(VB) Ongoing Volleyball Thread

Wishing nothing but the best for Alexis. Good thing UF has this fine lady for 2 more years beyond her recovery.

 

Has to be crushing for her knowing she can't be a part of the rest of the season. Without Stuckey, we'll still be very good, but not on the path to elite and title contenders like we were. Hope to be wrong.

 

I just told my 13-year-old fanatic daughter (Stuckey is her favorite player), and she said halfway tongue in cheek that she's going to her room to cry .

 

One of the most wonderful statements from a player I’ve ever read. Should make us all proud of this team.

 

Damn, that's awful. Her loss definitely changed the complexion of the Wisconsin match, not that it matters in the grand scheme of things. Hope she can recover and come back as strong as ever next season.

 

I have no doubt that Alexis will be back next year and not miss a beat. Her message was about the team and university; no self-pity or feeling sorry for herself. A first-class young lady.

 

You said you were 10 feet from her when it happened. HIPPA went out when she fell, cried out, and grabbed her knee.

 

Yes, absolute class act with her statement. You could tell based on how she came down, and the pain she was in that it was an ACL injury. What does HIPPA have to do with anything? She made the statement and not UF, and why wouldn't she let everyone know her situation?

 

Tonight's game is huge, IMO. Not only their first SEC game, but it's on the road against a ranked team. Hopefully, they've got their focus back from the shock of losing Stuckey, rallied around Muff and committed to each other to step it up and start their drive for a conference title with a big W.

 

Agree @ocalaman , this game is definitely a barometer of where we're at without Stuckey.

 

I think Muff will improve with a week of first-team practices and we'll win in 4 sets.

 

Don't think AU is the team that will tell us where we stand without Stucky unless CMW and staff pull a rabbit out of the hat with an outstanding game plan for moving forward. A close match would not be a good tell as the Tigers ranking is riding on the back of a soft schedule.

In SEC play, the teams that will be the tell are Arkansas, Kentucky, and Tennessee. How the team responds in those matches will give us a good idea of how deep UF is capable of making a run in the NCAA tourney with Muff or whoever at setter.

 

I understand what you're saying, but we had tough matches and barely won against good but not great teams - FSU, USF and Sacramento State. And that was with Stuckey. We played our best matches against the elite teams and won 3 of the 4 and I think we would have beaten Wisky if she hadn't got hurt. The team has had just a few days to adjust to life without Alexis and this game will show us how they've adjusted in a conference game in a hostile environment. I see it as a very important game, maybe as much from a mental standpoint as anything.

 

Sure, results against tougher teams than AU will give us more insight, but this one will give us an expectation of what's to come. Go Gators!

 

We might have played poorly against weaker teams but we won. The W is all that matters.

 

If UF beats AU 3-0 or 3-1 as you predicted, that will be considered what UF should have done without Stucky. AU is hugely stepping up in class over anyone they have played to date.

UF playing a 5-set match win or lose with AU is not a good thing moving forward. UF will not have adjusted to play after Stucky.

Losing Stucky is as devastating for this team as could happen. It will take out of the box thinking for UF to be close to the team it was pre-loss Stucky. Muff alone playing setter is not the answer. It's the easy and expected move that won't make UF a better team. This is no disrespect to Muff, but it is comical to me for anyone to expect Muff to deliver Stucky-like results and especially so when it counts against other top teams that UF will encounter later.

I'll happily eat crow if Muff proves me wrong. However, win or lose tonight at AU will not define where UF is headed so long as Muff is the only answer presented.

I'm watching tonight wearing my blue and white Gator shirt along with blue shorts. I hope to see an interesting and winning match for UF at AU. Go Gators!

 

Correct, the game tonight will not DEFINE where the team is headed, but will give a first indication post-Stuckey. I don't think anyone has said Muff is an equal sub for Stuckey. Let's see what CMW comes up with, and how Muff plays to see what our expectations should be for the season.

 

Just a heads up that it’ll take time for the S/hitters to be/stay in rhythm because of the way the ball comes out from each S hands, and the angle’s difference from a 5’11/6’2 S hands…and the foot speed from one to the other to certain spots/angles. Muff will have to become less of a blocking liability as well, so our service game will have to be smarter. Jmo