VBALL: PREVIEW of Pitt vs Louisville - National Semifinal
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What an absolutely disastrous 5th set. I feel so bad for them. What a great season. Sad that it went out like that.
Louisville is the more talented team and we ran out of gas. Pretty simple.
There’s nothing to be disappointed about. Great Season and H2P!
There’s nothing to be disappointed about. Great Season and H2P!
Louisville actually ended up scoring more points on their serve than we did. In a high level match like this I can't imagine that happens very often.
Well sure there is. That doesn't mean that it wasn't a good season, but that was most certainly a disappointing fifth set, especially coming on the heels of that comeback in the 4th.
The fact that Pitt even got to 5 sets with Buzzerio quiet most of the night and Louisville’s trio of Chaussee/Debeer/Jones getting kill after kill was a feat in itself
We had a great run. Probably went farther than we should have. We just didn’t have the depth to beat the very best.
We lost 3 big hitters from last year and replaced them with one from the portal. I believe in our last 3 matches each team we played had at least two more players than Pitt with 5 plus kills. We really don’t scare anyone with our back row offense. Compare that to Louisville or Florida. We were out blocked in each of the last three matches.
I think Buzzerio just got worn down at the end. She never played nearly this many matches at Iowa. We need to find at least two Buzzerio’s in this year’s portal. And, a Middle Blocker.
And, a Libero. The best one I saw this year was Florida’s. Texas’ is great too. Klika, not so much. Louisville killed us offensively ftom two areas. They had an excellent back row offense. We really have none. And, they scored consistently on a crosscourt kill from the far left side of the court. We weren’t successful blocking it because of the angle of the strike. But, on that play as soon as the set goes in that direction, the Libero has to cover the area they were hitting to. They consistently went into the same area. I don’t believe Klika dug one all night.
I don’t think we will find either the Texas or Florida Libero in the portal and Fisher doesn’t have one in the incoming class. But, we need an upgrade there.
Still, it was a great season. If Torrey Stafford is as good as I think she will be, she will be fun to watch the next four years. And, Babcock is as tall as anyone we ever have had and very athletic. She is a novice at the sport and should have a huge upside. When her coach says her major fault is jumping too high, you know you have the raw material to work with. Lest we forget, the incoming freshman from Texas is also somewhat of a newcomer to the sport, with a big upside.
Next year is unlikely to match this one, at least absent a windfall in the portal. But, the future looks bright and we have the best coach in the country leading this team.
We lost 3 big hitters from last year and replaced them with one from the portal. I believe in our last 3 matches each team we played had at least two more players than Pitt with 5 plus kills. We really don’t scare anyone with our back row offense. Compare that to Louisville or Florida. We were out blocked in each of the last three matches.
I think Buzzerio just got worn down at the end. She never played nearly this many matches at Iowa. We need to find at least two Buzzerio’s in this year’s portal. And, a Middle Blocker.
And, a Libero. The best one I saw this year was Florida’s. Texas’ is great too. Klika, not so much. Louisville killed us offensively ftom two areas. They had an excellent back row offense. We really have none. And, they scored consistently on a crosscourt kill from the far left side of the court. We weren’t successful blocking it because of the angle of the strike. But, on that play as soon as the set goes in that direction, the Libero has to cover the area they were hitting to. They consistently went into the same area. I don’t believe Klika dug one all night.
I don’t think we will find either the Texas or Florida Libero in the portal and Fisher doesn’t have one in the incoming class. But, we need an upgrade there.
Still, it was a great season. If Torrey Stafford is as good as I think she will be, she will be fun to watch the next four years. And, Babcock is as tall as anyone we ever have had and very athletic. She is a novice at the sport and should have a huge upside. When her coach says her major fault is jumping too high, you know you have the raw material to work with. Lest we forget, the incoming freshman from Texas is also somewhat of a newcomer to the sport, with a big upside.
Next year is unlikely to match this one, at least absent a windfall in the portal. But, the future looks bright and we have the best coach in the country leading this team.
VB is the biggest momentum sport I ever watched.
When a team gets on a roll, it's hard to stop it.
By the time we got Ville to the 5th set, our squad was out of gas.
That plus the serving of DeBeer and the blocking of Kong sealed the deal in the 5th.
Once you get down like that in a 15 point game, it's all over. You just can't make up that kind of deficit in such a short time.
We could have stolen that match, but DeBeer was having none of that. She was a beast from the front and back row. We never were able to blunt her, and she leads the way for them.
Amazing player.
No shame in losing in 5 sets in the Final Four. Would have been nice to win, but the better team won tonight.
When a team gets on a roll, it's hard to stop it.
By the time we got Ville to the 5th set, our squad was out of gas.
That plus the serving of DeBeer and the blocking of Kong sealed the deal in the 5th.
Once you get down like that in a 15 point game, it's all over. You just can't make up that kind of deficit in such a short time.
We could have stolen that match, but DeBeer was having none of that. She was a beast from the front and back row. We never were able to blunt her, and she leads the way for them.
Amazing player.
No shame in losing in 5 sets in the Final Four. Would have been nice to win, but the better team won tonight.
I don’t want to dwell much on that fifth set because it was just…unfortunate. The fourth set was an amazing display of fortitude and the 5th set…just didn’t work out.
@mike412 made a lot of good points and i agree with almost all of them. One thing I’ve learned about the game is this: not every pass on serve receive is going to be a dime. passes behind the 10 foot line, tight to the net, too low, etc. happen. If you want to win with imperfect passing, you have to have superior outsides to either a.) play six rotations and hit from the back row or b.) just be able to out athlete the blockers on the other side of the net. Louisville could had this; Pitt did not.
Mediocre passes on serve receive are easy to defend, that’s why Kong looked all world out there in the last set. It’s easy to block when the setter only has one option. The difference between pitt and Louisville is that when pitt only had one option, the option wasn’t good enough. Lousiville outsides are exceptional, and that‘s why they were able to hit around/over pitt’s very good block. VVG has improved a lot but compared to the rest of the teams in the final four, she isn’t on the same level. Ennis had a really hot streak in the fourth set, and she was trying her best, but again, she wasn’t on the same level as the rest of the outsides in the quarter/semi finals.
I still love this team and look forward To next season. Let’s see what else Fisher has up his sleeve.
@mike412 made a lot of good points and i agree with almost all of them. One thing I’ve learned about the game is this: not every pass on serve receive is going to be a dime. passes behind the 10 foot line, tight to the net, too low, etc. happen. If you want to win with imperfect passing, you have to have superior outsides to either a.) play six rotations and hit from the back row or b.) just be able to out athlete the blockers on the other side of the net. Louisville could had this; Pitt did not.
Mediocre passes on serve receive are easy to defend, that’s why Kong looked all world out there in the last set. It’s easy to block when the setter only has one option. The difference between pitt and Louisville is that when pitt only had one option, the option wasn’t good enough. Lousiville outsides are exceptional, and that‘s why they were able to hit around/over pitt’s very good block. VVG has improved a lot but compared to the rest of the teams in the final four, she isn’t on the same level. Ennis had a really hot streak in the fourth set, and she was trying her best, but again, she wasn’t on the same level as the rest of the outsides in the quarter/semi finals.
I still love this team and look forward To next season. Let’s see what else Fisher has up his sleeve.
pittdan77
Athletic Director
She's a "six position" player. She rotates the whole way around.
A lot of people who watch VB don't understand how much strategy and play making go on right in front of their eyes.
There is so much strategy, it isn't just whacking the ball over the net. Also with serving. A good server is like a pitcher in MLB. They hit spots, make the ball move, knuckle ball it, and lefties make the ball spin in the opposite direction that most players are used to.
Excellent point above about the "first hit". That is the key. If you don't put it where the setter can make a good decision, and read the defense, then you better have a super athletic setter who can make lemonade out of lemons.
These girls are super athletic. Quick on their feet, have amazing hand eye coordination, exceptional leaping ability, and nerves of steel.
It is a great sport, without a doubt.
There is so much strategy, it isn't just whacking the ball over the net. Also with serving. A good server is like a pitcher in MLB. They hit spots, make the ball move, knuckle ball it, and lefties make the ball spin in the opposite direction that most players are used to.
Excellent point above about the "first hit". That is the key. If you don't put it where the setter can make a good decision, and read the defense, then you better have a super athletic setter who can make lemonade out of lemons.
These girls are super athletic. Quick on their feet, have amazing hand eye coordination, exceptional leaping ability, and nerves of steel.
It is a great sport, without a doubt.
pittdan77
Athletic Director
All of this and then some.
Louisville did a fantastic job of keeping Pitt out of its offense last night. The serves were so good, even with all of their service errors. It's tough to get good scoring opportunities when you're struggling to get a good first pass. Guessing Louisville saw what Wisconsin was able to do and went with that.
Defensively, Louisville kept Pitt's front line off balance all night. It gets really tough on a blocker when a team comes at you so many different ways. Too many one-on-one challenges. The fact that Pitt took it to five sets was impressive given how far back on their heels they were playing. Mentally, I think that got into their heads a little in that last set and Pitt was definitely expending more energy to keep the ball in the air. They looked tired.
Overall, Fisher put together a nice run using a couple of transfers to bolster the lineup. Louisville is going to give Texas everything they can handle on Saturday. I'll be rooting for them to beat Texas because it will be a huge breakthrough for the conference and will give talented young players a reason to want to play in the ACC. Good for Pitt and it's good for everyone.
Volleyball is one of the fastest growing sports in the country. Seeing the fan support from this board is fantastic. The game is entertaining and easy to understand. All good things.
So proud of this team.Brought many great moments this year.Sorry it had to end the this way.Congrats to the Seniors and others players that are leaving the program.You will be missed.Any idea if any Seniors still have any eligibility left? H2P!
Ennis, Gray, Starks, and Buzzerio are all out of eligibility.
Nwokolo, Akeo, and Browske have their COVID years and can come back for one more season. Browske and Nwokolo were honored on senior night so they probably won't be back (plus the TV broadcast kept mentioning law school for Nwokolo about 50 times during the NCAA tourney).
I remember them saying that.I figured Akeo and Browske might be able to come back.Why not come back should be another good run.
I mean, we are absolutely going to get a MB and a OH from the portal. I think a decent chance we get a libero too, who knows. I feel pretty certain Fairbanks, Gomez, Dalton will be in just about every rotation. Akeo will still have a role, Klika and Griffin as well possibly. They expect big things from Jespen. Flood - questionable. But at least 2, maybe 3 of Pitt’s best players for next year aren’t on the roster right now. I don’t really even think that’s for debate. Fisher can go shopping in the portal and we will have our pick at a lot of these spots.
The rich get richer. Especially in women's college sports, where talent is already concentrated among a few teams.
Just depends on what they want. Obviously Akeo lost her starting job to Fairbanks, and Browske to Klika, so if they want to play more, they’d probably transfer. But maybe the culture/team keeps them here. I dunno.
