SPRING VB TOURNAMENT AT KOCH ARENA

[1972Shocker]

From today's online Eagle:

Volleyball springs up — Kansas State, Oklahoma and Colorado State will join WSU for a volleyball tournament on April 3.

Admission is free. Matches will be played in Koch Arena and the practice gym.

Koch Arena — Kansas State vs. Wichita State Gold, 10 a.m.; WSU Black vs. WSU Gold, noon; WSU Gold vs. Colorado Sate, 2 p.m.; Kansas State vs. WSU Black, 3 p.m.

Practice gym —WSU Black vs. Colorado State, 10 a.m.; Kansas State vs. Colorado State, 11 a.m.; Oklahoma vs. Colorado State, noon; Kansas State vs. Oklahoma, 2 p.m.; Oklahoma vs. WSU Gold, 3 p.m.

Not sure I will be able to make any of the matches. If anyone does it would be interesting to hear your observations.

:goshocks:

[SpanglerFan316]

This sounds like fun. I am very curious about our setters; will we play 5-1 or 6-2? The big hole in the lineup is at libero. The 2009 roster has:
10 Church, Jackie L 5-9 RFr.
1 Engel, Lindsey L 5-8 Fr.
4 Waldorf, Sarah L 5-7 So.
(Of course, there was also Mel, who is now gone from the team.)

[SpanglerFan316]

Kelly came in and started at libero as a true freshman, even though I think Mel was slotted for that spot. For three years, we had two great backrow players in Kelly and Mel. I think this had a lot to do with WSU's success. Can our backrow defense perform in 2010 at the level we have come to expect? Or will we need our MBs (e.g. Sarah, Jada) to become more agressive blockers to make up for a weaker backrow?

[shock10]

Shocker Volleyball all day Saturday the third starts at 10:00 2 Shocker teams play 7 matches. Good times.

[SpanglerFan316]

A great volleyball banquet; you should have been there. Lambo was funny, the seniors were great, the video was fun, etc. This is a great program.

I'll miss you:
Mel "California surfing" and "home" in Carmichael; now you're home in Wichita.
Kim "Jeff is still here?" - A class act!! (Kim!! - and the animals at the zoo!!)
Steph I'm glad you came back home. Thanks!!
Katie Congrats on your upcoming wedding.
and
Emily "Idiots out walking around" - Good luck at the beach!!


Oh, where have you been, my blue-eyed son?
Oh, where have you been, my darling young one?
I've stumbled on the side of twelve misty mountains,
I've walked and I've crawled on six crooked highways,
I've stepped in the middle of seven sad forests,
I've been out in front of a dozen dead oceans,
I've been ten thousand miles in the mouth of a graveyard,
And it's a hard, and it's a hard, it's a hard, and it's a hard,
And it's a hard rain's a-gonna fall.

http://www.streetdirectory.com/lyricadvisor/song/wlcal/a_hard_rains_a_gonna_fall/

[1stThings1st]

I know its spring games but, the SHOX have many options at every position and looked very good. What a great program Lambo has developed! I think we learned this year how important the littles are to this sport - looks like we have several players working to be the libero and DS, we'll be OK. Outsides were swinging away - 3 or 4 good players (great to see Lindsey on the floor), Middles were abit silent - remember #28,Ashley has a great looking slide, setters were both very good - somewhat predictable based on who was on the front row. Hard to believe we graduated 5 great gals and will be back as good as ever. We must keep Lambo!!!

[1972Shocker]

Thanks for the report. Sounds promising.

[SpanglerFan316]

Lindsey Engel looked pretty good at times.
Dana Loganbill looked much better; her swing looks smooth and powerful.
Katie Vogts impressed me at times; she has a high "VB IQ."
The Gold team showed a lot of nice blocking.
I was a little disappointed in Chelsey Feekin's setting but loved everything else about her game. She needs to improve her timing with the MBs. Maybe be less predictable too.
Emily Adney was not on her game yesterday.
Amanda Backes looks better; I'm hoping for a great senior season in 2010.
People said Elizabeth Field was playing great but I didn't see it; I don't recall any bad plays by her but also don't recall any great plays either. She looks steady but I didn't see any "I can touch 10-6" plays.
The MBs in general looked OK but not ready to beat Nebraska; double blocks were poorly timed.

[xazshox]

MB's

Sarah McGee was sick on Sat. Emily Adney came up into the stands and talked to a woman friend sitting next to me. Someone asked her about why Sarah wasn't suited up and she said she was sick. However, Sarah did suit up and play in the intersquad game at noon.

[shocker22]

A couple of things I noticed...

Elizabeth Fields is going to be a heck of a player!
Feekin will give Lamb alot of felxibility as she can set or play on the ouside.
Church and waldorf look to be very close in the role for Libero.
Eckenrode is still recovering but should be fine by trhe season. Her lateral movement is still behind.
Backes was consistent
Jada Witham still needs another year of builder upper body strength.
Loganbill keeps getting better
Mcgee and Hooper will both be great again this year.
I was very im[pressed with Alyssa Heath.

This team is going to be very good. There is alot of tallent both returning and new. I think they will be better than last yeat...barring injury.

[SpanglerFan316]

A couple of things I noticed...
Elizabeth Fields is going to be a heck of a player!.

"Everybody" was saying that Sarah McGee and Elizabeth Field will be our starting MBs. I was watching Field in particular and think she'll be good; however I think she will be much more impressive in the fall than she is now.

Feekin will give Lamb alot of felxibility as she can set or play on the ouside.
Church and waldorf look to be very close in the role for Libero.

Actually I heard that, according to the stats Lambo posts for the team, Chruch, Waldorf and Engel are all close. From the banquet, I got the impression that Waldo would be the Libero.

Feekin looks good but several people commented that Hooper has better placement and timing on her sets. However there were times when Chelsey made fantastic sets. By next fall, I expect Hooper and Feekin to both be improved. (And MEH is already great!) Feekin is taller and this makes her "setter dumps" more powerful and harder to block.

Eckenrode is still recovering but should be fine by trhe season. Her lateral movement is still behind.
Backes was consistent
Jada Witham still needs another year of builder upper body strength.
Loganbill keeps getting better
Mcgee and Hooper will both be great again this year.

I agree.

I was very im[pressed with Alyssa Heath.

28 was also playing well at times.

BTW: McGee looked ill to me in the morning but she said later in the day that she was fine. I learned that Eckenrode is the only "injury" on the team (i.e. she is not back to 100%) and it is not yet clear if WSU will play the "5-1" or "6-2" next year (but I think the "6-2" is likely.)

[xazshox]

waldorf

Waldorf made a number of digs practically right off the floor. I only remember one of her digs that she couldn't control enough to someone with some reasonable dirction on it so they could handle it well.

[SpanglerFan316]

Lambo made the comment that "long, thin girls don't last" in D1 VB at the VB banquet. Field (BTW: Field, not Fields) has this kind of build. Hopefully she'll stay healthy and survive the grind of D1 VB.

[shocker22]

Lambo made the comment that "long, thin girls don't last" in D1 VB at the VB banquet. Field (BTW: Field, not Fields) has this kind of build. Hopefully she'll stay healthy and survive the grind of D1 VB.

Yes, but she is just a RS freshman...plently of time to buld up. Do you remember Mcgee as a freshhman? She was very long and skinny.

[SpanglerFan316]

Lambo made the comment that "long, thin girls don't last" in D1 VB at the VB banquet. Field (BTW: Field, not Fields) has this kind of build. Hopefully she'll stay healthy and survive the grind of D1 VB.

Yes, but she is just a RS freshman...plently of time to buld up. Do you remember Mcgee as a freshhman? She was very long and skinny.

I'm rooting for her (and all the VB players) to stay healthy and play great. I imagine Jada and Elizabeth will be our starting MBs in 2011 - but who knows? The only place where an injury or two could really hurt us is in the "littles department." I don't want any injuries but our depth at OH (Adney, Backes, Dotson, Eckenrode, Heath, Kaiser, Loganbill, Sanders and Vogts) is impressive and our depth is OK at MB (Andrade, Field, McGee and Witham) and S (Feekin, Hooper).