Stanford sweeps 3-0. Plummer with 26 kills (.450 hit%), 8 digs, 5 blocks...but the other star of the match was their libero, who was just unbelievable digging kill attempt after kill attempt. Going to be interesting to see how Stanford fares next season as they lose 5 all-americans, including 4 four-year starters, who took them to 4 final fours (and now going for their 3rd national championship). Plummer (2-time defending national POY, after earning national Freshman of the Year), Gray (3-time Pac-12 setter of the year), their libero (3-time Pac-12 libero of the year), Fritzmorris and Gates (2-time all-american at UCLA before being a graduate transfer walk-on this year as middle blocker extraordinaire). Of course, they do return one all-american (McGlure) and last year had the #1 ranked recruiting class (though only a couple of the Freshmen saw any playing time this year).

As good and hot as Wisconsin is I just cannot see Stanford losing at this point. They are running on all cylinders in all aspects of the game (serving, setting, blocking, digging, passing and attacking)....and each and every time they start looking vulnerable, they turn to Plummer, who now has 81 kills in her last 3 matches (only 11 sets).

Plummer is at another level. I think we need a graduate transfer setter.

(12-20-2019 03:25 PM)OldOwl Wrote:  Plummer is at another level. I think we need a graduate transfer setter.

I'm hoping Carly continues to improve. What we really need is a couple 6'4" - 6'6" middle blockers who are skilled at blocking. Anota improved in that area this year, but her strength is in the offensive game. We also need a "plus" defender in the back court. No disrespect, but Teresa Brown really did not contribute much all season save for the UT game. And, of course, we have to hope that our Freshman libero lives up to her recruiting hype and she can step in from Day 1.

(12-20-2019 05:16 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  No disrespect, but Teresa Brown really did not contribute much all season save for the UT game.

Well if you mean no disrespect, you could start by getting her name right. It’s Tabitha Brown, not Teresa. She was top 5 on this year’s squad in digs and service aces. Coach Volpe thought enough of her efforts to play her in 108 sets, which I believe was all the sets played by the Owls this season.

(12-20-2019 06:26 PM)Tomball Owl Wrote:  

(12-20-2019 05:16 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  No disrespect, but Teresa Brown really did not contribute much all season save for the UT game.

Well if you mean no disrespect, you could start by getting her name right. It’s Tabitha Brown, not Teresa. She was top 5 on this year’s squad in digs and service aces. Coach Volpe thought enough of her efforts to play her in 108 sets, which I believe was all the sets played by the Owls this season.

You do realize as our lone "defensive specialist" she was on the court for more minutes than anyone other than Nicole and Lee Ann. She should have been Top 2 in digs. As for her service game, IMO she just lobbed the ball over the net. And, of course she would have been Top 5 in aces since she was one of 5 servers in each and every game (along with Adria, Carly, Nicole, Lee Ann and either Grace or Anota).

I'll admit I only attended 1 volleyball match this year (the regular season match against WKU), but I think Walt is way off on Brown. She led Rice in total attempts for defensive stats (718 - by comparison Cunningham was 2nd with 495 and Lennon was 3rd with 317). And her defensive receiving percentage (.957) was higher than those two players as well (Cunningham was close at .956, and Lennon was. 915). You can't fault her for not being an effective blocker. About the only fair criticism one could have of Brown is that she wasn't a good enough hitter to be someone the offense could rely on (and she did have some high kill numbers at Wichita State).

But I'd venture to say that she and Cunningham's defense was a huge reason for our success. And we're going to be hard pressed to replace them both for 2020.

(12-20-2019 07:16 PM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  I'll admit I only attended 1 volleyball match this year (the regular season match against WKU), but I think Walt is way off on Brown. She led Rice in total attempts for defensive stats (718 - by comparison Cunningham was 2nd with 495 and Lennon was 3rd with 317). And her defensive receiving percentage (.957) was higher than those two players as well (Cunningham was close at .956, and Lennon was. 915). You can't fault her for not being an effective blocker. About the only fair criticism one could have of Brown is that she wasn't a good enough hitter to be someone the offense could rely on (and she did have some high kill numbers at Wichita State).

But I'd venture to say that she and Cunningham's defense was a huge reason for our success. And we're going to be hard pressed to replace them both for 2020.

+1

(12-20-2019 06:48 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  

(12-20-2019 06:26 PM)Tomball Owl Wrote:  

(12-20-2019 05:16 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  No disrespect, but Teresa Brown really did not contribute much all season save for the UT game.

Well if you mean no disrespect, you could start by getting her name right. It’s Tabitha Brown, not Teresa. She was top 5 on this year’s squad in digs and service aces. Coach Volpe thought enough of her efforts to play her in 108 sets, which I believe was all the sets played by the Owls this season.

You do realize as our lone "defensive specialist" she was on the court for more minutes than anyone other than Nicole and Lee Ann. She should have been Top 2 in digs. As for her service game, IMO she just lobbed the ball over the net. And, of course she would have been Top 5 in aces since she was one of 5 servers in each and every game (along with Adria, Carly, Nicole, Lee Ann and either Grace or Anota).

Well she didn’t put herself in for all those minutes. I defer to Coach on this one.

(12-20-2019 07:16 PM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  I'll admit I only attended 1 volleyball match this year (the regular season match against WKU), but I think Walt is way off on Brown. She led Rice in total attempts for defensive stats (718 - by comparison Cunningham was 2nd with 495 and Lennon was 3rd with 317). And her defensive receiving percentage (.957) was higher than those two players as well (Cunningham was close at .956, and Lennon was. 915). You can't fault her for not being an effective blocker. About the only fair criticism one could have of Brown is that she wasn't a good enough hitter to be someone the offense could rely on (and she did have some high kill numbers at Wichita State).

But I'd venture to say that she and Cunningham's defense was a huge reason for our success. And we're going to be hard pressed to replace them both for 2020.

FBO, Brown never played in the front line, so of course she wasn't a blocker or attacker. Nicole was our only player who played on both the front and back lines.

BTW, I was looking on the site for team stats. Where did you find them? Does "defensive receiving percentage" only refer to reception of serves? I believe that's the case. Given her minutes on the court and that she was strictly a back-line defensive specialist, one would have expected her to be first or second on the team in digs; not fourth or fifth. Our rotation last year was as follows...

Brown-- full time defensive specialist, server (back line)
Cunningham-- full time libero, server (back line)
Martinez/Graham-- split time equally as setter, server (back line)
Nicole-- our only full timne, full rotation player (ala Plummer and McClure of Stanford)
Morgan/Adekunle-- split time as middle blocker, but only one served in each game (front line)
Bichelmeyer/Woogk split time with each other and Nicole as our two outside hitters (front line)

Different coaches deploy different rotational strategies which is highly dependent on the roster. To show a entirely different approach, look at Stanford's rotation (highly influenced by the quality and upperclass-laden nature of the team)-- they have 4 full time players (with Plummer and McClure playing both front and back lines, Gray as their only setter and Hentz as their full time libero) to go along with Gates/Campbell splitting time at middle blocker (neither serves) and Fitzmorris/Kipp rotating at ouside hitters. Sidney Wilson is their service specialist who plays the back line only when she is serving and then comes immediately out.

(12-20-2019 08:47 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  

(12-20-2019 07:16 PM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  I'll admit I only attended 1 volleyball match this year (the regular season match against WKU), but I think Walt is way off on Brown. She led Rice in total attempts for defensive stats (718 - by comparison Cunningham was 2nd with 495 and Lennon was 3rd with 317). And her defensive receiving percentage (.957) was higher than those two players as well (Cunningham was close at .956, and Lennon was. 915). You can't fault her for not being an effective blocker. About the only fair criticism one could have of Brown is that she wasn't a good enough hitter to be someone the offense could rely on (and she did have some high kill numbers at Wichita State).

But I'd venture to say that she and Cunningham's defense was a huge reason for our success. And we're going to be hard pressed to replace them both for 2020.

FBO, Brown never played in the front line, so of course she wasn't a blocker or attacker. Nicole was our only player who played on both the front and back lines.

BTW, I was looking on the site for team stats. Where did you find them? Does "defensive receiving percentage" only refer to reception of serves? I believe that's the case. Given her minutes on the court and that she was strictly a back-line defensive specialist, one would have expected her to be first or second on the team in digs; not fourth or fifth. Our rotation last year was as follows...

Brown-- full time defensive specialist, server (back line)
Cunningham-- full time libero, server (back line)
Martinez/Graham-- split time equally as setter, server (back line)
Nicole-- our only full timne, full rotation player (ala Plummer and McClure of Stanford)
Morgan/Adekunle-- split time as middle blocker, but only one served in each game (front line)
Bichelmeyer/Woogk split time with each other and Nicole as our two outside attackers (front line)

Brown actually did play the front line quite a few sets, especially early on as Bichelmeyer was getting used to the college game. Brown had that big block to take set 1 vs UT. Heck, I think she played most of the A&M game.

Edit: She had 217 attacks on the year. You don't get that by just being a defensive specialist.

(12-20-2019 08:47 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  BTW, I was looking on the site for team stats. Where did you find them? Does "defensive receiving percentage" only refer to reception of serves? I believe that's the case.

https://riceowls.com/sports/womens-volle...stats/2019

Click on individual, and then defensive to see the stat I referred to. Yes, the TA stat refers just to receiving serves. But that's still an important stat (and we were pretty good in returning serves - you don't go to the round of 32 by being just average in that category). Probably Brown's most important TA of the year was her return of the serve that set up the match point vs. Texas.

And as an aside (and I've mentioned this before), it's a pain on the riceowls.com site that finding cumulative stats for a sport is so hard. It should be a primary link for every sport's sub-section, and not something you have to search for.

(12-21-2019 06:57 AM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  

(12-20-2019 08:47 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  BTW, I was looking on the site for team stats. Where did you find them? Does "defensive receiving percentage" only refer to reception of serves? I believe that's the case.

https://riceowls.com/sports/womens-volle...stats/2019

Click on individual, and then defensive to see the stat I referred to. Yes, the TA stat refers just to receiving serves. But that's still an important stat (and we were pretty good in returning serves - you don't go to the round of 32 by being just average in that category). Probably Brown's most important TA of the year was her return of the serve that set up the match point vs. Texas.

And as an aside (and I've mentioned this before), it's a pain on the riceowls.com site that finding cumulative stats for a sport is so hard. It should be a primary link for every sport's sub-section, and not something you have to search for.

Thanks!

Stanford with a dominant 3-0 sweep over #4 Wisconsin for their Senior class' 3rd national championship in four years. (They lost to Nebraska in the championship game as Sophomores.) Amazingly, they swept #8 Penn State, #7 Minnesota and #4 Wisconsin in consecutive matches.

Rice Volleyball ends the season at #24 in the final coaches poll.

https://www.avca.org/polls/di-women/12-23-2019.html

(12-23-2019 03:05 PM)dragon2owl Wrote:  Rice Volleyball ends the season at #24 in the final coaches poll.

https://www.avca.org/polls/di-women/12-23-2019.html

Well done! Congrats to Ginny, the coaching staff and the entire team.

(12-23-2019 04:40 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  

(12-23-2019 03:05 PM)dragon2owl Wrote:  Rice Volleyball ends the season at #24 in the final coaches poll.
https://www.avca.org/polls/di-women/12-23-2019.html

Well done! Congrats to Ginny, the coaching staff and the entire team.

Wanted more, but that is truly a wonderful season. Congrats to all.

Ditto. Fantastic job by the coaching staff and the players for playing their hearts’ out.

Volleyball Magazine named Nicole 2nd team all-american and Anota honorable mention...

https://riceowls.com/news/2019/12/24/wom...onors.aspx