WVB Tournament Thread
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They did - barely. Great match!
With Wisconsin winning, there will be three HS teammates on three different teams in the Final Eight: Torrey Stafford from Pitt, Elle Rubin from Stanford and Charlie Fuerbringer from Wisconsin. All attended Mira Costa High School in Redondo Beach, CA.
Rubin was the California player of the year when she was a senior. Fuerbringer won it the next two years, beating out both Stafford and Babcock in 2022. She and the PSU setter are widely considered the top freshman setters in the country.
There has been talk even after she committed to Wisconsin that Fuerbringer will transfer to Stanford after this year. She didn’t go there out of HS because they have Miner back and she didn’t want to be a backup for a year. Her dad was an AA at Stanford and later the US Men's National Team coach. She has an uncle who also was an AA at Stanford. She grew up in Hermosa Beach and this will be her first Wisconsin winter. Plus, Wisconsin will lose its top three hitters after this year. (She also is drop dead gorgeous, and might have a lot more NIL opportunities if she goes to a West Coast school. It’s hard to imagine a Wisconsin volleyball player modeling swimsuits.)
I’m wondering if she might consider Pitt. Stanford loses four hitters after this season to graduation. They have Rubin for one more year and some young talent, but certainly don’t have a Babcock and Stafford duo returning. She also was on a junior national team with Bre Kelly. If volleyball is her number one consideration when transferring, Pitt would have to be up there. But, it is far more likely she would choose Stanford, the West Coast and the NIL opportunities presented. I don’t think she and Stafford were close in HS. I looked at her Instagram and there are quite a few photos of her and Rubin (and others) in social settings but none of her and Stafford.
She could surprise everyone and stay at Wisconsin, but it was widely believed when she was still in HS that it would be a one year stop for her. I have been out of the loop the last year so I don’t know if that has changed.
Rubin was the California player of the year when she was a senior. Fuerbringer won it the next two years, beating out both Stafford and Babcock in 2022. She and the PSU setter are widely considered the top freshman setters in the country.
There has been talk even after she committed to Wisconsin that Fuerbringer will transfer to Stanford after this year. She didn’t go there out of HS because they have Miner back and she didn’t want to be a backup for a year. Her dad was an AA at Stanford and later the US Men's National Team coach. She has an uncle who also was an AA at Stanford. She grew up in Hermosa Beach and this will be her first Wisconsin winter. Plus, Wisconsin will lose its top three hitters after this year. (She also is drop dead gorgeous, and might have a lot more NIL opportunities if she goes to a West Coast school. It’s hard to imagine a Wisconsin volleyball player modeling swimsuits.)
I’m wondering if she might consider Pitt. Stanford loses four hitters after this season to graduation. They have Rubin for one more year and some young talent, but certainly don’t have a Babcock and Stafford duo returning. She also was on a junior national team with Bre Kelly. If volleyball is her number one consideration when transferring, Pitt would have to be up there. But, it is far more likely she would choose Stanford, the West Coast and the NIL opportunities presented. I don’t think she and Stafford were close in HS. I looked at her Instagram and there are quite a few photos of her and Rubin (and others) in social settings but none of her and Stafford.
She could surprise everyone and stay at Wisconsin, but it was widely believed when she was still in HS that it would be a one year stop for her. I have been out of the loop the last year so I don’t know if that has changed.
Daddy got a new job in Madison, Wisconsin:
"League One Volleyball (LOVB) is the first professional full season volleyball League in the United States. Madison’s team, LOVB Madison, recently picked champion coach and former sand volleyball player Matt Fuerbringer, 48, to lead the team, according to an Instagram post.
Fuerbringer comes to Madison with a wide range of coaching expertise. His latest endeavor was serving as a member of the U.S. Men’s National Volleyball Team staff. There, he helped lead the team to a bronze medal in the 2016 Olympic Games. He also helped the team earn gold medals in Fédération Internationale de Volleyball contests (2014 FIVB World League, 2015 FIVB World Cup)."
Dayton was hanging in with Nebraska midway through the first set until their setter got hurt. Then Nebraska ended it on a 10-3 run. Dayton has basically no shot with a backup setter
Amazing: Before the match began, they pointed out that Dayton has one player on its roster who was a Top 100 HS player. Nebraska has 12: all of its starters and all of their backups.
I think if you swapped Rodriguez and the Dayton libero, this game would be really really interesting.
I can see why Dayton has won a lot of games and made it to this point. But they definitely lack the depth
I can see why Dayton has won a lot of games and made it to this point. But they definitely lack the depth
They definitely look like they are playing tight right now. Its not as "easy" as it was earlier in the season. They gotta relax somehow
I was wondering of Lednicky from A&M will get some interest in the portal. Watching her last night I thought she was phenomenal. She’s an AA level player but will other teams sniff around? The assumption is she goes back to A&M and they will continue to be a good team, but that has never stopped schools like Nebraska and Texas to make a run at such a player. I found myself envisioning her replacing VVG. What a dominant lineup that would be, provided we have a formidable setter.
Btw Mike, Charlie is a pretty girl. I noticed her last night.
Who are you picking in Louisville v Stanford tonight?
Louisville has to save 4 match points to beat Northern Iowa. Their numbers in that game were very bad. Then, they came out against Purdue and played as well as any team possibly could hope to play. Team hitting percentages of .481, .531 and .394. 52 kills and only 9 errors. (Against NIU, they had 28 hitting errors and hit between .116 and .208.)
Defensively, they had 33 digs and no receiving errors. Just call that the Elena Scott factor. (Pitt had 11 receiving errors against Oregon. Stafford and VVG had 4 each.) They didn’t serve particularly well: only 3 aces, but they only had 7 service errors in 3 sets. Basically, they didn’t give points away and they were lethal when they had a chance to kill the point. Their service numbers were similar to the NIU match: 5 aces and 7 service errors. But, DeBeer didn’t have an ace against NIU and had 4 against Purdue in 3 sets. If she gets hot, she can be a difference maker.
I don’t think they can match that Purdue performance again, but they have to be in a great frame of mind after it, and I think they will beat Stanford.
Louisville has to save 4 match points to beat Northern Iowa. Their numbers in that game were very bad. Then, they came out against Purdue and played as well as any team possibly could hope to play. Team hitting percentages of .481, .531 and .394. 52 kills and only 9 errors. (Against NIU, they had 28 hitting errors and hit between .116 and .208.)
Defensively, they had 33 digs and no receiving errors. Just call that the Elena Scott factor. (Pitt had 11 receiving errors against Oregon. Stafford and VVG had 4 each.) They didn’t serve particularly well: only 3 aces, but they only had 7 service errors in 3 sets. Basically, they didn’t give points away and they were lethal when they had a chance to kill the point. Their service numbers were similar to the NIU match: 5 aces and 7 service errors. But, DeBeer didn’t have an ace against NIU and had 4 against Purdue in 3 sets. If she gets hot, she can be a difference maker.
I don’t think they can match that Purdue performance again, but they have to be in a great frame of mind after it, and I think they will beat Stanford.
Stanford looked very good, Louisville looked near perfect
Debeer and Sluper but especially Debeer have a snap with their wrists that not many have which adds to their ability to get power at the very highest point on kills so when they are set well they are unstoppable
Prior to Purdue I would’ve picked Stanford. However, if Louisville is getting their swagger back, I would pick Louisville.
I think Fisher is counting on Bayless to replace VVG, but I think we need another OH. Lednecky comes from an A&M family, but there were some other good hitters and hopefully one becomes available. It seems like a lot of players leave Florida after two seasons (Merritt Beason and Bre Kelly among them), and if Kennedy Martin were to leave she would be the top available player in the transfer market. She is only a sophomore. So is Brooklyn DeLeye, who we will see today. Either of them plus a top setter and a libero and Pitt would be essentially unbeatable. In fact, we really wouldn’t need the libero.
Pitt really ought to be able to compete on NIL funds with anyone in VB. There are real opportunities to do ads and commercials, appear on billboards (like 5 Nebraska players do), etc. That’s what NIL is supposed to be: the commercial value of your name, image and likeness.
By the way, Mark Fuerbringer continued to live in Hermosa Beach when he was a coach with the USMNT so I wouldn’t think his new job would be a big factor in keeping Charlie in Madison.
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Lednecky is also a lefty so she hits off the right side same as Babcock. Martin also plays right side. I don’t see Pitt going after a right side hitter in the portal. Most likely Pitt’s OH2 next year will be Bayless or Samara Coleman coming in as a top freshman. If Kennedy Martin leaves she’ll follow the Merritt Beason path to Nebraska probably, but I have a hunch she stays.
Pitt’s big needs are setter and libero/DS. Would love for Laney Choboy to get passed over by Mauch at Nebraska and come be Pitt’s next libero. She’s from NC so she’d get to play much closer to home. And Mauch is the better passer and server so it’s expected that Mauch wins that job. And for setter, Ella Swindle from Texas or Alexis Stuckey from Florida would be the pipe dreams but I expect Haiti ends up winning the job and they bring in a backup again like Nisa
I know it’s kinda your neck of the woods…but I always wanted to, in another life, grow up as a kid from Manhattan Beach, Hermosa or Redondo Beach (or the Orange County Beaches). Volleyball playing all day, and beach parties at night with beautiful girls. What a life it must be.
I actually like DeLeye more than Martin because she is a better server (something Fisher covets) and in the tourney has been more effective hitting from the back row. I think the OH/Opposite issue is overblown. Half the time they are in the back row (being 6 rotation players) and at other times they are on the left. Martin is from Florida; DeLeye is from Kansas, so she might be more inclined to move. Both probably are pipe dreams. But, the turnover at Florida under this coach has been pretty consistently high.
Watching this tournament has convinced me that a team needs 4 outside hitters and two MBs for rotation purposes. We rest our pins less than any team in the tournament from what I have seen. Babcock’s arm must be ready to fall off after all of the swings she took on Thursday.
Watching this tournament has convinced me that a team needs 4 outside hitters and two MBs for rotation purposes. We rest our pins less than any team in the tournament from what I have seen. Babcock’s arm must be ready to fall off after all of the swings she took on Thursday.
I picked Stanford before the tournament started, so I'm going to stay with them.
Should be a heck of a match though.
Stanford all the way. I need Louisville fans to unload their final 4 tickets for the prices to drop on SeatGeek.
Portal is heating up now. Volleyball Mag had a brief mention of the some of the best OH & RS hitters having entered...
Cayle Alexander - Hawaii
Madison Scheer - Auburn
Allie Sczech - Baylor
Maggie Li - Cal
Ayah Elnady - Kansas
OSU - Emmi Sellman
USC - Jadyn Livings
I think it would be easier to beat Stanford for the second time than Louisville for the third time in Louisville.
9525 today at the Pete. Not sold out, but pretty good.
There are a lot more empty seats at Freedom Hall, but then again Freedom Hall seats almost 19,000. Their attendance on Thursday was less than ours, and they had the better time slot.
