November 17, 2025Nov 17 4 hours ago, Pato del Muerto said: 23 matches in, which aspects are they elite at? Well, they have one of the best outside hitters in the country. It's easy to take that for granted after Eggleston and Skinner, but Stafford is right at their level. I don't think she's quite as terminal as those two at their peak, but she's pretty darn close. It's like wondering if Bijan Robinson is as good as Earl Campbell and Ricky Williams. Not completely analogous, but the point is the same. At some level it doesn't matter any more. She's also better defensively in the back row, and I think she could be a really good back row attacker if we'd just use her more. Spears has fallen off in production on the right side, but a big part of that is she's not serving any more. She barely plays in the back row. I felt like one of our X factors was having Spears coming out of the back row on that D ball attack. She'd take that flying leap with her big swing, and it was really tough to defend. But we've gone away from hit. We haven't been good at featuring attacks from the right side consistently forever, and I don't think we're particularly good now. We're pretty freaking elite in the back row defense with Halter and Gary when we're on, but we're not as consistent as some of the best back row defenses. But we're still really good. We have a tall setter and an established double sub, so we're not going to have a short setter taken advantage of in the front row like other teams. I don't know that I'd call that elite, but it's a strength. I think our biggest strength is that they just don't quit. It's easy to take for granted those two come backs from down 5 late in the 5th set against both Stanford and Louisville, but that was elite. We did something similar to Tennessee in the 2nd set. We came back against Kentucky when it looked like we were going to get blown out on our home floor 2 sets in a row with a 10-1 run. We even made a run with Gary at the service line in the set we lost to South Carolina. I feel confident that's not going to be enough to win a national championship. Certainly not against Nebraska. But we could still host a regional. Almost definitely will if we can beat A&M in the SEC tournament. For what it's worth I feel like we have a better team than A&M, and they're really good this year. I feel like we have basically a 50/50 shot against whoever we match up with in the regional finals, if we can make it that far. There's a remote chance it's SMU. Or A&M. Then we'll have a puncher's chance in the Final Four if we can get there. I just wish our serve was better. The middle blockers were more productive today, but I guess they were selling out to the pins and that's what allowed them to close the block better than they have all season long, because the South Carolina middles feasted in that 3rd set. That was disheartening. It was senior day, and even though we have a good shot at 4 more home games, I'm going to miss Halter terribly, and I'm very grateful for both Kenna Miller and Kahahawai for spending their careers here, when they could have been starters elsewhere. I'm hopeful Miller goes on to get a graduate degree somewhere where she can play. Miller sang the national anthem before this game, btw. Apparently was amazing. I know she's done that at least once before.
November 17, 2025Nov 17 Putting the entire conference in the tournament is so stupid. Take the top 8, or top 10 if you want to give a couple of byes to the top seeds.
November 17, 2025Nov 17 Author 10 minutes ago, Mittens said: Putting the entire conference in the tournament is so stupid. Take the top 8, or top 10 if you want to give a couple of byes to the top seeds. The SEC soccer tournament, is, I believe, the only one that doesn't include every participating team. Only the top 12 make it for soccer, but for baseball/softball/MBB/WBB/VB, all teams compete in the postseason conference tournament Like, why? There's only 7 teams in the conf with winning conference records. Why do we have to include 1-14 Arkansas or 3-12 Vanderbilt? Take the 7 teams with a winning conference record and do it in 3 days (Fri/Sat/Sun). Teams get a little over 2 weeks of rest (Selection Show Nov 30, tournament starts December 4) 1 Kentucky - BYE 4 Tennessee vs 5 Florida 2 aggy vs 7 Georgia 3 Texas vs 6 Missouri Kentucky vs. 4/5 winner 2/7 winner vs. 3/6 winner Championship Edited November 17, 2025Nov 17 by Js1
November 17, 2025Nov 17 I have a hard time believing the travel and hotel expense is less than what they'll get for those 1st 2 rounds, but I'm sure someone with a sharper pencil than I made the decision.
November 17, 2025Nov 17 Author For conferences without the tournament, still some good matches this week: Thursday Purdue @ Wisconsin Friday Kansas @ BYU Saturday Nebraska @ Indiana Sunday North Carolina @ Miami Edited November 17, 2025Nov 17 by Js1
November 17, 2025Nov 17 1 hour ago, Mittens said: I have a hard time believing the travel and hotel expense is less than what they'll get for those 1st 2 rounds, but I'm sure someone with a sharper pencil than I made the decision. Also maybe it’s a way for bubble tourney teams to add a win or two, since it’s set up where the good teams of the conference don’t play until later in the bracket.
November 17, 2025Nov 17 4 hours ago, Pato del Muerto said: Also maybe it’s a way for bubble tourney teams to add a win or two, since it’s set up where the good teams of the conference don’t play until later in the bracket. It also doesn't hurt the best teams' RPI, since they're not facing any of the dregs of the conference. I don't really think it's a money thing. I do not feel like the SEC volleyball tournament is going to be bringing in the big bucks. I think it's more of an exposure thing, a way of creating a little more fairness in an unbalanced regular season schedule, and a way of boosting RPI. The lower teams get to add more wins. The higher teams are excluded from playing the worst RPI teams, so they too can get a boost to their RPI. The SEC didn't win enough games in non conference to be the RPI juggernaut the Big 12 is, but the thinking in how the tournament was set up was somewhat strategic IMO. I don't think there's a volleyball coach out there who does a better job of managing RPI, or who thinks about RPI more than Elliott. He was a big influence in the Big 12 for getting everyone on board in managing their RPIs, which helps the conference as a whole. I would bet dollars to doughnuts he's doing some of the same stuff in the SEC right now. I wish they'd have a preseason media availability, the way the B1G does. It would force Elliott into an environment he doesn't like, but that he's really good at. Maybe he could get some real volleyball people to shoot him some questions. Just for the record, I'm not a fan of the SEC tournament. I feel like we're already in as a regional host right now if the season ended today. Instead there's a chance we lose in the first round (I don't think the chance is all that good) and put that in jeopardy. They'd probably get the overall #2 seed if they beat both A&M and Kentucky, but I don't think potentially moving up a couple of seeds is worth risking the regional, no matter how slim the odds are of losing it. I also don't like the idea of playing 3 matches in 3 days the week before the tournament. But this team probably needs the court time. So even though I'm against the tournament, I'm probably wrong about that stance in terms of how it benefits Texas this year.
November 17, 2025Nov 17 Author 1 minute ago, SL Xpress said: I think it's more of an exposure thing, a way of creating a little more fairness in an unbalanced regular season schedule Didn’t everyone play each other once? Seems very fair. I believe the B1G has a totally unbalanced conference schedule
November 17, 2025Nov 17 10 minutes ago, Js1 said: Didn’t everyone play each other once? Seems very fair. I believe the B1G has a totally unbalanced conference schedule I guess. I feel like a home and home like what we had with the limited teams in the Big 12 provides the most fairness. I don't know. It's not like I'm advocating for the dang thing. I just don't think the reason to have one is money. That's the main point.
November 18, 2025Nov 18 On 11/15/2025 at 3:32 PM, GJ Winne said: Mick does the color for the Texas State VB broadcast, but I really only get to hear him a couple of times a year as I have season tickets so I'm usually watching in person. He's as fantastic as you would expect from someone with his resume, but really stands out vs his Sun Belt competition, which leaves a LOT to be desired for the most part. After our final home match last week, I noticed him sitting off to the side as our PBP guy interviewed the player of the game, so went down to chat him up. Had to let him know how much he brings to our broadcasts and that he was appreciated. Not only because of his overall resume, but because he's been part of our broadcast team for 10 years now(? idk? more?) he knows our players so well that he is calling plays and players before the serve. Very Romo-esque in that manner. We are incredibly lucky to have him. Yeah a couple of years ago when my boy was on AJV's 18U team, Glen Lietzke (Mick's assistant when he was at UT) hired Mick as an advisor to help evaluate the coaches. He would just walk around or sit out of the way where most people didn't notice, watching practices or tournaments and sizing 'em up. One day my kid came home from practice telling me about this guy who pulled him over during practice and said he'd been watching him, and offered him some great middle tips. He went on and on about how cool & friendly he was, how much he knew, how well he explained things in a way that was easy to understand, and how quickly he corrected some things that my son's coach never even seemed to notice. I knew he was talking about Mick and told him to google 'Mick Haley'. He got all excited and said "Yeah, that's the guy". I told him to keep reading and look at Mick's resume. He was flabbergasted. Mick interacted with my kid a few more times that season, and to this day he still talks about Mick and how lucky he was to even have been coached by him just a little bit. His evaluation of my son's coach (we'll call him Coach K)? Mick pulled him aside one day and told him he owed the boys & their parents an apology. Said that with the collection of talent on that team, winning only the one Baton Rouge Block Party tournament was a massive underachievement, and that he should have had them competing for the 18U national title as a top seed vs scraping our way in, and gave him some tips to help improve for the rest of the season. Coach K blew him off. Yeah ... fucking nobody Coach K blew off Mick fucking Haley's advice, followed by another predictably mediocre finish in Vegas. AJV jettisoned him following that season (my kid's final season), and suddenly started invbesting a lot more effort and resources into their boys program on all levels. Little consolation for us, though, and pretty frustrating, actually. Beware Coach K, all ye with kids in the clubs. He's still in Austin, at a new club that's just a couple of years old. /csb tl:dr: Mick is 100% certified BMF. Edited November 19, 2025Nov 19 by wood
November 18, 2025Nov 18 On 11/16/2025 at 8:08 PM, SL Xpress said: Well, they have one of the best outside hitters in the country. It's easy to take that for granted after Eggleston and Skinner, but Stafford is right at their level. I don't think she's quite as terminal as those two at their peak, but she's pretty darn close. It's like wondering if Bijan Robinson is as good as Earl Campbell and Ricky Williams. Not completely analogous, but the point is the same. At some level it doesn't matter any more. She's also better defensively in the back row, and I think she could be a really good back row attacker if we'd just use her more. Not discounting the rest of this post by any stretch, but got damn, the more I watch Ms. Stafford, the more I enjoy it, and I don't mean just from a pure physical performance pov either. When shit gets real, she gets intense af. Not sure I've seen intensity like what she brings to a volleyball match outside of one Mr. Kiraly. When we get behind, just look at her face. There's a fire raging there. And even when she makes a kill in those situations, most of the time her look doesn't change a bit. Not a smile or a laugh. Just a look that says "Aight. Now gimme the got damn ball again". I cannot express how much I love to see that in an athlete. You can't parent it. You can't teach it or coach it. It's just there, or it isn't. Suffice it to say ... yeah, I'm a fan. Edited November 18, 2025Nov 18 by wood
November 18, 2025Nov 18 5 hours ago, Js1 said: Texas moves up to #3 thanks to Pitt's loss on Friday night We really don’t want to be #4.
November 18, 2025Nov 18 Author 19 minutes ago, Cairn Horn88 said: We really don’t want to be #4. Texas is likely #3 now. Off chance to move up to #2 if we win the SEC tournament. Don’t think losing would knock us out of #3, if the loss is to Kentucky.
November 18, 2025Nov 18 I don't want to fear Nebraska. I don't like our chances against them, but I also don't want to fear them. Whether we exit in the semifinals or the championship game, this season would be a huge success with this team, IMO. I'd say we should at least get to the regional finals. A loss in the Sweet Sixteen for this program just sucks. Not hosting regionals since 2022 sucks. Outside of Nebraska, I like our chances against anyone. I also think Texas is the most vulnerable of the top teams, so I feel like other teams should prefer being in UT's bracket versus Pitt or Kentucky. Outside of Nebraska/Pitt/Kentucky I think the team I'd least like in our bracket is Louisville. I know we already beat them head to head. They have small outside hitters. But I find that I really like that team a lot more than others. I don't know that they can beat Nebraska, but I'd love to see them in Nebraska's region.
November 18, 2025Nov 18 We seem a bit more prone to lackluster stretches than do some other contenders. Or maybe I'm just more focused on our own stumbles. Regardless, for our ladies to go on a prolonged roll again will take consistent energy, focus, serving and blocking we haven't always shown in SEC play. I'm already quite happy with the season, but I really hope our seniors don't get sent home from the NCAAs because we melted down in a match we should have won. Make some other team really earn our elimination with elite play on both sides. Or...just win it all. Edited November 18, 2025Nov 18 by Gut Wagon
November 18, 2025Nov 18 Author I am very curious who is going to win SEC Player of the Year Stafford leads in kps over Hudson and Lednicky and in hitting % and points per set. She's also the only one of the 3 in the top 10 for services aces in SEC play. POY - Stafford COY - Morrison or Skinner FOY - O'Brien or Spears SOY - Cassie O'Brien - Swindle is kind of screwed with the double sub; even though Texas is tops in hitting % and assists per set, Swindle is only 8th in assists per set LOY - Sands DPOY - Cos-Okpolla Those are my guesses.
November 18, 2025Nov 18 Author Too lazy to link the pretty pictures 2025 Bracketology (11/17) NCAA Selection Show: Sunday, November 30th - 6pm ET *Denotes a team that is not a 'drive-in', >400 miles away from the subregional they are assigned to. Lincoln Regional (#1) (1) Nebraska vs. Bryant* Tennessee* vs. (8) North Carolina* (4) TCU vs. FGCU* Texas State vs. (5) Miami-FL* (2) Texas A&M vs. UTRGV Arizona* vs. (7) UTEP* (3) Stanford vs. Towson* UC Davis vs. (6) Penn State* Pittsburgh Regional (#4) (1) Pittsburgh vs. Long Island Xavier vs. (8) Florida* (4) Kansas vs. Winthrop* South Florida* vs. (5) Minnesota* (2) Arizona State vs. Northern Arizona Utah State* vs. (7) San Diego (3) Wisconsin vs. Princeton* Villanova* vs. (6) Baylor* Austin Regional (#3) (1) Texas vs. Prairie View A&M Rice vs. (8) UCLA* (4) USC vs. Utah Tech* Georgia Tech* vs. (5) Colorado* (2) SMU vs. Coppin State* Oregon* vs. (7) Kansas State* (3) Creighton vs. Fairfield* South Dakota State vs. (6) Northern Iowa Lexington Regional (#2) (1) Kentucky vs. Northern Kentucky Michigan vs. (8) Marquette* (4) Indiana vs. American* Dayton vs. (5) Iowa State* (2) Louisville vs. East Tennessee State Illinois vs. (7) Western Kentucky (3) Purdue vs. Eastern Illinois Ball State vs. (6) BYU*
November 18, 2025Nov 18 14 minutes ago, Js1 said: 2025 Bracketology (11/17) (4) TCU vs. FGCU* Texas State vs. (5) Miami-FL* I love our draw in the Sun Belt Tournament, but I'm biased. Nice to see some validation!
November 19, 2025Nov 19 Author 22 hours ago, Js1 said: I am very curious who is going to win SEC Player of the Year Stafford leads in kps over Hudson and Lednicky and in hitting % and points per set. She's also the only one of the 3 in the top 10 for services aces in SEC play. POY - Stafford COY - Morrison or Skinner FOY - O'Brien or Spears SOY - Cassie O'Brien - Swindle is kind of screwed with the double sub; even though Texas is tops in hitting % and assists per set, Swindle is only 8th in assists per set LOY - Sands DPOY - Cos-Okpolla Those are my guesses. POY and Newcomer - Hudson LOY - Sands FOY - O’Brien COY - Skinner Cari and Stafford got first team Halter got 2nd team The 3 newbies got All Freshmen Team
November 19, 2025Nov 19 Hudson benefiting from the old "best player on the best team" formula? Weak sauce.
November 19, 2025Nov 19 Author 3 minutes ago, Gut Wagon said: Hudson benefiting from the old "best player on the best team" formula? Weak sauce. Yes The only notable stat she beat Stafford in was digs per set.
November 20, 2025Nov 20 If Nora doesn't have an NIL deal with Hot Topic that company deserves to go bankrupt.
November 20, 2025Nov 20 Hopefully Nora gets some playing time this coming season, but yes this discussion belongs in the beach volleyball thread ➡️
November 21, 2025Nov 21 Should we look at Izzy Stark, Penn State setter, who just entered the portal? She’s really good but might not be a culture fit. Seems like she might be a pain in the ass.
November 21, 2025Nov 21 Author 4 minutes ago, TonyTexas said: Should we look at Izzy Stark, Penn State setter, who just entered the portal? She’s really good but might not be a culture fit. Seems like she might be a pain in the ass. No thanks
November 23, 2025Nov 23 Florida falling off a cliff really hurts this conference's prestige at the top. Mississippi State getting swept by Vanderbilt in Vanderbilt's first season competing in volleyball is something. A couple of years ago Arkansas had an elite 8 team with Jill Gillen. Tennessee gave our national championship team all it could handle, including getting to match point. This year it's Texas, Kentucky, and A&M, then a big drop off to Tennessee. There are such a lack of real upsets at the top in volleyball. Then you have the 5 through 16 seeds play one another for a couple of days in a row before sending them in for the slaughter against the top competition. Which is the way to do it for RPI purposes. The top teams aren't brought down by playing the dregs. I hope we can get a good result out of this. It would be so wonderful to beat either A&M or Kentucky in rematches. Or both. I'll take both.
November 23, 2025Nov 23 Ole Miss beats Missouri 3-2 (16-14 in 5th)…..and will play Lady Horns manana.
November 23, 2025Nov 23 Second round: Saturday, Nov. 22 No. 8 Auburn 3 No. 9 Oklahoma 2 No. 5 Florida 3, No. 12 Alabama 0 No. 15 Vanderbilt 3, No. 7 Georgia 1 No. 6 Missouri 2 No.14 Ole Miss 3
November 23, 2025Nov 23 Author Good for Vanderbilt making a run to the quarterfinals (14 Ole Miss is our opponent)
November 23, 2025Nov 23 Quarterfinals: Sunday, Nov. 23 12 p.m. | No. 1 Kentucky vs. No. 8 Auburn| SEC Network 2:30 p.m. | No. 4 Tennessee vs. No. 5 Florida | SEC Network 5 p.m. | No. 2 Texas A&M vs. No. 15 Vanderbilt 7:30 p.m. | No. 3 Texas vs. No. 14 Ole Miss SEC Network
November 23, 2025Nov 23 Whoever is running the NCAA women's vball account is doing work. Bet they have over 100 tweets today.
November 24, 2025Nov 24 Author 1 minute ago, Cairn Horn88 said: First pitch? SECN says 6:32 first serve
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