EP 3 Almost Tourney Time & Setter Speak
[00:00:00] 
Claire: Welcome to the Best of 5 podcast. We're your hosts, Claire and Grace. Join us as we shine a light on NCAA Women's College Volleyball. This week, we anticipate the upcoming tournament, talk all things setting and setters, and prep for another great weekend of volleyball. Let's dive in! 
Grace: Right now is my favorite time of this, well, I love the tournament but, it does like stress me out, , there's always a loser and their season's done.
You know, , that always stresses me out. And this year we have really seen, , amazing teams. 
Claire: Yes. In all conferences, at all levels. There are some really crazy talented teams. Yes. And I really wish that [00:01:00] volleyball would be all year. I know. And that, , these, all of these teams would get the recognition they deserve.
Right. I was, like, thinking, , it is 20 time and there is that electricity in the air, dare I say. Right. Because, you know, the stakes are a little higher. You win or go home. And there are crazy upsets and ups and downs for different teams. And I think it's so exciting, but it's also very final.
Grace: Right. Which is hard. Yes. . And it 
Claire: just proposes, a new era for teams, for players, for coaches. Mm 
Grace: hmm. There's lots of changes that come postseason. Right. And I, I think it's been kind of fun, , even though even if a team doesn't upset the opponent they're playing, , Taking a set from a top 10 team or, making [00:02:00] that team work has been super cool as a viewer to watch.
Claire: Right? Yes. And that's the perfect segue into some of the games that we saw over the weekend. I Wrote down a few four setter games that some. Lower ranked or unranked teams took a set from higher ranked opponents, and Nebraska had two of these over the weekend. They played Ne Nebraska, number one, played Northwestern.
Yes. And Northwestern took a set, 3 1. And also Nebraska played Illinois, and Illinois took a set, so the final score was 3 1. Wow. I know. I miss the days where Illinois was fierce. Okay, 
Grace: So we're going to talk about, we're going to break down a position and this week [00:03:00] we're going to talk about setters.
Right. And I just want to say one of the setters that I wrote down to talk about is Jordan Poulter from Illinois, and she is so fierce, and I think that helped Illinois as a whole to like, be fierce.
Claire: Yeah. She is. She's a fierce competitor. She has a fierce attitude. 
Grace: She's so offensive. Yes. And defensive. Her, she's an epic blocker. , it's crazy. Right. 
Claire: And her volleyball IQ and the way she sees the court 
Grace: is iconic. Exactly. And to put, like, Illinois, they've had some great players, like Michelle Bartch Hackley played at Illinois.
Definitely. But for Jordan to step in for the USA team and set for them, like that's like, that's amazing.
Claire: Yes, it truly is. And it [00:04:00] just goes to show you how much of being a setter comes down to leadership and grit and 
Grace: Vision, I think. 
Claire: And Jordan Poulter has all of those things. 
Grace: Exactly. And that's when Coach Kevin Hambly was at Illinois as well. 
Claire: Right. Right. One of our faves. Yes. Oh my gosh, I was, I could have touched him at the 18s Nationals.
Grace: Oh my god, I did touch him. Oh my gosh. I love him. My senior year of high school, I saw him in a, at Colorado, the tournament there. He was so sweet, and I was so nervous, and I was like, Right. Can you tell Catherine Plummer I said hi? And he was, he giggled, it was kind of sweet.
That's so sweet.
Claire: I Hope he's listening, and I hope he doesn't find this creepy, because yeah. Yeah, I think that's self [00:05:00] explanatory. 
Grace: Yeah, no, I'll love your no creep. Right, 
Claire: right. But I was, something I wanted to add about setters. Yes. Is I think that
at least the, one of the first things that I look for in setters is good hands. Yep, but I think more importantly fast feet. 
Grace: Ayo! 
Claire: Ayo! Fast feet! 
Grace: Yeah. , because honestly, having good hands, like naturally good hands is great. Right. But , I'd rather have someone with quick feet. Yes. And teach the good hands.
No, 
Claire: exactly. Because as long as they get their feet there and they're balanced. And square to where they want the ball to go. Right. Like, your hands will do the work. 
Grace: Right. I like what you said earlier about leadership, because I think setters, , it's so cliche.
Oh, like, you're a [00:06:00] setter, you have to be the leader of the team. Right. For all of the court, which I... And there's a part of that that I do agree with yes, but I don't need them to be a nutcase like no 
Claire: No, like yeah, please. No, 
Grace: actually. Yeah, I I don't need you to be a nutcase I don't need you to be manic and I also don't know to be cranky like Right.
I think a good leader is Emotionally stable right not say on the court. I don't like Yeah, you can have your, your emotions off the court. Yeah, exactly. Well, necessarily. Like, that's a lot to ask, but on the court, . And that doesn't mean that you're not fierce, you can, you can cheer loud and you can get intense and but like that manic energy that I think sometimes setters think they have to have to be a quote unquote leader.
Not for me. That would be. Exactly. 
Claire: Yeah, I [00:07:00] think that. A setter has to be a leader because they're the quarterback, they're touching the ball every single rally. And I think you're so right when setters can't be overly dramatic or emotional. And I think you see that with a lot of setters. That are setting right now.
Yeah. I think of Mac Pedraza. Yes. She does not get overly emotional. Either way, happy or sad slash mad. Right. sHe's pretty level headed. 
Grace: Cammie Minor from Stanford. Yes. Yes. 
Claire: Very level. Yes. She is very level. And obviously, you know, they get hype.
Yes. When good things happen. And they. Get frustrated when bad things happen, but they're so level headed and I [00:08:00] think , they take on a lot of the team's energy. 
Grace: Yes, which I think can be overwhelming, especially bouncing back to like that high school or junior high level. I think at the lower level and lower meaning like early level of play, I think there is a little leeway.
I it. Any position can kind of take on that leadership role, but I think when you get to the higher level, , it just makes sense for the setter to have that role. Like you said, like, they're controlling the offense. 
Claire: Yes. Exactly. Setters have to carry a heavier load because they run the whole offense. So I think in turn, they also carry a heavier load 
Grace: emotionally. Right, right, yeah one of the points that I wrote down just from a middle perspective, I always enjoyed playing with setters that made me feel safe and showed that they trusted me. [00:09:00] Right. Especially as a middle, , you can kind of tell when a setter, , doesn't really trust you and, , doesn't have faith in you.
Yes. Because, well, you're not getting the ball as much anyway, and so, you know, so if there is opportunity for you to get the ball and you're not getting it, , that, like, definitely Is a nonverbal way of communicating, right? Yes, and you feel that on the court, right? Yeah. Yeah, and so having a setter that like shows that trust and Meaning like can set me on the 10 foot line, right, exactly.
Or I get blocked and they set me right again. Like those are things that like show me that they trust me, which in turn makes me want to work hard for them. If that makes sense. Yes, . Yeah. And I think a setter who does that. Or who did that in the past was Sidney Hilley from Wisconsin. , yes.
I think what was cool about her [00:10:00] role for the Badgers was , she had like really big shoes to fill with Lauren Carlini. Definitely. Graduating. But I felt like she stepped into her own shoes. Yes. Which was really cool to watch. But you could just tell every position, and you know, we don't know everything.
We just see what's on TV. But from what I could see, like. She, like, had trust in all of her hitters, which made her harder to defend because there wasn't, like, one particular player that she always went to, or a play that she always went for.
Like, I felt like she trusted everybody, which was, you know, made her so fierce. Right. And, 
Claire: , it just goes to show how she was, , a very selfless player, she didn't really. Need attention, but to have full faith in your teammates, I think that's what a setter [00:11:00] needs, is To fully trust in your teammates, you have to fully trust in yourself and your abilities, and I think Sydney Hilly had that, and that is so aspirational, and it's something that I have only really gained Like now, after being a coach and sort of seeing the game and really watching it and being able to just see things at a faster pace than I have in the past, 
And I think what girls and what we should teach girls is like to have faith in themselves, because if they have faith in themselves, then they can have faith in their teammates.
And that's really all you need 
Grace: to be successful. And I think the faith, Well, A, , you are the only thing you can, , 100 percent control. Right. So, , that kind of takes the load off of a setter, I feel, especially, , you feel like you're in charge of everyone, definitely.
Especially the offense, but if you, [00:12:00] stay in your lane a little and just focus on like, okay, like I have faith that I can put up a hittable ball Yeah, like and then like you said like if I'm consistent like they will eventually get there right? Yeah 
Claire: Yeah, control the controllables and like nothing that you can control is the location of your 
Grace: sets 
 
Claire: but one current setter that I am that I really love right now her name is Izzy Sch 
Grace: Chesky. Bless you. 
Claire: Yes, . Thank you, . She is the center for K State, Kansas State who just on Friday swept.
Number three, Texas. Wow. Yes. Unranked team swept Texas. I watched the match, and [00:13:00] when I tell you it was lit, it was lit. 
Grace: I believe, yeah. 
Claire: Yeah, like Kansas State, they had a new facility built last year and it is like the perfect facility for volleyball matches. Their crowd was lit. And so was their play.
Like their setter, Izzy. Yeah. She's a junior transfer from Oregon State. Wow. She's 5'7 And they just started using a 5 1 instead of a 6 2. So she plays the whole way around. 
Grace: Okay, I'm just gonna read to the crowd what you wrote in your notes about Izzy. Okay. Izzy, , was a beast.
Ran an incredible offense and blocked like a mother
 Attacked like she was 6'7 and served aggressive. New fave player alert. 
Claire: Boom. Boom. Mic drop. I mean everything I wrote. 
Grace: Yeah, [00:14:00] that's amazing. Also, you wrote about Liz Gregoski. Gregoski. Oh, yes. Who played at Wisconsin. I always, I followed her on Instagram because she's an Instagram baddie, you know.
Yeah. Yeah. And like when she played at Wisconsin and I was Curious about her decision to play at Kansas State. But I'm glad she's playing well, you said. Same, 
Claire: yeah. I was listening to the announcers in the game, and apparently she was used mostly as a defensive specialist. Wow! The majority of the season thus far, but their right side got hurt last weekend.
And so she stepped in to fill her shoes. And she was solid. She had some great swings off off high hands. And she blocked pretty well. And, for the most part, was solid defensively. They did have, um, at points, ... One of the former setters in the 6 2 she [00:15:00] would go in and play right back defense because they wanted a more defensive player But she yeah, she slayed and I was very happy for her and I also did some digging on social media And it looks like she was a Wisconsin native and absolutely adores, Wisconsin Yes, and I love that for her Go badgers.
But I am happy that she's like getting her time to shine at Kansas state and you know, doing some really great work. Yeah, 
Grace: badger up. And also, I will say my family has been a huge fan of Wisconsin volleyball because of it. The players on like social media, all of them are hilarious. Yes, they are.
 Shout out Molly Haggerty, shout out Grace. What was her last name? Grace Goldberg. What is it? Loberg. I said Goldberg. Anyway, Grace Loberg. And shout out low, low, low, your boat, Lauren. THey're [00:16:00] so freaking funny.
But all of those players commented on Liz's post and hyped her up. They always hype each other up. Yeah. Which I think is so cute. And her name is not Morgan Barnes. Oh, it's, it's Lauren Barnes and Emmy Dodge. Those are the players. I'm confusing. Oh, they both in Wisconsin, but Emmy Dodge just got married and all of the girls were at the, the 
Claire: wedding didn't.
Oh yeah, I saw those pictures. Yes. They were so 
Grace: sweet. That's sweet. You know? Yeah. And 
Claire: it helps you get to know them 
Grace: better. Yes. And I love that. 
Claire: Good job, Liz. But one more thing, I have one more thing about the Kansas State game. Is, I wanted to highlight Aaliyah Carter, the Gay State Outside Hitter.
Okay, she popped off, she had 20 kills, and she had like 14 of them within a set and a half. Oh my god. 
Grace: Like, it was 
Claire: insane. It was ridiculous. [00:17:00] Front row, back row, didn't matter. She grinded. So yeah, I love K State and my new favorite setter is on there. 
Grace: That's awesome.
Claire: Give me your setters. 
Grace: Okay. Let's do it. Okay, obviously. Which, hold on, I have another point about setters, which I will just wrap it up, but I think what you were talking about with, Aaliyah, her getting, , so many kills in the first, , set and a half, and then, , obviously, 20 kills is amazing, but then she got fewer in, , the third. I think that, , shows that the setter did a good job, , spreading the offense out. Yes. So, , one of my points was, , I like a setter who spreads out the offense, but also feeds the players that are on fire.
So , obviously Aaliyah was unstoppable and on fire in the first set and a half. And I love how the setter fed her, and then also saw opportunity to spread it out. So I just love that. 
Claire: Like go with your hot hitter until they're not [00:18:00] hot anymore and then work to spread it out.
And I think, yeah, that's a really great example. And like, a very big characteristic in a successful 
Grace: setter. So, a setter who, , I think really does that, did that well is Nichlin Hames from Nebraska, obviously. Yes. Worked. She's a crowd favorite. I think she just did a really good job of spreading the offense out, and she was really, , gritty herself, which was cool to watch.
And her defense was ridiculous. And defense, I have that under the characteristics. , Defense is a huge part of being a setter. Like, I'm really obsessed. Because, like, thinking from a, , a middle perspective, , we're, , taught to, , hit to our left to, , get the setter out of the play. Yes, exactly.
Defensively, she's incredible. And I also put for her that she's a really heads up player. Definitely. And, , can make big plays. Yeah, she saw the court very well. So well. [00:19:00] So well. And then I had I had Jenna Gray for Stanford. Yes. I was thinking, , I was like, okay, was she like really that good?
Or , were the players around her, , just really great? But then I'm like, no. She was fab. , she was really good. She was 
Claire: really, really good. And like a freak athlete. She's like, she's an NCAA champion in javelin 
Grace: too. Yeah, 
Claire: , it's wild the amount of national championships she has. 
Grace: Yeah, she's incredible.
And all of these setters like have different styles, but , I feel like their core skills that we highlight are the same, , she seemed like a great leader. She didn't panic, , defensively, she was really smart. And yes, fed the head she fed Catherine Plummer until Adriana Fitzmaurice went on, she just spread it out nicely.
She really did. 
Claire: And one, one setter that I have in mind that fits all of those is Tori Dilfer. 
Grace: [00:20:00] When 
Claire: I tell you I love Tori Dilfer and the offense that she ran at Louisville, man, man, do I love 
Grace: it. So good. So good. So 
Claire: good. Legendary. And she built or helped build that legal program. 
Grace: I 100 percent agree with that.
Claire: Yes. And I love her story. She had one D1 offer coming out of high school, went to TCU. 
Grace: Yes, and found 
Claire: her way to Louisville, 
Grace: or Louisville, whatever, 
Claire: whatever go Cardinals, 
Grace: and
Claire: she brought them into national prominence.
I think she was the setter when they upset Texas in the tournament. 
Grace: On mine I have, I have Jenna Gabriel from Texas and I know, Like her style of play, I think that would have scared me [00:21:00] to play with her, but I respect her style so much and it works at Texas, you know it worked with those players.
For sure. And All I think about when I think of Jenna Gabriel is , compete. , she was such a competitor, and so fearless, and did anything to win, which I really respect, and it was fun to watch. Yes. 
Claire: Yeah, you could tell that, she knew she wasn't, she, cause she obviously wasn't the tallest, and she, wasn't the most physical, but her will to win, and her grittiness, Just propelled her onto the court 
Grace: so good.
Yeah. last letter I had was this is like a throwback But and I don't even know if you'll know her but her name is Noreen Eosia from Hawaii And I was obsessed with Hawaii in high school, I would watch their games every night until I'd fall asleep. I love that. [00:22:00] It was like your sound of music.
Yes, exactly. So Hills Are Alive with Noreen, and she was very similar to Jenna Gabriel, but , Less, , emotional that you could see. , she was very stoic, but , so cool. So competitive and so fierce. And her defense was crazy. But she was shorter, undersized, but she played lights out 100 percent of the time.
, so good. That's awesome. Yeah, and, , she was short. And she would, she played all the way around. She defended like crazy, blocked like crazy, attacked like crazy. And I don't, honestly, I don't think her hands were that good. But, like, her feet were good. Yeah. Which was cool. Yeah. And that's, 
Claire: and that's all you really need.
Grace: Yes. 
Claire: Good feet. Prioritize your feet when you're setting. 
Grace: Yes. Hashtag feet pics. Yes. 
Claire: Yes. So I had a few, I [00:23:00] listed a few current setters that I really like. So the first one was Izzy Shulchevsky from K State. And I already went over why I love her, but I wanted to add that not only is she like five, seven and a.
Beast setter, but she's a beast attacker and would turn, like, turn and swung on a few balls and it was amazing to see her confidence in her attacking skills. Beautiful. And I think that's also an important , characteristic of a setter, is if you're gonna play six rotations, you have to be offensive in some way, shape, 
Grace: or form.
A hundred percent.
 
Claire: One sEtter that I really like is from Oregon. Her name's Hannah Pukas. It's a tough name, but she's a baller setter and [00:24:00] what she does that's,, unconventional, or uncharacteristic of, , traditional volleyball is she runs a crazy fast offense.
And she does it when she's in system and she does it when she's out of system. It really does not matter. And it's really, fun to see. They did it against Stanford this weekend. They took Stanford to five sets. They went down. Yeah, I went down Oh two and battled back. And part of the reason why they were able to battle with the now number two team in the country is.
Fast offense. , they were getting one-on-one blocks and they were taking rips. Morgan Lewis their right side. She took some Kendall Kipp esque swings. Oh my god, I love Kendall Kipp swings. Yes. Like, swings that went straight down [00:25:00] cross court it was really fun.
They were finding holes in the block so yeah. Kudos to Hannah Pukas, cause she runs a really great offense at Oregon, and I know for at least, this is her second season that I've seen, she took the Ducks to the Elite Eight last year. sO, I wish them luck and I think they'll do well in the tournament.
And then the other setter that I really love is Cameron Hayworth from Indiana. She really reminds me of Micah Hancock, the setter from Penn State, who now plays on the national team. Because she's left handed, she turns and attacks on two when she's front row, lefty swing. And she has a lefty topspin serve, which is very successful, and I think she's the ace leader in the Big Ten and at Indiana.
Wow.[00:26:00] . And she's just one of those players that has a calming presence on the court spreads the offense out, trusts her hitters and plays really great defense and is a very offensive and big threat. Very nice. 
Grace: What year is she? She's a 
Claire: junior, I think. Okay. Yeah, so she has another year. But Indiana has had some losses recently.
They the one that I have from this weekend written down is they took Minnesota to 5, but weren't able to finish. So loss to the Gophers. 3 2. 
Grace: Well, they have some great wins under their belt. They 
Claire: do. They do. I just think their chances of making the tournament are getting lower, which sucks. That's sad. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. What are you gonna do, I guess? 
Grace: You mentioned about Oregon doing well, like, they [00:27:00] always thrive in the tournament. They 
Claire: do. They really do.
They always pop off. Yeah, I think I think their coach does a really great job of, like, preparing them for big moments because he talks a lot about, , we have to get comfortable making the uncomfortable swings because in big moments, those are the ones that are going to be successful.
Yeah, that's huge. Yeah, love that. And then, speaking of great setting, number two Wisconsin played number 19 Penn State. Yes. And they upset them 3 1. Yes. And talk about good, balanced setting, Mac Pedraza. Thank God. Thank God, , 
Grace: she played 
Claire: so well.
She really did. She spread the offense out so well. Penn State was on and balanced, which is what they need. Cameron Hanna was the lead, the kills leader with 19. Jess Merzik had 16 and Zoe Wetherington had [00:28:00] 10. 
Grace: My mom would like me to shout out that, , when I played Zoe Wetherington in high school, she sat next to Zoe's mom and Zoe's mom coaches for UNC Charlotte Volleyball and my mother would like to say that her mother was lovely. And a great spore, and just was so proud of her daughter, but not in like a mean way. Like, obviously, Zoe was A shining star among us D3 celebrities, but they're both so like humble and nice, which is cool to see her here.
Yeah, it's cool to see her doing well. She, yeah, be benched and then to be like put back in like 
Claire: she's doing really well. Yeah, and it you can really tell that she is. , very happy and very thankful to be playing. Yes! Yeah. And that really shines through.
Grace: I watched the Wisconsin Penn State game, [00:29:00] and I think you're right, like, you can tell when a player has, , gratitude for the game, and it's super fun to watch, and I'm guessing it's fun to play 
Claire: with.
Definitely. , and a Penn State player who has that is Cameron Hanna. Just like watching her play she plays with such joy, and she just takes big swings, and you can see that she trusts herself in big moments, which is so awesome, and she did the post game interview after the win, and she was smiling ear to ear, and could not stop raving about her teammates, and how they are the reason that they were able to pull off the upset and it was just really sweet.
And you could tell that she was a really great teammate and was just really thankful for the opportunity.
Grace: I really applaud coach Katie from Penn state. I think she's doing a really good job of building that. Rapport with her players and like Sure. Encouraging that amongst [00:30:00] themselves.
 I think she does a really good job of coaching during a game, but also letting them work through it as a team. Exactly. which is cool. I think 
Claire: that's fun. Yeah. Going back to she trusts her players. Yeah. Yeah. You know, she trusts them to get the job done and that's really great because.
Sometimes you don't see that. 
Grace: Yeah, but it's all, but she's also there to support, . Definitely. And, obviously disclaimer, I feel like we disclaim this every episode, . Right. We don't know how coaches are at practice, and players have a different perspective but from a viewing standpoint I really like the way she coaches during games 
Claire: it seems like coach Katie's building a program that will attract. A lot of different styles of people, but also all styles of good people and good volleyball players and people who want to create a great competitive, but also safe [00:31:00] environment.
Grace: Yeah. I hope Penn State does well in the tournament. I think they can do it. 
Claire: Me too. I'm really rooting for them. I always do. They will be going far in my bracket and hopefully, I'm hoping that They'll be in the top 16, so they'll be able to 
Grace: host. Yeah. Oh my 
Claire: God. Yeah. I would love that. 
So Pitt swept Georgia Tech Wow.
On Friday. Really handled them nicely. Georgia Tech just didn't have an answer because Pitt was playing so well. Olivia Babcock had 15 kills, no errors. Unreal. Emma Monk had 6 kills, no errors. Wild. Wild. She's a transfer, a grad transfer from Michigan State, [00:32:00] who didn't get playing time until Brie Kelly had her injury. And you can just see the joy and the gratitude that she has that she's playing.
And that really has been showing in her performance. You know, she's been playing lights out and really stepped up for the pit panthers. Yeah, 
And as a team, they hit 455. Wow. That's ridiculous. . Yeah, so that that was a crazy ACC rivalry. And there's another one this Saturday. Pitt plays Louisville. Yeah. At the Peterson Events Center. I would love to see Danny in person. Same. DPK. DPK. 
Grace: What's up? DK 
Claire: up. I love Louisville's Middles. Kara Cressy and PK Kong.
Oh 
Grace: yeah.
Claire: And Elena Scott. I love that girl. 
Grace: Elena Scott. I can't believe she's still there. I know, but like, I feel like she's been 
Claire: there forever. [00:33:00] Right. And speaking of like positions, when we talk about liberos, she's top of my list. 
Grace: Oh, yeah. . She might be one of my favorites.
Claire: Yeah she's really one of my favorites. I love her, and I think she's so dynamic, and again, just like a really calming, competitive person. Yes, 
Grace: I think we'll see a lot of similarities between Libero and Sutter. Definitely. 
Claire: Characteristics. Yeah, you're so right, because they probably do, at the end of the day, have the most contacts on the ball.
Grace: Oh yeah, because if a setter takes first ball, normally libero is there. No, 
Claire: exactly. And , if the setter doesn't take first ball, it's normally the libero. Yeah. Yeah, interesting. Okay, so, yeah, well, I mean, there was a lot of great volleyball over the weekend, like always. I think teams are playing their best volleyball right now.
[00:34:00] We're getting into the tourney time and into the end of the season. So they've been working together for a long time. So coming up this week on The 15th, so Wednesday Iowa State's playing number five, Texas which I think will be pretty good just because Texas is on their heels right now and Iowa State has previously been ranked and they just took number 14, Kansas to five Wow number 23 Baylor plays 17 Kansas, now 17 Kansas.
Exciting. Yep. 21 Houston plays TCU. And TCU just had an upset over the weekend. They beat Baylor 3 2. Wow. So, and they've also I need to watch more Baylor. I haven't watched Yes, I do too. They're a team that goes under the radar [00:35:00] for me and can sneak up on me. Oh, every 
Grace: year in the tournament they sneak 
Claire: up.
Yes. I miss asiana Presley? Oh my god, I miss her 
Grace: too. Where, what is she doing? 
Claire: I don't know, I hope she's playing professional. 
Grace: Me too, she was 
Claire: so powerful. Okay, and then also on Wednesday, Ohio State plays Illinois. I thought that would be a pretty, 
Grace: Yes.
Yeah. 
Claire: Then that will be good. Yeah, definitely. I think it'll be great at a great display of big time volleyball. Oh my gosh. Yay. Yay. And then, so that was Wednesday and then on Friday 17th, number three, Wisconsin plays number 16, Purdue. Slag. Yes, I am hyped for that game because now that Penn State beat Wisconsin and Nebraska did, I think teams, that can give teams confidence and I think Purdue, [00:36:00] all Purdue really needs to do is Spread out their offense, and I think they could take Wisconsin.
Yeah, 
Grace: and honestly, like you said you got this, Purdue. 
Claire: I really believe in you. They got it. Yeah. But I also, you know, kudos to Wisconsin. They're very good and very dynamic. And Anna Schmreck did not travel with them over the weekend. 
Grace: I thought she did a good job. 
Claire: She did. I thought she brought a lot of energy.
I thought she did her job. You know, she hit high hands. She found spots on the court. She hit some bangers too. Yes. Yes. I love her. She is one of my favorite players. Yeah. She's really fun to watch. Yes. And I enjoy her as a libero, but I do just love getting to see her play six rotations or six positions.
Yes. Clicks. Yes. Six clicks. Exactly. aLso on [00:37:00] Friday, number six, Oregon plays 18 Arizona state number 17, Kansas plays 13 BYU. I need to watch that game because I need to see more of Kansas and I need to see more of BYU. Okay, yeah, me too. 14 Penn State plays Michigan State.
And even though Michigan State is not ranked, this game's gonna be interesting because Michigan State beat Penn State 3 2. Wow. Yeah, last time they played. So, I'm interested to see how this one will go. Yeah, that'll be dope. Maryland plays Indiana on Friday. That'll be another great Big Ten match. And then Saturday is the big day in Pittsburgh.
Number 4 Louisville comes to the Peterson Event Center to play the Panthers. And [00:38:00] also Ohio State plays Minnesota. that day. 
Grace: Okay, this isn't like we're really getting down to it. 
Claire: We really are. And these games are very meaningful going forward. Yeah, what when it comes to RPI when it comes to Making the tournament when it comes to conference rankings.
Yep. And then we round out the weekend on Sunday with number two, Stanford playing 24 USC. Okay. Yes. I love USC because of. Skylar Fields. Yeah, good girl. I think she is so good. 
Grace: I think I'm gonna wait to watch USC and UCLA until they join Big Ten and then I'll invest. 
Claire: Definitely, definitely.
 And then two more games on Sunday. We have number three Wisconsin playing Indiana. And this game I'm really interested in watching is number 10 Arkansas [00:39:00] versus number 20 Florida. Wow. 
Grace: Florida,
it's hard not to , feel sad for 
Claire: them. I know. I think what's helped me is I watched them, I forget who they were playing, but they're trying very hard. And it looks like they're having fun so I think that's all that matters. You know, the effort is there and the wins and the losses are gonna come.
Grace: Yep, you're right. 
Claire: Yeah, but it is, it is hard because you can shoulda coulda woulda. 
Grace: Yeah, all the way home. All 
Claire: the way home, all night long. But I am, I do want to see Arkansas play because I haven't watched them. I haven't watched them play much and I mean they are in the top ten and they have that really good outside hitter.
Yeah, and they 
Grace: take on their opponent really 
Claire: well. They really do. Yeah, you can definitely tell that they train [00:40:00] hard. Oh yeah. 
Grace: Okay, so maybe while we watch this weekend, all of these matches, we can keep in mind the libero position? 
Claire: Yes, for sure. And 
Grace: we can take some notes on liberos and then talk about Characteristics and maybe past liberos that we like 
Claire: exactly.
I love that idea. Okay. Do you want to do yes. And your spike before we close? 
Grace: Yes. Okay. What did we decide the bump was good or 
Claire: was bad? Bump was bad. Spike is good. Okay. Okay. I know. 
Grace: okAy. Let me think. I'm going And I'm actually really happy for Penn State. Yay, yeah!
And I think that was like a huge win for them. That will , help them be more dominant in the tournament. Definitely. And then my bump,
Claire: I 
Grace: think that everybody in the world could [00:41:00] work on communication. Yes. And I've had a hard time communicating with certain people, , and this isn't even shady, but I'm just saying, , even , at like, sheets, , Right.
With , the cashier, , okay, can we just be , specific, but also, make sense, anyway, I think communicating, I felt a little bit off with 
Claire: that. Yeah, and that, that can be hard because you have to do it day in and day out. Yeah. Okay. My bum today is that it's the state semifinals and Freeport's not playing in it.
And that. Makes me sad and mad because I love freeport volleyball and I love the work that the girls and the coaching staff put in day in and day out. And I just honestly miss going to practice too because I love [00:42:00] practice. Okay, so that's my bump and my spike. My spike was doing the podcast today.
Grace: Yeah, this is fun 
Claire: Yeah, this we had great conversation. We talked about really great volleyball and it really, Lifted my spirits. Yeah Yeah 
Grace: My others spite my like spike and a half yeah, Like you wrote in your notes, , volleyball's really picking up. Yes. And I'm just excited for the games ahead.
Claire: Yeah, it's really beautiful. And it's really exciting. And we're going to the national championships. Woo! 
Grace: Should we do a meetup? Yes. 
Claire: Definitely. Coach Katie, who follows us. Oh my god, please, girl. I love you. Yeah, I've decided, like, she's... My, my volleyball coaching idol. Yeah. I have a few others like DBK and Mary wise but right now she's my number one.
[00:43:00] 
Claire: Oh yeah.. 
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