undVBfan

I'm not sure Dooley has gone into tip mode on purpose. I think it's a timing issue and she's just not finding the ball in her wheelhouse. I've seen left-handed tips that fell this year, which is both a height and location issue. I'm not at practice, so I don't know how it's suppose to work with them, but the connection is not there like it should be. I don't know if the sets are off or the hitter is off, or a combination of both. The two middles are very different, so the setter has to instinctively deal with that. And given the timing required for middles to be successful, that's not easy for the setter. I think Moser likes a slightly higher ball (relative to her height and jump), which helps a little with timing issues. I also think she is the M2 (one more rotation with 3 hitters in the front row), so she gets a little less attention, and is more likely to hit the slide, so it should be a little easier for her to adjust to the set if needed. If I see this, assuming I'm right , coach sees it as well. I know they're working on it.

No worries, I never thought you we're trying to be difficult, I just thought you wanted to hear others ideas of why or why not things work as they do. I've learned a lot from different forums over the years. I've also heard a lot of crap, so be careful.

Ok, let's take this one at this time. I haven't looked at any stats, talked to the coaches, or even payed that much attention to the lineups (which he is still playing with), so I'm just throwing out things to think about. I suspect Dooley isn't in the back row because the gains from having someone else pass are way bigger than the gain from having her hit in the back row. If the team doesn't get a pass is likely doesn't matter who's hitting. Yes, she can probably hit a nice D or out of the pipe, but I suspect the team is better off overall by having someone else pass/dig. Middles also jump ALOT in the front row, so the extra reps in the back row could take their toll over the course of a long match. Blocking is so much more than height. Yes, that helps, but mostly only if teams are hitting over the block. I have no idea what the answer is, but there are a lot of moving pieces to figure out. Serving tough helps out blocking; teams out-of-system are predictable, and tend to have higher sets giving the block more time to get set. A good pass means the middles have less time to get into position, meaning less blocks. Ever been close enough to hear players yell "Hole"? They're referring to the middle that hasn't yet closed the block. When UND's middle has to stay home in case their middle gets set, it causes problems for her to get outside. Maybe serving is down, or other teams are just passing better. For the younger players the game is fast. Learning to get into the right position, and then read the hitter is challenging. Getting their hands into the right position and then getting the right timing, given that everyone hits high, can be challenging. There are quite a few new players that I'm sure are still adjusting to the speed of the college game. The coaches will help get them there. The middle and the outsides (left and/or right) have to work together for both to get the block assist numbers. This can contribute to lower numbers for a middle. Another thing to remember is blocks aren't everything. The blockers, in addition to blocking the ball, also contribute to digs and the other teams' hitting errors. In basketball the best shot blockers average less than 2 block a game. That's nothing. It's the influenced shots that don't end up in stats that make a shot blocker great. I suspect our middles influence a lot of attempts, even if the balls are not blocked. There are also controlled blocks, where the blockers team is getting free balls, or at least an easier ball to dig. Things like that don't end up in (public) stats, but are important to a team. If balls are going between players, or between the hands of the blocker, then it's something the coaches need to address, otherwise the block is likely doing it's job. I'm sure there are l lot of things that the coaches are addressing, and blocking is critical, but I suspect that' just one of the many areas where Prior is looking for immediate improvement.

I don't think the beach scholarships (NCAA has officially named it beach volleyball) would make as much of a difference as you might think. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see beach volleyball as a sport at UND, but the cost-benefit ratio would be astronomical. Beach would help some of the skill sets, but wouldn't do much for others. Any time spent touching a ball and competing is beneficial, but I'm not sure that beach would help that much, if at all, with recruiting. Especially in North Dakota.

She was a little raw last year, but she was also probably 14 years old. She looks to have a huge upside, and one of the few I've seen that takes a legitimate next-level approach when attacking the ball. She seems to have a high volleyball IQ, which is often under-appreciated. Her dad and uncle played pro beach for a while and were two of the best adult players in the area for a long time. It might be a challenge to get her to UND. Her uncle is coach at Jamestown, which shouldn't be a big problem (UJ vs UND). However, I seem to recall her dad was a DB/LB at NDSU during their D2 glory years of the late 80's or early 90's. I'm not sure how strong the ties are to NDSU.

I wouldn't read too much into players having ice on their shoulders. It seems rare not to find players walking around post-match with ice on their shoulders and/or knees. Guess it's an occupational hazard of jumping and reaching high (listen to coach when the outsides are getting set - it's REAL common to hear him yelling "reach"). Regrading Pioske against EWU, I wouldn't put too much into that match as well. Everyone has a bad match once in a while. Fortuately UND had someone that could step up and carry the load. And that night is was Fontes. And it was a very nice surprise from the local kid - if she wasn't a little under sized we'd probably see a lot more of her. She definitely needs the ball a little more off the net that Pioske, but did well when the team was in-system.

Good point; written like someone who's played on the grass as well as the sand and hardcourt.

Actually there is a ton of difference between indoor 6's and outdoor 2's. Maybe not the way it's played here :-), but it's comparing apples and oranges. And if anyone wants to doubt the validity of the sport feel free to join a 2 person league, you'll figure out the differences and how tough it is. Passing, setting, blocking, hitting, strategy (both offense and defense) are VERY different. Regarding the outfits; the more fabric, the more places for sand to get stuck (not trying to be crude). I've been told the women, as a rule, would rather wear 2-pieces than a 1 piece swimsuit; I believe 1 piece outfits are legal in the AVP but no one wears them. And anyone watching just for the outfits is the type of person that would watch auto racing just for the wrecks. Neither sport needs those types of fans.

I think I'd be happier if our main recruiter wasn't the recruiter for a team that went 5-26 overall and 0-fer in their conference last year. Of course, we won't be playing Nebraska or Texas twice a year, which is nice Hopefully things will work out fine, he may do an incredible job (I hope so). It's gonna take a couple of years before they can really put their stamp on the program. Do you see transfers, JUCO and otherwise, for a quick fix or the traditional high school student as the initial target of the recruiting efforts? No one has mentioned this but I think there's a new setter around campus - is last year's setter still around?

I'm hoping the new coach will be here for the spring season. Anyone know what they'll do for spring practice? I know a lot of area tournaments have gone away to do conference rules. How much court time will the new coach have with the returning players? And how far will they have to go for tournaments, if they go at all? On the side, any one hear of anyone not coming back? Just curious

Sounds like UND did well getting an experienced D1 coach/recruiter from major school. He's going to have a couple of rough years, not unlike many of our teams right now. Lets hope the administration will be supportive and give him the time and resources to bring his own people in, both coaches and players, to show what he can do. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens in the next couple of years. Anyone know where UND is for volleyball scholarships right now (not available, just in general)? I know D1 allows 12 full, how many does UND have to offer?

Okay, maybe less than a mid-major assistant. This could work out out be a phenomenal hire but on the surface I'm not thrilled. But then again, we've gone from the possibility of being a D2 power (think football and basketball among others) to a team that shows up on the ESPN ticker where the rest of the world will say "Who the heck is UND?". Isn't D1 wonderful? I mean, other than because of the extra dollars we have to spend to be irrelevant in D1. Any idea who's on the committee to select the candidates to be interviewed?

He is a great coach but college is more about recruiting than coaching. I'm not dismissing coaching, but it's SO much easier with great players. Height really matters when everything else is equal. And everything else is rarely ever equal. I'll take shorter players over taller "projects" every time. Coaches always seem to think they can teach everything but height but it doesn't work like that very often. The players need to be good to start with, then height is a bonus. I'm not sure what a private school would pay a two-time national champ but I'm guessing it's better than what UND will pay. We're probably looking at the first assistant from a mid-major, maybe a major school. We'll probably get some interest from some area coaches but not likely to be from anyone that will be a step up. We need some one with recruiting ties. I liked Katy and Kari, personally and as coaches, but Jason would have been the way to go. He earned it with what he did with Maria. He has recruiting ties all over the country. Unfortunately for him, I think he was the wrong sex to get hired (not that anyone will admit that). Over and out.

The title kind of says it all, anyone heard anything about the hiring of the new coach? If nothing else, are interviews scheduled? Who's applied? Inquiring minds want to know.

I *heard* she switched to a tech school in Bemidji. Playing time would not have been an issue so I'm guessing it was just a school/career type decision. If so, good for her. Playing is nice but getting prepared for something you're going to do the rest of your life is even better. What I heard, take it for what's it's worth.

Katy will do an excellent job but I also think Jason would have done an excellent job as well. As far as Katy's experience the Moorhead head coach had a series of personal issues that kept her away from her team for an extended period of time over several seasons so Katy basically ran the show for much of the last several years. She will have a great rapport with the players and she's very personable which should really help with the recruiting. Give her a chance, I think she'll do well. And she's a very likable person if you get a chance to meet her so it's not hard to see how she could impress the selection committee. And for what UND pays the volleyball coach alot of D1 assistant coaches make more where they're at. UND should be good this season if everyone comes back. Lots of young talent, similar to 3-4 years ago with Cahill, Welter, Tuve, ... getting lots of playing time early and then getting some success. Of course your milage may vary

lots of stuff snipped I guess I thought ...

Story I'm getting is she would have been fired the day after she resigned - like you needed to be told that. I'm also hearing it was parental pressure, mostly from a setter's parents and a hitter-turned-setter's parents. If you know the program you can do the math. Take this for what's it's worth but my source is in REAL tight with the program. Zaundra could be intense but she ran a good program. Thought she was very classy when UND finally beat the Bison at the Hyslop although the same couldn't be said for her assitant at that time. I think NDSU did her next school a favor.