2022 PSU WVB Thread
- Thread starter Tom McAndrew
- Start date
This is a middle of the pack Big Ten team. Coach will need two years to assemble talent and institute her system. The lack of a plan for the time after Rose and the hurried transition when the Pitt coach turned down the job will be telling this year and perhaps next. There is no excuse for not having better communication with Rose and for lack of upgrades to the program that will allow PSU to recruit with the top teams.
And yet we’re ranked only 2 spots behind Pitt right now. Time will tell though as our schedule is much tougher. I put the blame on Rose for not divulging his plan and holding the University at an ultimatum with regard to his retirement plans. Katie may do very well even this year and has assembled some good athletes on this squad. The upper half of the conference would be a good outcome. The players we lost via the portal though are hard to overcome - especially Hord now playing for the dreaded Cornhuskers. She got treated very well here and I guess she feels she wants an NCAA championship before she moves on, but it’s hard for me to swallow that one.
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Can't disagree with these sentiments. I guess we are saying the same thing, likely middle of the pack conference finish. There is promise with Katie but she needs AD support to upgrade some aspects of the program. These are the same upgrades that were requested by Rose and, when denied, contributed to his decision to hang it up. The Rose timing was, in part, dictated by decisions made by his employer.
I do see some problems with this team. The team cannot hit .100 against Indiana and expect to compete with the top teams in the Big.
For those of us not as involved with the VB program, what are the upgrades you’re referencing?
Thanks,
OL
Well, some might sound familiar if you follow the football program. Upgraded dorm options for the players. Refurbished locker room, team room, practice facilities. Recruiting money to allow for ease of travel and scouting and for getting players on campus for visits. Nebraska, a team we're measured against in many years, has use of private aircraft and some of the best facilities in the country. To compare, take a look at their roster, which includes a high level PSU player.
Thank you MSU for visiting. Could not have come at a better time after dropping six sets in a row to Big competition.
I attended the match -- my 1st time seeing the ladies in person this season. PSU exhibited some of their strengths and some of their weaknesses in the match.
Positives:
- Kash Williams is even more impressive in person than she is on TV. She absolutely crushes the ball on kills
- Leisa Elisaia is an excellent setter. Very few of her sets were in locations where the OH or MB had to change their play due to a poor set
- Maddy Bilinovic is energetic and does a good job at libero
- Taylor Trammell and Allie Holland rotated at MB, and were very effective. Trammell seemed to have more offensive moves from the traditional MB location, while Holland was pretty effective on the slide
- Zoe Weatherington is a big girl, but really moves well
Negatives:
- too many unforced errors on offense
- too many unforced errors on serves
- PSU had some trouble with MSU's blocks, especially when hitting into double teams
- I'm still surprised that PSU lost the 2nd set. They were up 8 or 9-1, and ended up losing 22-25. Coach KSC called 2 TOs to try to settle them down, but neither made a big difference
Overall, PSU has a very nice team that can compete with almost any team in the country. I don't see them as being on the level of some of PSU's past championship teams, but they are very, very good. They only had 2 ladies that played all 6 positions, which was somewhat surprising, but their substitutions worked well for the most part. (Kash seems like she could play all 6 positions, as she crushed some serves in warmup, and had some nice digs during the match, but I think she only rotated on the front line.)
I have even more respect for Coach KSC and her staff, and the job they did in the portal. It's hard to imagine what the team would be like without Leisa Elisaia, Zoe Weatherington, Kash Williams, and Katie Clark (who I don't recall playing, but she looked good in warmups).
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| Rank | School (First-Place Votes Adjusted) | Total Points Adjusted | 2022 Record | Previous Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas [64] | 1600 | 11-0 | 1 |
| 2 | Louisville | 1533 | 13-1 | 2 |
| 3 | Nebraska | 1460 | 12-1 | 3 |
| 4 | San Diego | 1400 | 13-1 | 4 |
| 5 | Purdue | 1271 | 13-1 | 5 |
| 6 | Ohio State | 1218 | 7-5 | 6 |
| 7 | Wisconsin | 1165 | 9-3 | 8 |
| 8 | Stanford | 1155 | 8-4 | 9 |
| 9 | Pittsburgh | 1096 | 14-2 | 10 |
| 10 | Georgia Tech | 960 | 10-3 | 11 |
| 11 | Minnesota | 953 | 7-5 | 7 |
| 12 | Oregon | 805 | 10-2 | 16 |
| 13 | Penn State | 789 | 13-2 | 12 |
| 14 | BYU | 777 | 11-3 | 15 |
| 15 | Florida | 729 | 10-3 | 14 |
| 16 | Washington | 605 | 11-3 | 17 |
| 17 | Baylor | 554 | 12-3 | 13 |
| 18 | Marquette | 535 | 13-1 | 19 |
| 19 | Kentucky | 503 | 8-5 | 18 |
| 20 | Pepperdine | 430 | 12-4 | 20 |
| 21 | Creighton | 345 | 12-3 | 21 |
| 22 | Rice | 265 | 14-1 | 22 |
| 23 | UCF | 218 | 12-0 | 24 |
| 24 | Michigan | 126 | 12-2 | NR |
| 25 | Western Kentucky | 120 | 16-2 | 25 |
Ladies with a Gritty comeback to win the 3rd set fueled with some strong serves.
Ladies continue to impress in the fourth set while notching an exciting 25 - 22 win ending with an ACE!
Ladies lose an exciting fifth set. The effort was awesome, however. No need to hang their heads.
15 11...I think.....but was closer than that really. PSU lost challenge on final play when it appeared they barely touched a spike that went out. Many points were extended and a scramble. OSU just finished them better in the second half of the set. PSU definitely showed they will be a team that will play tough.
