(09-11-2021 09:20 AM)H2Oville Rocket Wrote: (09-10-2021 08:38 PM)northcoastRocket Wrote: VB had their 1st home match of the season, and come away with a 5 set victory over South Dakota State. SDSU was 4-1 coming into the match, so this was a better win for UT. Lots of inconsistent and sloppy play by the Rockets, but they found a way to win. Taylor Alt finished with a double-double - 19 kills, 10 digs and added 3 blocks, 2 aces and 2 assists to boot. Rhyenne Filisi added 12 kills.
Rockets are 6-1 on the season. They play Valpo and YSU tomorrow.
Have we ever started 6-1?
Surprisingly, UT started out even better than that several times:
2002 started 7-0, finished 11-19, 3-15 in the MAC
2004 started 10-0, finished 16-14, 5-11 in the MAC
2009 started 9-0, finished 17-12, 8-8 in the MAC
Just goes to show that the MAC is a lot better VB league than most of the teams UT can/chooses to play in OOC. So, even though SDSU was 4-1 coming in, those wins were not exactly against powerhouse schools, and UT did not (in my estimation) play a very good match and still was able to win. So, it remains to be seen what MAC play will be like for this team.
Coach has been running a 6-2 system this season, subbing out setters when they come to the front row, and I do not recall a UT team using that system as long as I can remember. Also, the the two setters are a true FR and a COVID FR, so there will likely need to be some time for everyone to get used to that. Hopefully, the chemistry will improve as the year goes on.
Also, he has pretty much abandoned playing any of his DS (defensive specialist players) (except Jaqua at libero) instead favoring all-court players, which is also a change in style for UT.