2023 Volleyball Season

[flyingMoose]

flyingMoose are you planning on doing your usual tournament overview and scouting report for this weeks season opening tournament in Lubbock?

I thought I had ceded pre-tournament VB to you, and I was going to stick with SB for pre-tournament comments. I think that is the way it was last year.

As the season progresses and the geeks on Volley Talk start chiming in with AAC stuff (Pablo, RPI, projections, etc.), I was planning to post that stuff here.


EDIT: I just checked VT. Wow!! There is some dude, a big Wahine fan, that has put together an impressive thread for the AAC in 2023. There was nothing like this in years past. There are some posters who take a special interest in a particular conference even though they are not fans of any school in the conference. That seems to be the case here - VB fans, not just fans of a program. The thread will be interesting to follow.

EDIT: A couple of those geeks have started season threads for Rice and SMU. Those teams are regarded as easily the top two in the AAC. No surprise.

[WuDrWu]

Just a quick check of the rosters finds former Shocker Sina Uluave is playing her Covid/Grad season for the Mustangs after stops at WSU and Toledo.

[1972Shocker]

I thought I had ceded pre-tournament VB to you, and I was going to stick with SB for pre-tournament comments. I think that is the way it was last year.

You can take it back if you like. I will probably wait for the pre-tournament write up from goshockers.com and use mostly that information.

If anyone else wants to take a stab at it, go for it.

[WuDrWu]

I wonder how much stock you can put in the preseason poll etc from the Conference.

SMU has 8 new players out of 14.

There's NO bigger fan of Brylee than I, but I would need 10-1 or better to lay a wager on her getting the POY award. I'm not sure she's the best player at WSU.

I'm just not sure how well people are going through rosters, much less seeing how the teams are coming together and the potential they have at this point.

[1972Shocker]

There's NO bigger fan of Brylee than I, but I would need 10-1 or better to lay a wager on her getting the POY award. I'm not sure she's the best player at WSU.

I raised an eyebrow to that as well. It was a surprise. I hope she has a great final year, POY or not. For her to get POY were going to need good contributions from Natalie, Sophia, Morgan S. and Emerson and perhaps Ba. The POY stuff in nice, but totally secondary to team success. Plus if you don't have team success you are unlikely to be POY.

Well SMU brought in several new players last year that improved their lineup significantly. I'll take split right now with Rice and SMU and be thrilled to death to have it.

[flyingMoose]

I think it is the job of an assistant coach to vote for this Pre-season stuff. :) End of season? Now that is another matter.

[1972Shocker]

I think it is the job of an assistant coach to vote for this Pre-season stuff. :) End of season? Now that is another matter.

Most likely the DOVO.

[flyingMoose]

That AAC thread I spoke of has these players lost from last year's team-

Lily Liekweg - Grad Transfer - Idaho State
Kayce Litzau - Grad Transfer - Washington
Addy Badley
Sophie Childs - Transfer - Texas State
Hailey Plugge - Transfer - Sacramento State
Lara Uyar - Transfer - East Carolina

[WuDrWu]

Addy is on the roster at St. Edwards University in Austin, TX.

Isn't our former assistant the HC at Idaho State?

[1972Shocker]

That AAC thread I spoke of has these players lost from last year's team-

Lily Liekweg - Grad Transfer - Idaho State
Kayce Litzau - Grad Transfer - Washington
Addy Badley
Sophie Childs - Transfer - Texas State
Hailey Plugge - Transfer - Sacramento State
Lara Uyar - Transfer - East Carolina

I think Gabi and Reagan combined with the returning Annalie are an upgrade from Lily and Lara plus we still have Katie Galligan on the bench. Katie did not play against OU. Dont' recall if her decision to leave came before or after Gabi committed. Lambo tends to carry a full house at the DS position. Lot of competition for playing time.

Kayce will start for Washington (they only have a roster of 13 with 2 setters and the other setter is a redshirt sophomore who played primarily as a DS and a serving sub last year. So that will be Kayce's team and I think she will do a good job for the Huskies. I guess will have to wait and see but the early returns on Izzi shows this may be a wash. Izzi seems to be a little better attacking in front row and perhaps a little bit better blocker with her 3 inch height advantage over Kayce. Kayce may be a little bit quicker and a little better with her off the net defense. Who has the better year will probably depend on who has the better passing team. Kayce is playing her final year. Izzi is listed as a senior but I believe she has 2 years of eligibility remaining if she wants to use it. I do not know whether she has made that decision or not. Kayce got a very nice deal from Wazoo and I certainly don't blame her for jumping on it.

I believe Addy Badley battled injuries and just really never had much of a chance to show her stuff in live matches. WuDrWu thought she was pretty decent.

Sophie Childs is a big, strong player but somewhat limited athletically. I suspect looking for more PT and can't blame her for that. If Emerson continues to play like she did against OU than this will prove to be good decision by Sophie.

Hailey Plugge wanted more playing time and probably was not going to get that this year unless Kayce had an injury or Lambo went to a 6-2. But since Lambo had settled on a 5-1 last year the prospects of her playing much were not great. Had Hailey know Kayce was transferring she probably hangs around. Redshirt freshman Lauren Wheeler is the backup for Izzi this year and probably would have been behind Hailey in the depth chart had Hailey stayed. But Lauren played well in the spring matches and Lambo had some positive things to say about her play in the spring.

So all-in-all I don't think any of these departures leave us high and dry. Hope they all do well at their schools.

[Critter's Pa]

Looking at the All Conference Team, it's difficult to figure out which division is the strongest, no? Hopefully being in this division, will be better for the RPI.

I'm surprised that SMU is ranked above Rice. I have not paid any attention to SMU. Rice is consistently good, so to be picked over Rice, SMU must be much improved.

[WuDrWu]

Rice graduated their 2 best players, did they not? A setter that was extraordinary and a monster in the middle?

Searching.......

Anota Adekunle 115 sets, 363 kills .413 18 SB 77 BA borderline All American middle, 5th year last year.

Carly Graham 118 sets, 107 kills, .297 1244 assists 266 digs 28 BA Borderline All American setter 5th year last year.

They also lost Ellie Bichelmeyer (grad transfer to Creighton) 101 sets, 284 kills .313 3SB 43 BA 4th year senior last year.

Now, they have plenty still there, and 5th year transfer from USC (HM Pac12 2022) RS Emilia Weske. So the cupboard is far from bare. And they have 4 seniors and 2 grads (6 of 15 roster players in their 4th, 5th or 6th season) so they stayed old as well.

But I saw them last year, and you don't just replace Graham and Adekunle that easily.

Geez...if you aren't pulling at least one stud front line transfer every year, you're behind the 8 ball, big time.

[flyingMoose]

Isn't our former assistant the HC at Idaho State?

Yes, Sean Carter, and Chelsea Scott, his wife, is an Assistant Coach.

[ABC]

For the folks that follow the VB closely, I am curious as to what think happened after WSU's initial VB AAC championship. Bad luck? Recruits that didn't pan out? Did Lambo lose a little bit of gumption?

[flyingMoose]

...I am curious as to what think happened after WSU's initial VB AAC championship.

Opinions will vary but here are mine. That team was the best ever at WSU. It was talented and experienced. The other "perennials" in the AAC were rebuilding that year. Also Jordan Thompson, currently a member of the Women's National Team and playing professionally in the top league in Italy, was out for the season at Cincinnati with a leg injury.

We seem to think the Shockers ran roughshod over the MVC. They were always in a battle with UNI and Missouri State and occasionally another team. Although the Shocks were in the NCAA Tournament, they were there as an at-large more often than winning the MVC Tournament. (Apologies - that is from memory and I don't want to verify it at the moment.)

The AAC is a stronger volleyball conference than the MVC.

There are more football-money volleyball programs in recent years than there were earlier in Lambo's tenure. That factor impacts recruiting - the Good Doctor will have better ideas in the recruiting area.

The Shockers often had a small-town Kansas player who made a big impact - somebody that was on nobody else's radar. We don't seem to have many Sara Lungrens lately. (The AAC champions had two from Newton, although Emily Hiebert was definitely on the radar of others.)