Shocker VB v UAB

[flyingMoose]

The Shockers conclude their home weekend with a match against UAB on Sunday at 1 pm. The Blazers are 3-6 in the AAC, losing 0-3 to the Shockers earlier in the season. None of their three conference wins are against teams with a winning conference record.

Prognostications are 84% and 3-0.

[1972Shocker]

Volleyball Preview: UAB

WICHITA STATE (11-10, 6-3 American)

Sunday, Oct. 27 (1:00 p.m. CT) vs. UAB (8-12, 3-6 American)
Wichita, Kan. (Charles Koch Arena)
Live Stats // Watch


SCOUTING THE BLAZERS:

• After limping to a 5-26 (3-16) mark in 2023, UAB is off to a significantly better start in 2024. The Blazers enter Sunday's match at 8-12 (3-6), having already matched their previous season's conference win total.
• UAB is coming off a five-set win over Tulane on Sunday. Rising star Jorda Crook poured in 20 kills to lead the Blazers, while Mia Reese added 16 terminations.
• UAB was swept in Tulsa yesterday (10/25) by scores of 19, 18, 18.
• The crown jewel of the UAB non-conference slate was a win over Cincinnati, the program's first win against a Big 12 opponent in 16 years.
• Do-everything junior Kelsey Smith has already registered two triple-doubles on season, including 12 kills, 18 digs and 21 assists in the conference opener against Tulsa.
• Senior middle Madison Page ranks fourth in the conference in blocks per set (1.06).
• Head coach Betsy Freeburg is in her fifth season at the helm of the Blazers. A former assistant at both Samford and Georgia State and an all-conference middle at Florida, Freeburg owns a 44-74 record during her time in Birmingham.

---

UAB had been playing a bit of an unusual 6-2 in that they used Kelsey Smith as setter when she was on the back row and and then inserted a 2nd setter on the back row when Smith moved to the front row where Smith then played as an outside hitter. However, late in the previous match vs the Shockers, which the Shockers swept UAB switched to a 5-1 using Kelsey exclusively as the setter and Lambo thought they played much better in that alignment. UAB has stayed with that 5-1 alignment in he 5 matches since they last played the Shocks.

The Shocks need to put the match away quickly of they get the opportunity and not let them hang around like they did with Memphis.

I don't know if AAC opponents have decided to dedicate more effort to stopping Alyssa but after a strong 6-match streak she has struggled quite a bit in the last 2 matches. However, coinciding with Alyssa's struggles the last 2 matches has been an significant uptick with Swifty and Sarah in the middle. Coincidence or causation. I am not smart enough to know for sure but it seems logical to me that the two could be tied together.

I don't know if the 6 rotation workload for Emerson is wearing her down or not but she has to be better than the 9-5-60 = .067 hitting performance against Memphis. A 15% kill % simply won't get it done. In her last 5 matches Emerson has hit below .200 at 41-21-173 = .116 and the trend has been downward. She is not committing a lot of errors at 12.1% but she simply is not terminating with kill rate of 23.7% which is about 15% lower than where you would like to be. For the season Emerson's kill rate is not down to 28.7%, about 10% below where you would like her to be. In those last 5 matches Emerson has had only 4 block assists and 1 block solo over 20 sets to average only 0.25 blocks per set. In her previous 64 sets this season she averaged 0.66 blocks per set. This seems like strong evidence that she is wearing down physically. Perhaps UAB will provide an opportunity for Lambo to see what he can do about that.

Annalie and Emerson both continue to be our least consistent servers. Annalie has 41 service errors to 15 ace for an error/ace ration of 1.81 and Emerson is 29 service errors to 16 aces for a ratio of 1.81. The rest of the team has 86 service errors and 75 aces for a ratio of 1.15. On the surface that seems like a high price to pay for a combined 0.36 aces per set from Annalie and Emerson. Perhaps a more in depth review shows that although Annalie and Emerson have by far the worst error/ace ratios that their serves generally take the other team out of system at a high rate. I don't have the ability to analyze that.

[Critter's Pa]

I don't know if the 6 rotation workload for Emerson is wearing her down or not but she has to be better than the 9-5-60 = .067 hitting performance against Memphis. A 15% kill % simply won't get it done. In her last 5 matches Emerson has hit below .200 at 41-21-173 = .116 and the trend has been downward. She is not committing a lot of errors at 12.1% but she simply is not terminating with kill rate of 23.7% which is about 15% lower than where you would like to be. For the season Emerson's kill rate is not down to 28.7%, about 10% below where you would like her to be.

I think some of this lack of productivity is due to teams targeting Izzi when they can't get a good swing, as seen by Izzi's increase in the number of digs. This means that our left side hitters are getting bump sets from a DS, usually Annalie. During warm ups against Memphis, both Annalie and Katie took turns bump setting the left side while the other DSs were digging shots from Ashleigh. First time I have seen that. As you know, most out of system balls go toward the left side, and leaves that hitter cleaning up the slop. Our left side hitters need to be better at those less than perfect sets. UCF's McKenna Melville was very good at turning slop into kills. With the change in the setting rule on double hits, I think our DSs would do a more accurate two handed, overhead set, than doing bump sets. Bump setting, along with the libero usually taking the second hit if the setter can't, is maybe just a hard habit to break (the rule for liberoes overhand setting in front of the 3 meter line is still in effect).

Annalie and Emerson both continue to be our least consistent servers. Annalie has 41 service errors to 15 ace for an error/ace ration of 1.81 and Emerson is 29 service errors to 16 aces for a ratio of 1.81. The rest of the team has 86 service errors and 75 aces for a ratio of 1.15. On the surface that seems like a high price to pay for a combined 0.36 aces per set from Annalie and Emerson. Perhaps a more in depth review shows that although Annalie and Emerson have by far the worst error/ace ratios that their serves generally take the other team out of system at a high rate. I don't have the ability to analyze that.

I don't know how to analyze that either, but what is most frustrating is it seems like many of those service errors are balls that land 10-15 feet behind the back line where the defenders don't have to make a split second decision to play the ball or not. Perhaps hitting the serve 5-10 feet back from where they normally hit it? I dunno.

I think Katie is the only player that regularly serves who has more aces than errors. Just checked, for all games Katie has 14 aces to 12 errors, Grace is even 10-10. In Conference play, Katie is 7 aces to 4 errors, Swifty is even 15-15 (20-22 overall), and Grace is 4-6.

I still think that, maybe like when we are trailing, serving underhanded might be an option..?

[1972Shocker]

I think some of this lack of productivity is due to teams targeting Izzi when they can't get a good swing, as seen by Izzi's increase in the number of digs. This means that our left side hitters are getting bump sets from a DS, usually Annalie. During warm ups against Memphis, both Annalie and Katie took turns bump setting the left side while the other DSs were digging shots from Ashleigh. First time I have seen that. As you know, most out of system balls go toward the left side, and leaves that hitter cleaning up the slop. Our left side hitters need to be better at those less than perfect sets. UCF's McKenna Melville was very good at turning slop into kills. With the change in the setting rule on double hits, I think our DSs would do a more accurate two handed, overhead set, than doing bump sets. Bump setting, along with the libero usually taking the second hit if the setter can't, is maybe just a hard habit to break (the rule for liberoes overhand setting in front of the 3 meter line is still in effect).

I have seen some matches this year where the outside hitters seem to do just as well if not better with the bump sets although no doubt the defense has a little more time to set the blocks with a bump set. Izzi's digs over the past 5 matches are up a little at 3.05 digs/set compared to 2.28 digs per set prior to that. That's an increase of .78 digs per set. Let's say Emerson is the recipient of and an additional .5 bump set per set as a result (Or 1 additional bump set every other set). I simply don't see how that could account for anything other than a very small part of Emerson's struggles lately. Lambo talked about the wear and tear on 6-ro players recently and gave an example of how he started limiting Emily Adney one year late in the season once it was apparent the Shocks weren't going to win the regular season title. I doubt he will do that with Emily as long as the Shocks are at risk on not qualifying for the AAC Tournament. He did mention that he thinks Gracie Morrow can grow into that 6-rotation role so we might see some of that later in the season depending on how things stack up in the standings to try to give Emerson a chance to rejuvenate a bit. If Emerson continues to decline or stay at her current level of efficiency that might come sooner than expected.

[flyingMoose]

The mention of what the rules allow brings to mind the loosened rules about "catch and throw" spikes. On Friday, Morgan had a couple of beauties that made the Memphis assistant coach go moderately crazy. Several matches ago, the Shockers were called for one not nearly as flagrant as those on Friday, and Lambo was unhappy.

[MADSHOCKERFAN89]

Really interested to see what lineup lambo runs out today

[MADSHOCKERFAN89]

Like the look of this lineup so far our littles need to step up though

[MADSHOCKERFAN89]

That was a bs call her hand wasn’t under it

[MADSHOCKERFAN89]

Can’t wait for basketball season

[MADSHOCKERFAN89]

Barham, Leggett, Stout are a lock for the lineup for the rest of the year need more from Gonzales she can’t just be offense only same thing goes for Emerson

[MADSHOCKERFAN89]

The fact that we are even a .500 team is mind blowing and not in a good way

[MADSHOCKERFAN89]

Wake me up when it’s over

[Critter's Pa]

Morgan Stout, AAC offensive player of the week?

40 9 80 .388
4 Aces
54.5 points

Morgan Stout, AAC defensive player of the week?

20 total blocks

Probably can't be both, but she should be one or the other. Career high kills on Friday, bested it on Sunday.

More Morgan is always good.

[Critter's Pa]

Anybody have USF losing to UTSA on their bingo card?

In five sets- 23 (10) 19 (21) 7

[flyingMoose]

UAB 1-3 Shockers
28, (24), 19, 20

.233 v .211

Morgan 22-4-40 for .450. Sarah 12-3-20 for .450. Brooklyn 7-0-18 for .389. Emerson .034 on 29 swings. Alyssa -.062 on 16 swings.

Blocks 12 v 7. Service errors/aces 9/5 v 17/3.


Only the fourth set went anything like it should have. In control from beginning to end in that set.