NCAA Round 1 - Shocks vs Wildcats

[1972Shocker]

Everything I heard told me that the goal was reached with the announcement on Sunday

Doc, I had this same thought yesterday while watching the match that just getting to the NCAA Tournament was enough.

[1972Shocker]

I hope this program has not hit it's peak, but we need to continue to grow the fan base (and I don't have any answers how to do that) and we need to find some of the "it" that we've seemed to miss, especially this year. You know UNI has "it" when you see them (and I don't just mean Bre Payton). You just know they'll win the 24-24 point...and likewise you know we're not. That's got to change if we're going to move forward.

Doc, I would love to see the fan base continue to grow but I just don't see that happening nor do I have any answers on how to make that happen. I think the level of fan support has reached a plateau albeit at a relatively decent level for Women's Volleyball. Unfortunately, I see the same thing happening in Volleyball that happened in Baseball as the big money conferences put more and more emphasis on Women's Volleyball (and I believe they are) it becomes more important for programs like WSU to have great support in absolute terms and not just be satisfied that we are doing OK on a relative basis in order to keep up. Not sure that level of support is in the cards though. We will see.

I also agree that this team was missing that special "it". Hard to define it but you know it when you see it. Hopefully, we find that special "it" again going forward.

One thing that is true from my perpective though is that our Women's Volleyball program is easy to fall in love with if you give it a shot. Great coaches, wonderful student-athletes and a very entertaining product.

[The Mad Hatter]

While I certainly want to grow the fan base, I can't buy the idea that consistent top 10 attendance is great support on a relative rather than absolute basis. If year-in year-out being in the top 10 is not great support on an absolute basis, I would be interested to know what is. Is there some financial support that WSU is lacking compared to other elite teams?

[1972Shocker]

It's now time to turn the page. We say goodbye, however sad, to the Mary Elizabeth Hooper era and usher in a new team. Will we move forward? I don't know. I hear people say the talent level keeps improving but I am nowhere near skilled enough to offer an opinion on that, but it's hard for me to believe we'll be better without MEH even if I think Feekin is uber talented (which I do).

It is actually kind of exciting to move forward into a new period. Mary Elizabeth was outstanding and will be missed. However, I am actually less concerned about replacing her as I am in replacing Camri and Waldo. It's not that Camri is an Emily Stockman or that Waldo is a Kelly Broussard but I just don't really know what we have coming in behind them. In replacing Mary Elizabeth we seem to have groomed a solid replacement in Chelsey who should be ready and rarin' to make this her team. Camri was a solid 6-rotation player with good skills that will be hard to repalce. Waldo wasn't the best Libero we have ever had but we apparently had no one that could displace her and from what I have seen of the heir apparents there is a lot of work to do to shore up our back row play.

That said I have faith that Lambo and team will figure it out and put another solid team on the floor next year. After all I am a fan and that means hope springs eternal. Wait till next year. Enjoy the ride.

[1972Shocker]

While I certainly want to grow the fan base, I can't buy the idea that consistent top 10 attendance is great support on a relative rather than absolute basis. If year-in year-out being in the top 10 is not great support on an absolute basis, I would be interested to know what is.

See Hawaii. That is what I consider great support. It's one thing to be satisfied being in the Top 10 when you are maxing out your capacity. It is a totally another thing to max out your capacity regardless of what others are doing. Being satisfied that we are at 25% capacity because that is very good relative to what others are doing is by definition relative.

Maximizing out your capacity and potential regardless of what others are doing is abosolute performance and we are a long way from that.

The fact that you (and no doubt the great majority of Shocker fans) are accepting our strong relative performance as satisfactory is exactly why I don't think we will grow our fan base much more than where it is.

[The Mad Hatter]

See Hawaii. That is what I consider great support.

So great support in absolute terms means having the best support in the nation? Isn't that a bit like saying that LSU doesn't have great football support because they average almost 20,000 less fans than Michigan?

While I'd love to have Hawaii level attendance, so would Penn State, Texas, and Nebraska. None are up to their standard. By being consistently in the top 10, however, we are all in the same category of having high levels of support in absolute terms.

[1972Shocker]

If your standard is how are we doing compared to others than you have established by definition a relative standard.

If you believe that 2,500 fans per match is outstanding attendance regardless of what others are doing then fine. I think we have the ability to do substantially better than that. However, I don't think we will do better than that. After all, we are in the Top 10 in attendance so we must be doing as well as we can.

[BCSCat]

So great support in absolute terms means having the best support in the nation? Isn't that a bit like saying that LSU doesn't have great football support because they average almost 20,000 less fans than Michigan?

While I'd love to have Hawaii level attendance, so would Penn State, Texas, and Nebraska. None are up to their standard. By being consistently in the top 10, however, we are all in the same category of having high levels of support in absolute terms.

All those schools have elite level football. If, like WSU, they had no football then their volleyball crowds would be huge. I think it's great WSU gets good crowds for volleyball but it's the only game in town during the fall months.

[flyingMoose]

UNI 3-0 Niagara

[flyingMoose]

Nebraska 2-3 K-State!!

The Wildcats, 15-11 in the fifth. They move on to the Honolulu Regional.

A further note: of the sixteen first-round matches between non-nationally seeded teams (i.e., the 2/3 seeds in the sub-regionals), fourteen of them required a minimum of four sets. Of course, ours with K-State was one of the two that did not. Disappointing.

[JayJ79]

Last year, when the #5 seeded UNI team lost in 5 sets at home to a 20-10 Missouri team, everyone (or at least most of the folks at volleytalk) ranted about how the Panthers were grossly overrated and their seeding was "a joke".

This year, #2 seeded Nebraska lost in 5 sets at home to a 20-10 Kansas State team. Does that mean that Nebraska is even more grossly overrated this year than UNI was decried to be last year?

[BCSCat]

Last year, when the #5 seeded UNI team lost in 5 sets at home to a 20-10 Missouri team, everyone (or at least most of the folks at volleytalk) ranted about how the Panthers were grossly overrated and their seeding was "a joke".

This year, #2 seeded Nebraska lost in 5 sets at home to a 20-10 Kansas State team. Does that mean that Nebraska is even more grossly overrated this year than UNI was decried to be last year?

No, the Nubbies are just as good as ever this year. The 'Cats have peaked at the right time after finishing 4th in one of the top conferences in volleyball. K-State has more victories at NU than any other team.

And UNI plays in a very poor volleyball conference.

[1stThings1st]

We have had another great year. Yes we all wish some things were different. Fact is we have an outstanding coaching staff, outstanding students, strong fan base, good facilities. We should all appreciate and support what we have. Don't take it for granted!

[1972Shocker]

Every Shocker loss in the NCAA Tournament has been to a team that has moved on to the Sweet 16 or better.

[WuDrWu]

No, the Nubbies are just as good as ever this year. The 'Cats have peaked at the right time after finishing 4th in one of the top conferences in volleyball. K-State has more victories at NU than any other team.

And UNI plays in a very poor volleyball conference.

Your presence is not welcome. Go troll on your own aggie site.