(VB) Ongoing Volleyball Thread

Unfortunately we are down 2 sets at home..
Losing Stuckey has really hurt us...

 

Worst performance I've watched maybe ever

 

1st time the barners have won in Gainesville.

 

And in 3 sets...;(

 

Glad I missed it. AU, with two 6’0 OH hit .387, had 5 more SA, we only had 2 blocks, and they had 14 more kills. Ouch

 

Alexis is great and it really hurts not having her, but we are better than this.

 

Perhaps the team is feeling sorry for themselves

 

Gators just won't overcome losing Stuckey. What looked like a Final 4 team will most likely turn into an early-round exit.

 

Kira was in a sling tonight like she may have had some procedure. I don't know that for sure, but it looked like it.

 

We can't blame this on Muff. They were horrible on handling Auburn's serve, communication was poor the entire match, way too many free balls and just very lackluster defense at the net and all around. The team just looked sloppy and unprepared. Sad for the talent we have. Gotta get it together and beat Bama on Sunday.

 

After first several games, I had thought this was Mary’s team to finally win a NC… amazing how losing 1 person changed the team ….

 

You are right except it is the loss of two players, the most obvious being Alexis Stucky.

When the team was running on all cylinders and looking like a national championship team, UF also had 6'3" ultra talented freshman Kira Hutson starting at OH. She hasn't played since at Stanford.

This UF team was able to process the loss of Kira Hutson which looks like an unofficial loss for the season after seeing the sling she was wearing yesterday but couldn't weather the loss of the best setter in the nation. Both players combined made a dreadful loss that the team can't overcome in the 23 season.

The team I watched yesterday looked like a team that has come to grips with the reality of having lost their national championship aspirations and they played that way, no spark and no fight. The lower level of play has permeated the entire team.

The future is bright, but 23 is done as far as a special season is concerned. CMW isn't a magician, so this has nothing to do with the coaching staff. Sometimes injuries just can't be overcome. Yeah, I know, next player up, but next player up isn't nearly as good.

 

Losing Beason and Kelly to Nebraska and Pitt respectively, and Hendrickson hurt as well. Jmo

 

UF prior to the two injuries was a better team without them. Kennedy and Anna were upgrades.

The team chemistry was over the top. The players love and play for each other, still do without the same level of talent they started the season with.

 

That’s certainly a possibility. Miss their blocking abilities

 

This was the most dysfunctional I have seen this team since Georgia last year.

You are right that this is not all Muff's fault. The passing was mostly pathetic, but, as you say we did not handle their serves well at all.
They picked on Cannan and Adams all night. Elli tried to jump in front of them, but could not always get there. There were a couple of times she and Emily collided resulting in aces.

No one needed to write a story about this match, we just needed to take a picture of the stat board and that would tell the story.

Statistic Team Comparison
AUB -
UF
Points
59.0
37.0
Kills
47
33
Aces
7
2
Blocks
5
2 We had these in the first set
Assists
43
32 Pathetic passing
Digs
33
31

The rest of the story according to Dave Boos:
Auburn is not fast of foot, but plays fast.
Their objective is to get the ball to the hitters as fast as possible. If you noticed one of their outside hitters shaded toward the middle. That way the set can get there quickly, and the blockers are late, which was obvious last night.
In the first set, I thought our serves were placed well, but after that no mas.
The blockers have to make a decision early, and if they are wrong you end up with one on one.
Dave said last night, that we were lucky to win at Auburn.

Sorry to be so long, but that was really disappointing. As Johnnycakes said above, there will be clunkers at times. I really believe Dave was worried about the match.

Let's come out tomorrow and cheer our ladies on. Go Gators!

 

Auburn sure figured out our block.

 

You disagree bacons know something I don’t know about what we lost in the transfer portal? Beason is one of the best OPP’s in the country, and Bre Kelly was our best MB. The two Hendricksons? Is Birdie setting somewhere in a 5-1? The other was a freshman OH…is Victoria better? AC had to completely change her body/explosiveness for her be a factor this her last year. If not for Dixon our blocking would be weak for a team like UF. So what am I missing? Were the aforementioned transfers cancers? We lost some good players…period, and Hutson would’ve still come. It’s not like pin hitters at our level are so hard to come by. They need to be recruited hard but we have a good product. Jmo

 

Kennedy Martin and Merritt Beason play the same position. Before Alexis went out, Kennedy was far outperforming anything Beason gave us in her time with UF. I suspect Merritt saw the handwriting on the wall and took the open spot at UNL to help a very young cornhusker team. If Beason was still with UF, her PT would have been significantly reduced. She made the right decision to transfer.

Even though Anna Dixon hadn't played MB since 7th grade, she was outperforming Kelley who way to often went silent, say didn't produce, in matches. Anna is/was an upgrade.

Surely you are not going to compare Birdie Hendrickson with a healthy Kira Hutson. You couldn't be more wrong. Hutson is a major upgrade.

The team UF started the season with would be a #1 and undefeated team. That had zero chance of happening with Beason, Hendrickson, and Kelley.

Disagree bacon thinks you have great vision, after the fact of the injuries. However, you won't get much agreement from me on believing UF would have been better off with Beason/Kelley/Hendrickson over Martin/Dixon/Hutson. I also won't bang on AC or Victoria who have been excellent Gators who are doing their best under difficult circumstances.

I'm leaving setter alone as nobody can replace Stucky.