WEBVTT

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Hi, volleyball fans, and welcome back to Volley

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Talk, the podcast created for volleyball lovers

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who want to dig deep into what is going on in

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NCAA and international volleyball. I'm your host,

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Sarah Pavan. I'm an Olympian, beach volleyball

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world champion, former Nebraska Cornhusker, and

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longtime pro, both indoor and on the beach. And

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I'm Adam Schultz, former indoor player, international

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volleyball coach, and the show's resident stat

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guy. Before we get started, we just wanted to

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thank everybody for the well wishes and the congratulations

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and welcoming our new baby. It really means a

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lot. So thank you to everybody who took time

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to write us and share their support for what

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we're doing. That being said, if you hear squeaks,

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grunts, anything that sounds like an old man

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in the background of this episode, it is her.

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She's sitting down here because it's just the

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three of us. It's just the three of us. So if

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you do hear any squeaks or weird noises, it is

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our baby who wants to participate. I was talking

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to her at 3 o 'clock in the morning last night,

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and the two of us were just hanging out watching

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some world championships, and she thinks that

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Nebraska is going to win the Natty. So that was

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her opinion as we were up at 3 in the morning.

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Yeah, she's so advanced. She was able to go from,

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I'm watching world championships, but I'm going

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to think about NCAA, and I'm a Cornhusker fan.

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So that's what she told Adam. There we go. So

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that being said, women's world championships

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have wrapped up, and I have got to say the medal

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matches were absolutely unreal. Some of the best

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volleyball I think I've ever seen. ever seen

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period wow outstanding stuff so today our focus

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is going to be predominantly on that competition

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but of course there are a few things we need

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to touch on on the ncaa side of things including

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a shocking update about one of our favorite players

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i'm sure you know exactly what i'm talking about

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we do have a lot to cover today so let's get

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started All right. Our biggest highlights and

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happenings of the week comes from Penn State.

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Izzy Stark has announced that she's stepping

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away for the rest of the season to take care

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of her mental health. One of the matches this

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weekend, she had posted that, yeah, she's stepping

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away from the team. Wow. Not much other detail

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around it other than, you know, appreciate the

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privacy for me and my family. You know, obviously

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we don't know what's going on and we wish her

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all the best. Sport is secondary to family, to

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well -being, but looking at it from a sport perspective

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and from a Penn State perspective. Can you imagine

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being Penn State? No, can you imagine being Kennedy

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Martin right now? I honestly thought that. This

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girl's probably like, I left a pretty good situation

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to come here, play with the reigning national

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champions, arguably. one of the best, if not

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one of the best setters in the country, and you're

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leaving? And on top of that, they're not playing

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very well. Izzy Stark was the glue of that team

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and supposed to drive them to be great again.

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And I don't know where they're going to land

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without her, quite frankly. I will say the Volley

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Talk community showed up when this news broke,

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okay? The number of messages that we received

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from all of you letting us know this news, Thank

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you so much. You know that we love it. I also

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had somebody do some digging. So she removed

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all things about Penn State Volleyball, Penn

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State from her bio, deleted the majority of her

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posts about Penn State from her feed. They are

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gone. And then this person also did some extra

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digging to be like, she has unfollowed. a ton

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of her teammates and they have been mutually

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unfollowed. So it seems like something serious

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has happened. I don't know if it's like an in

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-team thing. I don't know if it's like an off

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-court thing, like personal, like family, but

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it seems strange. that all traces of Penn State

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have almost been removed from her social media.

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I'm no social media expert, but I think if I'm

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not going to want to play, like there's people

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who are going to be really unhappy about that.

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Possibly if this is not a team thing, just removing

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yourself from that is I don't want to see anything.

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I don't want to see any tags. I don't want to

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see. No, I can understand from Izzy's perspective,

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like not wanting to see stuff. If you're removing,

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you can like mute people. It's a huge blow. to

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what the team was going to try and do this year.

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I think it severely hinders their chances of

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being good. Again, we don't know what she's dealing

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with, but I feel like the statement, whenever

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something strange is going on, the statement,

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I'm stepping away for my mental health, that

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is the statement you can make so people just

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don't ask questions. It's just like the safe

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thing to say these days because it's just so

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forefront in society that it's taboo to question.

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That's the vibe I'm getting here. Again, I don't

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know what's going on, but it's just the foolproof

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way to make sure that people try not to find

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anything out. She's made her decision. She's

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not going to be there. I think the other thing,

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and I was thinking about this, is college sport

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isn't really college sport anymore. These kids

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are young. I think about you receiving death

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threats when you were playing. I think about

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all of the negative messages you would get, and

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you're not even huge on social media. I think

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about my collegiate career being 19, 20 years

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old and the pressures of it being full scholarships,

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like professional sport at that point. I can

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see how things in this day and age would become

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overwhelming. It's not just going to college

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to play sport anymore. You know, again, hope

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she's okay. Yeah, I hope she's okay. I hope she...

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sorts through what she's going through and that

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everything is fine. But that was the biggest

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shock. No, at left field. If anybody has news,

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let us know because Penn State needs her. Potentially

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USA Volleyball needs her too. She's very good.

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That is the big news of the week. We had some

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big ranking changes this week. Obviously, by

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the time this episode is released, the changes

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will have happened again. The new rankings will

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have come out. But the biggest movers from this

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past week, Texas moved up to number two from

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number five. Kentucky went up to four from seven.

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And Arizona State went up to seven from 13. And

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all earned. I agree. All earned, for sure. I

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agree with all of those things. We also saw Penn

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State drop from two to five and Pitt drop from

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three to nine, which also deserved. 100%. I will

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also say that I got a few messages about us hating

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on Texas, which I didn't think was the case last

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episode. I don't think we did. I like that people

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just like make stuff up, though. A lot of people

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just like decide what we've said. And then I

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think about it. I'm like, no, we didn't say that.

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But like people have decided we did. Texas, Texas

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is going to be good. But the statement stands

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if they're going to be very good. Stafford. Also

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needs to be very good. And just an FYI, nobody

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cares if Stafford scores 25 points against Rice.

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True. Okay. I also got that comment. I do not

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care. You need to be good. I care about what

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she does against Nebraska. Teams, yes. Okay.

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Anybody can go out and career against. No disrespect

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to Rice, but. But kind of. And I'm pretty sure

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we said if they want to win a national championship.

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Which means they're in the conversation. Yes.

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Their young players need to gain experience.

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That is what we said. So no Texas hate. We think

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they're going to be quite good, actually. We're

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feeling a type of way. We're sleep deprived.

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We got a squeaker over here in the background.

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Continuing on with the NCAA storylines and Penn

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State, they are struggling. Okay, they lost to

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TCU in five. Izzy Stark was playing. And then

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they lost in three to Kentucky. Kentucky looks

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good. They're going to keep plummeting. Kentucky

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looks good. I'm liking them this season a lot.

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Me too. UCLA is looking quite bad. Okay, they

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came into preseason Big Ten ranked number four.

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Whoever did the preseason rankings were, I don't

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know what they were doing. I don't know what

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they were on, but it's not even close. UCLA will

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be lucky if they're like top half of the Big

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Ten. They're not going to be ranked. With the

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way that they're playing, because they squeaked

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by Long Beach State in five. I'm sorry. No, you

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should not have the ranking you have and like

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squeak by Long Beach State. Then you lose to

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Pepperdine. And then you lose to TCU twice. And

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we watch them. Yeah, they don't look good. No.

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There doesn't seem to be any purpose to what

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they're doing. You can't see them working on

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things and trying to find a team identity. It's

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just blah. PK wasn't playing either. PK wasn't

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playing. She would make a difference, I think.

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You can't tell what kind of offense they're trying

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to run. They're disorganized. I wasn't loving

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the set. I didn't love the setting. She didn't

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get square. She was facing the side of the court.

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You can watch Texas and go, man, those players

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are going to be good. This is what they need

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to improve on. Here we go. You watch UCLA, and

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it's just disjointed. We also saw Texas beat

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Stanford in five, and USC took down Creighton

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in straight sets. I'm looking forward to watching

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that Texas -Stanford match at some point at three

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in the morning this week. Because that was one

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on my list, but we didn't get around to watching

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it because of World Champs. So those are the

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big storylines that I pulled this week from the

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NCAA. Kentucky's looking really good. Nebraska

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is finding ways to win, even when the games are

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tight. We've got some solid play here, but those

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were the pieces that kind of stood out this week.

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All right, let's move on to the meat of the episode

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here in World Championships. We got to spend

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some time here because it was just so good. I'm

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telling you, if you didn't watch the semis and

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the finals and the bronze medal games and the

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gold. Just everything. It's the volleyball in

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the last four matches was unparalleled. You want

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to see what the best volleyball in the world

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looks like and where you need to be? Watch those

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matches. It was unbelievable. This was some of

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the best volleyball I've seen. Period. In recent

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memory. Yeah. So we're going to break down the

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semis, bronze and gold. Wow. Okay. Semi -final

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one, we had Turkey versus Japan. What were your

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big takeaways from that match? I was honestly

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a little disappointed in Japan. I didn't think

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that they applied the service pressure they needed

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to. I didn't think they were aggressive enough.

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And I thought that Karakurt showed up. She definitely

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started the game trying to bang angle, like sharp

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angle consistently, and Japan dialed it in. You

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could tell that Santorelli told her to stop hitting

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angle because then from that point forward, it

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was like, okay, I'm only going to hit line and

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like throw in some tips. It was very clear that

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she was told what to do, but she was playing

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well. So her attitude was very good. I will say

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that. the semifinals forward was the best I had

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seen Turkey play all summer. They also played

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well against the US. I thought their quarters

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semis and finals were good. I thought that while

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Karriker played well in the quarters, Vargas

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stepped up in the semis against Japan. She was

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just hitting the ball so hard. She was scoring

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at will. She went 26 for 40, hitting 550 on the

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night. Like they set her the ball and she could

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just score. It was... awesome to watch. But I

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will say, and we can continue to talk about this,

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but I think the MVP for Turkiye of Worlds was

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Erdem. I'm not sure I would say that she was

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the MVP. I think Vargas was for sure the MVP,

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but I think that she was the biggest difference

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maker. And we saw the difference when Erdem was

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on the court in Worlds versus the dumpster fire

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of VNO. Well, and that's why I say that she's

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the MVP for that team. Because she may not have

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the numbers, but she was a steadying force. And

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she brought all the pieces together. And she

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played really well. She runs off of one foot

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so incredibly well. She's almost unstoppable.

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They needed that piece from the middle. Because

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Karakurt is up and down. You don't really know

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what you're going to get. Gunnish, while I think

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she's amazing, is a better blocker than an offensive

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threat, I think. And young, still. And so they

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needed another consistent piece. And so bringing

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Airdam in and having her in the front row when

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Vargas is in the back row balanced things so

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well, I thought. She was the missing piece for

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that team. And it also helps Karakurt score because

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the middles have to pay attention to her, which

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opens things up a little bit more for Karakurt.

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For her angle swing that she loves. Exactly.

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So I'll say it again. This was the best that

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I had seen Turquoise play all summer. It was

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good to, like, witness that in such a big moment.

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I'm not going to lie. When Japan came out and

00:13:05.179 --> 00:13:08.240
won 25 -16, I was like, oh, come on, Turkey.

00:13:08.340 --> 00:13:11.899
You've got to find something. That was embarrassing.

00:13:12.019 --> 00:13:14.580
I was definitely worried, A, about Turkey, but

00:13:14.580 --> 00:13:18.980
B, about my prediction at that point. And, you

00:13:18.980 --> 00:13:21.419
know, in fairness, WADA played really well, 19

00:13:21.419 --> 00:13:25.309
of 38, hitting 368. Ishikawa was decent that

00:13:25.309 --> 00:13:29.370
night, 17 -41, hit 219. They're just, Turquoise

00:13:29.370 --> 00:13:32.269
was firing on all cylinders. Everybody was playing

00:13:32.269 --> 00:13:35.309
pretty well. Japan just can't match up. I thought

00:13:35.309 --> 00:13:37.690
Ishikawa, like the fourth, the first three sets

00:13:37.690 --> 00:13:40.090
were blowouts. Anyway, you cut it. Yeah. The

00:13:40.090 --> 00:13:43.929
fourth set, 27 -25, that is where I thought Ishikawa

00:13:43.929 --> 00:13:48.909
was unconscious. She's cold. She got put in some...

00:13:49.129 --> 00:13:51.669
Questionable situations out of system, and she

00:13:51.669 --> 00:13:54.649
was finding ways to score on numerous match points

00:13:54.649 --> 00:13:58.129
for Turquoise. Her numbers maybe weren't outstanding

00:13:58.129 --> 00:14:01.409
in the semi, but in the fourth set down the stretch,

00:14:01.669 --> 00:14:05.350
she was amazing. And Japan was running their

00:14:05.350 --> 00:14:09.169
middle so much more. The scores in the first

00:14:09.169 --> 00:14:12.279
three sets don't really indicate how well. Both

00:14:12.279 --> 00:14:14.700
teams played because there were long rallies.

00:14:14.840 --> 00:14:17.019
There were extensions. It was back and forth.

00:14:17.220 --> 00:14:20.620
But the fourth set was great. Japan showed their

00:14:20.620 --> 00:14:22.480
hand right off the bat. They're like, we're going

00:14:22.480 --> 00:14:25.639
to tip. And you're not going to dig any of them,

00:14:25.700 --> 00:14:28.039
which is exactly what happened. They were just

00:14:28.039 --> 00:14:31.039
tipping, maneuvering the defense around the way

00:14:31.039 --> 00:14:34.620
they wanted. And Turkey was not digging a tip

00:14:34.620 --> 00:14:37.879
to save their life. It was actually insane. Of

00:14:37.879 --> 00:14:41.620
course, they figured it out. They adjusted. But

00:14:41.620 --> 00:14:44.879
that first set was painful. Well, I kept waiting

00:14:44.879 --> 00:14:47.799
for Japan to make another adjustment after that,

00:14:47.879 --> 00:14:50.720
but it didn't really happen. After the tipping

00:14:50.720 --> 00:14:53.620
stopped working, they weren't able to open the

00:14:53.620 --> 00:14:55.679
court up again and push them deep. Well, because

00:14:55.679 --> 00:14:58.919
Turkey is blocking. It was very good. Entertaining

00:14:58.919 --> 00:15:01.120
match. You know, interesting seeing Japan come

00:15:01.120 --> 00:15:04.080
out with such a specific game plan. To see Turquoise

00:15:04.080 --> 00:15:07.039
not implode after getting waxed the first set

00:15:07.039 --> 00:15:09.559
and come back and show a little grit and kind

00:15:09.559 --> 00:15:12.019
of find some consistency. Big step for them,

00:15:12.059 --> 00:15:14.279
I think. Semi -final number two, Italy versus

00:15:14.279 --> 00:15:19.019
Brazil. I am just going to say this match was

00:15:19.019 --> 00:15:23.299
my all -time favorite to watch. Go watch it if

00:15:23.299 --> 00:15:27.179
you didn't. It was unbelievable, everybody. I

00:15:27.179 --> 00:15:29.950
have a couple broad stroke. statements after

00:15:29.950 --> 00:15:32.070
watching this match that we can dive into so

00:15:32.070 --> 00:15:35.370
two things one you saw a chink in the italian

00:15:35.370 --> 00:15:38.870
armor there was a real possibility of them losing

00:15:38.870 --> 00:15:44.490
this match and they seemed human two the brazilian

00:15:44.490 --> 00:15:48.970
middles outplayed the italian middles flat out

00:15:48.970 --> 00:15:51.690
they did an amazing job especially on the block

00:15:51.690 --> 00:15:54.070
so kudos to them because there's been some discussions

00:15:54.070 --> 00:15:56.570
about that there's been some back and forth about

00:15:56.570 --> 00:16:01.590
our penchant for the italian middles third gabby's

00:16:01.590 --> 00:16:05.429
the best player in the world holy she she put

00:16:05.429 --> 00:16:08.769
that team on her back oh my goodness it's heartbreaking

00:16:08.769 --> 00:16:12.789
she was unbelievable in all facets of the game

00:16:12.789 --> 00:16:15.990
she played amazing the brazilian middles played

00:16:15.990 --> 00:16:18.389
really well and they just didn't have enough

00:16:18.389 --> 00:16:21.029
pieces to kind of step up around her and they

00:16:21.029 --> 00:16:24.870
made some bad errors at bad times i fell for

00:16:24.870 --> 00:16:30.370
her because she left it All out there. She, skill

00:16:30.370 --> 00:16:34.169
for skill, you will not find another player who

00:16:34.169 --> 00:16:37.269
is as well -rounded and as good at every skill

00:16:37.269 --> 00:16:41.629
as Gubby. I think the thing for me that really

00:16:41.629 --> 00:16:44.950
stood out is that normally when we watch Gubby

00:16:44.950 --> 00:16:47.789
play, we're seeing a lot of power tips, finesse

00:16:47.789 --> 00:16:50.070
moves, sets over some different manipulation

00:16:50.070 --> 00:16:53.129
tools to move the ball around. But she was like

00:16:53.129 --> 00:16:57.200
sheer. in this match. She was just going for

00:16:57.200 --> 00:16:58.779
it. And it's almost like she had the mindset,

00:16:58.919 --> 00:17:01.360
if I'm going down and if this team is going down,

00:17:01.460 --> 00:17:04.299
I'm going down swinging. No regrets. I'm just

00:17:04.299 --> 00:17:07.420
going for it. And she was taking rips at the

00:17:07.420 --> 00:17:09.279
ball. You didn't really see her tipping much.

00:17:09.640 --> 00:17:13.559
No finesse, fancy moves. I was really impressed

00:17:13.559 --> 00:17:17.019
to see her just be like, no, I'm going for it.

00:17:17.099 --> 00:17:19.940
The other thing for Brazil was they chased Iganu

00:17:19.940 --> 00:17:23.970
from the game early. They executed. so well you

00:17:23.970 --> 00:17:26.089
chased a ganu out of the game you did what you

00:17:26.089 --> 00:17:27.930
needed to do i thought the italian middles were

00:17:27.930 --> 00:17:29.369
better at the beginning and then the brazilian

00:17:29.369 --> 00:17:31.670
middles came on and dominated the match the blocking

00:17:31.670 --> 00:17:34.970
the brazilian blocking was very good fantastic

00:17:34.970 --> 00:17:37.950
but again and we've talked about this but it

00:17:37.950 --> 00:17:41.130
just it speaks to the experience and the depth

00:17:41.529 --> 00:17:43.970
That Italy has. Aganu gets chased from the game.

00:17:44.309 --> 00:17:47.150
Antropova comes in. Oro sprains her ankle. Their

00:17:47.150 --> 00:17:49.710
other setter comes in and does a good job. They

00:17:49.710 --> 00:17:52.730
have their left sides rotating in and out. Nervini

00:17:52.730 --> 00:17:55.849
was in. Like, nobody. Ali Cheh -DiGrati got injured

00:17:55.849 --> 00:17:58.470
in the final of VNL. Little Nervini came in.

00:17:58.609 --> 00:18:01.880
Giovannini also played a role. Well, I didn't

00:18:01.880 --> 00:18:04.539
think even before Oro got hurt, like she wasn't

00:18:04.539 --> 00:18:06.759
setting well for me. The balls were trailing

00:18:06.759 --> 00:18:09.359
off the net. The hitters weren't in great positions.

00:18:09.640 --> 00:18:12.079
Like Brazil was doing everything they could to

00:18:12.079 --> 00:18:14.539
keep them out of system and gain the advantage.

00:18:14.859 --> 00:18:18.460
And Italy is just so calm. They don't get rattled

00:18:18.460 --> 00:18:20.880
when they lose. They stay aggressive. They stick

00:18:20.880 --> 00:18:24.519
with their systems. Winning is a habit. And Italy

00:18:24.519 --> 00:18:27.990
has... that in their culture they just know how

00:18:27.990 --> 00:18:30.509
to handle all those situations and even even

00:18:30.509 --> 00:18:32.369
though they haven't played a five setter i don't

00:18:32.369 --> 00:18:36.390
think all summer i think i think against brazil

00:18:36.390 --> 00:18:38.950
in vnl early on they did they have played five

00:18:38.950 --> 00:18:41.369
setters for sure but like so i'm listening to

00:18:41.369 --> 00:18:44.410
the announcer played this bad i don't think maybe

00:18:44.410 --> 00:18:45.950
it was maybe they hadn't played a five setter

00:18:45.950 --> 00:18:47.890
in worlds but like even they come down to the

00:18:47.890 --> 00:18:51.220
wire they don't feel the pressure they they understand

00:18:51.220 --> 00:18:53.519
the assignment the moment doesn't get too big

00:18:53.519 --> 00:18:56.480
for them i thought that was just incredibly impressive

00:18:56.480 --> 00:19:01.039
just watching them function as a team when moments

00:19:01.039 --> 00:19:06.259
were tight like 30 28 15 13 i think the difference

00:19:06.259 --> 00:19:08.380
if you look at it though was that brazil made

00:19:08.380 --> 00:19:12.940
27 unforced errors and italy made 19 and a couple

00:19:12.940 --> 00:19:15.819
of brazil's unforced errors were at bad times

00:19:16.509 --> 00:19:18.670
You're talking about Italy showing their depth.

00:19:18.809 --> 00:19:21.089
For me, that wasn't the story. It's the second

00:19:21.089 --> 00:19:25.470
point you brought up of Italy remained calm and

00:19:25.470 --> 00:19:28.069
they didn't, the moment didn't become too big

00:19:28.069 --> 00:19:31.849
for them. They never seemed panicked or worried

00:19:31.849 --> 00:19:34.569
or out of their depth. You need to learn how

00:19:34.569 --> 00:19:37.759
to be a winner. Winning is a skill that you need

00:19:37.759 --> 00:19:41.200
to learn. And Italy has done that. And so they

00:19:41.200 --> 00:19:43.700
just stayed the course. They trusted the process.

00:19:43.799 --> 00:19:46.000
They took it one point at a time. And honestly,

00:19:46.160 --> 00:19:48.859
this game, this was the worst that I have seen

00:19:48.859 --> 00:19:51.359
Italy play all summer. They did not look good.

00:19:51.400 --> 00:19:54.390
I didn't think Oro was setting. as well as I

00:19:54.390 --> 00:19:56.630
have seen, as we have seen her come to expect

00:19:56.630 --> 00:19:59.329
from her. Like you said, the middles weren't

00:19:59.329 --> 00:20:01.789
firing. Both right sides were not nearly as good

00:20:01.789 --> 00:20:04.930
as we're used to. That they were able to just

00:20:04.930 --> 00:20:07.970
maintain that confidence. Well, if you look at

00:20:07.970 --> 00:20:10.829
the stats for the match, you would say Brazil

00:20:10.829 --> 00:20:14.559
won. They out -blocked them 22 -15. If you look

00:20:14.559 --> 00:20:17.839
at the top four hitters for Italy, Antropova

00:20:17.839 --> 00:20:23.259
hit 169, Silla hit 224, Iganu hit 114, Nervini

00:20:23.259 --> 00:20:27.240
hit 040. And then if you look at Brazil, Gabi

00:20:27.240 --> 00:20:31.799
had 63 swings, swung over 300. Rosa Maria, who's

00:20:31.799 --> 00:20:34.720
sometimes been a wild card, hit over 300. They

00:20:34.720 --> 00:20:37.420
set their middle 23 times. Brazil did everything

00:20:37.420 --> 00:20:40.220
right, and they still couldn't squeak it out

00:20:40.220 --> 00:20:43.779
at the end. Italy made plays down the stretch

00:20:43.779 --> 00:20:46.160
when it mattered. Even though none of the Italian

00:20:46.160 --> 00:20:49.660
players were playing their best, they still have

00:20:49.660 --> 00:20:55.599
all those options available. Brazil was so dependent

00:20:55.599 --> 00:21:00.519
on Gabi to be their offensive weapon. They just

00:21:00.519 --> 00:21:03.880
needed one more piece. Down the stretch, they

00:21:03.880 --> 00:21:07.180
had to keep feeding Gabi every single ball. And

00:21:07.180 --> 00:21:10.480
it's like... Yeah, she is that good. Give her

00:21:10.480 --> 00:21:13.640
the ball. But if you had, and like Rosa Maria's

00:21:13.640 --> 00:21:15.779
numbers, as you said, weren't bad. They were

00:21:15.779 --> 00:21:18.559
actually quite good. She's not that piece that

00:21:18.559 --> 00:21:20.960
you can depend on. Do you know what I mean? And

00:21:20.960 --> 00:21:23.640
I think if Ana Cristina was not injured, Brazil

00:21:23.640 --> 00:21:26.319
would have won that match hands down. I agree.

00:21:26.420 --> 00:21:30.059
It's tough when you know Brazil needs to score.

00:21:30.099 --> 00:21:33.400
The ball is going to Gabi. And you can put a

00:21:33.400 --> 00:21:35.279
solid block on it and you can play defense around

00:21:35.279 --> 00:21:37.750
it. For Italy, it's like, well, they still could

00:21:37.750 --> 00:21:39.970
run Silla and they still could go to the right

00:21:39.970 --> 00:21:43.190
side. And so you can't get set up quite as well.

00:21:43.309 --> 00:21:45.250
It makes a difference down the stretch when you

00:21:45.250 --> 00:21:47.589
know what's coming. Well, and the thing is, is

00:21:47.589 --> 00:21:50.269
like you saw, Roberta knew that she needed to

00:21:50.269 --> 00:21:52.990
get Gabi the ball. But we haven't seen a situation

00:21:52.990 --> 00:21:56.450
where Gabi has been relied upon so, so heavily

00:21:56.450 --> 00:21:58.690
all summer. So there were a couple transition

00:21:58.690 --> 00:22:01.009
plays where Roberta tried to find Gabi like in

00:22:01.009 --> 00:22:02.769
the back row on the pipe. And it wasn't the right

00:22:02.769 --> 00:22:05.279
set. Well, no, Gabi just wasn't ready for it

00:22:05.279 --> 00:22:09.200
because she hasn't had to be used on repeat so

00:22:09.200 --> 00:22:13.900
much. But you did see that same thing happen

00:22:13.900 --> 00:22:16.099
in the bronze, which we can talk about later,

00:22:16.180 --> 00:22:19.319
and Gabi was ready. And it was a completely different

00:22:19.319 --> 00:22:22.180
story of how effective she was. She was very

00:22:22.180 --> 00:22:25.240
effective in the semi, but she was prepared to

00:22:25.240 --> 00:22:28.200
be used like that in that game. And so I think,

00:22:28.359 --> 00:22:31.779
I mean, Gabi did amazing. I think in a couple

00:22:31.779 --> 00:22:35.799
instances, had she been prepared to get, like,

00:22:35.859 --> 00:22:38.779
the weird transition pipe set, would it have

00:22:38.779 --> 00:22:40.380
been a different story? I don't know. I mean,

00:22:40.380 --> 00:22:41.619
they lost by two points. Yeah, we're talking

00:22:41.619 --> 00:22:45.200
about, yeah. Yeah, and you, like, you just see

00:22:45.200 --> 00:22:49.400
at 13 -13, Bergman doesn't overpass. Those things

00:22:49.400 --> 00:22:52.740
just, ugh. And Huberto missed a serve. Missed

00:22:52.740 --> 00:22:54.960
a serve at 11 -11. Yeah. So it's, like, those

00:22:54.960 --> 00:22:57.480
little execution pieces down the stretch is the

00:22:57.480 --> 00:22:59.099
difference between winning and losing, and Italy

00:22:59.099 --> 00:23:02.289
doesn't make those mistakes. But that match was...

00:23:02.289 --> 00:23:04.049
Match of the century, match of the summer. Oh

00:23:04.049 --> 00:23:07.730
my gosh, you guys. I can't. We're talking about

00:23:07.730 --> 00:23:09.869
it. We can't do it justice. Go check it out.

00:23:10.089 --> 00:23:13.150
All right, the bronze medal saw Japan versus

00:23:13.150 --> 00:23:16.230
Brazil. Brazil took home bronze, winning in five,

00:23:16.289 --> 00:23:20.670
which, wow, didn't expect that to go five sets

00:23:20.670 --> 00:23:25.349
after seeing the first two. What a strange and

00:23:25.349 --> 00:23:29.390
entertaining... It was very weird. So Brazil

00:23:29.390 --> 00:23:33.329
comes out on fire. And if you didn't get to see

00:23:33.329 --> 00:23:36.289
it, watch Gabi's post game after they lost to

00:23:36.289 --> 00:23:39.329
Italy. It's inspiring. Oh my gosh, yes. How did

00:23:39.329 --> 00:23:42.009
we not even mention that? Oh, I'm obsessed. So

00:23:42.009 --> 00:23:45.029
they lose this heartbreaker. And there's nothing

00:23:45.029 --> 00:23:46.890
worse as an athlete than having to do an interview

00:23:46.890 --> 00:23:48.809
after losing a match like that. You want to tell

00:23:48.809 --> 00:23:51.869
everyone to just... Nothing worse. Yeah. She

00:23:51.869 --> 00:23:54.710
comes out with so much class. She takes responsibility.

00:23:55.599 --> 00:23:58.220
for the loss which is ludicrous because she was

00:23:58.220 --> 00:24:02.019
so good and just says hey we need to bring home

00:24:02.019 --> 00:24:04.119
this bronze medal to our country in brazil it

00:24:04.119 --> 00:24:06.740
was and she was like i needed to do more for

00:24:06.740 --> 00:24:09.859
our team i'm like oh my gosh like i matter so

00:24:09.859 --> 00:24:13.440
much respect for that but as a viewer it was

00:24:13.440 --> 00:24:15.960
like no you literally put the team on your back

00:24:15.960 --> 00:24:18.240
you did everything you possibly could have but

00:24:18.240 --> 00:24:28.869
like the just speaks volumes as to the type of

00:24:28.869 --> 00:24:32.789
leader and teammate she is and just come no responsibility

00:24:32.789 --> 00:24:36.390
or shade thrown on anybody she's like my team

00:24:36.390 --> 00:24:39.650
played so well i needed to be better so she does

00:24:39.650 --> 00:24:41.589
that after a heartbreaking loss and then she

00:24:41.589 --> 00:24:45.910
comes out and she is the same player in the bronze

00:24:45.910 --> 00:24:49.759
medal match and i can't tell you how hard it

00:24:49.759 --> 00:24:52.460
is to do that yeah to show up in that match with

00:24:52.460 --> 00:24:55.180
the same level of intensity and execution after

00:24:55.180 --> 00:24:58.819
going five sets and losing a heartbreaker because

00:24:58.819 --> 00:25:01.200
whoever won that match was probably going to

00:25:01.200 --> 00:25:03.059
win worlds and they both knew it that was the

00:25:03.059 --> 00:25:06.880
gold medal match yeah and brazil comes out and

00:25:06.880 --> 00:25:10.740
rolls japan like it's not even fun to watch 25

00:25:10.740 --> 00:25:15.200
12 25 17 you're like man like japan's just outclassed

00:25:15.200 --> 00:25:18.690
at this point yeah Surprise. To Japan's credit,

00:25:18.869 --> 00:25:20.670
and we shouldn't have been surprised because

00:25:20.670 --> 00:25:23.269
this is their MO, they do not give up and they

00:25:23.269 --> 00:25:27.609
do not let you off the hook. And they fight back

00:25:27.609 --> 00:25:33.210
and they win the next two sets, 25 -19, 29 -27,

00:25:33.430 --> 00:25:38.089
and then lose in the fifth set, 18 -16. And the

00:25:38.089 --> 00:25:42.950
crazy thing for me is that Wada and Ishikawa

00:25:42.950 --> 00:25:46.849
didn't even play very well. It was Yoshino, baby.

00:25:47.549 --> 00:25:56.650
Yoshino went 29 for 56 and hit 350. She was unbelievable.

00:25:57.710 --> 00:26:00.230
It was really highlighted to me in the fourth

00:26:00.230 --> 00:26:02.990
set. The fourth set, as Adam said, was 29 -27.

00:26:03.730 --> 00:26:07.009
It literally was just like a slugfest between

00:26:07.009 --> 00:26:09.950
Gabi and Yoshino. Those two players were the

00:26:09.950 --> 00:26:11.769
only ones being set, and they were just like,

00:26:11.809 --> 00:26:15.019
kill. Kill right back. Kill. Kill right back.

00:26:15.039 --> 00:26:19.039
And it was just, it's so interesting because

00:26:19.039 --> 00:26:21.259
you usually see that between like right sides.

00:26:21.700 --> 00:26:26.619
To see it between two, you know, smaller statured

00:26:26.619 --> 00:26:32.359
left sides. I loved it. Okay. These girls were

00:26:32.359 --> 00:26:36.839
skying and just unloading on balls like ice in

00:26:36.839 --> 00:26:40.690
their veins. It was outstanding. Yeah, it was

00:26:40.690 --> 00:26:43.589
really fun to watch. So it was cool to see. She

00:26:43.589 --> 00:26:45.309
doesn't get enough credit, I don't think, in

00:26:45.309 --> 00:26:48.670
general. And she pushed really well. Again, Gabi

00:26:48.670 --> 00:26:53.890
was unbelievable. 33 of 63, hitting 460. Bergman

00:26:53.890 --> 00:26:57.730
actually played really well. Hit 345. The middles

00:26:57.730 --> 00:27:01.289
were engaged. 17 sets, 10 kills. They blocked

00:27:01.289 --> 00:27:04.109
well. They blocked so well. Japan actually made

00:27:04.109 --> 00:27:07.329
a ton of team errors, which is a little uncharacteristic

00:27:07.329 --> 00:27:10.609
for them. Again, mostly in the first two sets.

00:27:10.630 --> 00:27:13.750
It kind of skewed the stats. But it turned out

00:27:13.750 --> 00:27:16.650
to be a really close game after the first two

00:27:16.650 --> 00:27:19.569
sets. And it was heartbreaking that there had

00:27:19.569 --> 00:27:22.789
to be a loser. Yeah, that's true. Because it

00:27:22.789 --> 00:27:26.430
was just so hard fought. And you could just see

00:27:26.430 --> 00:27:31.309
how much each side wanted that win. And yeah,

00:27:31.450 --> 00:27:33.869
it was a good match as well. The end of the fifth

00:27:33.869 --> 00:27:36.769
set, though, too. Like, you just are watching.

00:27:37.680 --> 00:27:40.519
And it's like, who's going to crack? You know

00:27:40.519 --> 00:27:43.220
what I mean? When the teams are playing at a

00:27:43.220 --> 00:27:45.700
high level and it's just the side -out game,

00:27:45.900 --> 00:27:48.680
this is going to end at some point and somebody

00:27:48.680 --> 00:27:51.279
is going to crack. And you're just heartbroken

00:27:51.279 --> 00:27:53.960
when it happens. The last thing I wanted to say

00:27:53.960 --> 00:27:55.339
about this game, which I thought was interesting,

00:27:55.440 --> 00:27:59.819
was Brazil did to Japan at the end in terms of

00:27:59.819 --> 00:28:03.500
executing in those big moments that Italy did

00:28:03.500 --> 00:28:06.920
to them. in the semis and so it's always interesting

00:28:06.920 --> 00:28:10.000
to see you know how did how do you learn from

00:28:10.000 --> 00:28:12.119
your experiences how do you learn from your heartbreak

00:28:12.119 --> 00:28:15.480
as a team as an individual player and to see

00:28:15.480 --> 00:28:17.680
them execute and to stay aggressive and to make

00:28:17.680 --> 00:28:19.299
the plays that they didn't necessarily make in

00:28:19.299 --> 00:28:21.460
the semis and again we're talking about two or

00:28:21.460 --> 00:28:24.500
three plays down the stretch it was it was cool

00:28:24.500 --> 00:28:27.700
to see them respond in a positive way in that

00:28:27.700 --> 00:28:30.559
regard I need to say it again I need to give

00:28:30.559 --> 00:28:35.119
the Brazilian blocking credit wow Gianna Julia

00:28:35.119 --> 00:28:39.460
got B blocked really well. It was outstanding.

00:28:39.579 --> 00:28:44.019
And Japan kept running the middle again. I am

00:28:44.019 --> 00:28:46.180
usually very critical and have a lot to say,

00:28:46.279 --> 00:28:49.119
but these matches were such a high level that

00:28:49.119 --> 00:28:53.380
I... You're talking about tiny fractional touches,

00:28:53.640 --> 00:28:57.660
misses by... The level was just incredible. All

00:28:57.660 --> 00:29:02.869
right, the final saw Italy versus Turkey. Shocker.

00:29:02.869 --> 00:29:05.990
Another five setter. Closer than I thought it

00:29:05.990 --> 00:29:08.269
was going to be, to be honest. Agreed. After

00:29:08.269 --> 00:29:11.269
seeing Italy in the semi, I was like, okay, that

00:29:11.269 --> 00:29:12.990
is the worst I've seen them play all summer.

00:29:13.049 --> 00:29:15.309
Like, it's not going to happen again. I think

00:29:15.309 --> 00:29:17.670
it happened again. I don't think Italy played

00:29:17.670 --> 00:29:21.190
well in the semis or the final. Agreed. Turkey

00:29:21.190 --> 00:29:23.930
continued where they left off, I thought, in

00:29:23.930 --> 00:29:27.890
the semi. They were very good. Vargas in particular.

00:29:29.410 --> 00:29:33.160
Outstanding. This girl. Could not be stopped.

00:29:33.539 --> 00:29:37.900
Okay. And Erdem again. Erdem was, she went 15

00:29:37.900 --> 00:29:42.099
for 21 and hit 619. That's insane. And she blocked

00:29:42.099 --> 00:29:46.720
well. And their middles had 36 sets and got 20

00:29:46.720 --> 00:29:49.759
kills. Again, you kind of, you look at the numbers

00:29:49.759 --> 00:29:52.859
and you think Turkey should have won. Vargas

00:29:52.859 --> 00:29:56.240
was better than Iganu. Oh, yeah. I thought their

00:29:56.240 --> 00:29:59.700
middles, again, were better than Italy's middles.

00:29:59.940 --> 00:30:03.940
Serrafar offensively in these matches was not

00:30:03.940 --> 00:30:07.400
good. I think Danese did better offensively than

00:30:07.400 --> 00:30:09.920
Farr did. Well, in this match, the middles combined

00:30:09.920 --> 00:30:12.880
for Italy got 23 sets and only had six kills

00:30:12.880 --> 00:30:15.960
between the two of them. It wasn't great. I didn't

00:30:15.960 --> 00:30:19.599
think Oro was great either. No. The thing that

00:30:19.599 --> 00:30:22.119
sets Italy apart, and we talked about them not

00:30:22.119 --> 00:30:25.079
playing well in either match, is their individual

00:30:25.079 --> 00:30:28.299
defensive IQ, I think. And the way that they

00:30:28.299 --> 00:30:32.740
are able to move around the court. as a unit

00:30:32.740 --> 00:30:36.259
based on what each individual team member is

00:30:36.259 --> 00:30:38.940
reading and reacting to the way that they are

00:30:38.940 --> 00:30:42.339
able to see that and fill in the gaps around

00:30:42.339 --> 00:30:45.140
world class do you know what they remind me of

00:30:45.140 --> 00:30:47.059
do you know those flocks of birds that are just

00:30:47.059 --> 00:30:49.180
always the starlings the starlings where they

00:30:49.180 --> 00:30:52.299
you know one goes and they all of starlings if

00:30:52.299 --> 00:30:56.059
you're into birds it's poetry on the court the

00:30:56.059 --> 00:30:58.619
situation changes and yes there's a game plan

00:30:58.619 --> 00:31:00.440
and yes they're prepared but they understand

00:31:01.259 --> 00:31:03.559
how to make adjustments when things break down.

00:31:03.660 --> 00:31:06.700
It's not just I'm following the rules. It's we're

00:31:06.700 --> 00:31:08.720
playing within a system and then my experience

00:31:08.720 --> 00:31:12.779
allows me to make decisions on my own. It's really

00:31:12.779 --> 00:31:15.400
impressive to watch. Case in point, Oro defending

00:31:15.400 --> 00:31:17.940
down the line in the back row. She's down the

00:31:17.940 --> 00:31:21.339
line, but the way that she's able to read down

00:31:21.339 --> 00:31:24.349
the line, see, you know... If a ball is getting

00:31:24.349 --> 00:31:26.690
tight, a player's tip, how they want to use the

00:31:26.690 --> 00:31:29.309
block and then slide under like that. But then

00:31:29.309 --> 00:31:32.589
having six back, identify her movement and kind

00:31:32.589 --> 00:31:35.470
of shade over in case the ball is stroked down

00:31:35.470 --> 00:31:39.009
the line is incredible. Scylla playing in six.

00:31:39.569 --> 00:31:43.190
She's playing deep. They're reading. As a six

00:31:43.190 --> 00:31:45.470
back defender, you typically do shift into the

00:31:45.470 --> 00:31:47.630
seam. But the way that she was able to shift

00:31:47.630 --> 00:31:50.890
and pick up balls down the line that were completely

00:31:50.890 --> 00:31:55.220
read by her. Because she's reading, right? Block

00:31:55.220 --> 00:31:57.759
is closed. Block is not closed. Set is here.

00:31:57.880 --> 00:31:59.619
Hitter's doing this. I'm going to shift a little

00:31:59.619 --> 00:32:02.680
more. My priority shift in play. The amount of

00:32:02.680 --> 00:32:05.380
processing that happens for them as the rally's

00:32:05.380 --> 00:32:07.740
going on. Again, like you said, the impressive

00:32:07.740 --> 00:32:09.940
thing, it's on an individual level, and then

00:32:09.940 --> 00:32:12.039
it's also within the team system. They've played

00:32:12.039 --> 00:32:16.819
together so long that they are able to maneuver

00:32:16.819 --> 00:32:20.329
around the court as a unit. I would encourage

00:32:20.329 --> 00:32:22.289
you if you're a huge volleyball fan or a coach

00:32:22.289 --> 00:32:25.789
to not watch the ball. They'll do this view of

00:32:25.789 --> 00:32:27.829
the back of the court where you can see everybody

00:32:27.829 --> 00:32:30.150
moving. Don't watch the ball. Watch the players

00:32:30.150 --> 00:32:32.910
on the court and how they adjust in those situations.

00:32:33.109 --> 00:32:35.990
It's unbelievable. So I think that that is a

00:32:35.990 --> 00:32:38.990
huge difference. What we spoke before about,

00:32:39.210 --> 00:32:42.849
you know, winning is a skill. They have that,

00:32:42.970 --> 00:32:45.690
blah, blah, blah. But I think, you know, their

00:32:45.690 --> 00:32:48.750
first ball side out wasn't great. Their attackers

00:32:48.750 --> 00:32:51.670
were having some issues. You know, Oro wasn't

00:32:51.670 --> 00:32:54.750
at her best from a location perspective, but

00:32:54.750 --> 00:32:59.029
they keep the ball alive with their block defense

00:32:59.029 --> 00:33:01.769
and what we just talked about. And secondly,

00:33:01.930 --> 00:33:04.849
they are always able to get a swing on the ball

00:33:04.849 --> 00:33:06.869
in transition because every single player on

00:33:06.869 --> 00:33:11.730
the court, middles, left sides, the libero, obviously,

00:33:11.789 --> 00:33:15.920
they set. so well out of system so they just

00:33:15.920 --> 00:33:20.259
keep coming at you and so i think that while

00:33:20.259 --> 00:33:23.640
they weren't great that is kind of what set them

00:33:23.640 --> 00:33:26.380
apart you say that and there was a couple situations

00:33:26.380 --> 00:33:30.200
in late in the matches and sets where turkey

00:33:30.200 --> 00:33:32.359
would get a dig and then the set would be tight

00:33:32.359 --> 00:33:34.940
you know not from a setter not from a libero

00:33:34.940 --> 00:33:37.180
you know sets tight sets off the net they have

00:33:37.180 --> 00:33:39.720
to volley the ball over you watch denise a set

00:33:39.720 --> 00:33:42.859
she could be a setter Her location is on point.

00:33:42.960 --> 00:33:46.359
Bump set, hand set. And not only that, as a team,

00:33:46.380 --> 00:33:48.859
they understand who to set in what rallies, in

00:33:48.859 --> 00:33:50.960
what situations, so you get the best attack.

00:33:51.140 --> 00:33:54.400
Teams need to mimic that. And the thing is, they

00:33:54.400 --> 00:33:58.259
were patient. Melissa Vargas was scoring almost

00:33:58.259 --> 00:34:00.460
at will. If you see the beginning of the match,

00:34:01.000 --> 00:34:04.900
Italy was leaving a little bit of line, because

00:34:04.900 --> 00:34:07.500
obviously, if you're Italy, you want to funnel

00:34:07.500 --> 00:34:11.639
the attacks to Monica De Gennaro. The best libero

00:34:11.639 --> 00:34:12.820
there is. The best libero in the world. Okay.

00:34:13.460 --> 00:34:16.780
Dejanaro was not having success digging down

00:34:16.780 --> 00:34:21.179
the line against Vargas. She was just scoring

00:34:21.179 --> 00:34:23.460
at will down the line. She hits a heavy ball.

00:34:23.780 --> 00:34:26.340
They stuck with it. A lot of coaches, and even

00:34:26.340 --> 00:34:28.500
I was thinking at one point, like, okay, let's

00:34:28.500 --> 00:34:30.739
shut down the line. Like, they should just make

00:34:30.739 --> 00:34:33.380
her go somewhere else. But they stuck with it.

00:34:33.420 --> 00:34:36.380
They stayed patient. And when it mattered. She

00:34:36.380 --> 00:34:39.380
got those digs, which I think is also a skill,

00:34:39.440 --> 00:34:43.000
is being able to be okay giving up points to

00:34:43.000 --> 00:34:45.679
a certain extent and trusting that you will get

00:34:45.679 --> 00:34:49.300
there when it matters. I just want to say Vargas

00:34:49.300 --> 00:34:51.960
had two of the most dirty serves I've ever seen

00:34:51.960 --> 00:34:55.380
in this match. She was lined up in one, and it

00:34:55.380 --> 00:34:58.079
looked like she was going to rip the ball back

00:34:58.079 --> 00:35:01.980
across the 6 -1 seam, and she just dropped her

00:35:01.980 --> 00:35:06.769
thumb and hit the five sideline. It was nasty.

00:35:07.769 --> 00:35:11.690
She was so good. There were many things I loved

00:35:11.690 --> 00:35:15.449
about her. She, as a right -handed right side,

00:35:15.570 --> 00:35:17.929
some of those out -of -system sets that she has

00:35:17.929 --> 00:35:21.269
to hit are very difficult. Not the best. Okay,

00:35:21.369 --> 00:35:23.309
the ball's crossing your body, you're losing

00:35:23.309 --> 00:35:25.269
sight of the court, you're losing sight of the

00:35:25.269 --> 00:35:30.130
defensive system, whatever. She was getting sent

00:35:30.130 --> 00:35:33.210
balls to the ceiling all over the place, but

00:35:33.210 --> 00:35:37.619
her... Feet to ball and the way that she was

00:35:37.619 --> 00:35:41.380
able to still be aggressive and make great swings,

00:35:41.619 --> 00:35:44.539
even if they missed by a little bit, great swings.

00:35:44.940 --> 00:35:48.519
I was like, this is what I mean when I say a

00:35:48.519 --> 00:35:50.579
right side needs to be able to hit out of system.

00:35:50.719 --> 00:35:53.579
Go watch this final and watch Melissa Vargas

00:35:53.579 --> 00:35:56.000
hit these out of system balls. That is what a

00:35:56.000 --> 00:35:58.719
right side needs to be able to do. Outstanding.

00:35:58.900 --> 00:36:01.440
Well, I watched Gabi play in the semi against

00:36:01.440 --> 00:36:03.000
Italy, and I thought Gabi is the best player

00:36:03.000 --> 00:36:05.059
in the world. And then I watched Vargas play

00:36:05.059 --> 00:36:07.900
Italy in the final. And I was like, man, if Vargas

00:36:07.900 --> 00:36:09.460
could pass, she'd be the best player in the world.

00:36:09.579 --> 00:36:12.079
Like if she was doing all of the other skills

00:36:12.079 --> 00:36:14.400
because of the way she attacked the ball was

00:36:14.400 --> 00:36:17.500
just incredible. Italy fended off two of the

00:36:17.500 --> 00:36:19.760
best individual performances I think I've seen

00:36:19.760 --> 00:36:23.400
in a long time. It was wild. And then the thing

00:36:23.400 --> 00:36:26.579
I was so impressed with Italy. So Turkey, Italy

00:36:26.579 --> 00:36:30.719
ended up out blocking Turkey 14 to 10. But to

00:36:30.719 --> 00:36:35.199
end the fifth set. I believe that Italy got four

00:36:35.199 --> 00:36:39.300
or five blocks in a row. And this is game planning.

00:36:39.880 --> 00:36:42.739
They knew exactly where the ball was going to

00:36:42.739 --> 00:36:44.840
go. They read the flow of the game. Ball goes

00:36:44.840 --> 00:36:47.500
here, two blockers, solid. Oh, they're going

00:36:47.500 --> 00:36:50.780
to run the middle. They knew where the last five

00:36:50.780 --> 00:36:52.400
balls were going to go, and they shut it down,

00:36:52.500 --> 00:36:54.440
game over, where the best were prepared, done.

00:36:54.679 --> 00:36:57.800
But that is like the beauty and the poetry of

00:36:57.800 --> 00:37:01.239
sport for me. particularly volleyball, is we

00:37:01.239 --> 00:37:03.579
talk about adjustments all the time, but it's

00:37:03.579 --> 00:37:07.199
also about compiling information during the play

00:37:07.199 --> 00:37:10.320
and not necessarily exploiting that information

00:37:10.320 --> 00:37:12.719
you're gathering right away, but using it when

00:37:12.719 --> 00:37:15.340
it matters. As we talked about with Moki Dagenaro

00:37:15.340 --> 00:37:19.159
digging down the line or not early on, that Italy

00:37:19.159 --> 00:37:23.000
was compiling information and data then. They

00:37:23.000 --> 00:37:26.480
were seeing the flow and hitting angles and what

00:37:26.480 --> 00:37:29.219
was available throughout the match. And at the

00:37:29.219 --> 00:37:32.639
end of sets, and we saw it at the end of set

00:37:32.639 --> 00:37:35.320
five, five blocks in a row, that's not a coincidence.

00:37:35.380 --> 00:37:37.079
It doesn't happen by accident. That doesn't happen

00:37:37.079 --> 00:37:40.219
by accident. This is what is happening. And I

00:37:40.219 --> 00:37:43.920
understand Turkey was setting Vargas a lot. But

00:37:43.920 --> 00:37:45.179
they blocked the left side. They blocked the

00:37:45.179 --> 00:37:47.420
middle. You could just see they knew exactly

00:37:47.420 --> 00:37:49.599
what was going to happen in the last five plays

00:37:49.599 --> 00:37:51.460
of the match. And they were ready for it. What

00:37:51.460 --> 00:37:54.260
a weekend of volleyball. So huge congrats to

00:37:54.260 --> 00:37:58.119
Italy. World champions. They have completed the

00:37:58.119 --> 00:38:02.860
trifecta. VNL champs, Olympic champs, world champs.

00:38:03.179 --> 00:38:07.800
They have now won 36 matches in a row. And they're

00:38:07.800 --> 00:38:11.239
the first women's team to simultaneously hold

00:38:11.239 --> 00:38:14.519
Olympic and world championship titles since Cuba

00:38:14.519 --> 00:38:18.079
did it in 2002. They're good. Dynasty, baby.

00:38:18.340 --> 00:38:22.219
Okay, I love it. I think it's incredible. That

00:38:22.219 --> 00:38:25.800
is so hard to do. They have all three titles

00:38:25.800 --> 00:38:29.659
to their name at the same time. I love to see

00:38:29.659 --> 00:38:32.059
it. There are people who cheer for the underdog.

00:38:32.239 --> 00:38:35.739
I am not that. I always want the better team

00:38:35.739 --> 00:38:39.079
to win. The excellence is impressive. The consistent

00:38:39.079 --> 00:38:42.480
excellence is impressive. So shockingly, they

00:38:42.480 --> 00:38:45.000
got the dream team out before we recorded. So

00:38:45.000 --> 00:38:47.380
here we go. I'm glad I listened to the feedback.

00:38:48.000 --> 00:38:49.940
They totally listened to us, and that's why they

00:38:49.940 --> 00:38:52.900
posted it. World Championship best setter and

00:38:52.900 --> 00:38:57.000
MVP was Alessia Oro. Best opposite, Melissa Vargas.

00:38:57.239 --> 00:39:01.480
The best outsides were Ishikawa and Gabi. Best

00:39:01.480 --> 00:39:04.659
middles, Danese and Erdem. And the best libero,

00:39:04.659 --> 00:39:09.739
Dagenaro. Any thoughts? I think I would put one

00:39:09.739 --> 00:39:12.480
of the Brazilian middles in for Danese. I was

00:39:12.480 --> 00:39:14.480
thinking one of the Brazilian middles should

00:39:14.480 --> 00:39:18.449
definitely be there. Erdem. Absolutely. I think

00:39:18.449 --> 00:39:20.650
just the impact she had on the team and how well

00:39:20.650 --> 00:39:22.989
she played down the stretch. The Italian middles,

00:39:23.070 --> 00:39:27.369
Deneze and Farr, are both consistent and they're

00:39:27.369 --> 00:39:31.010
good, but I didn't think they were great. I feel

00:39:31.010 --> 00:39:33.289
like in this, they needed to give another one

00:39:33.289 --> 00:39:36.849
to Italy because they won. Fine. Give whoever

00:39:36.849 --> 00:39:39.110
you want. I think the Brazilian middles were

00:39:39.110 --> 00:39:43.019
better than the Italian middles. So I'm not sure

00:39:43.019 --> 00:39:45.119
which one I would give it to because I thought

00:39:45.119 --> 00:39:46.800
they were both good. They were both very good.

00:39:46.900 --> 00:39:50.000
But that's the one, I think that's a gimme because

00:39:50.000 --> 00:39:53.239
they won. I think they gave it to Denise 100%.

00:39:53.239 --> 00:39:55.519
Yeah, because they won. I don't have issues with

00:39:55.519 --> 00:39:57.920
any of the other picks. No. I don't think the

00:39:57.920 --> 00:40:01.380
outsides for any team stood out except Gubby.

00:40:01.679 --> 00:40:05.000
And yeah, Ishikawa. I mean, you could make an

00:40:05.000 --> 00:40:07.280
argument for Yoshino from the bronze, but Ishikawa

00:40:07.280 --> 00:40:11.420
was consistently better. Again, I don't think

00:40:11.420 --> 00:40:14.079
Alessia Oro set particularly well. But I don't

00:40:14.079 --> 00:40:15.719
know who you would, I don't know anyone else

00:40:15.719 --> 00:40:18.000
who did better than her. Yeah, exactly. So yeah,

00:40:18.059 --> 00:40:19.780
I think my only question mark would be Denise,

00:40:19.880 --> 00:40:22.960
but I think we can deduce why she was included.

00:40:23.079 --> 00:40:25.179
Sure. So before we get to listener questions,

00:40:25.280 --> 00:40:26.780
which is always our favorite segment of the show,

00:40:27.019 --> 00:40:29.579
national team, international competition is over

00:40:29.579 --> 00:40:31.739
for the year. We spent a lot of time talking

00:40:31.739 --> 00:40:33.760
about the US team, where they started. You know,

00:40:33.780 --> 00:40:36.460
where they've come, how they finished. They obviously

00:40:36.460 --> 00:40:37.840
didn't make the semifinals, so we didn't talk

00:40:37.840 --> 00:40:39.639
about them. But I would be curious, and I know

00:40:39.639 --> 00:40:42.239
our listeners would as well, as to what are your

00:40:42.239 --> 00:40:45.420
general overall thoughts of the summer for them?

00:40:45.719 --> 00:40:48.460
I think, you know, when we look at the beginning

00:40:48.460 --> 00:40:51.739
of V &L to now, they've definitely improved.

00:40:51.940 --> 00:40:56.000
I think the players that they wanted to get experience,

00:40:56.519 --> 00:40:59.099
mission accomplished. You know, should some of

00:40:59.099 --> 00:41:00.940
the veteran athletes decide to come back, that's

00:41:00.940 --> 00:41:04.170
amazing. If not, they're not heading into the

00:41:04.170 --> 00:41:08.170
run into LA with just complete newbies anymore.

00:41:08.389 --> 00:41:11.309
They do have that experience. I think, you know,

00:41:11.409 --> 00:41:15.570
Retki Agbagu, having Agbagu in the roster made

00:41:15.570 --> 00:41:18.329
a huge difference. It's like the details for

00:41:18.329 --> 00:41:22.170
me. It's the out -of -system setting from everybody.

00:41:22.630 --> 00:41:26.530
It's the decision -making from the service line

00:41:26.530 --> 00:41:29.809
at times. the block and defensive schemes at

00:41:29.809 --> 00:41:32.010
times. And is that completely on the players?

00:41:32.090 --> 00:41:37.789
100 % not. So I'm not sure what the path forward

00:41:37.789 --> 00:41:41.070
is. Do I think the players they have are going

00:41:41.070 --> 00:41:43.570
to get them a medal? Like if the roster that

00:41:43.570 --> 00:41:45.969
was playing all summer went to the Olympics,

00:41:46.210 --> 00:41:49.289
do I think they'll win a medal? No. I just don't

00:41:49.289 --> 00:41:52.570
think that that's the answer, but I did. see

00:41:52.570 --> 00:41:55.909
improvement the right side for me is still a

00:41:55.909 --> 00:41:58.250
huge question mark you're not getting the production

00:41:58.250 --> 00:42:01.349
that you need from a right side from Maddie Skinner

00:42:01.349 --> 00:42:04.949
or Samity or anybody that we saw play for them

00:42:04.949 --> 00:42:09.429
this summer the left sides you still kind of

00:42:09.429 --> 00:42:11.650
iffy on the passing front I like Avery Skinner

00:42:11.650 --> 00:42:14.469
particularly her connection with Poulter is better

00:42:14.469 --> 00:42:16.550
than everybody else's the way she runs the pipe

00:42:16.550 --> 00:42:19.969
is outstanding but it's like the detail pieces

00:42:19.969 --> 00:42:23.679
for me I feel like I'm left with more question

00:42:23.679 --> 00:42:26.340
marks now than I was at the beginning of the

00:42:26.340 --> 00:42:28.719
summer. And granted, they definitely got better.

00:42:28.920 --> 00:42:32.480
They improved as a team 100%. I thought Samedi

00:42:32.480 --> 00:42:35.760
was better than Skinner down the stretch. But

00:42:35.760 --> 00:42:39.320
Samedi's not an international caliber right side.

00:42:39.639 --> 00:42:41.840
You know, we talked about this with Brazil. If

00:42:41.840 --> 00:42:43.719
you're looking at a U .S. right side right now,

00:42:43.800 --> 00:42:46.260
they're sitting at like 10 in the world. You

00:42:46.260 --> 00:42:48.500
can rattle off a whole list of countries, including

00:42:48.500 --> 00:42:50.239
some backups, who are better than they have right

00:42:50.239 --> 00:42:53.059
now. The Czech right side is better. You know

00:42:53.059 --> 00:42:54.820
what I mean? Teams that aren't even in the conversation,

00:42:55.019 --> 00:42:56.719
their right sides are better. I don't think that

00:42:56.719 --> 00:42:58.539
went the way they expected. I think they wanted

00:42:58.539 --> 00:43:00.760
Maddie Skitter to come in and get some experience

00:43:00.760 --> 00:43:03.599
and do really well, and that didn't happen. You

00:43:03.599 --> 00:43:07.420
saw Poulter get pulled in that match. While she

00:43:07.420 --> 00:43:10.500
is connecting well with Skinner, she's not connecting

00:43:10.500 --> 00:43:14.139
well. with her other hitters. And so is she the

00:43:14.139 --> 00:43:15.900
answer at setting? Do they have to work that

00:43:15.900 --> 00:43:18.300
out as a team? You would think that piece would

00:43:18.300 --> 00:43:20.739
have gotten better over the course of the summer.

00:43:20.780 --> 00:43:22.920
We were like, she is the piece that needs to

00:43:22.920 --> 00:43:25.760
be there because she is like... So I think that

00:43:25.760 --> 00:43:28.780
was a little, not frustrating, it was a little

00:43:28.780 --> 00:43:31.300
surprising because I thought they would gel better

00:43:31.300 --> 00:43:34.960
that way. And then I thought Reki and Obagu did

00:43:34.960 --> 00:43:37.860
a better job than I thought they would this summer.

00:43:37.960 --> 00:43:39.480
I thought the middle was a strength for them.

00:43:39.579 --> 00:43:42.900
I thought Reki, was consistently probably their

00:43:42.900 --> 00:43:45.880
best player. She's a very good blocker. I liked

00:43:45.880 --> 00:43:48.159
what she did. Ogbagu blocked really well. I think

00:43:48.159 --> 00:43:49.800
there's still room for improvement for Recchi

00:43:49.800 --> 00:43:51.679
to attack better. They need to work on that.

00:43:52.039 --> 00:43:54.179
I thought Franklin did better than I expected

00:43:54.179 --> 00:43:56.440
her to do. She wasn't as much of a passing liability,

00:43:56.780 --> 00:43:59.440
so I think that was a positive for them. I have

00:43:59.440 --> 00:44:01.320
two other questions. One is, who's going to be

00:44:01.320 --> 00:44:03.320
your star? Who's going to be your go -to player

00:44:03.320 --> 00:44:06.539
when you need points? Well, it's Avery Skinner

00:44:06.539 --> 00:44:10.389
right now. Yeah, but she's not that player. When

00:44:10.389 --> 00:44:12.590
you look at the other teams who you're competing

00:44:12.590 --> 00:44:15.809
with, I don't see that on their roster right

00:44:15.809 --> 00:44:18.869
now. And they're going to need to find that piece

00:44:18.869 --> 00:44:20.849
if they want to compete. And then the other one

00:44:20.849 --> 00:44:22.789
is, what are you doing at the liberal position?

00:44:23.510 --> 00:44:26.369
You know, Hentz played better than Rodriguez.

00:44:26.869 --> 00:44:29.349
If Juan Garantes comes back and she's in good

00:44:29.349 --> 00:44:31.789
form, the job is hers, in my opinion. I think

00:44:31.789 --> 00:44:35.369
Hentz did fine, but again, I don't think long

00:44:35.369 --> 00:44:38.840
term. she's stacking up with the other good liberals.

00:44:38.940 --> 00:44:41.340
At some point, you need to find a position where

00:44:41.340 --> 00:44:43.219
you're better than most other teams if you want

00:44:43.219 --> 00:44:45.019
to medal. And I'm just not sure where that's

00:44:45.019 --> 00:44:46.699
going to come from. I think that's a fair way

00:44:46.699 --> 00:44:49.980
to put it. You're not better than anybody in

00:44:49.980 --> 00:44:53.400
any position. And probably not top three. While

00:44:53.400 --> 00:44:55.340
they did get better and they made steps forward,

00:44:55.420 --> 00:44:57.760
which is all you can ask for in a season, I think

00:44:57.760 --> 00:44:59.840
there are still a lot of question marks if your

00:44:59.840 --> 00:45:03.659
goal is a medal in LA. All right. World Championships.

00:45:04.219 --> 00:45:07.960
Very fun to watch. Lots and lots of matches.

00:45:08.139 --> 00:45:10.980
I know they started slow. The first little while

00:45:10.980 --> 00:45:14.820
starts slow. But man, did it really make up for

00:45:14.820 --> 00:45:17.139
those slow matches in the last weekend. So good.

00:45:17.280 --> 00:45:19.619
Dang. Go watch them. I know we said that like

00:45:19.619 --> 00:45:21.980
double digit times, but I'll say it once more.

00:45:22.059 --> 00:45:23.599
Go back and watch them if you didn't watch them.

00:45:23.920 --> 00:45:27.219
And again, congrats to Italy on completing the

00:45:27.219 --> 00:45:31.500
Trifecta World Champions for 2025. It is time

00:45:31.500 --> 00:45:34.900
for listener questions. Question one, what do

00:45:34.900 --> 00:45:38.599
you think of Brazil's libero Marcelli? Yeah,

00:45:38.619 --> 00:45:41.119
I think she was fine. You know, I didn't necessarily

00:45:41.119 --> 00:45:44.300
notice her in a bad way, which is always good

00:45:44.300 --> 00:45:46.920
for the libero position. She made some digs.

00:45:46.920 --> 00:45:48.739
I like her attitude on the court. I like her

00:45:48.739 --> 00:45:52.340
fire. I think that she can do a better job taking

00:45:52.340 --> 00:45:54.639
more court. This was her first summer on the

00:45:54.639 --> 00:45:57.619
national team. Yeah, and so... Again, I thought

00:45:57.619 --> 00:46:00.079
she was fine. I wasn't watching going, that's

00:46:00.079 --> 00:46:02.280
a play you should have made. Oh, you missed that

00:46:02.280 --> 00:46:06.039
one. I think as she settles in, I'd like to see

00:46:06.039 --> 00:46:08.099
her and Gabi pass a little more court and maybe

00:46:08.099 --> 00:46:10.099
push Bergman or the other left side out a little

00:46:10.099 --> 00:46:12.300
bit more. But again, first time there and doing

00:46:12.300 --> 00:46:14.260
it, you're not doing that. So I think there's

00:46:14.260 --> 00:46:16.239
room for improvement there. A little bit better

00:46:16.239 --> 00:46:19.179
control on some of her digs. But overall, I thought

00:46:19.179 --> 00:46:21.880
she wasn't a liability. Let's put it that way.

00:46:22.039 --> 00:46:24.000
Yeah, I thought she was. I thought she was pretty

00:46:24.000 --> 00:46:26.840
good. And I say this in the best way possible.

00:46:26.860 --> 00:46:30.840
She was a little thug on the court. Okay? And

00:46:30.840 --> 00:46:33.880
I love that attitude from a libero. I love her

00:46:33.880 --> 00:46:37.420
attitude. She's got that fire and that sass that

00:46:37.420 --> 00:46:40.579
you need from a libero. I think she did make

00:46:40.579 --> 00:46:43.420
some really good plays. And especially considering

00:46:43.420 --> 00:46:45.360
that this was her first summer with a national

00:46:45.360 --> 00:46:48.429
team, I think her future... is bright and like

00:46:48.429 --> 00:46:51.949
she played in huge moments and did a good job

00:46:51.949 --> 00:46:53.789
i thought i wouldn't have been able to tell it

00:46:53.789 --> 00:46:55.389
was her first summer with the national team and

00:46:55.389 --> 00:46:56.929
that's probably the biggest compliment you can

00:46:56.929 --> 00:47:00.260
give somebody Question two, why does the women's

00:47:00.260 --> 00:47:03.320
game utilize the slide while the men don't? Is

00:47:03.320 --> 00:47:05.440
it the angles a hitter can make from the back

00:47:05.440 --> 00:47:08.480
row versus from a slide? Is it the physicality

00:47:08.480 --> 00:47:11.579
of male hitters or blockers? This person said,

00:47:11.739 --> 00:47:13.380
I think a well -run slide is one of the most

00:47:13.380 --> 00:47:15.739
beautiful plays in volleyball and I enjoy seeing

00:47:15.739 --> 00:47:18.079
it run. Do you think the women are going to move

00:47:18.079 --> 00:47:20.280
away from it and begin to look more like the

00:47:20.280 --> 00:47:22.880
men's game in the future or is it a true marker

00:47:22.880 --> 00:47:27.280
of the women's game? Originally, women didn't

00:47:27.280 --> 00:47:30.920
run. as dynamic a back row ball as the men did

00:47:30.920 --> 00:47:33.380
so if you were watching the right sides for the

00:47:33.380 --> 00:47:36.340
men hit they're landing in the front row so you

00:47:36.340 --> 00:47:40.230
couldn't it became difficult to run a slide and

00:47:40.230 --> 00:47:42.909
have that right side come in and hit at the pins.

00:47:42.969 --> 00:47:45.170
The reason you're running the slide is to try

00:47:45.170 --> 00:47:47.170
and open up and make the blockers make a decision

00:47:47.170 --> 00:47:49.429
when you have a front row setter. On the men's

00:47:49.429 --> 00:47:51.750
side, you generally have a pipe and a right side

00:47:51.750 --> 00:47:54.309
option, so the blockers have to stay. You're

00:47:54.309 --> 00:47:57.489
not getting in the way. Plus, if you run in front

00:47:57.489 --> 00:47:59.929
of the setter and run the back row ball over

00:47:59.929 --> 00:48:02.530
top, that's a very attractive play, especially

00:48:02.530 --> 00:48:05.050
in the men's game. So there's not really a strategic

00:48:05.050 --> 00:48:08.840
advantage to running a slide. in terms of opening

00:48:08.840 --> 00:48:10.599
up the court on the men's side because you have

00:48:10.599 --> 00:48:12.579
those other options around the court. Yeah, I

00:48:12.579 --> 00:48:14.159
think that's part of it. And now we're seeing

00:48:14.159 --> 00:48:17.559
women run back row more. So you are seeing, and

00:48:17.559 --> 00:48:20.480
case in point, Italy doesn't really run slides

00:48:20.480 --> 00:48:24.320
at all because they've got Egonu or Antropova

00:48:24.320 --> 00:48:28.840
hitting back row on that side. Same with Turkiye.

00:48:28.880 --> 00:48:31.760
You don't see Erdem running the slide to the

00:48:31.760 --> 00:48:35.230
pin. You see her running it pretty close behind

00:48:35.230 --> 00:48:38.769
the setter because Vargas is there. So as the

00:48:38.769 --> 00:48:42.210
women are hitting back row more, you are seeing

00:48:42.210 --> 00:48:45.309
a bit of that evolution in using the slide. The

00:48:45.309 --> 00:48:47.769
other thing for me is that the slide is usually

00:48:47.769 --> 00:48:54.449
a very low to the net fast set. And I think because

00:48:54.449 --> 00:48:58.550
of the physicality of the male block historically.

00:48:59.769 --> 00:49:01.909
I mean, women are obviously much more physical

00:49:01.909 --> 00:49:05.650
now, but I think the men would just clamp it

00:49:05.650 --> 00:49:08.610
if it's like so low and fast. You know what I

00:49:08.610 --> 00:49:11.510
mean? I just think that it just plays into the

00:49:11.510 --> 00:49:14.050
block and what they want to do. And I think you

00:49:14.050 --> 00:49:16.070
still see some women who jump better off one

00:49:16.070 --> 00:49:19.510
foot than two feet. And so, you know, you look,

00:49:19.530 --> 00:49:22.469
you see some middles who don't hit, some female

00:49:22.469 --> 00:49:24.269
middles who don't hit very well in front of the

00:49:24.269 --> 00:49:26.869
setter because they just don't get off the ground.

00:49:27.500 --> 00:49:29.280
as well. And when you have that momentum and

00:49:29.280 --> 00:49:30.920
you're jumping off one foot and drifting, it

00:49:30.920 --> 00:49:33.039
allows them to be a little more offensive. So

00:49:33.039 --> 00:49:35.059
I think there's a couple of reasons there, but

00:49:35.059 --> 00:49:38.059
like you said, when you have the physical back

00:49:38.059 --> 00:49:40.079
row pieces and you're not using it to manipulate

00:49:40.079 --> 00:49:42.920
the block, you don't need it as much. Great question.

00:49:43.039 --> 00:49:45.619
Question three, how did Italy manage to do what

00:49:45.619 --> 00:49:48.119
they've done? Is it because of Velasco, their

00:49:48.119 --> 00:49:50.780
coach or a player that made a difference? Or

00:49:50.780 --> 00:49:52.860
are there any other things that should be credited

00:49:52.860 --> 00:49:56.000
for their domination right now? I honestly think

00:49:56.000 --> 00:50:00.179
this group of athletes went through it together

00:50:00.179 --> 00:50:05.039
for a very long time. They stuck it out. Some

00:50:05.039 --> 00:50:06.940
of these players have been playing on the national

00:50:06.940 --> 00:50:10.760
team together since 2015. And they were not successful.

00:50:11.199 --> 00:50:14.239
But they kept coming back. They kept building

00:50:14.239 --> 00:50:19.420
that trust, that team dynamic. And there's something

00:50:19.420 --> 00:50:23.199
to be said for sticking with a group for so long.

00:50:24.719 --> 00:50:27.300
This group of Italian athletes that you were

00:50:27.300 --> 00:50:31.179
seeing have the success right now. They started

00:50:31.179 --> 00:50:34.300
out as young national team players together,

00:50:34.500 --> 00:50:38.460
losing, not having a ton of success, and they

00:50:38.460 --> 00:50:41.940
grew together. I think Velasco obviously has

00:50:41.940 --> 00:50:44.949
had an impact. We can't deny that he's done some

00:50:44.949 --> 00:50:47.590
good things, but I think it's just the fact that

00:50:47.590 --> 00:50:50.070
this group has stuck it out together for so long.

00:50:50.210 --> 00:50:52.210
And I think the other piece to it is how good

00:50:52.210 --> 00:50:54.630
their pro league is. Like they're from such a

00:50:54.630 --> 00:50:56.469
young age, they're in a competitive environment.

00:50:56.550 --> 00:50:59.510
And it's so cool, right? They all get to go compete

00:50:59.510 --> 00:51:02.889
for their respective clubs. So you see... your

00:51:02.889 --> 00:51:04.949
friends but you're competing against them and

00:51:04.949 --> 00:51:06.530
you want to beat them and then you get to come

00:51:06.530 --> 00:51:08.369
together in the national team and try and do

00:51:08.369 --> 00:51:10.369
something great together with the best athletes

00:51:10.369 --> 00:51:14.210
but the competitive atmosphere all year long

00:51:14.210 --> 00:51:16.929
playing in that growing up in that being like

00:51:16.929 --> 00:51:18.789
you played with the nazi when she was what 16

00:51:18.789 --> 00:51:21.230
and she was playing on one of the best and still

00:51:21.230 --> 00:51:23.789
right so they're around the best players in the

00:51:23.789 --> 00:51:26.010
world from a young age they're learning how to

00:51:26.010 --> 00:51:28.849
win they're learning how to compete they're in

00:51:28.849 --> 00:51:33.000
the system that italy just does volleyball better

00:51:33.000 --> 00:51:35.019
than everybody else. Well, I think I saw that

00:51:35.019 --> 00:51:37.019
Oro's been with the national team since 2015.

00:51:37.599 --> 00:51:41.539
The little one hit her wall. She was in her car

00:51:41.539 --> 00:51:43.360
seat. So she is now, for those of you watching

00:51:43.360 --> 00:51:45.380
on YouTube, she is now sitting in my lap as we

00:51:45.380 --> 00:51:48.139
finish these last few questions. So if you notice

00:51:48.139 --> 00:51:54.280
the position change, that's why. All right, question

00:51:54.280 --> 00:51:57.139
four. Why do you think Iganu is preferred over

00:51:57.139 --> 00:52:00.679
Entropova other than... the experience she has.

00:52:00.960 --> 00:52:04.420
Will Antropova ever get a chance to start, do

00:52:04.420 --> 00:52:07.940
you think? And which one is more physical? It's

00:52:07.940 --> 00:52:11.639
a great question. For me, it has several different

00:52:11.639 --> 00:52:14.780
parts to the answer. So one is Agana's ability

00:52:14.780 --> 00:52:19.400
to elevate with very little approach is unbelievable.

00:52:20.099 --> 00:52:24.320
So she has a little bit more range than Antropova,

00:52:24.480 --> 00:52:27.760
I believe. I also think that her ceiling when

00:52:27.760 --> 00:52:30.400
she is firing on all cylinders and she cares,

00:52:30.480 --> 00:52:35.239
is incredibly high. You saw one match where she

00:52:35.239 --> 00:52:37.219
came out and she was ready to go and ready to

00:52:37.219 --> 00:52:41.159
prove that she was the best, and she was unbelievably

00:52:41.159 --> 00:52:43.980
good. The angle she can hit, her vision on the

00:52:43.980 --> 00:52:47.699
court. Honestly, I think she's better than Andropova.

00:52:48.239 --> 00:52:50.420
I also think that Antropova does a good job of

00:52:50.420 --> 00:52:52.980
coming off the bench. So you have a good one

00:52:52.980 --> 00:52:55.719
-two punch. You start Iganu, you see what you

00:52:55.719 --> 00:52:58.119
get, and you know that Antropova is going to

00:52:58.119 --> 00:53:00.340
be relatively consistent coming off and good

00:53:00.340 --> 00:53:03.739
in the double sub. So while she is okay with

00:53:03.739 --> 00:53:07.940
that roll, you use her there. We'll see. And

00:53:07.940 --> 00:53:10.460
nobody wants to be the person who doesn't start

00:53:10.460 --> 00:53:13.860
Iganu. Because if that doesn't go well, your

00:53:13.860 --> 00:53:16.800
head's on the chopping block, okay? And I personally

00:53:16.800 --> 00:53:19.599
think that Iganu is more physical, just her jumping

00:53:19.599 --> 00:53:22.599
ability, the contact point that she's hitting

00:53:22.599 --> 00:53:25.920
the ball. So a huge thank you to everybody who

00:53:25.920 --> 00:53:28.480
submitted questions. We tried to keep them a

00:53:28.480 --> 00:53:31.280
little bit on the world championship side because

00:53:31.280 --> 00:53:34.219
that was our focus for the week. So thank you

00:53:34.219 --> 00:53:37.260
again for everybody who sent them in. We've got

00:53:37.260 --> 00:53:39.659
a huge list, so keep them coming and we will

00:53:39.659 --> 00:53:43.400
get to them for sure. Looking forward to this

00:53:43.400 --> 00:53:45.679
week, men's world championships are starting

00:53:45.679 --> 00:53:48.460
this Friday. As we spoke about on the women's

00:53:48.460 --> 00:53:51.099
side, the first little while is a little slow.

00:53:51.360 --> 00:53:54.559
So the matches that we think are worth watching

00:53:54.559 --> 00:53:58.219
this week are on Saturday at 5 .30 a .m. Eastern,

00:53:58.320 --> 00:54:01.360
we've got Germany versus Bulgaria. And then Sunday

00:54:01.360 --> 00:54:05.039
at 9 a .m. Eastern, we have Brazil versus China.

00:54:05.179 --> 00:54:07.380
I think those two matches are definitely worth

00:54:07.380 --> 00:54:11.679
taking a peek at. On the NCAA side, we have a

00:54:11.679 --> 00:54:13.699
couple of very interesting matchups this week.

00:54:13.880 --> 00:54:17.280
On Wednesday at 7 p .m. Eastern, Pitt is playing

00:54:17.280 --> 00:54:21.380
Penn State. Both teams kind of took a dip in

00:54:21.380 --> 00:54:23.380
the first couple weeks, so I'm very curious to

00:54:23.380 --> 00:54:25.019
see what this matchup is going to look like.

00:54:25.579 --> 00:54:29.159
On Thursday at 6 p .m. Eastern, Kentucky's playing

00:54:29.159 --> 00:54:33.119
Louisville. Definitely check that one out. I

00:54:33.119 --> 00:54:34.820
think both teams are playing at a very high level

00:54:34.820 --> 00:54:37.320
right now. Sunday at 1 p .m. Eastern, we got

00:54:37.320 --> 00:54:40.619
Florida versus Wisconsin. And Sunday at 6 p .m.

00:54:40.619 --> 00:54:43.840
Eastern, Kansas versus Creighton. So those are

00:54:43.840 --> 00:54:46.639
our picks of what might be worth watching. We've

00:54:46.639 --> 00:54:49.420
been wrong in the past, but in theory, that is

00:54:49.420 --> 00:54:51.500
what we're thinking you should check out and

00:54:51.500 --> 00:54:54.030
what we'll be watching for sure. That concludes

00:54:54.030 --> 00:54:56.449
this week's episode of Volley Talk. There's always

00:54:56.449 --> 00:54:58.329
something shaking in the volleyball world and

00:54:58.329 --> 00:55:00.849
we hope you enjoyed this little fix. Be sure

00:55:00.849 --> 00:55:02.789
to follow the show so you don't miss any updates

00:55:02.789 --> 00:55:05.289
and we'd be so grateful if you'd leave us a five

00:55:05.289 --> 00:55:07.929
-star review. You can also find us on Instagram

00:55:07.929 --> 00:55:11.389
at volleytalk underscore podcast. If you have

00:55:11.389 --> 00:55:13.650
a topic that you'd like us to discuss, be sure

00:55:13.650 --> 00:55:15.889
to let us know by reaching out to us on Instagram

00:55:15.889 --> 00:55:19.909
or at info at sarahpavin .com. Thanks so much

00:55:19.909 --> 00:55:22.269
for joining us and we'll be back next week.