040 --> 00:37:52,760
No you're a competitor you're intense and I love seeing so many girls that play now

494
00:37:52,760 --> 00:37:58,640
kind of have that intensity and that firepower behind them.

495
00:37:58,640 --> 00:38:03,560
Vernon had a couple blocks where she backpedaled real slow off and I was loving it.

496
00:38:03,560 --> 00:38:05,560
And so did Marina Crown over.

497
00:38:05,560 --> 00:38:07,740
Like I love it.

498
00:38:07,740 --> 00:38:08,740
Keep doing it.

499
00:38:08,740 --> 00:38:10,280
Make them feel it.

500
00:38:10,280 --> 00:38:14,360
Another match that we were very excited about when we saw the bracket was Florida versus

501
00:38:14,360 --> 00:38:16,360
Kansas.

502
00:38:16,360 --> 00:38:22,640
We were saying last week that based on Kansas' size they could potentially have trouble

503
00:38:22,640 --> 00:38:24,840
dealing with Kennedy Martin.

504
00:38:24,840 --> 00:38:29,160
And we also kind of had questions about if the left side that was matched up with Martin

505
00:38:29,160 --> 00:38:31,960
would be effective offensively.

506
00:38:31,960 --> 00:38:41,000
We know that Kansas relies heavily on a Bon Jo for their success but we were wondering

507
00:38:41,000 --> 00:38:44,720
what was going to happen with Florida's outside hitters.

508
00:38:44,720 --> 00:38:52,100
I really enjoyed watching this match and people athlete individual athletes team from both

509
00:38:52,100 --> 00:38:54,800
sides I think exceeded my expectations.

510
00:38:54,800 --> 00:38:59,200
I agree that this match was more than I expected from certain players.

511
00:38:59,200 --> 00:39:05,440
I was very I don't want to say worried is the wrong word but I thought for Kansas Caroline

512
00:39:05,440 --> 00:39:10,640
Bien was going to have to have a good match and I don't think I've ever seen her play

513
00:39:10,640 --> 00:39:11,640
better.

514
00:39:11,640 --> 00:39:13,240
She was outstanding.

515
00:39:13,240 --> 00:39:19,400
I thought she was going to struggle offensively and she was probably the best attacker Kansas

516
00:39:19,400 --> 00:39:20,400
had.

517
00:39:20,400 --> 00:39:21,400
I would agree with that.

518
00:39:21,400 --> 00:39:26,120
Until the end of the fifth set she became a different person.

519
00:39:26,120 --> 00:39:31,320
She became a completely different attacker at the end of the fifth set when things became

520
00:39:31,320 --> 00:39:35,660
real and things were on the line she tightened up.

521
00:39:35,660 --> 00:39:37,880
She wasn't fully swinging.

522
00:39:37,880 --> 00:39:39,480
She was half speeding.

523
00:39:39,480 --> 00:39:44,440
You could tell she didn't want to make a mistake and I would just was like keep doing what

524
00:39:44,440 --> 00:39:45,840
you were doing before.

525
00:39:45,840 --> 00:39:51,080
Like it just oh my heart broke seeing that pressure get to her.

526
00:39:51,080 --> 00:39:57,240
We also saw her watch several serves hit just behind her as she was passing.

527
00:39:57,240 --> 00:39:58,960
I would say what at least five.

528
00:39:58,960 --> 00:40:03,840
I was going to say five if my memory serves me correctly and the balls were not even close.

529
00:40:03,840 --> 00:40:06,840
They were not even a follow a turn and watch.

530
00:40:06,840 --> 00:40:09,280
It was like she was hoping they were going to be out of bounds.

531
00:40:09,280 --> 00:40:14,860
It was your heart breaks for an athlete like that because she played so well.

532
00:40:14,860 --> 00:40:22,840
She elevated her game she rose to the moment but just couldn't get it over the edge.

533
00:40:22,840 --> 00:40:28,400
It's interesting because I thought Kennedy Martin played incredibly well but then you

534
00:40:28,400 --> 00:40:34,240
saw her have that same fear in the fifth set but then she came out and she was able to

535
00:40:34,240 --> 00:40:38,120
overcome that and she started swinging again.

536
00:40:38,120 --> 00:40:42,380
That to me was a huge difference and it was really interesting to see the difference between

537
00:40:42,380 --> 00:40:45,480
those two athletes and how they handled the moment.

538
00:40:45,480 --> 00:40:48,760
Yeah Kennedy Martin I think had 10 kills in the first set alone.

539
00:40:48,760 --> 00:40:52,760
She was blowing them up.

540
00:40:52,760 --> 00:40:57,400
She hit the libero for Kansas one time in the shoulder and it looked like she was she

541
00:40:57,400 --> 00:40:58,400
got shot.

542
00:40:58,400 --> 00:41:05,760
The pace that she was hitting the ball and not even the pace it sounded different than

543
00:41:05,760 --> 00:41:06,760
anybody else.

544
00:41:06,760 --> 00:41:11,180
Like that is a heavy ball and you can just tell by the sound of it when it hits her hand.

545
00:41:11,180 --> 00:41:18,760
It was very obvious that Kansas had not kind of dealt with that heat in big 12 play because

546
00:41:18,760 --> 00:41:27,640
the first set they were just like getting pelted with balls and to their credit they

547
00:41:27,640 --> 00:41:31,760
settled in and then they started controlling the digs a bit better.

548
00:41:31,760 --> 00:41:33,220
They got a read on the game.

549
00:41:33,220 --> 00:41:39,080
They knew how fast it was coming so they made a great defensive adjustment and Martin did

550
00:41:39,080 --> 00:41:40,080
slow down.

551
00:41:40,080 --> 00:41:44,280
Did you see her like starting to tip a little bit in questionable moments?

552
00:41:44,280 --> 00:41:46,720
I also thought part of that was the setting.

553
00:41:46,720 --> 00:41:51,960
There was stretches of inconsistencies where they were a little bit low and then she was

554
00:41:51,960 --> 00:41:56,060
tipping so I think it was a combination of a little bit of nerves and a little bit of

555
00:41:56,060 --> 00:41:58,400
not feeling in rhythm with the setter.

556
00:41:58,400 --> 00:42:04,920
Fair and then but going back to what you were saying in the fifth set I will say that Martin

557
00:42:04,920 --> 00:42:09,880
we sensed that she was feeling the pressure part way through.

558
00:42:09,880 --> 00:42:14,080
Kansas or sorry Florida got out to a huge lead in the fifth they were up 5-1.

559
00:42:14,080 --> 00:42:20,200
Then Kansas made a push back to tie it up and at that point you kind of saw Martin start

560
00:42:20,200 --> 00:42:21,480
to play it safe.

561
00:42:21,480 --> 00:42:23,520
She wasn't putting the full heat on the ball.

562
00:42:23,520 --> 00:42:30,720
She was tipping some more and but to her credit when it came down to it at the end she re-found

563
00:42:30,720 --> 00:42:37,200
that aggression and she scored points down that down the stretch at the end.

564
00:42:37,200 --> 00:42:40,920
And you love to see an athlete figure it out because she's a junior I believe.

565
00:42:40,920 --> 00:42:41,920
Sophomore.

566
00:42:41,920 --> 00:42:43,680
She's a sophomore so she's young.

567
00:42:43,680 --> 00:42:48,720
That experience is going to pay dividends for her although I do want to shout out the

568
00:42:48,720 --> 00:42:56,080
Florida Libero who made an outstanding dig at 13-12 in that fifth set.

569
00:42:56,080 --> 00:42:57,760
That was probably the play of the match for me.

570
00:42:57,760 --> 00:43:01,800
Oh my gosh she kept it that she made two digs in that play.

571
00:43:01,800 --> 00:43:04,640
The first one was spectacular.

572
00:43:04,640 --> 00:43:07,600
She's a record setter at Florida for a reason.

573
00:43:07,600 --> 00:43:13,120
I will say in set two Florida had no business losing that set.

574
00:43:13,120 --> 00:43:15,320
They missed almost every serve.

575
00:43:15,320 --> 00:43:16,320
It was insane.

576
00:43:16,320 --> 00:43:17,600
It was insane.

577
00:43:17,600 --> 00:43:20,320
They couldn't get a serve in set two.

578
00:43:20,320 --> 00:43:24,760
And I was worried that was going to continue and that Kansas was going to win the next

579
00:43:24,760 --> 00:43:28,620
three sets if they couldn't figure the serving out.

580
00:43:28,620 --> 00:43:32,400
And somebody let me know because we've only seen Florida play a couple times and it was

581
00:43:32,400 --> 00:43:37,800
the same thing happened in all the times we've watched Florida play.

582
00:43:37,800 --> 00:43:43,400
They start the match with Taylor Park setting and as soon as they lose a set Stuckey comes

583
00:43:43,400 --> 00:43:45,720
in to finish the match.

584
00:43:45,720 --> 00:43:48,320
And we watched them play Missouri.

585
00:43:48,320 --> 00:43:49,320
Park started.

586
00:43:49,320 --> 00:43:51,080
They lost the first set to Missouri.

587
00:43:51,080 --> 00:43:52,240
Stuckey came in.

588
00:43:52,240 --> 00:43:56,520
This time Florida won the first set and lost the second.

589
00:43:56,520 --> 00:43:59,400
Parks played both of those and then in the third Stuckey came in.

590
00:43:59,400 --> 00:44:03,840
And so somebody tell me who has watched more Florida than we have.

591
00:44:03,840 --> 00:44:10,200
It seems to me that they're trying to manage Alexis Stuckey for her injury and just see

592
00:44:10,200 --> 00:44:14,920
how far Parks can get them in the match until they have to bring her in.

593
00:44:14,920 --> 00:44:17,640
That's my only explanation.

594
00:44:17,640 --> 00:44:18,740
But it's happened both times.

595
00:44:18,740 --> 00:44:20,260
So somebody let us know.

596
00:44:20,260 --> 00:44:23,320
And I can understand that in conference play.

597
00:44:23,320 --> 00:44:29,640
But that is a bold move for tournament play to just assume that somebody can come off

598
00:44:29,640 --> 00:44:34,400
the bench after two sets and run your offense and your hitters find rhythm.

599
00:44:34,400 --> 00:44:38,660
I mean kudos to Alexis Stuckey for being able to do that and for the hitters.

600
00:44:38,660 --> 00:44:43,320
But that seems like a huge gamble because she played and she played well.

601
00:44:43,320 --> 00:44:45,360
You got a starter I think.

602
00:44:45,360 --> 00:44:48,600
That'll be interesting to see what happens in the next rounds.

603
00:44:48,600 --> 00:44:51,600
I will say the Florida left sides did step up.

604
00:44:51,600 --> 00:44:53,000
They were question marks for me.

605
00:44:53,000 --> 00:44:54,000
A.C.

606
00:44:54,000 --> 00:45:00,340
Fitzpatrick was a blocking machine which she needed to be because I mean if you're anybody

607
00:45:00,340 --> 00:45:06,200
playing Florida you don't want to continuously run your offense into Martin and August.

608
00:45:06,200 --> 00:45:09,240
So obviously you would rather have A.C.

609
00:45:09,240 --> 00:45:11,720
Fitzpatrick blocking you than those two.

610
00:45:11,720 --> 00:45:13,680
She did her job blocking.

611
00:45:13,680 --> 00:45:15,040
So that was great to see.

612
00:45:15,040 --> 00:45:19,320
And then Isabel Martin scored very well.

613
00:45:19,320 --> 00:45:23,760
Especially when Kennedy Martin kind of slowed down a little bit that's when she stepped

614
00:45:23,760 --> 00:45:29,280
up and that is what Florida is going to need to see from her moving forward.

615
00:45:29,280 --> 00:45:34,680
She was the question mark for me going into this match and she was what's called the key

616
00:45:34,680 --> 00:45:35,680
to success.

617
00:45:35,680 --> 00:45:40,480
If they could balance their offense at the pins Florida was going to be tough to beat

618
00:45:40,480 --> 00:45:42,600
and I thought she was very good.

619
00:45:42,600 --> 00:45:49,440
Donna Bon Jo for Kansas played well she showed up as she had to if Kansas wanted to even

620
00:45:49,440 --> 00:45:51,520
have a chance.

621
00:45:51,520 --> 00:45:53,640
El Nadi was El Nadi.

622
00:45:53,640 --> 00:45:58,680
You get the same thing from her no matter where when or how she's playing.

623
00:45:58,680 --> 00:46:03,000
But I thought London Davis needed to be a little bit better for them.

624
00:46:03,000 --> 00:46:04,960
She only went 115.

625
00:46:04,960 --> 00:46:08,480
She had 26 attempts but six errors and only nine kills.

626
00:46:08,480 --> 00:46:14,400
For me she needed to score a few more points in those big moments and you mentioned Fitzpatrick.

627
00:46:14,400 --> 00:46:18,880
She made the plays down the stretch that London Davis would have needed to make for Kansas

628
00:46:18,880 --> 00:46:19,880
to win.

629
00:46:19,880 --> 00:46:21,360
And I'm going to shout out Cameron Turner.

630
00:46:21,360 --> 00:46:25,720
I've been very critical of her since we started this podcast.

631
00:46:25,720 --> 00:46:33,800
She took a swing on two at like the most ballsy time and it was very well done.

632
00:46:33,800 --> 00:46:41,800
She got pulled forward in the gap between two blockers and she unloaded on that ball.

633
00:46:41,800 --> 00:46:44,040
I think it was like 13-12 or something.

634
00:46:44,040 --> 00:46:45,840
And I don't think she had hit a ball.

635
00:46:45,840 --> 00:46:49,200
She hadn't she was saving it up for that exact moment.

636
00:46:49,200 --> 00:46:52,440
I think you and I just stopped and looked at each other and kudos.

637
00:46:52,440 --> 00:46:53,440
That was awesome.

638
00:46:53,440 --> 00:46:57,320
Again like another really fun match to watch.

639
00:46:57,320 --> 00:46:58,960
High level of execution.

640
00:46:58,960 --> 00:47:02,640
You saw some ups and downs from individual players during that match.

641
00:47:02,640 --> 00:47:06,120
You saw ups and downs from Florida serving during that match.

642
00:47:06,120 --> 00:47:12,040
Big plays were made when they needed to happen and players stepped up that we didn't expect.

643
00:47:12,040 --> 00:47:16,400
So again this is what you want to see from at tournament time.

644
00:47:16,400 --> 00:47:23,640
So our last match was probably the result that was the most surprising for me personally.

645
00:47:23,640 --> 00:47:30,600
Apologies to you and I for thinking that Louisville was going to roll through this match 3-0.

646
00:47:30,600 --> 00:47:33,000
I was very impressed.

647
00:47:33,000 --> 00:47:43,280
It was you and I might have been the most fundamentally sound and consistent that I've

648
00:47:43,280 --> 00:47:45,480
seen in these first two matches.

649
00:47:45,480 --> 00:47:51,160
I think I said to you like triple digit times during that match.

650
00:47:51,160 --> 00:47:54,200
Their fundamentals are so good.

651
00:47:54,200 --> 00:47:55,660
It's the fundamentals.

652
00:47:55,660 --> 00:47:56,660
They're so disciplined.

653
00:47:56,660 --> 00:48:01,920
And you're like yeah I heard you the first 99 times you said that.

654
00:48:01,920 --> 00:48:06,960
To me the thing I noticed that I haven't seen a ton of other teams do and granted we don't

655
00:48:06,960 --> 00:48:13,120
always have the best angle to see this but their block position adjusted based on the

656
00:48:13,120 --> 00:48:19,540
pass and the hitters that were in the front row very very well.

657
00:48:19,540 --> 00:48:25,420
So they had a two man block up and solid on almost every play.

658
00:48:25,420 --> 00:48:29,160
They made life for the Louisville outside hitters miserable.

659
00:48:29,160 --> 00:48:31,320
They understood the assignment.

660
00:48:31,320 --> 00:48:32,760
They played the percentages.

661
00:48:32,760 --> 00:48:34,400
They did their homework.

662
00:48:34,400 --> 00:48:42,000
They knew where the ball was going in different situations and honestly Louisville is one

663
00:48:42,000 --> 00:48:44,880
of the best blocking teams in the country.

664
00:48:44,880 --> 00:48:49,820
They kept up with them block for block until set four where Louisville kind of went off

665
00:48:49,820 --> 00:48:51,540
for a while there.

666
00:48:51,540 --> 00:48:54,620
They were head to head numbers wise blocking.

667
00:48:54,620 --> 00:49:00,520
Not only from a total blocks number was UNI impressive.

668
00:49:00,520 --> 00:49:07,100
The number of slowdowns and touches and good touches they got on Louisville's hitters was

669
00:49:07,100 --> 00:49:11,080
incredibly impressive and doesn't show up on the stat sheet but was a huge difference

670
00:49:11,080 --> 00:49:12,720
maker in this match.

671
00:49:12,720 --> 00:49:17,920
Across the board I thought that I was impressed with their libero and especially in set one

672
00:49:17,920 --> 00:49:22,560
like the control of the digs from UNI.

673
00:49:22,560 --> 00:49:30,120
In front of the 10 foot line not too close to the net like they were in control of everything

674
00:49:30,120 --> 00:49:31,840
they were doing.

675
00:49:31,840 --> 00:49:38,420
The thing that shocked me most was when they were like oh yes she is the co libero of the

676
00:49:38,420 --> 00:49:40,600
year.

677
00:49:40,600 --> 00:49:43,640
Oh yes this player is the co player of the year.

678
00:49:43,640 --> 00:49:49,660
I'm sorry who else is as good as these players in that conference because these athletes

679
00:49:49,660 --> 00:49:50,840
were solid.

680
00:49:50,840 --> 00:49:53,280
I still don't think we can give them enough credit.

681
00:49:53,280 --> 00:49:57,840
Now fun fact as to maybe why they were so prepared for this match.

682
00:49:57,840 --> 00:50:03,040
I believe the coach for UNI I believe her daughter plays for Louisville.

683
00:50:03,040 --> 00:50:08,280
So I'm going to go out on a limb and say that she's probably watched every Louisville game

684
00:50:08,280 --> 00:50:09,280
this season.

685
00:50:09,280 --> 00:50:15,660
And she probably knows all the juice of what is going on in that team.

686
00:50:15,660 --> 00:50:19,440
So I thought that was a cool little addition to that match.

687
00:50:19,440 --> 00:50:26,640
The thing that really impressed me about UNI was how fearless their hitters were.

688
00:50:26,640 --> 00:50:30,820
And I kept wondering you know when is the moment going to get here.

689
00:50:30,820 --> 00:50:33,560
You don't play in necessarily the strongest conference.

690
00:50:33,560 --> 00:50:35,600
You're smaller than Louisville.

691
00:50:35,600 --> 00:50:37,840
You're less experienced.

692
00:50:37,840 --> 00:50:42,140
And I kept thinking when are you going to tip the ball.

693
00:50:42,140 --> 00:50:44,120
When are you going to take a swing off.

694
00:50:44,120 --> 00:50:46,080
And they never did not until.

695
00:50:46,080 --> 00:50:47,760
No they just never did.

696
00:50:47,760 --> 00:50:53,640
They swung aggressively to score points against a bigger block all match.

697
00:50:53,640 --> 00:50:55,320
I have a lot of respect for that.

698
00:50:55,320 --> 00:50:59,840
Those hitters were as you said fearless.

699
00:50:59,840 --> 00:51:04,400
Louisville put up a record number of blocks like the most blocks they've had in a match

700
00:51:04,400 --> 00:51:07,000
since I want to say 2016 or something like that.

701
00:51:07,000 --> 00:51:09,300
25 stuff blocks on the match.

702
00:51:09,300 --> 00:51:14,120
They kept coming because they knew that that was what they had to do to win against a good

703
00:51:14,120 --> 00:51:15,240
team.

704
00:51:15,240 --> 00:51:17,600
You have to keep pushing.

705
00:51:17,600 --> 00:51:19,280
You have to take it.

706
00:51:19,280 --> 00:51:21,400
And a good team will score their points.

707
00:51:21,400 --> 00:51:23,640
Louisville will get their blocks.

708
00:51:23,640 --> 00:51:28,000
But they did not stop and they were varying up their attacks.

709
00:51:28,000 --> 00:51:30,000
They were switching the angles.

710
00:51:30,000 --> 00:51:35,120
You know Elena Scott got off to a great start defensively for Louisville.

711
00:51:35,120 --> 00:51:37,040
Great outstanding digs.

712
00:51:37,040 --> 00:51:38,040
It was wild.

713
00:51:38,040 --> 00:51:41,520
Okay we're going to switch up the angle.

714
00:51:41,520 --> 00:51:43,660
We're going to make a change.

715
00:51:43,660 --> 00:51:46,160
And then another player was able to find rhythm.

716
00:51:46,160 --> 00:51:52,640
They had a plan and they stuck to it and I was so impressed.

717
00:51:52,640 --> 00:51:55,640
And then they had match point.

718
00:51:55,640 --> 00:52:00,600
And we kept looking at each other like when is this moment going to become too much.

719
00:52:00,600 --> 00:52:02,520
And it was when they had match point.

720
00:52:02,520 --> 00:52:05,340
All of a sudden it became real.

721
00:52:05,340 --> 00:52:09,220
All of a sudden it became we're going to win this match.

722
00:52:09,220 --> 00:52:11,720
We can beat a number one seed.

723
00:52:11,720 --> 00:52:13,720
They could not get a sermon.

724
00:52:13,720 --> 00:52:16,200
They missed four serves on match point.

725
00:52:16,200 --> 00:52:18,240
It was heartbreaking.

726
00:52:18,240 --> 00:52:19,680
It was heartbreaking to watch.

727
00:52:19,680 --> 00:52:23,320
Like they were so in it and fearless.

728
00:52:23,320 --> 00:52:27,640
I keep saying that word but it just fits.

729
00:52:27,640 --> 00:52:33,360
Well and the crazy thing to me was they would miss a serve and then they would have a fearless

730
00:52:33,360 --> 00:52:36,660
swing and then they would miss a serve and they would go back and swing again.

731
00:52:36,660 --> 00:52:43,920
It was almost as if those four seconds at the baseline just overwhelmed them in that

732
00:52:43,920 --> 00:52:44,920
moment.

733
00:52:44,920 --> 00:52:50,160
And that's where you saw the difference is because I mean set five went 22 20.

734
00:52:50,160 --> 00:52:53,620
Louisville didn't miss a serve and it's wearing and that's the difference.

735
00:52:53,620 --> 00:52:55,880
This Louisville has been there.

736
00:52:55,880 --> 00:53:04,200
Louisville knows how to deal with that pressure and that scrutiny and you and I didn't.

737
00:53:04,200 --> 00:53:09,560
And that was the difference is Louisville executed the things that they that were in

738
00:53:09,560 --> 00:53:13,920
their complete control and quite frankly serving is the only thing in volleyball that is completely

739
00:53:13,920 --> 00:53:15,400
in your control.

740
00:53:15,400 --> 00:53:18,320
They took care of it and you and I didn't.

741
00:53:18,320 --> 00:53:22,320
And I think the other thing that's interesting from a non volleyball perspective that maybe

742
00:53:22,320 --> 00:53:28,140
some people don't think about is there is added pressure when you're a number one seed

743
00:53:28,140 --> 00:53:31,180
and you're hosting the final four.

744
00:53:31,180 --> 00:53:34,220
And I think we talked about this earlier with the team.

745
00:53:34,220 --> 00:53:39,940
I think Louisville came in expecting this to be a little bit more of an easier match

746
00:53:39,940 --> 00:53:40,940
than it was.

747
00:53:40,940 --> 00:53:47,840
And you saw a little bit of a laissez faire attitude in the first set to their credit

748
00:53:47,840 --> 00:53:51,940
and I think Anna De Beer helped bring them around.

749
00:53:51,940 --> 00:53:56,280
They entered the dog fight and they showed up.

750
00:53:56,280 --> 00:54:00,240
But you have to think about hey we're going to lose this match.

751
00:54:00,240 --> 00:54:01,400
We're playing at home.

752
00:54:01,400 --> 00:54:05,940
How embarrassing is the wrong word but we're hosting and we don't make it and all of those

753
00:54:05,940 --> 00:54:15,400
factors play in and they were able to rise up and manage the moment in a very tough situation

754
00:54:15,400 --> 00:54:17,360
because you and I was unconscious.

755
00:54:17,360 --> 00:54:19,240
You and I was was quite balanced.

756
00:54:19,240 --> 00:54:23,200
I was impressed with their middle their outsides their right side.

757
00:54:23,200 --> 00:54:25,840
Louisville's middles blocked well.

758
00:54:25,840 --> 00:54:28,860
They were not effective offensively in my opinion.

759
00:54:28,860 --> 00:54:33,400
I didn't think the Louisville right sides showed up in the way they had to offensively.

760
00:54:33,400 --> 00:54:40,600
Charity Looper and Anna De Beer, Alaina Scott those three held it together for Louisville.

761
00:54:40,600 --> 00:54:44,840
But I think moving forward they're going to need to figure this out.

762
00:54:44,840 --> 00:54:51,180
Like they're not going to have a walk in the park with Purdue anytime.

763
00:54:51,180 --> 00:54:57,880
But if their middles and right sides are not scoring consistently it's going to be a struggle.

764
00:54:57,880 --> 00:55:02,040
And you know to Anna De Beer's credit Louisville was down 14-12.

765
00:55:02,040 --> 00:55:04,480
She had a fearless swing.

766
00:55:04,480 --> 00:55:09,540
She had a got a block like she got them back in the game.

767
00:55:09,540 --> 00:55:13,400
And that's like we've seen that from her more than more than a few times now.

768
00:55:13,400 --> 00:55:15,320
Like it's it's not a fluke.

769
00:55:15,320 --> 00:55:18,180
So she is definitely that player for them.

770
00:55:18,180 --> 00:55:23,640
You know Alaina Scott outstanding defensively.

771
00:55:23,640 --> 00:55:24,840
Great set her setting.

772
00:55:24,840 --> 00:55:27,560
I say it every time I watch them.

773
00:55:27,560 --> 00:55:30,960
Charity tell us was she a setter in club or something because.

774
00:55:30,960 --> 00:55:32,480
Her location is incredible.

775
00:55:32,480 --> 00:55:34,600
Very accurate very hittable.

776
00:55:34,600 --> 00:55:38,200
Always putting her hitters in a position to swing when they're out of system.

777
00:55:38,200 --> 00:55:39,240
It's fun to watch.

778
00:55:39,240 --> 00:55:42,520
So yeah Louisville's blocking very good.

779
00:55:42,520 --> 00:55:47,080
The outsides Alaina Scott solid.

780
00:55:47,080 --> 00:55:51,800
But they're going to need more from their middles and right sides in the next rounds.

781
00:55:51,800 --> 00:55:55,120
I hope you guys had as much fun as we did watching round two.

782
00:55:55,120 --> 00:55:56,120
Wow.

783
00:55:56,120 --> 00:55:59,560
I know I was getting a lot of comments on Instagram asking what we're watching.

784
00:55:59,560 --> 00:56:03,260
So I know that you guys were into it as well.

785
00:56:03,260 --> 00:56:11,320
So it's going to be very very fun to see how the regional semifinals play out this week.

786
00:56:11,320 --> 00:56:15,920
So we had a few questions come in this week as people have been watching matches and really

787
00:56:15,920 --> 00:56:18,080
involved in the NCAA tournament.

788
00:56:18,080 --> 00:56:22,960
And so we wanted to address a few of those and maybe give some background information

789
00:56:22,960 --> 00:56:27,640
for people who don't necessarily know all the terms or all the things they're hearing

790
00:56:27,640 --> 00:56:29,480
while they're watching the broadcast.

791
00:56:29,480 --> 00:56:33,940
So one question that came in that I think is very important to address especially if

792
00:56:33,940 --> 00:56:41,520
you're watching more volleyball is what is the difference between a 6 2 and a 5 1 and

793
00:56:41,520 --> 00:56:46,140
broadcasters and announcers use these terms all the time.

794
00:56:46,140 --> 00:56:51,540
And if you're not sure what they mean it can obviously be very confusing because they are

795
00:56:51,540 --> 00:56:53,280
used frequently.

796
00:56:53,280 --> 00:57:00,680
So 6 2 5 1 is the system that a particular team is running.

797
00:57:00,680 --> 00:57:06,520
And so the first number that you hear refers to the number of hitters that a team uses

798
00:57:06,520 --> 00:57:10,660
and the second number refers to the number of setters they use.

799
00:57:10,660 --> 00:57:17,800
So if a team is running a 6 2 it means that they have six players that they use as attackers

800
00:57:17,800 --> 00:57:21,720
and they have two players that they use as setters.

801
00:57:21,720 --> 00:57:26,700
Practically what that looks like is the setters will play the rotations in the back row.

802
00:57:26,700 --> 00:57:31,840
So if the setter starts in one they'll play three rotations when they rotate to the front

803
00:57:31,840 --> 00:57:36,320
they'll do the teams will do a double sub where a right side will come in and play in

804
00:57:36,320 --> 00:57:40,800
the front row and then the right side that rotated back will come out for the next setter.

805
00:57:40,800 --> 00:57:45,360
So your setters are only playing three rotations and they're always setting from the back.

806
00:57:45,360 --> 00:57:52,520
When you hear 5 1 that means that a team has utilizes five hitters and one setter.

807
00:57:52,520 --> 00:57:58,000
So in this scenario you see the setter play all six rotations so obviously when the setters

808
00:57:58,000 --> 00:58:01,500
in the front row they're not attacking.

809
00:58:01,500 --> 00:58:09,480
So of the players on the court five of them are hitting and one is setting which is why

810
00:58:09,480 --> 00:58:12,920
when the setters in the front row two people are hitting when the setters in the back row

811
00:58:12,920 --> 00:58:14,760
three people are hitting.

812
00:58:14,760 --> 00:58:18,400
So hopefully that clears that up a little bit.

813
00:58:18,400 --> 00:58:26,520
The next question we got was why do players tip so much even if the set isn't bad.

814
00:58:26,520 --> 00:58:32,720
This is a great question and I think there are several possible options.

815
00:58:32,720 --> 00:58:38,640
One of them we talked about is certain players don't love to make mistakes and so when they

816
00:58:38,640 --> 00:58:43,520
find themselves in a situation that's uncomfortable or they have a big block in front of them

817
00:58:43,520 --> 00:58:49,560
instead of swinging and being aggressive they will tip to keep the rally going in order

818
00:58:49,560 --> 00:58:53,580
to not make a mistake and see if they can continue the rally.

819
00:58:53,580 --> 00:58:59,320
The other reason people tip is if there is something that the team has identified as

820
00:58:59,320 --> 00:59:01,560
a defensive weakness of their opponent.

821
00:59:01,560 --> 00:59:06,960
So if a team plays defense on the perimeter where all of their back row players are kind

822
00:59:06,960 --> 00:59:11,200
of on the outside of the court you'll see teams attack the middle of the court with

823
00:59:11,200 --> 00:59:13,560
a tip in an effort to score.

824
00:59:13,560 --> 00:59:19,360
You might also see a player tip to the setter to try and take them out of the rally or force

825
00:59:19,360 --> 00:59:25,320
an out of system set and that can also be a strategic play when you don't necessarily

826
00:59:25,320 --> 00:59:28,160
have a kill swing in front of you.

827
00:59:28,160 --> 00:59:32,600
The last question we're going to answer is what is the purpose of a short serve if it

828
00:59:32,600 --> 00:59:35,840
doesn't seem to disrupt anything.

829
00:59:35,840 --> 00:59:37,360
I love this question.

830
00:59:37,360 --> 00:59:43,620
So there are numerous reasons why a team would utilize a short serve.

831
00:59:43,620 --> 00:59:49,860
The first one would be to disrupt attacking routes.

832
00:59:49,860 --> 00:59:56,760
So in many rotations you'll see the middle and an outside hitter kind of clumped together

833
00:59:56,760 --> 01:00:01,000
and middles have to like typically run across the whole court if they're running behind

834
01:00:01,000 --> 01:00:02,000
the setter.

835
01:00:02,000 --> 01:00:08,500
And so if you're serving short you are kind of trying to disrupt their timing to not be

836
01:00:08,500 --> 01:00:12,520
able to run their route smoothly.

837
01:00:12,520 --> 01:00:19,240
Another option would be to make life difficult for a player who has to serve receive and

838
01:00:19,240 --> 01:00:20,360
then attack.

839
01:00:20,360 --> 01:00:26,020
So if they have to run up to pass a short ball it becomes more difficult for them to

840
01:00:26,020 --> 01:00:29,560
get outside and get a nice strong approach.

841
01:00:29,560 --> 01:00:36,520
So you're trying even if the pass may be perfect and even if it looks like a team is still

842
01:00:36,520 --> 01:00:42,360
in system teams are trying to limit options.

843
01:00:42,360 --> 01:00:47,980
So if a team typically has three attackers by making life difficult for their outside

844
01:00:47,980 --> 01:00:55,240
hitter they can focus on the other hitters and it just really helps limit all the things

845
01:00:55,240 --> 01:00:58,240
that a block in defense have to look at.

846
01:00:58,240 --> 01:01:04,400
Another option and the final thing I'll talk about is a team might choose to do this to

847
01:01:04,400 --> 01:01:07,860
just disrupt passing rhythm.

848
01:01:07,860 --> 01:01:13,800
If you're seeing the same type of serve all match it's really easy to get into a rhythm

849
01:01:13,800 --> 01:01:17,440
and then it's very straightforward to deliver perfect passes.

850
01:01:17,440 --> 01:01:23,720
If you're forced to run forward and then they might serve deep again like now you're unsure

851
01:01:23,720 --> 01:01:29,840
and you're on your toes and you're less steady with what is coming at you and we saw this

852
01:01:29,840 --> 01:01:34,200
actually in set four in the Louisville and Northern Iowa match.

853
01:01:34,200 --> 01:01:39,740
Louisville started serving short in set four and you and I who had been passing very well

854
01:01:39,740 --> 01:01:45,800
all match all of a sudden started passing off the net because Louisville was forcing

855
01:01:45,800 --> 01:01:51,000
them to move forward and backward in that scenario.

856
01:01:51,000 --> 01:01:54,680
So hopefully those answers help clear things up for you guys.

857
01:01:54,680 --> 01:01:58,940
We love getting your questions so please be sure to keep them coming.

858
01:01:58,940 --> 01:02:04,920
We had a great week of volleyball this week and it's only going to get better from here.

859
01:02:04,920 --> 01:02:09,720
We're going to have high level matches Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday.

860
01:02:09,720 --> 01:02:12,740
There's going to be a lot to watch and it's going to be super exciting.

861
01:02:12,740 --> 01:02:16,360
So a couple of the matches that Sarah and I are looking forward to on Thursday we have

862
01:02:16,360 --> 01:02:18,080
Kentucky and Missouri.

863
01:02:18,080 --> 01:02:21,960
I'm not going to pick a winner on that one because I'm not going to bet against Missouri

864
01:02:21,960 --> 01:02:26,160
but I think Kentucky is playing really well so that one's going to be fun to watch.

865
01:02:26,160 --> 01:02:31,280
And then after the Florida Stanford match probably around 930 or 10 o'clock p.m. Eastern

866
01:02:31,280 --> 01:02:36,480
time we're going to see Louisville Purdue which I think is going to be a great game.

867
01:02:36,480 --> 01:02:41,280
And then on Friday at 1 p.m. Eastern we have Creighton and Texas facing off in the state

868
01:02:41,280 --> 01:02:45,320
college regional semifinal and that's also on ESPN too.

869
01:02:45,320 --> 01:02:51,460
This match is going to potentially be I would say a passing of the baton as Creighton has

870
01:02:51,460 --> 01:02:53,440
had an exceptional season.

871
01:02:53,440 --> 01:02:56,640
Texas won the last two titles.

872
01:02:56,640 --> 01:03:01,160
It'll be interesting to see the dynamics which team shows up, whether Creighton can rise

873
01:03:01,160 --> 01:03:02,160
to the occasion.

874
01:03:02,160 --> 01:03:04,320
That's going to be a fun one.

875
01:03:04,320 --> 01:03:11,020
I'm just going to say my first two rounds of my bracket were a bloodbath but my picks

876
01:03:11,020 --> 01:03:17,880
for the Elite Eight are still alive so I've got a lot kind of riding on these regional

877
01:03:17,880 --> 01:03:26,080
semifinal matches because man I am low in the ranks in the volley talk bracket challenges.

878
01:03:26,080 --> 01:03:31,000
Even though I tried to make some sneaky picks I shouldn't have.

879
01:03:31,000 --> 01:03:32,280
What was I thinking?

880
01:03:32,280 --> 01:03:36,800
Anyway obviously Saturday and Sunday are the regional finals.

881
01:03:36,800 --> 01:03:40,120
Pittsburgh and Louisville regionals are happening on Saturday.

882
01:03:40,120 --> 01:03:42,960
Both of those matches are on ESPN too.

883
01:03:42,960 --> 01:03:45,920
The Lincoln and State College regionals are on Sunday.

884
01:03:45,920 --> 01:03:51,280
The Lincoln regionals being shown on ABC and the State College regionals being shown on

885
01:03:51,280 --> 01:03:52,940
ESPN.

886
01:03:52,940 --> 01:03:57,400
Now obviously all of these matches in the regional semifinals have the potential to

887
01:03:57,400 --> 01:04:03,600
be outstanding but the ones that Adam highlighted are the ones that we are particularly looking

888
01:04:03,600 --> 01:04:08,680
forward to and that we think have great potential.

889
01:04:08,680 --> 01:04:15,000
As of the time of the final match there is a high likelihood that next week's episode

890
01:04:15,000 --> 01:04:20,280
is going to be released on Tuesday morning or potentially later in the day on Monday

891
01:04:20,280 --> 01:04:25,960
so if your download doesn't show up first thing Monday morning that is why.

892
01:04:25,960 --> 01:04:31,560
It might be impossible for us to get this recorded to get it out to you Monday morning.

893
01:04:31,560 --> 01:04:34,140
And you know we're not going to skip a match.

894
01:04:34,140 --> 01:04:36,840
That concludes this week's episode of Volley Talk.

895
01:04:36,840 --> 01:04:41,000
There's always something shaking in the volleyball world and we hope you enjoyed this little

896
01:04:41,000 --> 01:04:42,000
fix.

897
01:04:42,000 --> 01:04:46,040
Be sure to follow the show so you don't miss any updates and we'd be so grateful if you

898
01:04:46,040 --> 01:04:48,260
would leave us a five star review.

899
01:04:48,260 --> 01:04:53,240
You can also find us on Instagram at VolleyTalk underscore podcast.

900
01:04:53,240 --> 01:04:57,080
If you have a topic that you want us to discuss be sure to let us know by reaching out to

901
01:04:57,080 --> 01:05:01,420
us on Instagram or at info at Sarah pavin dot com.

902
01:05:01,420 --> 01:05:09,520
Thank you so much for joining us and we'll be back next week.