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Hi volleyball fans and welcome back to Volley Talk, the podcast created for volleyball lovers

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who want to dig deep into what is going on in NCAA and international volleyball.

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I'm your host Sarah Pavin, I'm an Olympian, beach volleyball world champion, former Nebraska

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Cornhusker and longtime pro, both indoor and on the beach.

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And I'm Adam Schultz, former indoor player, international volleyball coach, and the show's

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resident stat guy.

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I'm just gonna say there's a lot less drama this week.

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Thanks on the volleyball baby.

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But still a lot of volleyball happening.

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So I promise that all of our passion will be directed to actual games.

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Okay, just a heads up.

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We did have some movement happen in the men's NCAA rankings and both love and PVF are rolling,

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enough so that we have an incredibly early lay of the land as far as rankings go.

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So we are very excited to talk volleyball with you all this week.

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So let's get started.

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Okay I swear this will be the last transfer portal update.

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Will it?

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Until the spring, I hope.

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But this is just a baby one.

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Oregon setter, Kristen Klein, has followed her former head coach, Matt Ulmer, to Kansas.

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Is this shocking?

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No, a lot of players do develop connections with their coaches, oftentimes setters.

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So she will be joining her head coach at Kansas.

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Internationally and close to home for Sarah and I, Canada has hired Giovanni Guedetti

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as their women's national team head coach, Shannon Windsor, who I will say has done a

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fantastic job with the program, moves into the position of director of high performance.

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So we'll see if that tandem can get them over the hump for the Olympics in 2028.

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What do you think about that?

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I'm a little surprised to be honest.

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I thought Shannon did an incredible job turning around the culture and the mentality of the

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program.

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I'm hoping this was her decision and that she either didn't want to travel as much or

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wanted to be close to her family and was looking for some stability.

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I hope they didn't push her out to bring in an international coach.

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Listen, the Canadian program has had several international coaches of very high standard

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and it hasn't gone well in terms of their expectations, their culture, how they interact

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with Canadian athletes.

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I hope that Shannon has prepared the girls enough to be in that environment because this

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could go horribly wrong.

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With the U.S. getting an automatic birth in 2028, this is their best shot to qualify for

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the Olympics.

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He's a great coach.

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I just hope it doesn't go sideways.

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I mean, he had a really bad season on Serbia last year.

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I think I personally would have stuck with Shannon, but if she wanted to move on, then

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you have to replace her with somebody.

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I thought about reaching out to her and just like inquiring, but if it wasn't her choice,

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I felt like that would be super insensitive.

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So I'm on the same page as you.

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Like she has done such an amazing job with that program and has helped elevate them to

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be top 10 in the world right now.

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If they pushed her out just for a big name, that bothers me because she has like built

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that.

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Well, hope it goes well.

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As Adam said, this is Canada's chance.

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So let's make it up.

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In NCAA men's volleyball.

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So based on a recording schedule, UCLA and Ohio State were playing as we were recording.

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We thought it would be straightforward.

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It wasn't.

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Ohio State beat UCLA in four.

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So that loss pushed UCLA from number one to number three in the AVCA rankings, which meant

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that this week we had a new number one in Long Beach State.

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So with that shuffle this week, number two UC Irvine beat number five BYU in both of their

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head to head matches.

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The first one in five, the second one three straight.

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Number 16 UCSB upset number 10 Grand Canyon in the first match of their back to back three

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straight, but then Grand Canyon got it together on Saturday winning in five.

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So not sure what that is going to do to the rankings of those teams.

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And UCLA righted the ship after their loss to Ohio State last weekend.

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They beat Cal State Northridge and UC San Diego both in four this week.

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So I'm assuming the rankings will stay as they are, but we might have a little bit of

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a mix up in the like 10 to 15 range.

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Moving on to love, the head to head match was Salt Lake beating Houston in four and

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on the weekend matches Omaha defeated Madison also in four and then lost to Austin three

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zero while Atlanta beat Madison in five.

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So there were some close games.

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Madison's going through it.

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Madison is struggling and I was not expecting that to be honest.

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I thought they were going to be one of the top teams.

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I had to answer some questions for an Italian publication about love.

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And one of the questions was like, who do you think will be like top three in the league?

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Let me tell you all the teams that I picked are bottom three of the league.

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So what do I know?

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I expected Madison to be so much better.

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Obviously, it's still early in the season, but like, come on.

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There are four matches in.

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So here are the current standings in love.

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We have Omaha leading the league, then Atlanta, Salt Lake, Houston, Austin, and Madison.

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I thought Texas as a state was going to be high in the standings.

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So did I.

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I had obviously, as I said, the bottom three teams, Houston, Austin, Madison as my like

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top.

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I thought Atlanta would be the worst.

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And Omaha, there's something we'll talk about this later, but there's something to be said

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for ball control and balance.

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We'll just say that on the PVF side, the San Diego Mojo handed the Indian night their first

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loss of the season on Friday.

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So Indy Atlanta, Omaha and San Diego are in the top four of the standings right now.

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But there's still a lot of parity.

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There needs to be a lot more games played for those middle group of teams to kind of

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separate themselves from each other.

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But one thing is certain Columbus is alone at the bottom.

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They are the only team that has yet to win a match.

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So hopefully they'll be able to turn things around here soon.

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That might have been our quickest weekly highlights ever.

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Look at that.

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Just the straight facts, just volleyball or just results, facts, standings.

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We made it quick today.

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That's what happens when there's no drama.

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We had a bunch of matches.

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There was some good volleyball.

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We'll get into some of the match statistics and analysis, but with no drama, those are

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the stats.

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The one thing I do want to ask you listeners is we are totally interested in NCAA men's

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volleyball.

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But and I know we covered a match in depth last week, but the majority, the vast majority

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of the feedback and conversations and things that are happening are around the women's

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matches that we're sharing.

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So please let us know.

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Do you want us to continue covering men's matches as part of our feature match section?

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Or would you rather us just keep you informed, keep them in the highlight section, but then

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focus on the women's matches?

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So please, please let us know.

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All right, our first feature match of the week is love Omaha versus love Madison.

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I had a lot of fun watching this match and it was kind of like a soap opera for me because

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it did not happen the way I expected it to.

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I was pretty surprised.

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My initial impression was Stivrans was unstoppable and Madison's left side defense was atrocious

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overall.

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That was that was my initial takeaway.

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I want them like please on some replays show us from the end line because I was wondering

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what the heck are Madison's left sides doing on the block.

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We all know Lauren Stivrans is the queen of the slide, but like I think she was hitting

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a thousand percent at one.

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We're not even getting touchless.

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We're exceeding a hundred percent here.

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We're a thousand percent.

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Okay.

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Because it was wild to watch.

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I'm like, yes, she is good, but like let's coordinate our block defense here, Madison.

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I wanted to see where the Madison left sides were lining up and because from the sideline,

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the side view, you can't really tell the end view.

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You get such a better picture of the defensive scheme.

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I was like girls, get your lineup together or something, please.

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So one of the kind of overarching themes for me watching that match was Omaha was connected

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defensively.

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Their block took away something and their defense took away the rest of it and they

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did out block them, but they also got a ton of touches and slowdowns.

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Their block was disciplined and their defense played around it.

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Whereas Madison watching them play defense, they felt like a bunch of individuals.

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The blockers were trying to get blocks and missing and then the defense didn't know what

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they were doing or where to fill in.

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It never seemed like they were trying to funnel the hitters into a zone or take away a space

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and play around it.

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Well, yeah.

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And I was getting confused too, because like they would get a couple digs and then all

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of a sudden the defender would completely change their position, but the hitter hit

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the exact same angle they had been hit.

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And I was just like, who's making these decisions?

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Or yeah, like you said, or are you all just deciding what to do on your own?

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I was shocked how much deep angle they were leaving open for Drevniak.

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The position six defender was completely shifting over to the line seam.

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Carlini was shifting over into the sharp angle and then randomly would jump into her left

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and get beat, but whatever.

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The whole deep corner was open.

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I'm like, what are you doing?

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It seems their defense for the Madison right sides was completely reactionary.

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So something would happen and then they would shift and try and take that away and open

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up something else.

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You have Carlini, who is a fantastic defensive player.

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When she's in the back row digging, take your block, take away the line, funnel it towards

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her.

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You can't set afterwards, but at least you're going to get some transition opportunities.

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Especially because their libero wasn't doing much for that match.

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So it just, it didn't seem coordinated or well thought out from a Madison defensive

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standpoint specifically on the right sides.

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Switching topics real quick, talking about Lauren Carlini taking the first ball.

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How many times is this woman going to have to pass a free ball?

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That was mind blowing.

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This isn't the first match that we've noticed that though, either.

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You know what?

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Front row, middle, right side, step in and pass the free ball.

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Your setter should not be taking it.

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Libero.

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Okay.

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Somebody.

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It's wild, but that was just a side point.

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Okay.

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Continue.

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I think that was a real indicator of how the match went because points were pretty hard

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to come by in general.

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Like Omaha kept some rallies going.

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There were lots of extended rallies in this match.

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Madison actually dug more balls than Omaha, but they never seemed controlled or like they

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were able to get really good transition opportunities.

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Whereas Omaha didn't need as many digs.

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They were getting good touches.

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They were in system.

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They were able to deliver an attack and transition.

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So that to me was a big factor in the match.

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I was surprised at how often Madison was running Shousei out of the back row.

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I felt like looking at the final match stats, Franklin did get a decent amount of sets,

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but like watching it in real time, it felt like they were not setting her at all.

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I felt like so many balls were being set to Shousei even when Franklin was in the front

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row.

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Well, and especially in the first two sets, I watching the first two sets of the match,

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I thought Sarah Franklin must've had a shoulder injury or they were trying specifically not

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to set her overall.

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Sarah Franklin got 31 sets compared to Thomas Ilarra's 35 and Claire Shousei's 40.

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And I don't know.

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Go ahead.

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Shousei got yanked in like set three or something.

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Correct.

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It just, it seemed like they were trying to save her shoulder at the beginning to me.

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And then when it wasn't going the way they planned, then they tried to set her and get

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her going later on in the match.

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The last thing that I have for Madison before we can talk about Omaha is Anna Hall was in

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the lineup for Madison for the first time.

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She got subbed out in the third and Bia was put in the Brazilian middle blocker that we

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have seen play for them.

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What were your thoughts on her?

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Before we talk about her play, and I thought she did some very good things.

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I'm curious about the glasses situation.

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I don't know if anybody else noticed this.

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She wore her glasses only in the front row and then took them off to serve.

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And I'm curious if she needs them to actually see or if, cause playing defense though being

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able to say seems tough.

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I'm like, what are these bifocals?

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But also if you're worried about getting hit in the face, it hurts more to get hit with

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glasses I think than without glasses.

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And if you've gotten blown up in the face or you're, you have an eye injury and that's

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why you're wearing your glasses.

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No offense, but as a middle, put those glasses on in the back row.

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You know what I'm saying?

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Like protect those eyeballs because I feel like the middles are the most likely to get

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hit in the face.

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On defense for sure.

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Probably walking too.

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Anyway, that was aside from her play, that was just a curiosity that I noticed during

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00:15:01,160 --> 00:15:05,180
the match and I was wondering why that was happening, but I thought she did a pretty

242
00:15:05,180 --> 00:15:06,240
good job.

243
00:15:06,240 --> 00:15:07,240
She worked hard.

244
00:15:07,240 --> 00:15:08,880
She made herself available in transition.

245
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I thought laterally she moved pretty well to take up space and balked well.

246
00:15:12,920 --> 00:15:19,200
I thought overall they didn't run their middles enough, but I thought she was fine.

247
00:15:19,200 --> 00:15:22,280
She was very dynamic, very quick off the ground, jumped really well.

248
00:15:22,280 --> 00:15:25,800
I was surprised that Carlini wasn't setting her more.

249
00:15:25,800 --> 00:15:27,520
It was interesting to see that switch though.

250
00:15:27,520 --> 00:15:33,560
Yeah, I didn't think their offense, it just didn't seem like they had a plan either offensively

251
00:15:33,560 --> 00:15:34,720
or defensively.

252
00:15:34,720 --> 00:15:38,560
Madison in general seemed to reacted in that match to me.

253
00:15:38,560 --> 00:15:42,720
Interesting that Annie Schumacher was dressed for this match, but still didn't play and

254
00:15:42,720 --> 00:15:44,880
they chose to play Thomas I.

255
00:15:44,880 --> 00:15:46,260
Laura instead.

256
00:15:46,260 --> 00:15:48,400
I found that very curious.

257
00:15:48,400 --> 00:15:53,680
And I will say again, watching this match and I wasn't, this is not fair for her, but

258
00:15:53,680 --> 00:15:56,160
I didn't think she was scoring enough.

259
00:15:56,160 --> 00:16:01,280
You were hating on her so much and I'm like, she's scoring points, dude.

260
00:16:01,280 --> 00:16:05,320
It just, it didn't look good to me, especially at the beginning.

261
00:16:05,320 --> 00:16:09,960
She got better as the match went on and she finished stats wise very well.

262
00:16:09,960 --> 00:16:11,840
Also look how many digs she had.

263
00:16:11,840 --> 00:16:17,980
Again, like I said, this was one of those performances by her where the eye test for

264
00:16:17,980 --> 00:16:20,560
me just, it wasn't there.

265
00:16:20,560 --> 00:16:24,120
And then I looked at the stats afterwards and I thought, man, she played really well.

266
00:16:24,120 --> 00:16:25,600
What was I watching?

267
00:16:25,600 --> 00:16:28,280
But she had the most points on the team at 17.

268
00:16:28,280 --> 00:16:30,280
She hit 314.

269
00:16:30,280 --> 00:16:33,480
She had 15 digs, like kudos to her.

270
00:16:33,480 --> 00:16:35,280
She found ways to score.

271
00:16:35,280 --> 00:16:38,360
It just, it didn't, it didn't look good to me.

272
00:16:38,360 --> 00:16:41,040
So I, yeah, I was wrong.

273
00:16:41,040 --> 00:16:42,040
Okay.

274
00:16:42,040 --> 00:16:43,240
On to Omaha.

275
00:16:43,240 --> 00:16:48,960
We had not watched Omaha play until after we recorded last week.

276
00:16:48,960 --> 00:16:53,960
I did not think that they were going to be a threat in the league.

277
00:16:53,960 --> 00:16:55,520
I will be honest.

278
00:16:55,520 --> 00:17:02,360
I just didn't think they had enough firepower, but they have proven that if your block and

279
00:17:02,360 --> 00:17:06,120
defense are working, you will eventually score points.

280
00:17:06,120 --> 00:17:12,280
Ball control in Jordan Larson and Justine Wong-Arantes, like they hold it down in the

281
00:17:12,280 --> 00:17:14,120
back row.

282
00:17:14,120 --> 00:17:16,360
So that is a great place to start.

283
00:17:16,360 --> 00:17:21,520
Your setter does not have to do much running to get the offense going unless Jaylee Winters

284
00:17:21,520 --> 00:17:24,240
is passing.

285
00:17:24,240 --> 00:17:25,240
Come at me with that.

286
00:17:25,240 --> 00:17:26,240
I don't care.

287
00:17:26,240 --> 00:17:27,240
She's not a good passer.

288
00:17:27,240 --> 00:17:31,640
It's kind of wild, but yeah, we talked about Stiverance being great on the slide.

289
00:17:31,640 --> 00:17:38,360
I think that that I'm not a fan of the six two that I feel is a very good use of it.

290
00:17:38,360 --> 00:17:39,360
Absolutely.

291
00:17:39,360 --> 00:17:44,680
I mean, Stiverance is a dynamic athlete and you want to get her on the floor and involved

292
00:17:44,680 --> 00:17:46,280
as much as possible.

293
00:17:46,280 --> 00:17:48,320
I like her running the slide.

294
00:17:48,320 --> 00:17:53,560
I think long term, she's going to need to learn to hit out of system on the right side

295
00:17:53,560 --> 00:17:54,600
for them to use her.

296
00:17:54,600 --> 00:17:59,440
So it's a great use and it plays into Omaha's strength because they're a really good ball

297
00:17:59,440 --> 00:18:00,440
control.

298
00:18:00,440 --> 00:18:04,960
So they can, they're in system a lot in general, so they can utilize that slide.

299
00:18:04,960 --> 00:18:11,120
But as an opposite, as you know, you want that player to be your outlet in transition.

300
00:18:11,120 --> 00:18:14,720
So obviously she's three weeks into playing on the right side.

301
00:18:14,720 --> 00:18:16,480
I'm sure she'll figure it out.

302
00:18:16,480 --> 00:18:21,120
She's big, she's athletic, but transitioning between hitting that slide and then being

303
00:18:21,120 --> 00:18:26,440
an outlet in transition, I think will be important for their long term success.

304
00:18:26,440 --> 00:18:29,400
Yeah, they're definitely avoiding setting her out of system.

305
00:18:29,400 --> 00:18:35,280
I think I saw her jump off of two feet one time in the match against Madison and it did

306
00:18:35,280 --> 00:18:36,280
not go well.

307
00:18:36,280 --> 00:18:39,000
I was going to say, was it on the block?

308
00:18:39,000 --> 00:18:42,880
No, one time on the attack and it was a little wonky.

309
00:18:42,880 --> 00:18:47,760
So they do have her in the front row with Winters, which is not by accident.

310
00:18:47,760 --> 00:18:52,840
I think, you know, Winters is definitely the outlet when things go sideways in that lineup.

311
00:18:52,840 --> 00:18:56,920
But yeah, as an opposite, you do need to know how to hit out of system.

312
00:18:56,920 --> 00:19:00,120
And so that is something that she can try to add to her arsenal.

313
00:19:00,120 --> 00:19:07,120
I personally am very impressed with Drevniok, the opposite, the German opposite.

314
00:19:07,120 --> 00:19:09,160
She is fun to watch.

315
00:19:09,160 --> 00:19:13,640
She has she hits multiple angles, good out of system.

316
00:19:13,640 --> 00:19:16,600
She keeps taking rips, even if the sets aren't there.

317
00:19:16,600 --> 00:19:18,160
I like her.

318
00:19:18,160 --> 00:19:19,680
She knows her role in the team.

319
00:19:19,680 --> 00:19:28,680
I think overall, Omaha has maximized their rosters, skills and personnel incredibly well.

320
00:19:28,680 --> 00:19:29,680
Good ball control.

321
00:19:29,680 --> 00:19:31,840
You can you put Stiverns in and use her.

322
00:19:31,840 --> 00:19:37,240
Drevniak has a good out of system swing and you can use her to score points.

323
00:19:37,240 --> 00:19:39,560
I think she's solid all the way around.

324
00:19:39,560 --> 00:19:40,560
Good fundamentals.

325
00:19:40,560 --> 00:19:42,400
I agree with you.

326
00:19:42,400 --> 00:19:45,520
They have been very deliberate in their lineup.

327
00:19:45,520 --> 00:19:52,320
As I said, their passing and defense in Larson and Juanerontes is solid.

328
00:19:52,320 --> 00:19:55,440
They have Drevniak and Larson in the front together.

329
00:19:55,440 --> 00:19:59,060
Drevniak is getting fed the majority of out of system balls.

330
00:19:59,060 --> 00:20:02,200
And then as I said, we have Stiverns and Winters together.

331
00:20:02,200 --> 00:20:09,280
So it's very clear where they want to set the out of system balls at any given time.

332
00:20:09,280 --> 00:20:14,560
But the player who impressed me the most was Candelaria Herrera.

333
00:20:14,560 --> 00:20:16,860
She was outstanding.

334
00:20:16,860 --> 00:20:22,400
She played very, very well, both from a blocking perspective and an offensive perspective.

335
00:20:22,400 --> 00:20:28,560
I love how fast this woman loads her arm on the attack.

336
00:20:28,560 --> 00:20:30,360
Her window is so big.

337
00:20:30,360 --> 00:20:33,440
And Laura Dikema, she has had a great career.

338
00:20:33,440 --> 00:20:36,280
Do I think that she's the best setter in love right now?

339
00:20:36,280 --> 00:20:37,520
Absolutely not.

340
00:20:37,520 --> 00:20:44,840
She's missing sometimes, but because Herrera's elbow is loaded so early, she's able to fix

341
00:20:44,840 --> 00:20:49,920
so many questionable sets that most middles maybe struggle with.

342
00:20:49,920 --> 00:20:56,440
Well, and she is off the ground fast and early so the setter can see her, which makes her

343
00:20:56,440 --> 00:20:58,200
easier to set.

344
00:20:58,200 --> 00:21:02,360
I thought she personally, I would have given her player of the game.

345
00:21:02,360 --> 00:21:03,840
Oh, Dravnjak got it.

346
00:21:03,840 --> 00:21:08,520
Dravnjak got it and well deserved, statistically very, very good.

347
00:21:08,520 --> 00:21:14,040
But what Herrera did for them, I thought was incredibly valuable.

348
00:21:14,040 --> 00:21:19,880
And then finally, what I'll say about watching Omaha was, and this is a byproduct of again,

349
00:21:19,880 --> 00:21:26,480
I think them leaning into their team strengths, their set distribution as a team was incredibly

350
00:21:26,480 --> 00:21:27,480
balanced.

351
00:21:27,480 --> 00:21:30,480
They had Winters had 47 attacks.

352
00:21:30,480 --> 00:21:32,280
She's getting a lot of out of system balls.

353
00:21:32,280 --> 00:21:34,960
Then you have Dravnjak next at 37.

354
00:21:34,960 --> 00:21:38,640
So that makes sense that they're the two highest because they're also getting the out of system

355
00:21:38,640 --> 00:21:40,200
sets.

356
00:21:40,200 --> 00:21:47,120
But then you had Larsen 26, Herrera 18, Stivrans 22, Theta 9.

357
00:21:47,120 --> 00:21:49,940
Overall though, a pretty balanced attack.

358
00:21:49,940 --> 00:21:56,200
And that may be one thing that led to Madison's issue blocking was that they were able to

359
00:21:56,200 --> 00:22:01,040
go to three or four options at any given time, which obviously helps your offense.

360
00:22:01,040 --> 00:22:08,680
This may be a controversial statement, but my take on Omaha is that their middle blockers

361
00:22:08,680 --> 00:22:15,360
and opposites are kind of making up for their outside hitters.

362
00:22:15,360 --> 00:22:18,640
Not making up for that's maybe not fair.

363
00:22:18,640 --> 00:22:26,160
But I feel like the strength of their middles and opposites makes life easier for the left

364
00:22:26,160 --> 00:22:27,160
sides.

365
00:22:27,160 --> 00:22:28,960
Do you know what I'm getting at here?

366
00:22:28,960 --> 00:22:34,960
So if we compare Madison and Omaha specifically in this match position by position, I would

367
00:22:34,960 --> 00:22:39,640
say the Madison left sides were taking passing into this.

368
00:22:39,640 --> 00:22:47,080
The Madison left sides were better than the Omaha left sides, but Omaha's middles, right

369
00:22:47,080 --> 00:22:50,200
sides and liberos were better outplayed them.

370
00:22:50,200 --> 00:22:55,680
So, and I mean, again, it comes down to knowing your personnel, right?

371
00:22:55,680 --> 00:22:57,000
What are your strengths?

372
00:22:57,000 --> 00:23:02,980
You know, is Larson ball control very good, understands the game, she sees so well that

373
00:23:02,980 --> 00:23:07,240
she can get out of trouble, but she's not blowing anybody up at this point in her career,

374
00:23:07,240 --> 00:23:08,240
right?

375
00:23:08,240 --> 00:23:11,640
You can't rely on her to get you out of trouble offensively.

376
00:23:11,640 --> 00:23:17,300
And Winters played well, but she's also, if Winters, in my opinion, having watched not

377
00:23:17,300 --> 00:23:22,540
enough matches, if she's going to see a solid two man block all match, I think she's going

378
00:23:22,540 --> 00:23:23,540
to struggle.

379
00:23:23,540 --> 00:23:25,600
Now, did she take care of business in this match?

380
00:23:25,600 --> 00:23:26,600
Absolutely.

381
00:23:26,600 --> 00:23:30,200
But I think the fact that they're in system, they're running their middles and they're

382
00:23:30,200 --> 00:23:33,800
going to the outside makes life easier on the left sides.

383
00:23:33,800 --> 00:23:35,680
And I would agree with your assessment.

384
00:23:35,680 --> 00:23:41,440
This left side duo is definitely not the strongest offensively in love.

385
00:23:41,440 --> 00:23:45,520
I had never seen Winters play before love.

386
00:23:45,520 --> 00:23:48,520
So I've only seen her play a couple matches now.

387
00:23:48,520 --> 00:23:51,560
Honestly, I expected more.

388
00:23:51,560 --> 00:23:56,800
In the hype, I feel like A, she doesn't get off the ground.

389
00:23:56,800 --> 00:24:02,920
And B, she is broad jumping so far on her attack.

390
00:24:02,920 --> 00:24:05,680
The height that she's clearing the net is not good.

391
00:24:05,680 --> 00:24:08,520
Plus her passing and defensive struggles.

392
00:24:08,520 --> 00:24:11,240
So as of this moment, I'm not a Winters fan.

393
00:24:11,240 --> 00:24:15,280
As far as Jordan, and I know people have been asking, so I'll address it now.

394
00:24:15,280 --> 00:24:19,200
Jordan is an incredible ball control player.

395
00:24:19,200 --> 00:24:21,120
Her passing top notch.

396
00:24:21,120 --> 00:24:23,240
Okay, do not serve her the ball.

397
00:24:23,240 --> 00:24:27,800
The way she's able to read the game, the way she's able to see the court offensively and

398
00:24:27,800 --> 00:24:30,020
where players are moving.

399
00:24:30,020 --> 00:24:31,020
Very good.

400
00:24:31,020 --> 00:24:38,560
I have so much respect for Jordan and what she has done, what she has accomplished, what

401
00:24:38,560 --> 00:24:43,560
she's done for volleyball in the US in the state of Nebraska.

402
00:24:43,560 --> 00:24:45,400
She's one of the greatest of all time.

403
00:24:45,400 --> 00:24:47,720
That being said, she's 38 years old.

404
00:24:47,720 --> 00:24:50,200
Okay, trust me, I'm the same age.

405
00:24:50,200 --> 00:24:53,920
I know she is at this point in time.

406
00:24:53,920 --> 00:25:00,240
She is not playing very high above the net, which makes it tough to score points.

407
00:25:00,240 --> 00:25:07,560
You see her managing because her court vision is so good, but she's not playing high enough

408
00:25:07,560 --> 00:25:08,920
above the net.

409
00:25:08,920 --> 00:25:11,240
In my opinion, she used to.

410
00:25:11,240 --> 00:25:18,200
There's a reason that you see the oldest players typically in the setter and libero roles because

411
00:25:18,200 --> 00:25:19,980
they don't have to jump.

412
00:25:19,980 --> 00:25:22,600
You don't have to compete above the net.

413
00:25:22,600 --> 00:25:24,400
This is not a knock on her at all.

414
00:25:24,400 --> 00:25:28,200
It's just a byproduct of age.

415
00:25:28,200 --> 00:25:33,600
I think she's managing and making it work, but I just think that from a point scoring

416
00:25:33,600 --> 00:25:40,720
perspective and from an elevation power perspective, the two Omaha left sides, they're not there

417
00:25:40,720 --> 00:25:43,600
compared to other teams in the league right now.

418
00:25:43,600 --> 00:25:49,840
Well, watching Jordan attack, as soon as teams gave her something, as soon as the block wasn't

419
00:25:49,840 --> 00:25:54,320
formed, as soon as the defense moved at all, she was able to see that and put the ball

420
00:25:54,320 --> 00:25:56,560
in the open position.

421
00:25:56,560 --> 00:26:02,520
Where Omaha is going to struggle is if their ball control falls apart, if a team is able

422
00:26:02,520 --> 00:26:08,480
to isolate Winters' passing and they have to set the left side in out of system scenarios

423
00:26:08,480 --> 00:26:14,580
for a whole match and their block defense is set up to defend that, if they can manage

424
00:26:14,580 --> 00:26:18,160
to get that scenario, Omaha is going to struggle.

425
00:26:18,160 --> 00:26:21,840
They've done a great job playing into their strengths, but that for me, if I'm game planning

426
00:26:21,840 --> 00:26:24,520
against them, is what I'm trying to accomplish.

427
00:26:24,520 --> 00:26:25,960
It was a fun match to watch.

428
00:26:25,960 --> 00:26:26,960
Great rallies.

429
00:26:26,960 --> 00:26:30,520
As we said, not all we expected because we know that I thought Madison would be good.

430
00:26:30,520 --> 00:26:36,200
Yeah, it's just, it was fun to watch a team like Omaha who was so coordinated, who was

431
00:26:36,200 --> 00:26:39,480
so on the same page.

432
00:26:39,480 --> 00:26:45,960
They were very smooth in their ball control, in their defensive system.

433
00:26:45,960 --> 00:26:47,980
It was cool.

434
00:26:47,980 --> 00:26:52,740
They have found their identity as a team and they are playing with that strength in mind.

435
00:26:52,740 --> 00:26:58,540
Our second feature match of the week is PVF San Diego Mojo versus Indy Ignite.

436
00:26:58,540 --> 00:27:05,120
As we said earlier, San Diego handed Indy their first loss of the season.

437
00:27:05,120 --> 00:27:06,120
Initial thoughts.

438
00:27:06,120 --> 00:27:09,520
So I'm still getting to know some of these players.

439
00:27:09,520 --> 00:27:15,120
A lot of them I have not watched in college or anywhere, so it's first impressions for

440
00:27:15,120 --> 00:27:16,120
me.

441
00:27:16,120 --> 00:27:21,320
I was impressed with their left sides, how quick they were, how fast they were to the

442
00:27:21,320 --> 00:27:23,160
ball, the speed of their arms.

443
00:27:23,160 --> 00:27:26,360
And it was fun to watch and Indy came flying out of the gate.

444
00:27:26,360 --> 00:27:30,520
I thought it was going to be a three-nothing sweep, which was not the case.

445
00:27:30,520 --> 00:27:35,280
San Diego, I'm not sure they had any, actually the most standout player for San Diego for

446
00:27:35,280 --> 00:27:36,280
me was their setter.

447
00:27:36,280 --> 00:27:38,600
I thought she did an incredible job.

448
00:27:38,600 --> 00:27:42,120
Well, I thought Janasia Moore was unconscious.

449
00:27:42,120 --> 00:27:43,520
That is also true.

450
00:27:43,520 --> 00:27:45,320
Her arm was, she scored on everything.

451
00:27:45,320 --> 00:27:47,280
It was a golden swing.

452
00:27:47,280 --> 00:27:51,480
I had never seen her play before, but if she can replicate that across the season, she

453
00:27:51,480 --> 00:27:52,480
will be...

454
00:27:52,480 --> 00:27:53,480
Because she hasn't.

455
00:27:53,480 --> 00:27:54,480
This was her first start ever.

456
00:27:54,480 --> 00:28:00,000
I mean, we're talking player of the year caliber performance if she can replicate that.

457
00:28:00,000 --> 00:28:01,000
It's unconscious.

458
00:28:01,000 --> 00:28:04,120
Yeah, Indy definitely started strong.

459
00:28:04,120 --> 00:28:05,280
I agree with you.

460
00:28:05,280 --> 00:28:07,440
I thought it was going to be a sweep.

461
00:28:07,440 --> 00:28:12,160
And then the tables turned and some weird stuff started happening.

462
00:28:12,160 --> 00:28:14,880
So I thought Sydney Haley started the match really well.

463
00:28:14,880 --> 00:28:18,680
I thought her offense was really smooth.

464
00:28:18,680 --> 00:28:20,920
Her set distribution was good.

465
00:28:20,920 --> 00:28:24,600
And honestly, I thought as the match went on, she got worse and worse.

466
00:28:24,600 --> 00:28:27,040
So yeah, I think the setter roles flipped.

467
00:28:27,040 --> 00:28:31,680
I think Lee did not start well and got better as the match went on.

468
00:28:31,680 --> 00:28:34,560
And Haley agreed, got worse as the match went on.

469
00:28:34,560 --> 00:28:37,380
I think San Diego pick up their serving pressure.

470
00:28:37,380 --> 00:28:44,600
And as you were saying, yes, the outsides and opposites for Indy are very dynamic.

471
00:28:44,600 --> 00:28:48,760
They jump well, but like they're very small.

472
00:28:48,760 --> 00:28:53,140
And if passing starts to fall apart and they get a solid double block in front of them,

473
00:28:53,140 --> 00:28:55,520
that thing is coming back fast.

474
00:28:55,520 --> 00:28:58,200
And we started to see that happening.

475
00:28:58,200 --> 00:29:02,520
Granted, Teeler and member Mena were scoring.

476
00:29:02,520 --> 00:29:03,640
They're scoring well.

477
00:29:03,640 --> 00:29:05,280
They were scoring efficiently.

478
00:29:05,280 --> 00:29:10,160
Just the San Diego block defense was able to set up on them early.

479
00:29:10,160 --> 00:29:14,080
So I think I don't know what their hitting percentages were.

480
00:29:14,080 --> 00:29:18,320
I know they scored well, but it didn't look as smooth as they were used to.

481
00:29:18,320 --> 00:29:29,140
So member Mena hit 232 on 56 attempts and Teeler hit 171 on 35 attempts.

482
00:29:29,140 --> 00:29:32,520
Like Teeler was unconscious in set one.

483
00:29:32,520 --> 00:29:35,080
And then for me, she kind of disappeared.

484
00:29:35,080 --> 00:29:40,200
And I watching member Mena, I was like, it seemed like a grind.

485
00:29:40,200 --> 00:29:41,200
Yeah.

486
00:29:41,200 --> 00:29:45,640
I thought San Diego made good defensive positional adjustments.

487
00:29:45,640 --> 00:29:52,120
They started to give up the middle attack and move back on defense with their base position.

488
00:29:52,120 --> 00:29:56,560
And they were able to get many more touches on the outside hitters after that first set.

489
00:29:56,560 --> 00:30:00,400
So I thought it was actually a really good team adjustment from a defensive position

490
00:30:00,400 --> 00:30:01,400
standpoint.

491
00:30:01,400 --> 00:30:07,960
Adam's biggest outrage of the match was why is Elena Scott not the starting libero, his

492
00:30:07,960 --> 00:30:09,920
favorite libero of all time?

493
00:30:09,920 --> 00:30:11,720
I'm telling you, she should have been playing.

494
00:30:11,720 --> 00:30:15,380
Every time she came onto the floor, she had positive contributions.

495
00:30:15,380 --> 00:30:17,160
She served well.

496
00:30:17,160 --> 00:30:18,600
She put the team in trouble.

497
00:30:18,600 --> 00:30:19,720
She would make digs.

498
00:30:19,720 --> 00:30:22,240
Her out of system setting, still incredible.

499
00:30:22,240 --> 00:30:24,340
Put the girl on the court.

500
00:30:24,340 --> 00:30:25,340
She's a leader.

501
00:30:25,340 --> 00:30:26,340
She's very skilled.

502
00:30:26,340 --> 00:30:27,760
I want to see her play.

503
00:30:27,760 --> 00:30:28,760
Kylie Myrrh.

504
00:30:28,760 --> 00:30:31,960
She was, I wasn't a huge fan when she was in college.

505
00:30:31,960 --> 00:30:34,040
I like Elena Scott as well.

506
00:30:34,040 --> 00:30:37,400
So I don't, I'm not sure that that change will be coming, you know?

507
00:30:37,400 --> 00:30:39,080
I mean, they're undefeated.

508
00:30:39,080 --> 00:30:40,080
They're playing.

509
00:30:40,080 --> 00:30:41,080
Well, not anymore.

510
00:30:41,080 --> 00:30:42,080
Well, not anymore.

511
00:30:42,080 --> 00:30:43,080
They're under, but they're playing well.

512
00:30:43,080 --> 00:30:44,240
I, nothing against her.

513
00:30:44,240 --> 00:30:45,240
She played fine.

514
00:30:45,240 --> 00:30:47,280
I'm just an Elena Scott fan.

515
00:30:47,280 --> 00:30:49,520
I think she will eventually be a better libero.

516
00:30:49,520 --> 00:30:51,080
We watched San Diego play last week.

517
00:30:51,080 --> 00:30:53,840
I thought this week they looked much smoother.

518
00:30:53,840 --> 00:30:57,640
Lee, as you said, was running a really good offense.

519
00:30:57,640 --> 00:30:59,600
She got involved in the block.

520
00:30:59,600 --> 00:31:05,360
Ronika Stone, I feel is like the foundation of that team.

521
00:31:05,360 --> 00:31:07,680
She obviously has a middle.

522
00:31:07,680 --> 00:31:12,640
She's not getting set a ton, but any opportunity they have to push her the ball, they try to

523
00:31:12,640 --> 00:31:13,720
do that.

524
00:31:13,720 --> 00:31:17,240
As we said, Janasia Moore was pretty much unconscious.

525
00:31:17,240 --> 00:31:22,240
I thought their libero, Venegas also played really well.

526
00:31:22,240 --> 00:31:28,200
It was a big turnaround from when we watched them play Orlando last week to now.

527
00:31:28,200 --> 00:31:30,520
They just seemed more cohesive.

528
00:31:30,520 --> 00:31:34,440
Well, and this is part of being at the beginning of the season, right?

529
00:31:34,440 --> 00:31:36,640
What's happening now is not what's going to happen.

530
00:31:36,640 --> 00:31:40,120
Which coaches are able to implement their systems, get their players to buy in.

531
00:31:40,120 --> 00:31:46,440
We're going to see huge improvements in overall philosophy and execution over the next couple

532
00:31:46,440 --> 00:31:47,440
of weeks, I think.

533
00:31:47,440 --> 00:31:53,560
I'm curious to see, did Indy just gel right away and this is who they are?

534
00:31:53,560 --> 00:31:57,480
The other teams are going to catch up because they're going to have to figure out that second

535
00:31:57,480 --> 00:31:59,480
left side position.

536
00:31:59,480 --> 00:32:04,800
Right now, if you look at the score sheet, member Mena had 24 points and Thieler had

537
00:32:04,800 --> 00:32:10,720
18, which is great, but then we're talking their next highest player was Blake at nine.

538
00:32:10,720 --> 00:32:11,720
The distribution-

539
00:32:11,720 --> 00:32:12,720
Blake Muller, the middle.

540
00:32:12,720 --> 00:32:13,720
Correct.

541
00:32:13,720 --> 00:32:15,440
If you were just on a first name basis.

542
00:32:15,440 --> 00:32:18,640
I know all the players so well.

543
00:32:18,640 --> 00:32:25,440
I'm just getting to know these players, but me and Blake, we go way back.

544
00:32:25,440 --> 00:32:31,480
The distribution from Hilly, I think she's going to need to find more avenues from points

545
00:32:31,480 --> 00:32:35,480
as teams kind of settle in and figure out what players tendencies are.

546
00:32:35,480 --> 00:32:38,000
One of the sets was super close and Indy had the lead.

547
00:32:38,000 --> 00:32:41,320
I think they were up 24-22 or something crazy.

548
00:32:41,320 --> 00:32:47,560
And then Sydney Hilly kept feeding the ball to Carly Scott, who was hitting negative and

549
00:32:47,560 --> 00:32:51,680
getting consistently blocked by the setter, De Youngly.

550
00:32:51,680 --> 00:32:52,680
Why?

551
00:32:52,680 --> 00:32:53,680
Why?

552
00:32:53,680 --> 00:32:57,560
You have set point, run your middles who are actually scoring for you.

553
00:32:57,560 --> 00:32:59,160
I'm pretty sure Muller was in.

554
00:32:59,160 --> 00:33:06,000
The decision making to me cost them that set because they had no business losing that.

555
00:33:06,000 --> 00:33:07,200
Well, you're correct.

556
00:33:07,200 --> 00:33:16,880
It was 26-25 for Indy and they set Scott twice and she had two chances to put the set away.

557
00:33:16,880 --> 00:33:22,920
And I think there was an error and like a tip maybe or something like two plays where

558
00:33:22,920 --> 00:33:26,440
she had a good opportunity to finish and she didn't.

559
00:33:26,440 --> 00:33:28,600
And I just didn't think that was the right selection.

560
00:33:28,600 --> 00:33:31,320
You've got two players who had been scoring all match.

561
00:33:31,320 --> 00:33:33,320
Those are the little keys because if you win that set.

562
00:33:33,320 --> 00:33:35,640
Yeah, over to like set member Mena in the back row.

563
00:33:35,640 --> 00:33:36,640
Absolutely.

564
00:33:36,640 --> 00:33:38,060
Like she's dynamic enough.

565
00:33:38,060 --> 00:33:39,060
She jumps well.

566
00:33:39,060 --> 00:33:44,160
She was scoring definitely some questionable decision making, especially at the end of

567
00:33:44,160 --> 00:33:49,460
sets, but also from both setters because at that same time, Lee set the middle instead

568
00:33:49,460 --> 00:33:52,440
of Moore when they were up by one in overtime.

569
00:33:52,440 --> 00:33:57,400
And it's like, I get you want to run the middle, but Moore is literally unconscious.

570
00:33:57,400 --> 00:33:59,200
She's scoring on everything, give her the ball.

571
00:33:59,200 --> 00:34:01,040
That one I can get behind that decision.

572
00:34:01,040 --> 00:34:05,520
I can get behind more than Hilli's decision because you're going to set somebody who came

573
00:34:05,520 --> 00:34:10,480
off the bench, who hasn't really done anything while she's been on the court.

574
00:34:10,480 --> 00:34:15,280
She passed pretty well offensively, but like Lee, I can get behind because you're going

575
00:34:15,280 --> 00:34:21,100
to set your middle who that is a foundational player for you as opposed to somebody who

576
00:34:21,100 --> 00:34:22,400
is their first match.

577
00:34:22,400 --> 00:34:28,240
Granted in that match, Moore played amazing, but I can understand the history of like finishing

578
00:34:28,240 --> 00:34:32,640
matches like let's go to our like veteran star player.

579
00:34:32,640 --> 00:34:37,400
Well, Indy started up seven two in that third set and that lead got away from them.

580
00:34:37,400 --> 00:34:44,840
I will say I didn't think Pittman who's the right side for San Diego did much offensively,

581
00:34:44,840 --> 00:34:51,160
but defensively she blocked really well, especially down the stretch and she served well and she

582
00:34:51,160 --> 00:34:55,160
generated a lot of points from the baseline in terms of putting them in trouble and getting

583
00:34:55,160 --> 00:34:56,160
them going.

584
00:34:56,160 --> 00:34:58,080
So I thought that was big for them as well.

585
00:34:58,080 --> 00:35:01,520
Well that's another like stiffen situation.

586
00:35:01,520 --> 00:35:03,240
Pittman played middle in college.

587
00:35:03,240 --> 00:35:10,020
It's a very different game slowing down your approach having to hit high balls out of system.

588
00:35:10,020 --> 00:35:17,720
So I'm not shocked that she's not an offensive powerhouse quite yet, but yeah, she caused

589
00:35:17,720 --> 00:35:24,200
them problems blocking wise and I think her rotation was the best one for them as a point

590
00:35:24,200 --> 00:35:26,080
scoring rotation when she was serving.

591
00:35:26,080 --> 00:35:27,080
Correct.

592
00:35:27,080 --> 00:35:34,220
The crazy thing for me was Indy actually passed much better than San Diego did statistically,

593
00:35:34,220 --> 00:35:40,380
but Lee found a way to run the middles way more than Sydney Hilly did.

594
00:35:40,380 --> 00:35:44,420
And I don't know if you're just comfortable with players and obviously that middle connection

595
00:35:44,420 --> 00:35:49,320
takes some time to establish or if you know, I haven't watched a ton of Indy games so I

596
00:35:49,320 --> 00:35:53,840
don't know if those players and Teeler and member Mena have just been able to carry them,

597
00:35:53,840 --> 00:35:58,720
but she's going to need to figure out how to get those middles involved more, especially

598
00:35:58,720 --> 00:36:00,240
if they're passing as well as they are.

599
00:36:00,240 --> 00:36:05,240
Well, which is crazy because like San Diego had a double block in front of the outsides

600
00:36:05,240 --> 00:36:10,720
like all the time, I guess because they're like, well, no setting the middle.

601
00:36:10,720 --> 00:36:16,520
Member Mena actually got player of the week or whatever last week, so she has been playing

602
00:36:16,520 --> 00:36:17,520
well.

603
00:36:17,520 --> 00:36:23,280
And I mean, points scoring wise, like 24 points in four sets is really good.

604
00:36:23,280 --> 00:36:29,840
I just think I keep going back to the size thing and it's not that I'm against smaller

605
00:36:29,840 --> 00:36:30,840
players.

606
00:36:30,840 --> 00:36:35,960
It's just, again, the height that you're playing above the net and having like hands in your

607
00:36:35,960 --> 00:36:38,560
face as you're swinging.

608
00:36:38,560 --> 00:36:41,560
I they to make their lives easier.

609
00:36:41,560 --> 00:36:45,000
You've got a five eight outside of five nine right side.

610
00:36:45,000 --> 00:36:51,760
You need to find ways to create some gaps and some space for them.

611
00:36:51,760 --> 00:36:54,080
And how are you going to do that?

612
00:36:54,080 --> 00:36:55,080
Run the middle.

613
00:36:55,080 --> 00:37:00,500
Well, what did you think about the tempo of sets to those two players or in general from

614
00:37:00,500 --> 00:37:02,840
Sydney Hilly to Lee?

615
00:37:02,840 --> 00:37:10,920
I was surprised how slow Sydney Hilly's offense was considering the size of the hitters.

616
00:37:10,920 --> 00:37:14,360
Normally when you have smaller hitters and we talked about this with the BYU men's match

617
00:37:14,360 --> 00:37:21,280
last week, if you have an undersized hitter, you need to speed it up to create movement,

618
00:37:21,280 --> 00:37:26,280
to create those flashes of seams and space to like help them out.

619
00:37:26,280 --> 00:37:31,880
Big players, they can they get that height above the net that they can create those angles.

620
00:37:31,880 --> 00:37:35,020
But yeah, I thought it would be faster than it was.

621
00:37:35,020 --> 00:37:40,440
So that's my number one change or improvement that Indy will have to do.

622
00:37:40,440 --> 00:37:45,560
Because again, I don't know how many of these players coaches have seen.

623
00:37:45,560 --> 00:37:49,680
Coaches have studied how much film there is, you know, so if you're playing well in your

624
00:37:49,680 --> 00:37:53,700
dynamic, you're going to start off strong just because people don't know your tempo.

625
00:37:53,700 --> 00:37:55,560
They don't know your angles.

626
00:37:55,560 --> 00:37:57,400
But Indy's a new team.

627
00:37:57,400 --> 00:37:58,820
Indy's a new team.

628
00:37:58,820 --> 00:38:03,480
So I'm curious, they got it to a hot start, which is always good.

629
00:38:03,480 --> 00:38:09,260
But as the preparation gets better, as the amount of information and your angles becomes

630
00:38:09,260 --> 00:38:12,320
more apparent, how do you make those adjustments?

631
00:38:12,320 --> 00:38:18,720
And I think Sydney Hilly is good enough to run a more complex and a faster offense.

632
00:38:18,720 --> 00:38:23,140
And I'm curious to see if they're able to make that adjustment, because if they don't,

633
00:38:23,140 --> 00:38:25,120
it could be a long rest of the season for them.

634
00:38:25,120 --> 00:38:30,600
Well, in college, she was playing with massive girls, you know, you're playing with Dana

635
00:38:30,600 --> 00:38:35,600
Recky at 6'8", Anna Smreks 6'9", your outsides are 6'4".

636
00:38:35,600 --> 00:38:40,760
It's a different kind of game when you've got players that are that big.

637
00:38:40,760 --> 00:38:42,960
So that adjustment definitely needs to be made.

638
00:38:42,960 --> 00:38:48,240
But I think like even this head to head battle is a case study in this same discussion and

639
00:38:48,240 --> 00:38:50,920
be that Moore is not huge.

640
00:38:50,920 --> 00:38:57,000
Janasia Moore is like six feet tall, but she was given the opportunity to be very effective

641
00:38:57,000 --> 00:38:58,000
offensively.

642
00:38:58,000 --> 00:38:59,000
Why?

643
00:38:59,000 --> 00:39:05,460
Because Indy was so focused on the San Diego middles in Ronika Stone, and it started Lalo

644
00:39:05,460 --> 00:39:07,960
Blackwell, but then switched to Paige.

645
00:39:07,960 --> 00:39:12,900
They were so hyper focused on them because Lee runs them so frequently that it was able

646
00:39:12,900 --> 00:39:15,600
to create those open opportunities.

647
00:39:15,600 --> 00:39:21,880
So I think even when you look at this match, it's the same discussion, but one team executed

648
00:39:21,880 --> 00:39:27,040
it and did what they needed to do as far as the chess match, whereas the other one didn't.

649
00:39:27,040 --> 00:39:31,420
I will say one other point that I love to see and you know, part of this is because

650
00:39:31,420 --> 00:39:37,780
we lived in Korea and saw the volleyball there for two years, but Lee's competitive spirit

651
00:39:37,780 --> 00:39:44,200
as that match went on her, her fire when she would get a block or her teams would score

652
00:39:44,200 --> 00:39:48,640
points, I thought she was a true leader on the court.

653
00:39:48,640 --> 00:39:50,760
And that transcends language barriers.

654
00:39:50,760 --> 00:39:51,760
A hundred percent.

655
00:39:51,760 --> 00:39:54,720
It's like you can tell like I'm here to win.

656
00:39:54,720 --> 00:39:59,240
I thought that was really great to see because you don't our experience in Korea, in my opinion

657
00:39:59,240 --> 00:40:06,440
was very there is it's not docile, but there's a very big component of respect.

658
00:40:06,440 --> 00:40:10,840
And sometimes that comes across as being meek.

659
00:40:10,840 --> 00:40:14,440
And that's not the case when you get to know the girls off the court, but to see her be

660
00:40:14,440 --> 00:40:19,320
able to let her competitive spirit shine through and just be a part of that.

661
00:40:19,320 --> 00:40:24,140
It was really great to see given our experience of being there full of surprises this week.

662
00:40:24,140 --> 00:40:28,920
Everything we think we know is going to happen did not happen, which I think makes it kind

663
00:40:28,920 --> 00:40:29,920
of exciting.

664
00:40:29,920 --> 00:40:34,520
We'll see if Indy is able to bounce back, make some adjustments this coming week in

665
00:40:34,520 --> 00:40:35,520
San Diego.

666
00:40:35,520 --> 00:40:36,520
Let's see.

667
00:40:36,520 --> 00:40:40,420
Hopefully they're able to continue rolling because because that was a lot of fun to watch.

668
00:40:40,420 --> 00:40:43,280
It's now time for my favorite segment of the show.

669
00:40:43,280 --> 00:40:46,680
We're going to play a new game called levels of concern.

670
00:40:46,680 --> 00:40:50,200
You just had to check what it's called.

671
00:40:50,200 --> 00:40:51,800
So my worst skill is naming things.

672
00:40:51,800 --> 00:40:54,640
I can come up with a concept, but the naming things is always tough.

673
00:40:54,640 --> 00:40:57,280
So we're going to go, we're going to call it level of concern.

674
00:40:57,280 --> 00:41:01,560
So what's going to happen is I'm going to put you into the role of a team, a player.

675
00:41:01,560 --> 00:41:08,780
I'm going to give you a scenario and you are going to tell me what your level of concern

676
00:41:08,780 --> 00:41:10,320
is in that situation.

677
00:41:10,320 --> 00:41:12,080
So there are five options.

678
00:41:12,080 --> 00:41:15,640
So your first level of concern is you're not very concerned.

679
00:41:15,640 --> 00:41:20,840
It's the equivalent of losing an assistant coach to be a head coach at another program.

680
00:41:20,840 --> 00:41:22,080
Not really a huge deal.

681
00:41:22,080 --> 00:41:23,080
Wow.

682
00:41:23,080 --> 00:41:24,080
Adam is harsh.

683
00:41:24,080 --> 00:41:25,880
He's like, I don't care about you.

684
00:41:25,880 --> 00:41:30,940
Your second level of concern is losing a top recruit to a rival.

685
00:41:30,940 --> 00:41:34,560
Not ideal, but it's not going to sink your program.

686
00:41:34,560 --> 00:41:40,140
Your third level of concern is being in a five match losing streak.

687
00:41:40,140 --> 00:41:46,080
The next one is a Pittsburgh losing Tori Stafford to Texas level of concern.

688
00:41:46,080 --> 00:41:52,680
So we are, well, it's, it's very high, but it's not as high as this Nebraska having a

689
00:41:52,680 --> 00:41:53,960
losing preseason.

690
00:41:53,960 --> 00:41:55,320
That is your highest level.

691
00:41:55,320 --> 00:41:56,320
Yeah.

692
00:41:56,320 --> 00:41:57,320
A losing preseason.

693
00:41:57,320 --> 00:41:58,920
That's, that's the biggest part of this.

694
00:41:58,920 --> 00:42:00,200
One of the biggest parts of the season.

695
00:42:00,200 --> 00:42:05,400
If you were to go into conference play, having a losing record, Nebraska having a losing

696
00:42:05,400 --> 00:42:06,400
season.

697
00:42:06,400 --> 00:42:07,400
Okay.

698
00:42:07,400 --> 00:42:08,400
All right.

699
00:42:08,400 --> 00:42:09,400
We'll go, we'll go the nuclear option.

700
00:42:09,400 --> 00:42:11,000
Nebraska having a losing season.

701
00:42:11,000 --> 00:42:14,480
That is the highest level of concern that there is in volleyball.

702
00:42:14,480 --> 00:42:15,480
Okay.

703
00:42:15,480 --> 00:42:18,640
So here, here are the questions and we can both answer these.

704
00:42:18,640 --> 00:42:19,640
I think it'll be fun.

705
00:42:19,640 --> 00:42:23,240
So your first question, you are Lexi Rodriguez.

706
00:42:23,240 --> 00:42:28,240
How concerned are you that you are not going to play all season?

707
00:42:28,240 --> 00:42:29,240
Hold on.

708
00:42:29,240 --> 00:42:31,240
I'm looking at the concern options.

709
00:42:31,240 --> 00:42:38,180
If I'm her, I'm in my first year of pro literally weeks after I ended my college season and

710
00:42:38,180 --> 00:42:41,440
I'm playing behind one of the best liberos in the world.

711
00:42:41,440 --> 00:42:47,360
I would say losing an assistant coach to be the head coach level one concern.

712
00:42:47,360 --> 00:42:50,780
And honestly looking at her face during the matches, she's chilling.

713
00:42:50,780 --> 00:42:51,880
She is chilling.

714
00:42:51,880 --> 00:42:54,480
Just chatting with everybody on the bench dancing.

715
00:42:54,480 --> 00:42:57,040
I'm like, this girl does not seem concerned at all.

716
00:42:57,040 --> 00:42:58,040
So I'm a little higher than you.

717
00:42:58,040 --> 00:43:01,360
I'm being in a five match losing streak.

718
00:43:01,360 --> 00:43:03,840
I'm all for earning your spot.

719
00:43:03,840 --> 00:43:10,520
And like my thing is you chose to go to a place where you knew that Justine was playing.

720
00:43:10,520 --> 00:43:12,480
Like you had to know the writing was on the wall.

721
00:43:12,480 --> 00:43:17,040
Did you think like as a fresh out of college kid, you're just going to walk in and beat

722
00:43:17,040 --> 00:43:18,040
her out?

723
00:43:18,040 --> 00:43:19,040
Come on.

724
00:43:19,040 --> 00:43:20,040
I personally think great.

725
00:43:20,040 --> 00:43:24,720
You can learn from the current us national team libero, but you're a competitor.

726
00:43:24,720 --> 00:43:26,720
You just beat her record.

727
00:43:26,720 --> 00:43:28,480
You want to be on the floor.

728
00:43:28,480 --> 00:43:29,480
You're competitive.

729
00:43:29,480 --> 00:43:33,800
If I'm her, I'm thinking about being on the 20, 28 roster and I need to play to do that

730
00:43:33,800 --> 00:43:34,800
again.

731
00:43:34,800 --> 00:43:37,400
How long is Justine going to be there in front of you?

732
00:43:37,400 --> 00:43:42,960
If you don't get a chance to play at all to prove how good you are, I'm concerned if I'm

733
00:43:42,960 --> 00:43:43,960
Lexi Rodriguez.

734
00:43:43,960 --> 00:43:46,000
My thing is you should have picked another team.

735
00:43:46,000 --> 00:43:47,960
Well, but this is the situation she's in.

736
00:43:47,960 --> 00:43:49,920
I'm more concerned than you are.

737
00:43:49,920 --> 00:43:56,340
Question two, you are Salt Lake City management.

738
00:43:56,340 --> 00:44:02,120
How concerned are you that Haley Washington is not going to be available for you for most

739
00:44:02,120 --> 00:44:03,120
of the season?

740
00:44:03,120 --> 00:44:07,480
I don't know if I'm being over dramatic, but I'm like losing Tori Stafford level of concern.

741
00:44:07,480 --> 00:44:09,800
Do you want me to finish before you tell me?

742
00:44:09,800 --> 00:44:10,800
Go ahead.

743
00:44:10,800 --> 00:44:13,040
Well, A, she's a founding athlete of love.

744
00:44:13,040 --> 00:44:16,720
B, she's been a starter on the US national team.

745
00:44:16,720 --> 00:44:18,860
So she's very good.

746
00:44:18,860 --> 00:44:26,800
So from an optics perspective for the brand, from a skill perspective for Salt Lake, I

747
00:44:26,800 --> 00:44:29,360
mean, you want to be winning matches.

748
00:44:29,360 --> 00:44:34,280
And if she, if she's your best middle, which I believe she is like, how long are you going

749
00:44:34,280 --> 00:44:35,400
to be out here?

750
00:44:35,400 --> 00:44:37,480
Like the clock's ticking.

751
00:44:37,480 --> 00:44:44,000
I am also losing Tori Stafford on this because you know, everything that I kind of had a

752
00:44:44,000 --> 00:44:47,820
vibe about was that she was going to start the second match.

753
00:44:47,820 --> 00:44:55,080
Like she was close to coming back and no offense to Dixon, but the upgrade from Dixon to Washington

754
00:44:55,080 --> 00:45:00,200
Do you think they would actually replace Dixon or do you think that they would replace the

755
00:45:00,200 --> 00:45:01,200
other one?

756
00:45:01,200 --> 00:45:04,520
Cause right now it's alternating between Serena Gray and Sophie Fisher.

757
00:45:04,520 --> 00:45:08,640
I personally think that they should replace Dixon, but I don't know if that's the direction

758
00:45:08,640 --> 00:45:09,760
they would go.

759
00:45:09,760 --> 00:45:14,680
I think longterm it's got to be Dixon and she's done a great job coming in, but regardless,

760
00:45:14,680 --> 00:45:19,120
if she comes on the floor, you are way better with her.

761
00:45:19,120 --> 00:45:22,960
And the fact that it hasn't happened yet, I don't know if there's been a setback or

762
00:45:22,960 --> 00:45:26,080
where she's coming from a recovery standpoint.

763
00:45:26,080 --> 00:45:31,920
I think she's a fundamental piece for your team and I am wanting her back greatly and

764
00:45:31,920 --> 00:45:33,020
right now.

765
00:45:33,020 --> 00:45:35,240
You are the commissioner of the PVF.

766
00:45:35,240 --> 00:45:43,040
How concerned are you that your expansion team is winning the league in season two?

767
00:45:43,040 --> 00:45:46,720
Losing my assistant coach to another program level of concern.

768
00:45:46,720 --> 00:45:47,720
Is it a big deal?

769
00:45:47,720 --> 00:45:49,120
Like, does it matter?

770
00:45:49,120 --> 00:45:51,240
You've added a team, they're doing well.

771
00:45:51,240 --> 00:45:55,280
Don't you want your expansion teams to do well to prove that the investment was worth

772
00:45:55,280 --> 00:45:56,280
it?

773
00:45:56,280 --> 00:46:00,440
Not to mention if they're doing well, then that's another market that can like grow interest

774
00:46:00,440 --> 00:46:01,440
in the game.

775
00:46:01,440 --> 00:46:02,440
Yeah.

776
00:46:02,440 --> 00:46:04,360
I'm like, I don't care at all.

777
00:46:04,360 --> 00:46:05,360
I would agree with you.

778
00:46:05,360 --> 00:46:06,960
I'm losing an assistant coach to that one as well.

779
00:46:06,960 --> 00:46:13,600
I think especially in a market in a league that's so new, you still want to attract new

780
00:46:13,600 --> 00:46:17,920
franchises and the ability to be successful I think goes a long way with that.

781
00:46:17,920 --> 00:46:22,760
And you're going to have more competition next year for teams and locations.

782
00:46:22,760 --> 00:46:24,640
I definitely think that's a positive as well.

783
00:46:24,640 --> 00:46:27,400
And our final question for level of concern.

784
00:46:27,400 --> 00:46:29,040
You are Eric Sullivan.

785
00:46:29,040 --> 00:46:37,680
What is your level of concern that your US players staying and playing in the US hampers

786
00:46:37,680 --> 00:46:43,720
your ability to have internationally ready players for the 2028 Olympics?

787
00:46:43,720 --> 00:46:51,080
I'm probably lose a top recruit level of concern because the players that you're seeing play

788
00:46:51,080 --> 00:46:59,160
in the US are either fresh, fresh out of college little babies, or they are on the tail end

789
00:46:59,160 --> 00:47:05,200
of their career and have done the overseas dance for long enough.

790
00:47:05,200 --> 00:47:11,680
I think the ones who are in the meat of their career, they're still staying overseas.

791
00:47:11,680 --> 00:47:17,400
So it's the transitionary athletes, the ones who are either entering their national team

792
00:47:17,400 --> 00:47:20,760
years or on the way out that are playing in the US.

793
00:47:20,760 --> 00:47:26,440
So I'm like, maybe the ones that you were looking at bringing in immediately, you're

794
00:47:26,440 --> 00:47:28,480
like, is this the best?

795
00:47:28,480 --> 00:47:34,840
But I think the ones who are going to be the biggest difference makers in LA are getting

796
00:47:34,840 --> 00:47:36,160
that competition they need.

797
00:47:36,160 --> 00:47:37,520
I'm a little higher with this.

798
00:47:37,520 --> 00:47:39,560
I think I'm losing Torrie Stafford.

799
00:47:39,560 --> 00:47:40,560
Wow.

800
00:47:40,560 --> 00:47:44,800
I think the leagues in the US are great for the sport in general.

801
00:47:44,800 --> 00:47:49,760
I think you're going to see more and more kids playing and being connected with that.

802
00:47:49,760 --> 00:47:53,440
I look at a Madison Skinner as an example.

803
00:47:53,440 --> 00:47:59,520
So there's somebody who could potentially be your opposite in 2028 and she's playing

804
00:47:59,520 --> 00:48:06,160
here in the US and her specifically playing overseas against bigger blocks in different

805
00:48:06,160 --> 00:48:13,080
systems and part of that for me is being uncomfortable, living overseas, leaving the US, understanding

806
00:48:13,080 --> 00:48:15,600
what that international game looks like.

807
00:48:15,600 --> 00:48:20,920
I think that's valuable experience in playing while uncomfortable.

808
00:48:20,920 --> 00:48:23,940
And I think for most players, it doesn't matter.

809
00:48:23,940 --> 00:48:28,560
But if you have your eyes on two or three players who are coming out of college this

810
00:48:28,560 --> 00:48:32,920
year or next year, you can't replace those four years of experience.

811
00:48:32,920 --> 00:48:38,900
And again, long term, I think you're so excited, but for 2028, I think there are some key players

812
00:48:38,900 --> 00:48:42,200
that you wish would be overseas playing in Italy or Turkey.

813
00:48:42,200 --> 00:48:45,200
So that wraps up our level of concern game.

814
00:48:45,200 --> 00:48:46,200
I kind of had fun with that.

815
00:48:46,200 --> 00:48:47,200
I'm not sure.

816
00:48:47,200 --> 00:48:48,200
I like that one.

817
00:48:48,200 --> 00:48:49,200
I'm not to the roster.

818
00:48:49,200 --> 00:48:50,200
So we're going to have to throw that into the rotation.

819
00:48:50,200 --> 00:48:57,200
And again, anybody has any questions or thoughts about anything that we can throw into a game?

820
00:48:57,200 --> 00:48:59,240
Toss them up on YouTube or on Instagram.

821
00:48:59,240 --> 00:49:03,160
I'm always looking for more ideas and we love the participation.

822
00:49:03,160 --> 00:49:06,720
All right, we have a few listener questions this week.

823
00:49:06,720 --> 00:49:13,520
So our first one is how much do you think love slash PVF will prepare or impact potential

824
00:49:13,520 --> 00:49:17,040
national team athletes for the 2028 Olympics?

825
00:49:17,040 --> 00:49:20,320
Is it better if they were to play overseas in Italy or Turkey?

826
00:49:20,320 --> 00:49:22,460
We kind of just touched on this.

827
00:49:22,460 --> 00:49:25,520
So I don't know if you want to go into it again.

828
00:49:25,520 --> 00:49:31,960
Again, I just really quickly, I think that being in an uncomfortable situation of leaving

829
00:49:31,960 --> 00:49:37,200
the US and understanding what other players do, what other systems look like, how other

830
00:49:37,200 --> 00:49:41,520
setters and liberals function, like all of that gives you information that helps you

831
00:49:41,520 --> 00:49:44,520
prepare for that international season.

832
00:49:44,520 --> 00:49:50,700
And so I don't think it applies generally, but I think it does apply to three or four

833
00:49:50,700 --> 00:49:52,760
athletes that they might have their eyes on.

834
00:49:52,760 --> 00:49:55,720
And like not every league is as good as Italy or Turkey.

835
00:49:55,720 --> 00:50:01,600
So if they could get contracts in those leagues and play against that kind of talent night

836
00:50:01,600 --> 00:50:07,560
in and night out and train against that every single day, like I know for me, I signed in

837
00:50:07,560 --> 00:50:14,300
Brazil like the year they won the gold medal in the Olympics and I was playing with gold

838
00:50:14,300 --> 00:50:17,200
medalists every single day at practice.

839
00:50:17,200 --> 00:50:23,400
And that inherently made me so much better because the level that I was exposed to day

840
00:50:23,400 --> 00:50:27,140
in and day out was Olympic gold medal level.

841
00:50:27,140 --> 00:50:28,800
So there is something to be said.

842
00:50:28,800 --> 00:50:30,840
I think adaptability is huge.

843
00:50:30,840 --> 00:50:36,140
I think getting out of your comfort zone is huge because you don't accomplish great things

844
00:50:36,140 --> 00:50:37,360
by staying comfortable.

845
00:50:37,360 --> 00:50:38,840
Let me tell you, I would agree.

846
00:50:38,840 --> 00:50:41,400
It would be, it's scary.

847
00:50:41,400 --> 00:50:45,000
It is uncomfortable, but I think the payoff could be huge.

848
00:50:45,000 --> 00:50:49,720
Question two is will Omaha ever play Lexi Rodriguez?

849
00:50:49,720 --> 00:50:50,720
No.

850
00:50:50,720 --> 00:50:56,560
I mean, she's in a really tough spot because they run the six two, so they use all of their

851
00:50:56,560 --> 00:50:57,560
subs.

852
00:50:57,560 --> 00:51:00,160
So she's not even coming in as a serving sub.

853
00:51:00,160 --> 00:51:07,160
And unless Justine gets hurt, you're not going to see the floor because she is the best period.

854
00:51:07,160 --> 00:51:08,160
You're not playing.

855
00:51:08,160 --> 00:51:12,000
If your priority was to get on the court, you should have gone somewhere else.

856
00:51:12,000 --> 00:51:15,120
And I keep going back to that, I spoke about it earlier.

857
00:51:15,120 --> 00:51:18,320
What possessed you to sign with a team?

858
00:51:18,320 --> 00:51:20,520
One of love's strengths are their liberos.

859
00:51:20,520 --> 00:51:23,240
Where do I think that Lexi could play?

860
00:51:23,240 --> 00:51:25,480
I think she could play for Houston.

861
00:51:25,480 --> 00:51:31,560
I think she could play for Atlanta and potentially Madison.

862
00:51:31,560 --> 00:51:34,220
Other than that, it'd be tough.

863
00:51:34,220 --> 00:51:38,880
So I'm curious, you know, if the league is looking ahead, because we actually don't know

864
00:51:38,880 --> 00:51:43,440
how the players signed, if they get assigned to teams, what that process is like.

865
00:51:43,440 --> 00:51:45,740
It's very much hidden behind the veil.

866
00:51:45,740 --> 00:51:49,100
They might want her there and go, hey, you're going to sign an eight year deal.

867
00:51:49,100 --> 00:51:50,520
You're going to sit behind.

868
00:51:50,520 --> 00:51:55,000
If you're if you're thinking about going pro, you guys, let me tell you right now.

869
00:51:55,000 --> 00:51:56,800
Don't sign an eight year deal.

870
00:51:56,800 --> 00:52:02,360
Well, but I'm just saying it Lexi in Omaha draws a crowd.

871
00:52:02,360 --> 00:52:03,360
Right.

872
00:52:03,360 --> 00:52:04,660
Her being there makes sense.

873
00:52:04,660 --> 00:52:06,040
How long is Justine going to play?

874
00:52:06,040 --> 00:52:07,600
Is she going for another Olympics?

875
00:52:07,600 --> 00:52:11,400
Like we don't know any of those questions, but we'll we'll see.

876
00:52:11,400 --> 00:52:13,820
But as of right now, she's not playing.

877
00:52:13,820 --> 00:52:18,580
Question three is what does it mean to have a disciplined block?

878
00:52:18,580 --> 00:52:20,880
I love this question.

879
00:52:20,880 --> 00:52:26,680
And specifically, this listener was referring to announcers who always go, oh, what a discipline

880
00:52:26,680 --> 00:52:28,200
block like that was really good.

881
00:52:28,200 --> 00:52:30,840
And just wondering what the criteria for that is.

882
00:52:30,840 --> 00:52:35,560
Now, I will say most of the announcers or a lot of the announcers use this in an incorrect

883
00:52:35,560 --> 00:52:37,640
way, in my opinion.

884
00:52:37,640 --> 00:52:39,960
But what does a discipline block look like for you?

885
00:52:39,960 --> 00:52:41,400
And then I can give you my answer.

886
00:52:41,400 --> 00:52:43,960
I guess for me, you and I are kind of talking about this.

887
00:52:43,960 --> 00:52:46,760
I think my definition is a little more basic.

888
00:52:46,760 --> 00:52:54,340
For me, it means getting set and taking your space without reaching.

889
00:52:54,340 --> 00:52:59,560
So even if you're a middle blocker and you know you're not going to close the block instead

890
00:52:59,560 --> 00:53:05,240
of just jumping sideways and throwing your hands sideways, like stopping where you are

891
00:53:05,240 --> 00:53:13,980
and taking the space that you can in order to give a clear direction to your defense.

892
00:53:13,980 --> 00:53:19,840
If hands are moving everywhere and bodies are flying sideways, it's very hard for a

893
00:53:19,840 --> 00:53:21,400
defense to get set up.

894
00:53:21,400 --> 00:53:27,140
So for me, it is like getting set and just taking solid space wherever you are.

895
00:53:27,140 --> 00:53:28,140
I like the definition.

896
00:53:28,140 --> 00:53:35,760
I'll go on to say part of being in a discipline block is getting your assignment.

897
00:53:35,760 --> 00:53:37,600
And we don't always know what those assignments are.

898
00:53:37,600 --> 00:53:42,660
But if you're supposed to take the line in this situation, it allows the three players

899
00:53:42,660 --> 00:53:44,780
behind you to do their job.

900
00:53:44,780 --> 00:53:48,740
If the block is not correct, the defenders are guessing on where to be.

901
00:53:48,740 --> 00:53:51,320
So first and foremost would be doing your job.

902
00:53:51,320 --> 00:53:56,160
And then let's say some of the common errors I see when it comes to a discipline block

903
00:53:56,160 --> 00:53:59,300
are outside hitters drifting when they close.

904
00:53:59,300 --> 00:54:01,880
So it opens up a scene between their middle block.

905
00:54:01,880 --> 00:54:04,560
That's one you mentioned hands reaching.

906
00:54:04,560 --> 00:54:08,940
And again, you're creating different scenes and areas for the hitters to use you.

907
00:54:08,940 --> 00:54:14,000
And then the last one would be if the block is very high and not over the net, you open

908
00:54:14,000 --> 00:54:15,820
up that space below you.

909
00:54:15,820 --> 00:54:20,640
You want to be over versus up, which you sometimes see as well.

910
00:54:20,640 --> 00:54:26,400
And our final listener question of the week is, do you think top USA players like Plummer

911
00:54:26,400 --> 00:54:28,840
and Skinner will join love soon?

912
00:54:28,840 --> 00:54:29,840
I don't.

913
00:54:29,840 --> 00:54:32,240
I think they're making more money overseas.

914
00:54:32,240 --> 00:54:38,900
I think that they both of those players specifically will be key in the 2028 Olympics, I believe.

915
00:54:38,900 --> 00:54:45,720
And the level of competition, training, the thing about being overseas that listeners

916
00:54:45,720 --> 00:54:52,080
may or may not know is you're playing in your league, which is stronger top to bottom, I

917
00:54:52,080 --> 00:54:53,080
would say.

918
00:54:53,080 --> 00:54:55,280
But you're also competing in Champions League.

919
00:54:55,280 --> 00:55:00,240
So you're seeing all of the best players and that is from different countries.

920
00:55:00,240 --> 00:55:02,880
You're in a tournament style, single elimination.

921
00:55:02,880 --> 00:55:06,620
There's an incredible amount of pressure to perform in those matches.

922
00:55:06,620 --> 00:55:10,000
You have to train with the best to be the best, in my opinion.

923
00:55:10,000 --> 00:55:16,160
And players who have aspirations of starting on the national team for 2028 will continue

924
00:55:16,160 --> 00:55:24,080
to be overseas, in my opinion, until the US leagues can bring in top outsides, opposites

925
00:55:24,080 --> 00:55:25,220
and middles.

926
00:55:25,220 --> 00:55:26,220
That will be the case.

927
00:55:26,220 --> 00:55:27,220
I agree.

928
00:55:27,220 --> 00:55:30,160
I think their earning potential overseas is much higher.

929
00:55:30,160 --> 00:55:35,660
Again, we don't know what the love compensation structure looks like.

930
00:55:35,660 --> 00:55:39,040
So if anybody knows, let us know, please.

931
00:55:39,040 --> 00:55:43,740
But I just I think that their earning potential is too high and everything that Adam alluded

932
00:55:43,740 --> 00:55:45,560
to aside from money.

933
00:55:45,560 --> 00:55:50,440
Like you're not seeing that in love right now.

934
00:55:50,440 --> 00:55:54,600
Training with and against the best every single day and then competing against the best in

935
00:55:54,600 --> 00:55:59,120
different forums, like Champions League, like the league, like the cup.

936
00:55:59,120 --> 00:56:01,840
No, it's it's not a comparison.

937
00:56:01,840 --> 00:56:04,240
Not to mention the season is nine months long.

938
00:56:04,240 --> 00:56:08,440
So you're getting that much more good training as opposed to love where they start their

939
00:56:08,440 --> 00:56:10,960
preseason training in like November.

940
00:56:10,960 --> 00:56:12,480
It's you can't compare it.

941
00:56:12,480 --> 00:56:13,480
All right.

942
00:56:13,480 --> 00:56:15,560
So let's let's look forward to this week.

943
00:56:15,560 --> 00:56:18,280
We'll talk about some of the matches.

944
00:56:18,280 --> 00:56:21,320
One of the requests we had and it can be a little confusing.

945
00:56:21,320 --> 00:56:22,840
Where can we watch these matches?

946
00:56:22,840 --> 00:56:24,040
Where are where can they be found?

947
00:56:24,040 --> 00:56:28,000
So let's go over the matches we're going to watch this week and where we can do that.

948
00:56:28,000 --> 00:56:33,220
So on Wednesday, we have our love head to head match, which is going to feature Houston

949
00:56:33,220 --> 00:56:34,880
and Madison.

950
00:56:34,880 --> 00:56:40,000
So two teams that are sitting at the bottom of the standings currently.

951
00:56:40,000 --> 00:56:43,360
So we'll see who comes out on top for that one.

952
00:56:43,360 --> 00:56:47,800
That's going to be at eight o'clock Eastern on Love Live.

953
00:56:47,800 --> 00:56:50,120
We're not huge fans of Love Live.

954
00:56:50,120 --> 00:56:53,440
We had a bad experience trying to watch the feature match this week.

955
00:56:53,440 --> 00:56:55,240
The screen was black a lot.

956
00:56:55,240 --> 00:56:56,240
Yeah.

957
00:56:56,240 --> 00:56:57,240
Just voices.

958
00:56:57,240 --> 00:56:59,360
So hopefully I don't know if anyone else had that experience.

959
00:56:59,360 --> 00:57:04,800
I'd be curious to know if that was our Internet or the feed in general.

960
00:57:04,800 --> 00:57:08,120
The the announcers, we could still hear them talking completely fine.

961
00:57:08,120 --> 00:57:09,680
But the screen was just black.

962
00:57:09,680 --> 00:57:10,680
I don't know.

963
00:57:10,680 --> 00:57:11,680
It was really.

964
00:57:11,680 --> 00:57:12,680
Let us know if you had trouble with that.

965
00:57:12,680 --> 00:57:18,280
Following up the feature match, the weekend with love will be hosted in Atlanta this week.

966
00:57:18,280 --> 00:57:23,280
Matches on Friday will be on ESPN plus and then the Saturday matches will be on Love

967
00:57:23,280 --> 00:57:24,280
Live.

968
00:57:24,280 --> 00:57:28,880
There are a ton of really good men's matches this week.

969
00:57:28,880 --> 00:57:32,260
I'm really hoping the feedback comes back that they want us to analyze some of them

970
00:57:32,260 --> 00:57:34,120
because I would love to watch.

971
00:57:34,120 --> 00:57:35,880
This week is going to be good.

972
00:57:35,880 --> 00:57:43,360
You have USC, UCLA, Ohio State, Penn State, who needs a win.

973
00:57:43,360 --> 00:57:49,040
They're all playing in Columbus this weekend, Thursday to Saturday.

974
00:57:49,040 --> 00:57:53,680
Hawaii and BYU have back to back matches Friday and Saturday.

975
00:57:53,680 --> 00:57:55,480
That will also be very good.

976
00:57:55,480 --> 00:57:59,560
And UC Irvine and Stanford are also playing.

977
00:57:59,560 --> 00:58:04,000
All of those men's matches will be on Big Ten Plus.

978
00:58:04,000 --> 00:58:09,800
I hope you guys have Big Ten Plus or wait for the match to end and watch it on YouTube.

979
00:58:09,800 --> 00:58:11,760
But you didn't hear that from me.

980
00:58:11,760 --> 00:58:12,760
All right.

981
00:58:12,760 --> 00:58:14,480
Let's look at PVF now.

982
00:58:14,480 --> 00:58:16,760
So the Thursday match is at 10 o'clock Eastern.

983
00:58:16,760 --> 00:58:20,000
Atlanta Vibe will play the San Diego Mojo.

984
00:58:20,000 --> 00:58:23,160
We'll see if they can keep rolling and build on their win over Indy.

985
00:58:23,160 --> 00:58:28,520
On Friday, also at 10 p.m. Eastern, the Indy Ignite will play Vegas Thrill.

986
00:58:28,520 --> 00:58:32,080
Indy looking to right the ship and continue to stay at the top of the league.

987
00:58:32,080 --> 00:58:37,620
Those matches will both be on the YouTube PVF channel.

988
00:58:37,620 --> 00:58:40,480
That concludes this week's episode of Volley Talk.

989
00:58:40,480 --> 00:58:44,800
There's always something shaking in the volleyball world, and we hope you enjoyed this little

990
00:58:44,800 --> 00:58:45,800
fix.

991
00:58:45,800 --> 00:58:48,160
Be sure to follow the show so you don't miss any updates.

992
00:58:48,160 --> 00:58:52,040
And we'd be so grateful if you'd leave us a five star review.

993
00:58:52,040 --> 00:58:57,040
You can also find us on Instagram at Volley Talk underscore podcast.

994
00:58:57,040 --> 00:59:01,800
If you have a topic that you want us to discuss, be sure to let us know by reaching out on

995
00:59:01,800 --> 00:59:05,780
Instagram or at info at Sarah pavin dot com.

996
00:59:05,780 --> 00:59:32,120
Thanks so much for joining us and we'll be back next week.