Pitt-PSU observations

[RightSaidTed]

Just got back from the game. What an incredible night and dominant performance from the team. Here are some quick thoughts:
- Torrey Stafford was the best player on the court. Unstoppable and Fairbanks was smart enough to keep feeding her.
- Pitt’s serve game was far superior to PSU’s. We got a ton of easy points from lots of different servers and Penn State didn’t get a single service run until the third set when the match was basically over.
- Emmy Klika had a fantastic game. If she can play at this level it will be a real difference maker for this team. The defense as a whole was spectacular.
- Fairbanks was in total control. Incredible decision-making and execution all night.
- I know it’s early and there will likely be bumps in the road, but it’s hard to watch that game and not come away thinking this team is a national title contender.
Hard to believe, but I am even more excited for this season than I was before. H2P!!

 

[121rum]

I think PSU got rattled by the crowd, Pitt having big game experience will be so huge for not getting overwhelmed in big games like that

 

[Franb]

Just got back from the game. What an incredible night and dominant performance from the team. Here are some quick thoughts:
- Torrey Stafford was the best player on the court. Unstoppable and Fairbanks was smart enough to keep feeding her.
- Pitt’s serve game was far superior to PSU’s. We got a ton of easy points from lots of different servers and Penn State didn’t get a single service run until the third set when the match was basically over.
- Emmy Klika had a fantastic game. If she can play at this level it will be a real difference maker for this team. The defense as a whole was spectacular.
- Fairbanks was in total control. Incredible decision-making and execution all night.
- I know it’s early and there will likely be bumps in the road, but it’s hard to watch that game and not come away thinking this team is a national title contender.
Hard to believe, but I am even more excited for this season than I was before. H2P!!

The only negative I saw was Babcock's serve - I'm a novice fan, but don't remember her getting more than 1 point on her serve, if that. Not that it mattered.

 

[veryrustyred]

Flew in from CT for the game.
What a great event; I'll use the word spectacle to describe it. Over 10,000, electric atmosphere, and REALLY loud, especially when PSU was seving.
The team collectively came up big. As stated above, Stafford was the best offensive player on the court; can't wait to see her hitting %. I don't think she missed in the 2nd and third sets. And defensively, Klicka was outstanding. Has she come along way. In the recent Fisher interview, he said words to the effect that there are not any better at her pisition She validated that night.
This was also the best serving game I've seen from Pitt. Perhaps that has something to do with PSUs surprsingly poor serve-receive game.
One additional observation - its not easy to keep up the intensity and very high level of play for 3 straight sets. The team did so tonight. Well done.

 

[Black Panther]

I think PSU got rattled by the crowd, Pitt having big game experience will be so huge for not getting overwhelmed in big games like that

It was basically a volleyball clinic for most of the game for Pitt.Had a few more service errors than you would like but no game is perfect.

 

[RightSaidTed]

The only negative I saw was Babcock's serve - I'm a novice fan, but don't remember her getting more than 1 point on her serve, if that. Not that it mattered.

Her serve is very streaky. When she gets on a roll it’s a huge weapon. Tonight wasn’t that night. I think Fisher even subbed in Griffin to serve for her at one point in the third. But the rest of the team served great and more than made up for it.

 

[Franb]

Her serve is very streaky. When she gets on a roll it’s a huge weapon. Tonight wasn’t that night. I think Fisher even subbed in Griffin to serve for her at one point in the third. But the rest of the team served great and more than made up for it.

I'm not familiar enough about rotations, but it did seem that Babcock did not serve for a long time in the 3rd, and I assumed she had been passed over.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

can't wait to see her hitting %.

I want to see what the middles ended up, because they dominated Penn State.

Of course it is now 2-1/2 hours after the match is over, and the lead story on the Pitt web site is, ah, the lacrosse fall schedule. There is still no story on the game, and there is still no link to the box score.

It should also be noted that the game tracker with the live stats got "stuck" in the second set. And it still shows that the game is in the second set at this very moment.

On the night of a huge win, all of that seems rather incompetent.

 

[mike412]

I just finished watching the full match for the second time on video. (It’s amazing that it takes less than 37 minutes to show 100% of the action.)

Pitt was dominant from the first point on. The Pitt blocking totally took away PSU’s outside hitters for most of the match. Fairbanks had PSU totally confused; when they did manage to setup a double block on the outside, the Pitt hitters either went inside of it or hit the top of the hands of the blockers.

Pitt kept PSU from ever getting into any rhythm. They only lead twice in the match — both by one point in the second set — and I think their longest scoring run was either 3 or 4 points late in the third set when the match was pretty much over.

PSU was focused on stopping Babcock, and Stafford killed them. Our middles got a few points but that is one part of our game that can improve significantly during the rest of the season. Ryla Jones looks like a player.

Klika was a revelation. This was by far the best I have seen her play. Not only did she make the digs, but she almost always was in the right position. That wasn’t always true last season. Let’s hope it continues.

Fairbanks was Fairbanks. The best setter in college volleyball.

Great gameplan and great preparation by the coaching staff.

I wish Paul Sunderland had been calling the match, but the announcers were good.

 

[Thee Jackie Treehorn]

Klika was a revelation. This was by far the best I have seen her play. Not only did she make the digs, but she almost always was in the right position. That wasn’t always true last season. Let’s hope it continues.

Yes! I texted a buddy after the game saying the same thing. Klika was spectacular in that match.

 

[phijo]

Ryla Jones was another revelation. This is really the first match we have seen the middles utilized to this degree for the attack. We have not yet seen the best of Bre Kelley either.

 

[greekpanther]

The only negative I saw was Babcock's serve - I'm a novice fan, but don't remember her getting more than 1 point on her serve, if that. Not that it mattered.

She was just interviewed on the fan. She said all she cares about is hitting the ball hard and whatever happens happens on her serve

 

[phijo]

She was just interviewed on the fan. She said all she cares about is hitting the ball hard and whatever happens happens on her serve

If she is not more accurate than last night they may sub more on her serve. She had 0 aces 3 service errors and as far as I can remember didn't go on any runs. Hopefully, last night was just an aberration, her being so jacked up that her control was affected.

 

[greekpanther]

If she is not more accurate than last night they may sub more on her serve. She had 0 aces 3 service errors and as far as I can remember didn't go on any runs. Hopefully, last night was just an aberration, her being so jacked up that her control was affected.

Agree she had a couple in the net and one too far and out.

 

[vantheman1976]

I just finished watching the full match for the second time on video. (It’s amazing that it takes less than 37 minutes to show 100% of the action.)

Pitt was dominant from the first point on. The Pitt blocking totally took away PSU’s outside hitters for most of the match. Fairbanks had PSU totally confused; when they did manage to setup a double block on the outside, the Pitt hitters either went inside of it or hit the top of the hands of the blockers.

Pitt kept PSU from ever getting into any rhythm. They only lead twice in the match — both by one point in the second set — and I think their longest scoring run was either 3 or 4 points late in the third set when the match was pretty much over.

PSU was focused on stopping Babcock, and Stafford killed them. Our middles got a few points but that is one part of our game that can improve significantly during the rest of the season. Ryla Jones looks like a player.

Klika was a revelation. This was by far the best I have seen her play. Not only did she make the digs, but she almost always was in the right position. That wasn’t always true last season. Let’s hope it continues.

Fairbanks was Fairbanks. The best setter in college volleyball.

Great gameplan and great preparation by the coaching staff.

I wish Paul Sunderland had been calling the match, but the announcers were good.

Well said...."Pitt was dominant from the first point on". How dominant? Looking at the Pitt vs Penn State season stat sheet before the game it was impossible to predict a winner.

• Pitt had been scoring at a 18.8 pts/set clip.....Penn State 18.9 pts/set.
• Pitt had been giving back (attack + serving + blocking errors) 6 pts/set and Penn State 7 pts/set.
• Pitt was hitting .334 and Penn State .337

But for last night.....

• Pitt scored at an unheard of 22.3 pts/set....Penn State 13.0
• The give back points were a wash....Pitt 6 pts/set and Penn State 5 pts/set
• Pitt hit a phenomenal .385 and Penn State a measly .204

There is no logical way a team putting up 22.3 pts/set will ever lose a match....and probably even a set. Enjoy the ride Pitt fans!

 

[RightSaidTed]

Where do you get the game stats? Couldn’t find last night?

 

[vantheman1976]

Where do you get the game stats? Couldn’t find last night?

Go to the Pitt women's volleyball website below and click on stats. The stats from last night were a mess until earlier today when someone fixed all the errors.

Women's Volleyball

The official Women's Volleyball page for the University of Pittsburgh Panthers

pittsburghpanthers.com

 

[vantheman1976]

I want to see what the middles ended up, because they dominated Penn State.

Of course it is now 2-1/2 hours after the match is over, and the lead story on the Pitt web site is, ah, the lacrosse fall schedule. There is still no story on the game, and there is still no link to the box score.

It should also be noted that the game tracker with the live stats got "stuck" in the second set. And it still shows that the game is in the second set at this very moment.

On the night of a huge win, all of that seems rather incompetent.

Pitt had 9 blocks to Penn States 5. Kelley and Jones combined for 17.5 points. The middles for Penn State combined for 11 points. Going in I thought their middles would do better than ours. The entire Pitt effort last night obliterated everything PSU could muster.

 

[phijo]

Pitt had 9 blocks to Penn States 5. Kelley and Jones combined for 17.5 points. The middles for Penn State combined for 11 points. Going in I thought their middles would do better than ours. The entire Pitt effort last night obliterated everything PSU could muster.

Jones really stepped up with the offense. With Stafford and Babcock blocking the line, our block looked VERY formidable. I think the middles will continue to get better through the season.

 

[HOF Coach]

Jones really stepped up with the offense. With Stafford and Babcock blocking the line, our block looked VERY formidable. I think the middles with continue to get better through the season.

Coming off last season's severe injury, Fish said that his plan is for Kelley to be peaking in November and December.

 

[mike412]

I didn’t realize that Kelley and Jones combined for almost 6 points a set. Their blocking was great. Jones seems like offense comes very natural for her. As Fisher has said, they still are trying to teach Kelley to be more of an offensive weapon.

Before the match, there was a lot of talk about how PSU’s freshman setter has made such a difference in their team this year. Maybe she has, but she was clearly outmatched against Fairbanks.

Another thing I noticed was how few really long rallies there were. I can only think of two off the top of my head. The Louisville v Kentucky match also went 3 sets and the total points scored was similar. But the TV replay, edited just like Pitt v PSU to show every point but very little between points, was 8 minutes longer, in part because there were a number of long rallies. When Pitt had a chance to put a point away, they did it at a very high percentage.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

Pitt had 9 blocks to Penn States 5. Kelley and Jones combined for 17.5 points. The middles for Penn State combined for 11 points. Going in I thought their middles would do better than ours. The entire Pitt effort last night obliterated everything PSU could muster.

Kelley and Jones had a combined 21 attempts, 13 kills and 0 errors, for a hitting percentage of .619.

That's pretty good.

 

[vantheman1976]

Coming off last season's severe injury, Fish said that his plan is for Kelley to be peaking in November and December.

Around the time Kelley injured her ankle I was rehabbing a knee replacement. While talking to my PT about ankle injuries she told me that it is one of the most difficult injuries for an athlete to recover from. The biggest concern is reinjury before the ankle can repair itself and it's a long process. Fisher is doing everything he should to bring her along slowly....and Kelley's perseverance has been impressive.

 

[phijo]

Around the time Kelley injured her ankle I was rehabbing a knee replacement. While talking to my PE about ankle injuries she told me that it is one of the most difficult injuries for an athlete to recover from. The biggest concern is reinjury before the ankle can repair itself and it's a long process. Fisher is doing everything he should to bring her along slowly....and Kelley's perseverance has been impressive.

I had the same injury from volleyball 33 years ago, and I never played competitive volleyball again.

 

[vantheman1976]

Kelley and Jones had a combined 21 attempts, 13 kills and 0 errors, for a hitting percentage of .619.

That's pretty good.

Yes indeed....middles should be hitting around .350......but .619 is absolutely insane!

 

[persp]

If she is not more accurate than last night they may sub more on her serve. She had 0 aces 3 service errors and as far as I can remember didn't go on any runs. Hopefully, last night was just an aberration, her being so jacked up that her control was affected.

No, she hasn't been very good so far this year, but jump serving is very difficult and has an extremely small margin for error. Last year, she got better and more consistent as the season went on. She will likely progress similarly this year. We saw a glimpse of her better service side against USC. She just needs those game reps. It'll come

 

[persp]

Around the time Kelley injured her ankle I was rehabbing a knee replacement. While talking to my PT about ankle injuries she told me that it is one of the most difficult injuries for an athlete to recover from. The biggest concern is reinjury before the ankle can repair itself and it's a long process. Fisher is doing everything he should to bring her along slowly....and Kelley's perseverance has been impressive.

I had a high ankle sprain from playing soccer back in my 20s. It happened in the first half, but I played the rest of the game on it, albeit with less speed as the game progressed.

After the game, my ankle went to hell. Took me 2 months before I could jog again and 8 months until I could go full sprint without limping.

The ankle gets little blood flow so healing takes FOREVER.

As an athlete and fierce competitor, waiting on that healing is excruciating

 

[121rum]

I'm wondering if playing in the Pete may have messed with Babcock's serve a bit. Power like that relies so much on the right timing and the different depth perception with the higher ceiling may have affected her throw and jump.

 

[HOF Coach]

I'm wondering if playing in the Pete may have messed with Babcock's serve a bit. Power like that relies so much on the right timing and the different depth perception with the higher ceiling may have affected her throw and jump.

Doubtful...