undVBfan

Morgan Hunt is not listed as well. She was a redshirt freshman, so not a lot of court time last year, and with the new middle on the roster maybe it's not surprising. Rutten had a ton of experience (appears to have played in all but one set last year), and will be missed. It'll be interesting to see how it plays out between Ahrens/Wall/Albinson for the two middles, especially for M1.

I haven't seen the video myself, but I was told they were singing/syncing along with a song that featured an abundant use of the n-word. And now reading it's more than just the supposed song. Regardless, whatever it was isn't good.

My mom played for the Wheelock Wolves a very long time ago. How many know where Wheelock is located (without consulting the Google )? I wouldn't spend any time working on a shirt, I can't imagine there are many around anywhere that went to Wheelock. And as I think about it, they wouldn't fit into this category. I seem to recall her saying they were Class C.

Not that this is news right now, but yes, we have a winner. https://www.jamestownsun.com/sports/volleyball/4847938-Top-transfer-Hegerle-joining-GPAC-champion-Jimmies#.Xg6uy4tkB88.twitter

Good for her, that's a very grown up decision. You don't always see smart, big picture decisions made from young adults her age. At her age I was just trying not to get kicked out of school, so I guess she's doing OK. UJ would be an option. They generally run a 6-2, and whether they thought they needed another setter or not, every team will find room for a quality addition. And the coach is probably familiar with her and her talents. UJ had a nice run, making the semis of NAIA, so the level of success there would definitely be appealing.

To comment on several other posts: My earlier comments about a coaching change appear to be nothing. I hadn't heard anything, there were a couple of sightings and other occurrences made me wonder if something was in the works. It appears not to be. Unless it does happen later. :-) Again, I haven't heard anything. Wow, Plummer and Stanford were good, real good. The rest of the world has to be happy she's done with her eligibility. Seeing her run the BIC reminding me how much UND counted on Merseli (sp?) in the pipe as a nice outlet when the pass wasn't there. And sometimes as a first option. USD had a nice run, good for them. They were solid and deserved to be in the big show, and this run showed that. And if nothing else they bring more good attention to the Summit. The comments about the schedule and Summit were fair. It's not all on the Summit, and I have no interest in placing blame. I'd just like match times that are more conducive to getting people in the seats. Especially for me. :-) I heard a rumor, so I took at look. Anyone see anyone missing from the roster? Inquiring minds want to know (to steal a line from an old magazine). https://gobison.com/sports/womens-volleyball/roster

It definitely wasn't the year anyone was hoping for, but I wouldn't throw in the towel on everything quite yet. I can't imagine my whole professional career riding on the whims and emotions of 18-22 year-olds. Not too much would have to be different for everything to have worked out much better this year. If a couple of players stick around from a year or two ago all of a sudden we have an experienced team. CSP picked up a setter from us, Liberty got an outside hitter, the Connecticut experiment could have worked out, or a libero could have decided that is wasn't more important to just be a student (wow, a student-athlete making that very grown-up decision). Add any 2 or 3 of those into the mix this year and it could have played out very differently. Players leave for a variety of reasons, but I suspect (immediate) playing time or wanting to be closer to home would be major factors. It's hard to blame a player for either of those choices. We took our lumps this year, just like we've handed out a few in previous years. I suspect things will get better soon. Now if the Summit could just fix the match times so that it would be easier to get the matches and I'd be much happier. I did like the Big Sky scheduling. Anyone heard anything about the coaching staff? I have NO knowledge about anything, and don't want to start any rumors, but there have been a couple of things I've noticed in the past few weeks that make me wonder if a change is coming. Maybe it's nothing, or just a coincidence (or two ). Or maybe it's something. If we haven't heard anything by soon after the first of year then there's nothing to see here, just keep moving.

There is no way for a coach to really predict what will happen over 4-5 once players get to campus. I suspect the coaches would love if they had 3 seniors, 3 juniors, and such every year, but it doesn't work like that. Players get injured, move (closer to) home, get tired of the grind, or get beat out by younger players and don't want to be practice players for the rest of their careers. There a lots of reasons why programs end up looking like this, and UND seems to have had a little bit of all-of-the-above. If everyone sticks around in a year or two we'll wonder why we have all the seniors. :-) Minnesota, Stanford, USC, Nebraska, and such, they're figuring out how to work the RPI to either ensure they make the tourney in a bad year, or get the highest seed possible in a normal year. Some schools (Florida St comes to mind) have really work the RPI formula through scheduling. We're basically an AQ conference, so we just need to figure out how to get into the best position possible to win the conference tourney. I suspect it's up to the coach and his staff if he wants to go for confidence or challenges early in the year.

I agree that Canada has been largely untapped, except maybe for the most elite players. And given the financial benefits of playing in the US (full ride and maybe COA, does volleyball offer COA?) vs. Canada (I believe tuition only, and likely limited $$$ at that) you would think we would be more successful.

I feel good about the selection. I think we would have been good either way, but I really like the choice. Recruiting is going to be key, as in all college sports. It sounds like he has that background to do well. I think recruiting is less about having "connections" and "knowing the region" and more about the person being able to sell his vision, and by association, the program to perspective student-athletes. Everyone needs connections, but the coach still has to seal the deal. I also like the choice because he gave up a head coaching position to come here in December to be an assistant. To be let go by the new head coach now would have been painful. That is not a good enough reason to hire him, but hopefully any karma from hiring him will a nice bonus. I also like that's he's keeping the current staff, apparently minus Mia, but I've speculated she was done either way. Whether they stay long or not is another story (see Dan Brown), but at least they have the chance to make it work.

Do you live in Grand Forks? It's not a big place. And I think he really liked driving the Bronco. :-)

I wish we Let's be honest, we're North Dakota. It's not a bad job, but someone who thinks they have a realistic shot at a P5 school isn't going to apply here. Someone who wants a stop to show that they should get a chance at a P5 school will apply here. We need to be realistic. And I don't know why you seem to think the current applicants won't be good. What would we have said about Hardee or Pryor before they ended up here? To us, they were no-ones until they had a nice runs here. Why can't Lamppa or Tiffin be the next guy you never heard of until now who did well here? And if either Pryor or Hardee had been here longer, it's likely they would have been looking for what's next. Unless you get someone seriously committed to the area, we're a place for people looking for a landing on the way down or for people looking to move up. A new-ish AD and 3 head coach openings at the same time might have had an influence on potential applicants. You may or may not think that some/most of this was for the best, but the rest of the world might not see anything other than lots of turnover in the athletic department.

I've met Lamppa. He had a nice run at USD, then went to Washington State with the then coach from SDSU (Palieo, or something like that). That guy didn't last long in Pullman, and it looks like he's been doing the assistant routine waiting for his next change. Got to say hi when ISU was in town. Nice enough guy, would likely do well in the community. That's not to say Tiffin wouldn't also do well, I just have no personal knowledge about him.

Has anyone heard anything about the assistants? I feel especially bad for Tiffin. He moved here roughly around semester break, so that's not a long tenure with UND before having to worry about your job. The new coach might keep some/all of the staff, but I suspect he/she will want to have the freedom to bring in their own staff if they want. It wouldn't surprise me if Mia is gone. Not for volleyball reasons, but because she's graduated and may be be looking for what's next in life. I thought I heard she was ready to go but was asked to stay by the coach. It true, there will likely be no such loyalties to the next coach. Unless she's the next coach. :-)

I thought I heard it was down to 2 candidates, but I can't verify that, nor do I have any idea who they are (if true). Anyone with any insights? I haven't heard of anyone who even applied.

I don't think there is any way the CSP coach is interested. I think he has too good of a setup where is at right now. And if he was looking for "bigger and better," I suspect he would have had plenty of opportunities in the past. While UND isn't a bad job, I don't think it's the job he was waiting for to make the move. If Hugh retires and UM comes calling, that might be another story. :-) Found a name from the past on the FIVB website. I had heard Amanda was a serious beach player before coming to UND. She was undersized for the front row in D1, but not for a defender on the sand. Turkey is 2* event (all the Olympic hopefuls are at a 4* in Brazil this week), so Tokyo isn't an option, but if she keeps progressing Paris could be a possibility in 2024. http://worldtour.2019.fivb.com/en/806

I don't think these are fair statements. I don't know any of the coaches *really well*, but I've been around this sport long enough, and have had pretty good contact with another coach to see the time/travel commitment it takes at the D1 level. With a couple of young kids at home I can't blame him for wanting to step back from the travel schedule. Travel for conference and recruiting at a D3 school, especially in an urban area, has to be significantly less. If it was a move to a D1 school or anywhere other than Texas I think I would have a different opinion, but I can't blame a guy for wanting to spend less time away from home. And about the Bronco, I think he was just waiting until he could get the classic plates, or whatever they call the special plates for older cars.

That would be nice, but they're pretty rare. Finding someone with the mobility you would expect makes it even more difficult. What we really need is a live arm on the outside who can consistently score even when we're predictable (the subtitle on that is 'poor passing'). Someone who can finish from the back row is also a big need, again for bad passes and as a legit option to keep the blockers honest. If we can find that in one person great, if not, that's why they get 15 subs. :-)

I'm never surprised when someone wants to be closer to home, especially after their freshman year. I hope she's happy and it all works out for her. I have no first hand knowledge about the team chemistry, or lack of, but I wouldn't assume there was a team problem because she left. Lots of players in every sport just want to be closer to home. I do believe there was an issue earlier in the season, but that was addressed and I'm pretty sure won't be back next year.:-) I don't know the move is a big step down. Midland is a good team. They lost in the semis this year at the NAIA championships. I'm not sure where the best NAIA teams would fit in at the NCAA level. Maybe mid level D1 or upper level D2? It's just a guess, the physicality and size of the players just keeps going up with the higher levels.

It's not confirmed, and I haven't tracked down the source yet, but I suspect it's true. I wouldn't say she was a bust, but I thought she was predictable and easy to read. But it does leave another hole to fill. Looking back a year or so I think the loss of Merseli ended up being more of an issue than Griffin (relative comparison, both BIG losses). UND really needs a 6 rotation player who can sideout, pass, and hit from the pipe (there was no legitimate backrow option last year).

Anyone know anything about this? I'm not 100% sure that this is a bad thing. Unless there is a transfer coming in that we haven't heard about it's a year of experience gone, but again, I think it could work out for the best in the long run. http://volleytalk.proboards.com/thread/75795/d1-transfers-2019?page=1

Flores might be a nice surprise, at least to the fans, but I'm sure it wasn't by choice. And it really shouldn't be too much of a surprise. Most of the players we're likely 6 rotation players in high school, so the front row players should have experience passing and the back row players should have experience in the front row. She's pretty undersized, even for a mid-major conference, but obviously has played outside before tonight. I love the "next women up attitude", but it seems like the Fighting Hawks could probably use a M*A*S*H next time they go on the road. They're really beat up. Hopefully young bodies heal quickly; they have a huge, winnable match on Saturday. It would be great if there was be a big crowd (for an 11 AM match ).

I've heard much of the same, but not from parents. I haven't heard any specific details (purposely didn't ask), but again, I'm not surprised that this where we are. Disappointed, but not surprised (anymore). There is some serious potential, and a couple of glaring weaknesses. Time might help the current crew, or someone else is the answer. Either way, I'm pretty sure those issues will be addressed. I suspect too many players are getting a lot of court time much sooner than Coach probably would have wanted to play them. Playing freshman isn't an excuse, and I have never heard Coach use it as an excuse, but at the same time he has a ton of inexperience on the court all at the same time. For the freshman it's a huge jump, the game is SO much quicker, and the reads have to happen so much faster. It'll get better, but maybe not too much more this year. We've been pretty spoiled; after that last several years anything short of seriously competing for the AQ is a down year. It's a good problem to have as a fan. Maybe not so much for Coach, but I'm pretty sure he'll get it going in the right direction.

I've had some questions about the setting, but I don't know that I would put it all on Rautio. I think she's pretty readable, but when the passing is struggling just about every setter is predictable. When they're running something off a perfect pass then the tempo and location need to be near perfect, but for most of the high balls the hitter has tons of time to adjust. And there have been a LOT of high balls this year. And we're not in practice, at least I'm not, so I don't know what conversations they're having about out of system attacks. I do know Prior likes hitters to be aggressive, which means taking a swing whenever possible. Against good teams giving a free ball is just about the same as hitting into the net, you are going to lose the point. I know nothing about the choice of setters, but it couldn't have been easy. Mattson had been here two years (I think?). That's a lot of time on the bench learning how to run the offense from Mia. They must have saw something that helped with the decision. Regardless, they'll be better next year, pretty much guaranteed.

She was at the last home match, sitting behind the team for the first couple of sets. I didn't see her the last couple, but I wasn't really looking too hard for her. I heard she was still around, but not behind the team bench... I don't know any more than anyone else, but I suspect she's done at UND. I don't know what the story is, but it hasn't seemed to click from the beginning of the season. She seemed to have the arm to bring some much needed heat from the pin, but all too often didn't. So many tips and rolls. And it never seemed to get better as the season went on. :-(