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Posted
2 hours ago, Js1 said:

Stafford and AVW did the work yesterday with Cari having her first major off night as a freshman 

Stafford 14-0-23 (.609)

AVW 10-1-16 (.562)

Cari 9-7-20 (.100)

Harvey 8-1-9 (.778)

Bunton 2-1-4 (.250)

Ames didn’t record an attempt in set 1 and Devin didn’t play since we didn’t run the dub sub

Plus we needed Binney as an attacker out of the right side.

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Posted
11 hours ago, Js1 said:

 

Ames also got pulled after set 1 for Bunton - feels like Elliot is managing everyone against the less-than-good SEC programs we are going to face after the OOC gauntlet.  Ella likely sat as a precaution and Ames missed the final 2 sets and we didn't miss a beat. 

 

So to make sure I understand, Ames is still above Burton, right?   I hope so.

and since you are the coach, why no dub sub and no Devin?  I don’t know why but I enjoy her in game.

Posted (edited)
5 minutes ago, Hornbeliever said:

So to make sure I understand, Ames is still above Burton, right?   I hope so.

and since you are the coach, why no dub sub and no Devin?  I don’t know why but I enjoy her in game.

Yes. Ames is still the starting MB. Feels like Elliot is managing minutes now that we are in conf play or wanted a more athletic block in for the last 2 sets 

The dub sub happens when Binney comes in to set from the back row and Devin comes in to the front row as a bigger block and attacker. But no Swindle yesterday means you couldn’t sub in Devin bc there was no dub sub. Binney had to set in a traditional 5-1. Bringing in Devin means you’re benching Cari 

Edited by Js1
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Posted
1 minute ago, Js1 said:

Yes. Ames is still the starting MB. Feels like Elliot is managing minutes now that we are in conf play or wanted a more athletic block in for the last 2 sets 

The dub sub happens when Binney comes in to set from the back row and Devin comes in to the front row as a bigger block and attacker. But no Swindle yesterday means you couldn’t sub in Devin bc there was no dub sub. Binney had to set in a traditional 5-1. Bringing in Devin means you’re benching Cari 

I knew you were our coach posting here.

i do not know what my problem is with Buxton but I have one.

Posted

It seems clear to me Bunton started the season as the #2 middle blocker but now the #2 middle blocker is Harvey. It also looks to me like Harvey could potentially become the #1 middle blocker, at least in terms of performance. She has a different level of twitchiness than Ames or Bunton. She simply explodes off the floor and stays up there for a while. And her lateral quickness is on a different level, too. She just needs reps, but it's not like Ames or Bunton have years of experience on her. 

There's a feature I saw somewhere where Elliott talks about needing to play all 3 middle blockers, so I'm sure we'll see a lot of combinations druing conference play including all 3 players. He specifically mentioned the importance of depth for the new SEC tournament. 

I'll also say I don't think this is going to be one of Texas' better blocking teams. I don't think we're going to be bad, per se, but the bar is pretty high at Texas. I remember the national championship season in 2022 when it felt like it took forever for the block to get going. But by the time the tournament rolled around Texas was blocking as well as anyone in the country. 2023 the season didn't start off great, but I felt like the block was in pretty good shape and stayed that way. Last year I don't like to talk about a whole lot.

The strengths of this team are going to be being so terminal, and the backcourt defense. I don't think the block is going to be as critical for this team to do well in the post season. 

It's interesting to me that we went years redshirting every middle blocker that came through the program, and now it's two years in a row with Ames and Harvey playing significant minutes. I think even if Singletary had stuck around Harvey might have found her way on the court. She looks special out there. 

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Posted

Harvey is legit. It didn’t take long for her to supplant Bunton.

But I do think all 3 will play because JE doesn’t want to end up in another situation like Singletary leaving us in a lurch 

Posted
21 minutes ago, Hornbeliever said:

So to make sure I understand, Ames is still above Burton, right?   I hope so.

and since you are the coach, why no dub sub and no Devin?  I don’t know why but I enjoy her in game.

 

11 minutes ago, Hornbeliever said:

I knew you were our coach posting here.

i do not know what my problem is with Buxton but I have one.

😂 I think I've identified one problem...

4 minutes ago, SL Xpress said:

 

I'll also say I don't think this is going to be one of Texas' better blocking teams. I don't think we're going to be bad, per se, but the bar is pretty high at Texas. I remember the national championship season in 2022 when it felt like it took forever for the block to get going. But by the time the tournament rolled around Texas was blocking as well as anyone in the country. 2023 the season didn't start off great, but I felt like the block was in pretty good shape and stayed that way. Last year I don't like to talk about a whole lot.

 

The way we started off against Creighton playing defense up front surprised me. We've backed off that performance a little since then but if that was closer to baseline than ceiling and we can manage to improve this will be a very good blocking group.

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Posted
5 minutes ago, gsoda3 said:

 

😂 I think I've identified one problem...

The way we started off against Creighton playing defense up front surprised me. We've backed off that performance a little since then but if that was closer to baseline than ceiling and we can manage to improve this will be a very good blocking group.

When you say the way we started off are you specifically referring to the 1st set? Because for the Creighton match as a whole Creighton outblocked us. Which is sort of a meme so far this season.

But no one is getting extra credit for winning the blocking battle. Which is good, because we're invariably losing them against most of our opponents.

Posted
1 minute ago, Js1 said:

Being out blocked on the season 78.5 to 69.5

But I still think Louisville skewed that by a lot 

The funny thing is, that was our best blocking performance, with 15 over 5 sets. 

Creighton, Stanford, Arizona State, TCU, and Baylor also out blocked us, although admittedly it was close in all of those matches. Arizona State was even competing without their star middle blocker. 

Posted
1 minute ago, SL Xpress said:

The funny thing is, that was our best blocking performance, with 15 over 5 sets. 

Creighton, Stanford, Arizona State, TCU, and Baylor also out blocked us, although admittedly it was close in all of those matches. Arizona State was even competing without their star middle blocker. 

As the babies (especially AVW) mature, they’ll stop hitting right into the block. AVW has gotten better about it, using more power tips and deep throws into the corner. 

Posted
30 minutes ago, SL Xpress said:

When you say the way we started off are you specifically referring to the 1st set? Because for the Creighton match as a whole Creighton outblocked us. Which is sort of a meme so far this season.

But no one is getting extra credit for winning the blocking battle. Which is good, because we're invariably losing them against most of our opponents.

The whole match - what I liked is we were getting hands on the ball even if we weren't closing out completely or were late to a spot or we were going straight up instead of pressing the block. It showed we have the physical ability to be a presence at the net.  Ames last year was often late but has been noticeably better this season and as our chemistry with her/nya/harvey and our two freshman and transfer on the outsides develops we could have something special. Also I really love Devin on defense (and on offense).  She has an outsized impact on the match for how much she plays. 

Posted

I’m no volleyball person but I assume the block has more ways to be effective than just registering blocks. Such as slowing shots down or having the attacker alter their shot to get around the block. Can those things be quantified?

Posted
7 minutes ago, Pato del Muerto said:

I’m no volleyball person but I assume the block has more ways to be effective than just registering blocks. Such as slowing shots down or having the attacker alter their shot to get around the block. Can those things be quantified?

Block touches are quantified on Volley Metrics 

Posted
6 hours ago, Pato del Muerto said:

I’m no volleyball person but I assume the block has more ways to be effective than just registering blocks. Such as slowing shots down or having the attacker alter their shot to get around the block. Can those things be quantified?

Absolutely.

One of the biggest ways to quantify it is by the final score, but that's not ultimately very satisfying.

For several years Nebraska wasn't known for their blocking. Part of their overall philosophy was to integrate the blocking scheme with the backcourt, so the libero and DSes could have advantageous positioning to respond when the ball came over, whereas Texas tended to be much more aggressive, encouraging the blockers at the net to put up as intimidating and forceful of a block as possible, then require the backcourt players to read the play accordingly. One system produced more blocks/points. The other produced better backcourt defensive stats. 

Texas has also been going against several outstanding blocking teams, statistically speaking, so when we're getting out blocked, it's against opponents who feature that as part of their team identity.

There's a problem in the official stat sheet in that the only time a block is credited to a player is when it scores. Compare that to basketball, where a block is credited to the defender whether it results in a change of possession or not. There's also no official statistic when a defender puts up an ineffective block that leads to a score. Getting a block touch, or altering the shot of the opposition so their hit is not as effective, is way better than having the shot hit off their hands and go out of bounds, or have it go directly to the floor. But those things aren't measured in the official stat sheets. If our players are doing a good job of not only presenting a block, but presenting a block that's not getting scored on, that has value that's not properly accounted for. 

It's funny. Our hitting percentage is pretty high nationally, but not all that high by Texas standards. Our block numbers are good, but not super impressive, and certainly not up to the standard of past Texas teams. Watching the team play, I don't get the feeling our block is as effective or intimidating as either past Texas teams, or as good as other teams I watch this year. But overall this Texas team is playing the best in the country, in my opinion, along with Nebraska. I find them very terminal, especially when Spears is effective on the D-ball. Our floor defense with Halter/Gary is outstanding. Our serving is giving teams trouble in getting into their offense. Stafford is one of the best overall players in the country. Vander Wal has looked impressive at times, and I think she's going to continue to improve at a high rate. Plus, they're just so fun to watch.  

As an eye test I do not believe this middle blocker unit is as oppressive as other middle blocker tandems Texas has fielded, but since I think Texas is arguably the number one program in the country when it comes to its middle blocker units under Elliott, that's not the criticism it might otherwise be. I like the players we have there. I do miss Singletary a bit, but her absence has allowed Harvey to come on, and that delights me. I feel like we can win a national championship with this group, even if they only average around 2.3 blocks per set as a team. And that's what's important. 

Posted

It has definitely been quite a change to watch a Texas team with meh blocking but elite digging - Stafford is such a monster in the back court to complement Halter and Gary. 

Compare 2025 to our 2020, 2022 and 2023 teams (runner-up, champ, champ)

2020 - 2.77 bps, 13.17 dps
2022 -2.50 bps, 13.43 dps
2023 - 2.89 bps (!!), 13.41 dps
2025 - 2.17 bps, 14.59 dps

We are averaging over an additional dig per set in 2025, compared to our last 3 really good teams who played in the national championship match. 

Our offensive numbers are way down compared to 2020 and 2022, but we are also quite young at 4 positions (SO MB1, FR MB2, FR OH2, FR OPP)

2020 - .335
2022 - .336
2023 - .282
2025 - .298

This 2025 team plays better back court defense than 2023's title team, but is hitting at a better percentage thanks to Stafford and Spears. 

2023 - OH Skinner (.295), OH Wenaas (.211), MB O'Neal (.403), MB Bergmark (.328), OPP Phillips (.279)
2025 - OH Stafford (.336), OH Vander Wal (.211), MB Ames (.349), MB Harvey (.556), OPP Spears (.335)

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Posted

I can't agree with your main point enough, which is the digs in the backcourt have gone up considerably. The data proves it, but it passes the eye test for me, too. And I agree with your conclusion that it's Stafford's presence that is making the biggest impact. 

To me it's important to note the evolutions those teams went through, too.

In the 2022 tournament the blocking numbers were:

Fairleigh Dickinson 2.5 bps

Georgia 2.7 bps

Marquette 3.75 bps

OSU 4 bps

San Diego 3 bps

Louisville 3 bps

I didn't go back and look it up, but I clearly remember being somewhat concerned early on, even while we were going undefeated. Especially since I didn't understand why the blocking numbers were so low. Then somewhere in the middle of conference season they started picking up significantly. I picked out the tournament numbers to limit my effort, but also because I remember the blocking numbers were really good. 

We all know what that 2023 season was like. It was a different team at the end of the year. Skinner in particular started becoming unhittable out of the back row. She hit over .400 on the season on the BIC that year, which is absurd. I'll never forget her killing a ball over the triple block Nebraska put on her in the championship game. She was playing next level volleyball at the end of the year. 

And then of course the serving. I remember in both postseasons for 2002 and 2023 feeling like the teams' overall serving was on a different level. Everyone who went up there was an extremely effective server both years. We all remember what happened to Nebraska in 2023, but in both years come tournament time Texas was dominating opponents in a way they hadn't been early in the season.

I will say I've liked our serves overall on this team so far. On a personal level, I don't really get Kujundzic out there as a serving sub. I'd rather see Kendra Miller or if Lauenstein is healthy, see what she can do. I know neither one are defensive specialists, but I'd really like to see a more effective serve out of that rotation. I've liked Kahahawai's serves better than Kujundzic's, as well. But Elliott sees more than I do. I'm just watching the matches. To me she stands out as a weak link so far in terms of our serves.

I'll also say Vander Wal doesn't frustrate me the way Wenaas always did. I feel like Vander Wal has so much upside. I'm excited to see where her career goes from here. Wenaas always felt like what you see is what you get. And what we got frustrated me to no end, from the time she announced her commitment to Texas out of the portal to the last match against Creighton, with a brief respite during the 2023 tournament. 

 

 

Posted (edited)

It doesn’t necessarily track that more digs also means better passing, but it sounds from reading here (lack of bitching) that back row passing is in fact better, which obviously makes the offense easier and more efficient. I THINK the passing numbers posted reflect that, yes?

Edited by Pato del Muerto
Posted (edited)
15 minutes ago, Pato del Muerto said:

It doesn’t necessarily track that more digs also means better passing, but it sounds from reading here (lack of bitching) that back row passing is in fact better, which obviously makes the offense easier and more efficient. I THINK the passing numbers posted reflect that, yes?

It is.  More digs = more opportunities to terminate. 

And I do not know if it was the change in the double contact rule, but Emma's secondary setting is way better than last year.  Last year's was.... not great.  Really bad at times, in fact.

19 minutes ago, SL Xpress said:

I'll also say Vander Wal doesn't frustrate me the way Wenaas always did. I feel like Vander Wal has so much upside. I'm excited to see where her career goes from here. Wenaas always felt like what you see is what you get. And what we got frustrated me to no end, from the time she announced her commitment to Texas out of the portal to the last match against Creighton, with a brief respite during the 2023 tournament. 

 

It would almost be impossible at this point in time, 8 matches in, for frustration at AVW's youth to exceed or match the frustration watching junior and senior Wenaas just suck it up on the court.  

I do think a big part of her unproductive 2024 was her backrow defense and passing responsibilities.  She had to do a lot.  AVW benefits from having superior passing in Halter/Gary/Stafford and no backrow defense responsibilities. 

Edited by Js1
Posted
2 hours ago, Pato del Muerto said:

I THINK the passing numbers posted reflect that, yes?

This was our non-conf passing numbers - keeping in mind we played 7 ranked teams, including 5 top 10 teams.

Anything above a 2.0 is good (3 is perfect) 

Halter 2.20
Gary 2.32
Stafford 2.01 
AVW 2.08 

Our passing numbers were pretty on par with Nebraska, Kentucky, Stanford, Louisville, Wisconsin.  Rarely has that happened under Elliot. 

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