undVBfan

I absolutely agree it is easier to recruit talent than to develop talent. If you have any secrets on how to know how talented a 17/18 year old will be in 3-5 years *please* offer up what you can. 😁 While I agree we need players who are committed to UND, I think that develops from the culture of the team and their experiences while here. They'll come for opportunity and scholarships. They'll stay if we find people who are willing to invest in the process and are surrounded by others willing to do the same. I'm sure everyone is wonderful while being recruited, recognizing those who can really make a difference over their potential 4-5 years at UND is a whole other challenge. And by difference, I don't mean just talent, but in the locker room, and everything/everywhere else it takes to make 13+ players become a successful team.

This one is an enigma to me. I've been around for quite a while and I really thought this was a good hire. Great pedigrees, young, energetic, personable, out in the community - they hit all of the things I wanted in the new hire. They inherited a program in a rough place and got to the league tournament in his first year. I really thought the program was primed to get back to the Hardee/Prior era, not just in term of wins but in fans in the seats and overall excitement regarding the program. Unfortunately the team hasn't got it done. I don't know if they couldn't get the players they really wanted, or if they got the players they wanted and it turned out they weren't the players they needed? Ball control has been a major problem (NO team has too much ball control 😁), and it seems they are always trying to run an offense faster than their passing allows. Lack of outsides who can consistently terminate off of shaky passes didn't help, but physical 6'+ outsides with a live arm are pretty hard to come by. Consistent connections with the middles hasn't really happened since Stockman and Dell, which doesn't make the life of the outsides any easier. I don't know that there was anything close to a starting line up this year for literally the entire year. We're not in practice, and don't know who is hurt, or who's doing what, but it seems strange that a line up wasn't solidified at some point in the season. It seems that a lot of people have to be questioning their role, both this year and looking forward. It'll be interesting to see what the roster looks like come January, and then again in May. The portal opens in early December. We have a LOT of players added in the past year, some saw some playing time and others not so much. And a couple that used to see a lot of playing time in the previous year or two who saw much less this past year. It'll be interesting to see who sticks around long enough to see what the new coach has to say and then who sticks around after that. I saw a few of the "newer" players start to step up towards the end of the season, we'll see who is willing to stick around for the hopeful rebuild next season. Regarding potential coaches, I've been told Brady has it *nice* at CSP. It he really wanted to leave he would have been gone a long time ago. He's been winning a lot for a long time and has had plenty of opportunities. I suspect we'll look for someone not unlike the Tupac's, a DI assistant, strong background, and looking for a place to make a name for themselves in their first HC position. I liked the Tupac's and wish it would have worked out, but here we are. I wish the same for whomever is next. For the Tupac's I have nothing but positive thoughts and the hope that this ends up being a great learning experience and that their next great adventure (not counting the little one on the way) is successful. And best of luck with what I thought I read was a little boy. Either way, best of luck. And get some sleep now, it'll be in short supply for a while. 😀

I haven't heard anything, but I haven't asked around either. 🙂 I wouldn't worry about any team result this spring. Maybe the first set or two against NDSU, where we are likely to see the returning starters, in the first set for sure. Beyond that, who knows. Right now I suspect everyone plays, in every combination the coaches think might be interesting. This spring is more about exploring individual strengths/weaknesses/progress/you-get-the-idea, than "wins". Nothing here really matters other than figuring out what will help gets real wins in the fall. Winning is better than losing, but only if you win while do what the coaches need to do to evaluate where each player is relative to everyone else. They're playing Tetris with the players, trying to figure out how best to put everything together. Until the summer, when 3 more freshman show up. Then they start over. 🙂

The spring schedule is posted. 4/12 has Bemidji, Jamestown, UMC and UND round robin format. 1 hour time frames, so I'm thinking 2 sets per "match"? 4/18 is NDSU. I'm guessing 3/5 match, maybe playing minimum of 4 or even all 5 sets regardless. I seem to recall they played 5 last spring against Bemidji. 5/2 looks like spring ball ends with a inter squad scrimmage.

The spring ball roster has been posted. The three transfers and three of the freshman are listed. Only two people from the fall who weren't seniors are missing - Timperley and Cooper. I don't know the why. Neither are in the portal, but that is just a means of getting a head start on going elsewhere, if that is the plan. Cooper is interesting. The two logical reasons for not being listed are going elsewhere or not physically ready yet. I don't like the idea she's not healed enough for spring ball, but I like the idea that she's going elsewhere even less. Or it could be another reason.

Heard rumors of a couple of dates in April, probably the second and third (Easter) weekend. Hearing one day will be a multi-team/multi match scrimmage, a single match for the other. Nothing on the website yet. Keep in mind these are scrimmages, so everyone is likely to play and wins are secondary to seeing how individuals play in competition. The spring ball roster has not been posted. I guess that is when the base line roster leading into the fall becomes official. Also heard that the three transfers have been on campus all semester (likely a requirement of being a transfer student, and who would stay at the school they won't be at in the fall?), along with several of the incoming freshman - must be early high school graduates, giving them a good head start on being a collegiate student athlete.

I've heard of one cut for sure, rumors of others. Some not coming back might be cut, or might have read the proverbial writing on the wall and walked away. Or they're tired of the grind and just want to be a student. There are lots of reasons why a student might not return. I will say I'm glad my job isn't to look at 16-18 year old's and predict how they will play in college in the next 2-6 years. Yes, it's their job, but still... I'm sure they (and every other coach in the world) are in a constant search for a better crystal ball. Regarding "his own" players not coming back, unfortunately it's a business. If they see a chance to improve, I think they need to do it, regardless of who initially recruited a player. Loyalty can only go so far, in *any* business.

I didn't list names for the middles, but had Washington as one of the two middles returning, and the only one who saw significant playing time (98 sets). I fully expect her to be back, and hope she'll be back. She's a little undersized, but is quick and has good hops. Everything else being equal you want a big physical presence at the net, but quickness and the ability to read can more than make up for a missing inch or two of height.

Matthea Dalton | 5-9 | OH | Fremont, Nebraska | Fremont HS Sara Gray | 5-9 | OH | Saskatoon, Saskatchewan | Holy Cross HS Ava Galvan | 6-3 | MB | Agoura Hills, California | Agoura Hills HS Kimanni Rugley | 6-0 | MB | Pearland, Texas | Pearland HS Sadie White | 5-8 | S | Herriman, Utah | Mountain Ridge HS Reagan McIntosh | 6-0 | S | Middle Tennessee State Kelly Kelsick | 5-8 | L | Pearland, Texas | Shadow Creek HS Katie Paez | 5-5 | L | Virginia Commonwealth Kenya Prescott | 5-5 | L/DS | University of Iowa/Des Moines Area Community College 4 players from last season are officially gone. I've heard rumors of cuts, but will refrain from speculating on specific personnel changes until the spring roster is posted. What we do know is that up to 5 more players from this season will not be on the roster next season. I'm not sure about limits on redshirts; I suspect at least 2 or 3 of the incoming freshman won't see the court more than the few allowed matches for a redshirt, so we're looking at likely 2-3 more players not returning in the fall. Where are we likely to see changes: 3 DS/Liberos are coming in, with only one (Hornyak) gone. It's not too much of a stretch to say we'll see some movement here. I believe McCormick was the Libero, in my mind higher ranking than a DS, so I suspect she'll be around for her senior year. Beyond that, who knows. 2 returning middles, both were freshman last year. Two new middles, so a combined 2 years of college experience amongst all of them. I would think one of the new middles will be redshirt this fall. We need a physical presence at middle, so it will be interesting to see who steps up. 2 returning setters, and two new setters. That's a lot of setters. 🙂 Riviere also hit, which could help save subs in the 6-2. The pins coming back are Perugini (played every set - 102), Barber (101- all but 1), Riviere (94), Imoh (56), Cooper (43), and Edlund (26). The last three were freshman. Cooper looked like she would have seen a LOT of playing time had she not been injured. With a 5-1 you have 3 starters, 4 with a 6-2. So many people for not enough spots. It should make for some great competition in spring ball and in August.

I wouldn't read too much into this, he likely got an assistant position elsewhere. Almost no one looks to be the DOVO as a end goal; it's just a way to get in the door and gain experience until a better opportunity comes up. And I suspect the pay is lacking, at best. I keep looking for the Spring 25 roster. It will be interesting so see who is still around, and more to the point, who is not.

Even more action in the portal. Looks like two more liberoes will be joining the Hawkes. You can NEVER pass to well (good, both? 🙂). We were out of system way too much (every team says that), hopefully this is a step in the right direction. Up to 9 new faces in the fall. I'll have to keep looking for the spring 25 roster. Katie Paez, (maybe Las Vegas -> VCU) looks to have two years left. Kenya Prescott, (somewhere in IA -> Des Moines CC -> Iowa) will likely have one year left - she shows in the stats as having played last year.

I was about to write nothing yet - there wasn't as of a few days ago. Now we have another setter. Reagan McIntosh, from Verona Wisconsin via Middle Tennessee State. 3 years left. Looks like she was mostly used as a DS, so hopefully the defensive skills are good. 🙂 Given the number of signings this fall (now 7) and the number of players we know are leaving (4 at senior day) there is more roster activity to come. Our portal activity has been much less interesting than for some. Purdue is very surprising, San Jose State not so much. 🤪

It was what I thought it would be. Everyone played, teams were mixed up, so the coaches got lots of looks at everyone, but not a lot of take-aways for the rest us. At least not for me. I did see some nice things. There were a few legit backrow attacks, which could help take the stress off of the outsides on a less than perfect pass. They set the outsides on 2 on freeballs a few times, maybe influenced by the beach option offense? I don't see any of the freshman making too much of an impact right now. Saw flashes of doing some nice things, but it's ALOT to go from high school to college and be able to compete right away. Maybe I'm wrong, which would be a good thing; (healthy) competition at all positions tends to improve performance. Saturday will be a better indication of potential. I believe it is still just an exhibition, but I suspect both teams will be playing their starters, at least for the first couple of sets.

Time to start thinking/talking about the upcoming season Green/White scrimmage Saturday (8/17) @ 12 PM. Expect players to be switched around from team to team. Last year a few guys from the men's club team played. It'll be good to see them play again, but I wouldn't plan on taking anything from the match in terms of how they will do this year. Exhibition against Mankato State 8/24 @ 12 PM. I suspect this will be the first real look at the new team, at least the first set or two. It too might be something where everyone plays at some point.

I pretty sure Olson is gone, grad school at Colorado State (I think). De Jong is in the transfer portal. Not a complete surprise, given the limited amount of playing time to date. Haven't heard anything about Gayle. Regardless of anything else, I hope she's healthy. She would definitely be a plus, if available. Harper, the middle transfer from U Mary, should help. The competition in the Summit won't be substantially better than what she saw from the best teams from the Northern Sun. She should bring some much needed experience to the middle while the middle recruits get up to speed with the college game, literally and figuratively.