VB: Pitt vs USC
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I don’t want to see Monks out there again tonight unless Chia requests to come off the court. Chia always rises up in big games and they need to ride that.
They’ve looked like a completely different team since this moment
Anybody know why Fairbanks is wearing a brace over her stomach area under her jersey? My daughter is asking…
Love the way this team gets in the groove and kicks ass. That first game was out of sync but damn they got it going.
She's been wearing it most of the season. I've been assuming some type of abdominal strain, but not positive.
When I went to see Torrey Stafford play in a HS tournament in Manhattan Beach (after she had verballed to Pitt), I met a guy whose occupation is finding college scholarships for women who play volleyball or softball. Not stars like Stafford who are going to big schools, but lesser players in California who still are likely to be better than the local talent smaller schools can get. The trick, he said, is to find schools which have non-athletic money available and match the girls with them. Most volleyball and softball scholarships are partials so non-athletic grants are critical if the girls don’t come from wealthy families. He does volleyball and softball because they play in different seasons. Not sure how lucrative it is for him, but you can tell after just a few minutes of talking to him that he really enjoys it. He played volleyball at Loyola Marymount. I’m not sure they have a men’s’ team anymore.
I have talked to him a few times since then and I called him this morning to ask about tonight’s match. (I am in California temporarily hopefully to sell my house.) He actually was prophetic about this match.
He said USC is more than Fields; they have 2 or 3 other really good players. The coach emphasizes recruiting good servers. We saw that in the first set and really throughout the match. Rey good serving team. But, he said they are emotionally fragile and have a tendency to break.
If they win the first set, he said, Pitt will be in for a very tough match. If they lose the first set, it likely will be 3-0.
Pretty prophetic. I’m not sure where or if USC ever completely broke but they never again consistently matched their play in the first set. I thought their coach did a great job in calling TOs. It seemed like they would win 4 or 5 points right after each one. But, they couldn’t maintain that focus for more than a few points.
I thought Babcock and Stafford both played better than against Coppin. They seem to be getting over their freshman jitters. Che was a difference maker tonight. She was a much more effective MB than Monk. Our designated servers continue to do almost nothing. Fairbanks, as usual, was a rock. Best player on the court.
It’s either Washington State or Dayton next. I don’t think either of them will be as tough as USC if we remain focused.
I have talked to him a few times since then and I called him this morning to ask about tonight’s match. (I am in California temporarily hopefully to sell my house.) He actually was prophetic about this match.
He said USC is more than Fields; they have 2 or 3 other really good players. The coach emphasizes recruiting good servers. We saw that in the first set and really throughout the match. Rey good serving team. But, he said they are emotionally fragile and have a tendency to break.
If they win the first set, he said, Pitt will be in for a very tough match. If they lose the first set, it likely will be 3-0.
Pretty prophetic. I’m not sure where or if USC ever completely broke but they never again consistently matched their play in the first set. I thought their coach did a great job in calling TOs. It seemed like they would win 4 or 5 points right after each one. But, they couldn’t maintain that focus for more than a few points.
I thought Babcock and Stafford both played better than against Coppin. They seem to be getting over their freshman jitters. Che was a difference maker tonight. She was a much more effective MB than Monk. Our designated servers continue to do almost nothing. Fairbanks, as usual, was a rock. Best player on the court.
It’s either Washington State or Dayton next. I don’t think either of them will be as tough as USC if we remain focused.
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