North Texax Challenge

[flyingMoose]

Post-match comments

Error rate way down

Megan's digging and passing continues to improve and can make a big difference in other things the team can do as a result

Kora' s setting is improving, but she needs to adjust to the defensive changes (as communicated by the coaches) on the opposite side of the net

Mention was made of difficult RPI scenario if this match has been lost

[1972Shocker]

Good bounce back Shocks. Nice to finally see some scoring balance.

[1972Shocker]

SFA and North Texas going to a 5th set. Shocks and Cal Poly with be delayed until 30 minutes after the finish of the SFA-North Texas match. Probably around 1:30 or so. Pre-match 15 minutes prior to match time.

SFA prevails in Set 5 15-12. Shocks and Cal Poly will start around 1:40 with pre-game at 1:25.

[1972Shocker]

Set 1 goes to Cal Poly 25-21. The Van Winden sisters know how to finish off points.

Cal Poly takes a 2-0 lead with a 25-19 win in set 2.

Back and forth 3rd set. Shocks lead 14--10 but fell behind 14-16 after a Cal Poly. Shocks went from down 17-19 to up 22-20 to force a Cal Poly timeout.
A kill by Regan Stiawalt coming out of the timeout put the Shocks up 23-20 but Cal Poly scored the next 2 points to make it 23-22 and Lambo calls a timeout.
A rare Torrey Van Winden attack error and an Alex Koon kill keeps the Shockers alive with 25-23 set 3 win. Not a very pretty set. Both teams with 8 attack errors the Shocks only hit .088 in the set but Cal Poly only managed to hit .032.

The Shocks had Set 4 tied at 16-all but a slew of Shocker errors greatly contributed to a 7 point rund by Cal Poly who easily closed the match out with a 25-19 win.

Cal Poly outhit the Shocks .300 to .180 and played very good defense. The Van Winden sisters combined for 41-7-96 = .354 plus 20 digs.

You know where it is coming from with Cal Poly you just can't do much about it.

The Shocks fall to 5-6 on the season with Tulane and Memphis coming to town next weekend to open AAC play.

[1972Shocker]

SFA extends their winning streak to 10 matches with an easy 16, 15 and 15 sweep of Mississippi State.

[1972Shocker]

I listened to Lambo's post-Cal Poly match comments but did not take any notes. However, he did have some interesting comments that I will try to summarize from memory.

He said the setting, especially on the back half of the 6-2, needed to improve. By setting I am assuming he meant not only quality of sets but the decision making as well. He seemed reluctant to switch to a 5-1 offense because he doesn't think the defensive specialists he has available are as good as the rotation he is now using. However, he is concerned about the Shocker's ball control and said they have far more overpasses than their opponents. (My comment: perhaps some of the setting problems are due to less than stellar passing).

He said they started out the season with blocking schemes designed to funnel balls to Giorgia but may have given up too much with that approach.

He and his coaches will study tape today and Monday and come up with a laundry list of things they need to work on. They will then pick the 3 most important things from that list and concentrate on that this week in practice.

He did say Cal Poly had some tremendous talent who have been doing what they do since they were 14. He is asking a number of his players to do some things they have never done very much previously.

I don't recall if it was this interview or the North Texas post-game or perhaps the Cal Poly pre-game interview but Lambo said that had they lost to North Texas he would have considered shifting into a play for next year mode. Not sure what all that would entail but no doubt would be trying to develop the players who will be back next year more than playing for a win. I don't think he is there yet but if we struggle in AAC play to the point Lambo thinks the NCAA is out of reach then I would anticipate this will happen.

Perhaps Lambo will touch on some of these things on his radio show on Monday.

[1972Shocker]

To pick up on an earlier discussion about the Shocks 15-year 20-win season streak I think it is still in reach. A 14-4 AAC record might do it since the Shocks have a return match with North Texas to close out the season. 14-4 in the AAC and a 2nd win over North Texas would put the Shocks at 20-10.

I don't think that result is out of reach but I just don't know if this Shocker team can produce)the consistency needed to achieve it. However, one thing seems certain. This young Shocker team has been tested to its limits and beyond with this year's non-con schedule. Unlikely the AAC will We wipresent any challenges they have not already faced including Jordan Thompson of Cincinnati.

Now, as mentioned above, Lambo seemed to indicate if he gets to the point that he thinks the NCAA's are out of reach he will shift modes to working towards next year even if that might cost a win or two. And whose to say it would.

We'll have to see how the RPI looks when it comes out but the Shocks may well be in a position to have to win it (the AAC) to be in it (the NCAA).

[WuDrWu]

This weekend was my first time to see the Shocks in person this year. I was unable to travel to Omaha last week unfortunately. Even though I've watched them online as much as possible, seeing them in person is no substitute when it comes to evaluation.

A few of my takeaways. And in today's world, I must preface my comments with this....anything I say is my opinion only. I also make no disparaging comment on any one person's effort or anything else. The ladies are trying, everyone wants to win. It's just really, REALLY hard to be top 20 great. I recognize that. We're young and a couple things haven't worked, yet. It's certainly not the end of the world. This is still an amazing program led by an amazing family.

I should listen to Lambo's comment on the setting, but as flyingMoose described them is exactly how I saw it. We are deficient at the setter position. Some of that is because we've been spoiled for about a million years (at least 4 with EH, 2 with CF and 4 before that with MEH, who by the way was in attendance Saturday supporting the Shocks). So for a decade we've had AA type setters. Even Abby Harsh, her last 2 seasons were solid in the 5-1. You have to go back to 2005 with Andee Hartig and Abby Harsh to find any kind of prolonged 6-2. We don't have that this season. There's no doubt in my mind we recruited KK to extend that 4 more years. Tall, physical talented setter to keep the 5-1 dominant tradition going. That hasn't panned out. We got Kali to plug the gap. She's been serviceable but not what we were planning for in KK.

Just watching the setting....first, you're right, the setters aren't getting the same passes that we are used to, but much of that is because Georgia is digging unblocked cannon shots. She should often be credited with 2 digs per dig. Sheesh she's good. Also, we don't really have another little contributing. Kara is trying but she's inconsistent. The overpassing, especially against Cal Poly was telling, but I'm not sure that's really a "thing" overall. After the first 2 sets, I counted 7 overpasses that were immediately killed by CP vs none for us. In a match being decided by about 10 points or less.

We also really only have 2 OHs who are consistently capable of hitting down and hard, and both are undersized. I don't what to say about Tabitha. She's playing her guts out all over the floor. Part of me wants to say if everyone played with her guts and effort we might be 9-2 instead of 5-6 but that's not fair. She is all over the place, diving, blocking trying to hit. I just hope she can hold up all season. The other is Regan. But she's still learning and isn't nearly the defensive player Tabitha is. But as I said, they are both undersized and against top 25 talent, that's just tough to overcome. Megan Taflinger is talented but doesn't have the strength of those other two.

We're just asking SO much of Tabitha and Georgia.....if they're off a touch, we're in deep. No doubt we're young and we'll get better as a team. There was a point against Cal Poly where Torrie was unblocked, completely, in system, no slide, just straight approach. How is that possible? lol Needless to say she crushed a perfect set (block really didn't matter) straight down for one of her 20+ kills.

I don't believe this is an at large team today. Probably top 75ish type team. Certainly they can get better but unless things go nuts (Stanford and BYU stay 1-2, several other losses win conferences etc) and we go 15-3 or better (but if we go 15-3 or better we probably get the auto bid) then maybe but you have to beat someone too. Right now we hang our hat on JMU.