(VB) Ongoing Volleyball Thread

Should have been SEC Freshman of the Year too. Before Stucky went down, Martin was posting number that had her in line with National Freshman of the Year. Martin had the most kills by far over any other freshman in the SEC.

 

A super talented freshman over an experienced junior, All-SEC performer, captain of her team. No way. But it wouldn't have had to be an either/or. If Beason had stayed, they both would have started and our frontcourt would have been MUCH stronger. Beason was a Florida captain and was made a captain at Nebraska, showing the leadership, talent and respect she earned at both schools. Plus, she's arguably the best player on the #1 team in the nation. I'd take her over any player on our roster any day every day. And it hurt the Gators badly when she left. But like Beason said - Volleyball is HUGE in Nebraska and she loves playing for a team and in a town where volleyball is a MAJOR sport. They had over 92,000 attend a game earlier this year. In 2021, Florida was 9th in D1 in volleyball attendance, averaging 2496 per game. Not bad! Nebraska was 1st, averaging 8172 per game. 6 of the Top 10 teams in attendance were in the Big 10, while Florida and Kentucky (17th) were the only SEC teams in the Top 30. SEC fans put a very low priority on volleyball. Can't blame any elite player for wanting to play for the top school in the top conference in your sport. I've been a Merritt Beason fan from the first time she stepped on the court for Florida and I continue to be a Beason fan. Really hated to see her go.
Merritt Beason's 'crazy' 9-day stint in the portal ends in Nebraska commitment
Amie Just: It's impossible to imagine this Nebraska volleyball team without Merritt Beason
Merritt Beason - Volleyball 2023

 

Imagine this Gator volleyball team with a healthy Stucky, Hutson and Dixon. Would have stung Beason and the Huskers.

 

I have mixed emotions about Merritt.
She is undoubtedly an outstanding player, and going to a VB-crazed place would be enticing.
But there had to be something going on behind the scenes.
She says she could not be herself here and throws the program under the bus backhandedly.
Her desire to play overseas made her want better coaching to develop her. I guess she has never heard of Rhamat Alhassan, Carli Snyder, Aury Cruz, Shainah Joseph, Jane Collymore, Rachael Kramer, and more.
I sat beside Merritt's uncle at the Super Regional in Blacksburg, VA. He said that all Merritt talked about was how mean Mary was.
If I ever hear that, it will certainly be the first time. I'm sure she has her moments in practice, as every coach does. But mean, that is a stretch for me.
Merritt also said one player got so mad that she punched a hole in the wall. That would be one T'ara Ceasar, a cancer on that team and deserted the team before the season was completed. She had also left Georgia the same way before she came here.
I admit that I certainly do not know all the details. But, there was some reason that Mary did not nominate her for All-American at the end of that season.
Or, it may be as simple as what @notexgator says: Merritt was the Captain, but Alexis was becoming the Admiral.

 

Great, the B1G is a better volleyball conference and UNL is a better volleyball school. Now that we've settled that, move on as all of this rehash is straight out of bsville.

 

I guess you're the self-appointed arbiter of when it's time to move on from a topic. Cool. However, I still haven't read anything or seen a video of what Beason has said that was negative towards UF, which has been alleged. I have been merely defending a proven great player who has been respected enough by her peers at both schools to be named captain. And I will continue to do so unless evidence is provided that shows it's not warranted. If you or others decide to say negative things about any person or player that I disagree with, I will continue to state my opposing viewpoint. Call it what you wish.

 

you have chosen beason over martin. you have misplaced allegiance. beason on a healthy uf team failed her captain responsibility. good on her if she has learned from her failure to lead at uf.

 

qiuck glance at the field shows 8 sec teams, must be a record and maybe our conference record was decieving.

 

My allegation of what Beason said is included in Scrappy's post: she wanted better coaching to develop her in preparation for playing overseas. At the time she said it, I thought it was just an excuse. But after I perceived this season that the coaches weren't trying anything different to compensate for losing three starters to injury, I now I believe it is possible there is some truth to what she said.

 

Where have I said I "chose" Beason over Martin? You just make things up! I simply said we would have been a much better team with Beason on it this year and that seems undisputable to me. I DID say that I believe Beason is a better player than anyone on the current Gator team and the numbers for this season's performances back that up. Doesn't mean I "chose" Beason over Martin. Martin is a super-talented freshman who was the best player on Florida's team this year, while Beason is an experienced junior who was the MVP of the 2022 US National Team that won the Pan American Cup and is the leading scorer on the #1 team in the nation. I love Kennedy Martin and think she has tremendous upside. But right now Beason has accomplished more and put up better numbers. That's not a choice, it's a fact! And exactly how did Beason "fail" in her captain responsibilities as a Gator? We were co-champs of the SEC in 2022 and made it to the Sweet 16 before falling to Pitt. She carried her weight and then some last year and decided to better herself after the season was over. Just because someone decides to transfer out of the University of Florida doesn't mean we're supposed to put her down for lack of "allegiance". And how is pulling for a young lady to succeed and stating an opinion about her abilities somehow misplacing my allegiance to Florida? I've been a Gator all my life, follow all the sports programs and pull for all of them to succeed. But I'm not going to dump on an athlete who transfers out to try to better themselves. Don't see how you can or why you would. And it seems like you're the one who just needs to move on and stop the BS!

 

If we had the 9th highest attendance in the nation, maybe that makes sense for us to host.

 

Probably a little of both. Our RPI ranking is #19, AVCA ranking is #20. We got a #16 seed. Western KY has an RPI of #15, AVCA #21 and they were only given a #6 seed in their quarter. Utah State is #17 RPI, not in the AVCA Top 25 and they got a #6 seed in their quarter. Dayton is #18 RPI, #19 AVCA and they're a #5 seed in their quarter. Unless I missed something, the Top 15 RPI teams all got a 4-seed or higher in their quarters, so it seems the committee gave preference to Florida. Possible reasons - P5 school, Mary Wise, attendance, early season big time wins, history of NCAA tourney success. Surprised we get to host, but great for the Gators.

 

If you are a season ticket holder, you have until noon on Tuesday to claim your regular seats.
If you are not, you can buy tickets at noon on Tuesday.
Parking in the O'Connell will not be a problem.

 

“I’m so glad that I have the opportunity to be that for people,” Beason said. “I think it confirms that even through all the hard in volleyball and the struggles of the transfer portal, I ended up where I’m supposed to be. That’s what makes it so special to me is that I’m appreciated for what I bring to the table. That’s not something I’ve always had, we’ll just leave it at that.

“I absolutely love being able to be myself and use the gifts that God gave me and ultimately bring glory to his name through being able to be myself. That’s the most special thing, for sure.”

Of her decision to leave Florida, Beason did not share many details, out of respect to the Gators' program, but said, “Sometimes you just have to do what’s best for you.”

A main reason Beason picked Nebraska is a coaching staff she felt she could have a strong relationship with. Coach John Cook’s record of developing players to play professionally and for the U.S. national team helped, too.
See my post #1644.

 

Don’t hate

 

I don't hate anyone. I am just reporting the news.

 

It’s just a figure of speech for those who might want to bash Merritt…you’re good

 

To me Merritt Beason is a class act and a great volleyball player. Go Gators!!!

 

Looking at the combined AVCA ranking and RPI, both Georgia Tech and Dayton had the records to justify hosting. The early season wins probably won the day for UF, but that was a different team and the final selections for hosting should have taken that into consideration. I can understand the committee member being questioned on UF hosting. I was surprised by the selection.