American Conference Footprint

[Shock Top]

The loss on Saturday still stings, and I feel for those Senior girls, but I am interested in seeing what Lamb and his staff can do to find talent in the new, expanded, AAC footprint.

Texas is already and area the Shox can pull talent from (in all sports), but getting girls out of Florida or the NE seems to be opened up now. I wouldn't be surprised if they pull some diamonds in the rough out of these areas.

Being able to play for a good program, while still getting a couple games a year close to home, could surely help close some deals. (Plus, who wouldn't rather travel to Memphis and Tampa, than Des Moines and Carbondale?)

[1972Shocker]

Can't hurt. Lambo has said that Volleyball in the South has been kind of slow to catch on but it is now starting to catch up and there is a lot of athletic talent in that part of the country.

Lambo seemingly was expanding his recruiting reach even before we joined the AAC. This year's roster includes players from Kansas (9), Texas (3), Nebraska (2), Illinois (2), California (2), and 1 each from Oregon, Arizona, Missouiri, Virginia, Colorado, Tennessee and MIlan, Italy.

Any time he canl pull players like Emily and Abbie out of Kansas I'm all for it although I am not sure how often you players like that let alone a matched set like Emily and Abbie.

Here is an interesting article on the recruitment of Giorgia Civita that ran in the Eagle prior to the start of last season.

At the end of Abbie Lehman's junior season at Newton Lambo and staff had a list of 60 middle blockers on their recruiting list. Abbie was not among them even though Lambo was aware of her from his recruitment of Emily. He just didn't think she would be physically storng enough for tht position at the D-1 level and Abbie was seemingly on her way to play basketball at Pitt Sate. However, after attending a summer camp at WSU between her junior and senior years she changed Lambo's mind. Thank goodness Abbie attended that summer camp.

Sara Lungren Walkup received interest from a total of 1 D-1 volleyball programs which, of course, was Wichita State. Again thank goodness for Sara attending a Shocker summer camp. IIRC Sara didn't play club ball because she felt obligated to work on the family farm in the summer. Perhaps that is why the heat didn't seem to bother her in the Heskett Center at that summer camp.

You just never know where your next star will come from.

[1972Shocker]

I did get a chuckle out of this comment from Sara Lungren in the article linked above:

She remembers listening to Lamb, with his feet up on his desk and fidgeting with a pen, talk in metaphors and describe volleyball in ways she couldn’t imagine.

“It was weird, to be honest,” she said. “I didn’t know if this was how all coaches are. It was intimidating.”

Sara, I think it is fair to say that Lambo is a pretty rare breed. Perhpas one of a kind.