Hi volleyball fans and welcome back to Volley
Talk, the podcast created for volleyball lovers
who want to dig deep into what is going on in
NCAA and international volleyball. I'm your host
Sarah Pavan. I'm an Olympian, beach volleyball
world champion, former Nebraska Cornhusker, and
longtime pro, both indoor and on the beach. And
I'm Adam Schultz, former indoor player, international
volleyball coach, and the show's resident stat
guy. The last league has wrapped up. And that
was men's Champions League. So we are moving
into international season, everybody. But we
have to talk about Champions League. And obviously
we have to do a little bit of prep work before
we get to the international season at the beginning
of June. Today is going to be all about that.
We are really excited. You guys have submitted
some really good questions. I'm hoping that we
can do them justice in answering them, to be
honest. We're as excited as always. We hope you
are too. So let's get started. Hey, we don't
have a lot of weekly highlights this week, but
there are a couple things. That were brought
to my attention that I think are worth discussing.
Number one, guess who's coaching the German national
team? That's right. Logan Tom is making a resurgence,
a reappearance, everybody. Why she's not coaching
in the U .S. is... beyond me like how do you
let one of your best players go and coach for
another national team it it blows my mind quite
frankly the thing that I've come to learn about
athletes like her and by athletes like her I
mean athletes like you incredibly well okay anyway
athletes like her incredibly talented very very
good but maybe not the most approachable Or the
most, I don't want to say outgoing, but toot
your own horn. Like you will never hear Logan
Tom talk about how good she is. She does not
have social media. You can't find her anywhere.
She very much is like I'm living my life keeping
to myself. And we know her personally. Yeah.
She is one of the best that's ever played for
the U .S. Yeah, I just feel like people overlook
athletes like her because they're not the most
outgoing, the most like self -promoting. But
in my experience, those athletes, when you ask
them to do something or ask them if they're interested,
they usually are. They just don't go out of their
way to do it. So I love that somebody finally
approached her to do this because I think she
has a lot to offer. So this is so exciting. If
I was USA Volleyball and I had heard that, I
would have called her immediately and be like,
we'll pay you double, come coach in the US. When
you look at what's happening on the women's side
right now and all of this, A, you're turning
over a roster. You have all of these young athletes
coming in and trying to figure out how to be
pros, how to compete, how to win. You can't tell
me that having Logan Tom in the gym for the next
three years leading into the Olympics would not
be... maybe the best thing for you. I'm not sure
those athletes would respond to her though. But
it doesn't matter if you want to win. She is
very like so blunt, so honest to the point of
like, I'm just going to be honest and I don't
really care how you take this. I'm just going
to tell you the truth. But let me ask you this.
And I don't think a lot of athletes particularly
can handle that these days. Do you think athletes
who can't handle feedback like that can win a
gold medal? So you're either going to figure
it out. This is going to come up later. This
exact thing is going to come up later. It's a
really good question. But anyway, I'm just, that
was so exciting. I'm really happy for her. And
I think the way the Germans operate as a people
in general, it's a good fit. It's a good fit
for sure. The other thing that came up was, so
Reese Messer entered the transfer portal for.
The USC setter. And when she entered the portal,
they canceled some spring games, presumably because
they didn't have enough setters on the roster
to actually have spring games, which is sad.
But everybody was kind of speculating that she
was heading to SMU because she had like follow
them, reposted stuff, whatever. My detectives
do their digging. And turns out she pulled a
fast one on everybody and committed to Kansas.
Which is fine. The other kicker is if we remember
Ava Serafa, who ended up being the backup setter
for Kentucky, she, in the winter transfer portal,
left Kentucky to go to SMU and apparently has
entered the spring transfer portal. This leaves
SMU with one setter on their roster who is a
redshirt freshman. And the other thing is they...
took a deal away from a young kid coming in who
was going to set for them as well because they
thought they were going to get. So now they have.
A girl that used to play for my dad's club committed
to them. She would have been a freshman setter
this upcoming season. They pulled her scholarship
out of nowhere. And now they have one setter
remaining. If that isn't karma, I don't know
what is. So we know who's going to be digging.
I mean, we always knew they'd be digging in the
portal, but we know who's going to be really
desperately digging in the portal. Yeah, but
you've lost all of your top people who were going
to play arguably the most important position
for you. Yeah. Yep. That's karma, baby. So I'm
sure they'll figure something out, but I thought
that was very interesting. Those are the weekly
highlights. Something simple, keeping it fresh,
exciting, nothing crazy, but yeah, that's what's
been happening. Champions League men's final
four happened this weekend in Torino. We had
two Polish teams in Warsaw and Zawierce. We had
an Italian team in Perugia and a Turkish team
in Zurabank, Ankara. So semifinal one, not going
to lie, didn't watch it. Perugia played Warsaw,
handled them. Smacked them in the first two sets,
25 -19, then 25 -20. Warsaw pushed back in the
third, but couldn't close it out. Pruja won 26
-24. I mean, they're just, we'll talk about it
later, but they're just so good. Bentara hit
517 on 29 sets. I mean, that's pretty much all
you need to say. Pruja going for the back -to
-back and accomplishing, well, I mean, accomplishing
the back -to -back in the Men's Champions League.
Warsaw. if we remember, was the team that upset
Trentino when Trentino just literally gave it
away. Well, upset Trentino and then finished
fourth. So they didn't win at all in the final
four. Making it there is obviously an accomplishment,
but... Making it there is definitely tough. Anybody
who came in front of Perugia, no. Didn't stand
a chance. Didn't stand a chance in this final
four at all. I actually thought... The next semifinal
between Zivertse and Ankara was the best match
of the tournament. Now, I know that the bronze
medal match went to five. I didn't get a chance
to see that one out of the other matches that
we watched. This one was my favorite. On paper,
looking at the rosters, and I don't know if this
is completely wrong. People who have been following
the men's Champions League more closely have
a different opinion. But I thought on paper,
Ankara should have won. I felt like they were
the stronger roster. They definitely have more
name recognition. Okay, yeah. So they have Niemeyer
on the right side. For Nall, who played for Zavirsa
last year. He is with Ankara now on the left
side. Klevno. Also on the left side. So, you
know, they were bringing in some decent athletes.
Clevino played for that same team last year,
but they made some upgrades for sure. On the
other side, we have Aaron Russell, the American,
Kyle Ensign, who coming off the bench is on the
bench. I mean, their setter was Tavares, who's
Portuguese. I didn't love. But his offense, honestly,
I didn't love either setter's offense. That was
the biggest takeaway from this match for me,
was that the setters were not very good, which
was mind -blowing to me. And now, whenever you
watch a hitter be out of rhythm, your immediate
instinct is to blame the setter. And I'm not
sure, like Fornell never looked comfortable.
He was tipping balls. He was setting balls over.
Now he kind of plays that way in general. So
it's hard to like look at it and know, was he
in a good position? Did he just make bad decisions?
But I thought that the setting, and they tried
to run super fast, both teams. I thought the
setting was an issue on both sides of the court,
quite frankly. Yeah, it didn't look great. I
mean, Niemeyer is so physical. that he made it
work. You know, some of the out -of -system sets
these guys were giving each other, I was like,
wow, fabulous. I don't know what it is. I don't
know if guys' hands are just so big that they
just, like, smother the ball and are just like,
like, you know what I mean? But they just, like...
Well, and they're stronger, too, so they can
just yass that ball up there from across the
court without having to be super explosive with
it. Like, fully extend the whole body. Now, a
couple other things. I thought Ankara was going
to win until the Ensign sub. And he saved their
season, quite frankly. He was unbelievable when
he came in. And I couldn't help but think, ooh,
this makes things interesting on the U .S. side
for the opposite position. Because now you have
Anderson, Ensign, and Garcia. I was impressed
with how he played, to be honest. Well, Ensign
was a... an alternate for the Paris Olympics
for the US. So he's no slouch. Was also splitting
time with Garcia last summer. I was a little
surprised he was coming off the bench here. I
feel like the game could have been better if
Ankara had taken care of it more decisively in
set two. They did end up winning set two, 26,
24. But at one point they were up 22, 18. And
then the next thing you know, it's 22 all. And
they're like fighting for their lives. I really
feel like if they had been able to maintain that
momentum, the story in set three could have been
a little bit different. But Zaverza just kind
of. gained momentum and way more confidence and
then they just like ran from there well and they
did a better job of continuing to apply service
pressure and so well if you look at the stats
both teams passed relatively equal kind of good
and perfect passes but Ankara's bad passes were
so out of system that it made it really hard
for the hitters so Zaverde out blocked them 11
to 4 They also had eight aces on 15 errors versus
four aces on 22 errors. Eight aces and 15 errors
is actually really, really good. They managed
to put players in really tough spots. There were
a couple sets that were close down the stretch
and they got, you know, three blocks on the mirror
from 20 to 25 just because he was at a system
like the mirror is very good. But, you know,
one bad set or one tough set that's tight. two
out of system balls where they have really good
blockers in place. There were also a couple sets
that were just absolutely unhittable after 20
coming from Ankara. So it was execution, in my
opinion, based off really good service pressure
from Zavirce that gave them the edge at the end
of sets. Like these sets aren't close set scores,
like 25 -19, 25 -19, but they were close up until
the end. And then it was bad pass, bad pass,
bad set. you know, two good blocks type of situation
at the end, which is, I mean, men's volleyball.
And I felt that Zaverze just made better plays
down the stretch or executed after 20, a .k .a.
the red zone, which I hate. Don't ever say that
again. But it was impressive to watch. And they
played better as a team, I thought. Oh, 100%.
I mean, looking at the scores, the sets they
won, they dominated. I was actually surprised
that Ancro was struggling so much. But I just
need to say, Niemeyer, man, that guy can thread
the needle down the line. His line, yes. Okay.
Clearly his favorite shot. But the way that he's
able to find that line when there isn't much
to be found is impressive. As a right -handed
right side, when they're blocking you line and
you can still hit it. And you're hitting out
of set zone. It is impressive. It's super impressive.
It's even more impressive that that guy was a
setter. Yes. Are you kidding me? thoroughly impressed
he should have just been like you know what i'll
set myself this was an entertaining match i don't
normally say that about set scores that are 25
19 25 19 but it was again it was kind of close
and you kind of always felt like anchor was on
the edge of finding it service pressure from
zavirce and i didn't like the setting personally
but it was a fun game to watch let's talk about
the final and this was for me a tale of Three
sets, I guess, obviously. The first set was close,
29 -27. The biggest takeaway for me was the setting,
which we talked about in the semifinal matches.
I don't think you can compare Gianelli with Tavares.
It's just night and day. Gianelli delivers such
a good ball from anywhere on the court. You just
can't compete. And honestly, they were just better.
That's all there is to it, ladies and gentlemen.
So the first set was full disclosure. I did not
watch this game because baby girl was having
some issues. I watched, I was on baby duty and
Adam was watching the game. Janelle just, when
everything flows through him, it's like watching
poetry in motion. He's, he is so good. He delivers
such a good ball. And quite frankly, Zavirze
hung with them in the first set and it was really
entertaining. I was like, man, this is going
to be a great match. And then it wasn't. And
then it wasn't. Russell hit .428 in the first
set. Biennick hit .556. Boulders hit .286. They
played really well and just couldn't pull it
out. And then Peru just said, that's enough of
this. We're going to win. And literally just
killed them. They served the lights out. They
blocked super well. They're so efficient. I mean,
Russell hit zero after that in sets two and three
combined. It was like the first two rounds of
a boxing match where both teams are just throwing
punches, trying to figure out what the opponent
is doing. And then Perugia locked in and just,
it was no contest. It was so impressive to watch
them be that dominant after having a close first
set. It's just, they're just better. Plain and
simple. Is it more entertaining or more satisfying
when you know that the best team hands down won?
Or in the women's situation where, in my opinion,
the top two teams played in the semi and then
there were like five set battles. Which is more
satisfying? I think it's just different and it
depends what you enjoy watching. Because I derive
satisfaction knowing that the best team... I
can say I agree with you, but the viewing experience
is different. Because like it's kind of disappointing
and I feel really bad for the teams when it's
like the luck of the draw or like in a tournament,
a team messes up and then mess like the whole
draw gets screwed up and then it's like a one,
two and a quarter. That's like hard for me as
an athlete to see the women's semifinal where
I think the top two teams had to play in the
semis. It's like, oh, dang it. But then. It's
more fun to watch. Whereas in the men's, it's
like, you know what? Best team won, nothing to
say. So set one was thoroughly enjoyable from
a viewing standpoint. And then you just knew
after the second set got started, you couldn't
touch them. That they were just going to roll
through that. It's different enjoyment to watch
a team just execute so flawlessly. Like the volleyball
is so good. My favorite player. I love him. He's
so good. He is so technically good. You watch
him play defense. He reads the game so incredibly
well. Like when you have Semenyuk, and I don't
know, I can't remember the name of the libero,
but also played very well. And then Janeli, like
when those are your contacts one and two, oh,
you're just always ready to go. Everybody's a
threat. And then Bentara plays like he's automatic,
especially when Janeli is running. the offense
that he's running. Like they're just, they're
a very well oiled machine. And I actually found
myself just kind of tracking Semenyuk on the
court, like watching him play defense, watching
him make reads, seeing where he was sliding in
to position. Cause it was just, that was fun
for me from a pure kind of volleyball standpoint,
but the game was not, there was just not enough
pushback in sets two and three. Okay, you have
to pick right now. Who do you want for your setter?
Janelli or Micah Christensen? Janelli. Champions
League final. Converted Adam, everybody. He's
very good. Wow. I thought you were going to take
a second longer to answer that. We've talked
about this. I think Micah Christensen, if you're
just looking at setting, maybe edges him out
just a little bit. But Janelli's whole... package
on the court there's just no denying he makes
a little tiny man bun included a couple good
matches i i'm gonna go back and watch the bronze
match because it was a five setter the bronze
medal match looked like they traded a couple
bad sets and then a couple were close so i think
that one will be worth watching i'll go back
and check that one out but really enjoyed the
semi -final liked watching perugia just from
a purely volleyball ability standpoint but perugia
Back -to -back winners. Impressive. We'll see
all these, well, not all these guys. We'll see
a lot of these guys in V &L in a few weeks. Adam.
Sarah. What do you think was the most requested
topic to discuss today? The US V &L roster. Oh,
baby, you are right. I cannot tell you the number
of people who sent me. Instagram posts talking
about this roster asking us to dive in etc so
what I was thinking is we can go position by
position I will tell you who made the U .S. women's
wide roster and then you tell me you know your
thoughts of like who you're like absolutely love
this pick and who you are like why And then we
can kind of go from there because there is some
context around people who are injured, who declined
invites and just straight up weren't invited.
How does that sound? Yep. Let's do it. Okay.
Let's start with the setters. The setters are
Jordan Poulter, Rachel Fairbanks, Micah Hancock,
Kami Minor, and Sage Kahina Torres. I'm okay
with all of those. I love that they're giving
Kami Minor a go. Fairbanks makes sense. Poulter
and Micah. Yes. I think all of those are great
choices. Sage, Kahana Torres. She's just not,
she's not an international setter. Not to mention
you weren't even starting for your MLV team.
Yeah. That to me is a Homer pick. Nepotism 101.
Where's Jenna Gray? Okay. So that is an important
one. Jenna Gray declined her invite because I
was wondering the same thing. Okay. Well, I was
like, how, where is she? She declined it. Obviously,
we don't know what the context around declining
was, what the reasons were. I would have put
her on the list if they asked her. I think that
makes sense. Now, for me, when you get down to
these last roster spots, it's interesting what
you choose to do with them. So for me, like if
you know. Kahana Torres is not going to be an
international setter, which for me, that's the
distinction that I would have made on her. I'm
bringing in a young kid who I want to get experience.
So for me, if you're looking at those fringe
roster spots, Kahana Torres, unless every setter
gets hurt, should not travel on a V &L roster.
Who do you want in that environment learning,
kind of getting to know USA Volleyball? To me,
it should go to one of your up -and -coming setters.
Furbringer, Bergen -Riley, or Stark. Now, I don't
love the way Stark handled that situation, so
maybe you take her off the list, but bring in
one of those two setters and get them familiar
with the offense. Get them to understand what
you want with the program because you're going
to want to take a look at them. Now, I'm not
saying they're going to play in 2028, but part
of the summer training in the wide roster is
building your pipeline for the future. I don't
love that pick personally. I think Charlie Furbringer
was their training. But she wasn't put on the
list. My understanding is like, yeah, she was
there in the training environment. Again, we
don't know what those girls obligations are for
their teams during the summer. Sure. Maybe they
have to take summer classes or I know Bergen
-Ratley just graduated. So who knows? We don't
know what that is, but I do know that Charlie
was there, but wasn't on the roster. But I agree.
I think this Sage pick is ridiculous because.
You're not starting an MLV. If you're going to
do this, take Cameron Turner, who was starting
over her. You know what I mean? Agreed. Okay,
let's do opposites. Jordan Thompson, Maddie Skinner,
Olivia Babcock, Steph Samity, and Kendall Kipp.
I'm actually okay with all of those choices.
Do I think all of them have a shot to play in
2028? No. But I think Kipp had a good season.
Yeah, I think Kipp deserves a shot for sure.
And I think she was injured last summer. So I
like that. Samity, I'm fine with as like your
bottom two. You don't know what you're getting
internationally with them yet. So I'm okay with
those choices. And then the top three, Jordan
Thompson, if she's going to play, a no -brainer.
Maddie Skinner, you're hoping to realize the
physicality of that. So you need to keep her
in the gym because if she figures it out, she
could be an X factor. Jury's out on whether that
will happen or not. So you have to give her some
runway. And Olivia Bagwag, yeah, yes. I like
these choices. Logan led Nikki, not getting the
callback. I don't think, I think that's fair.
Yeah. I don't think she's an international right
side. At this point in time, she's not better
than those five. I don't think. No. And like
Maddie Skinner, I think Olivia and Jordan are
significantly better than her. I think having
her in the gym to like block against, yes, give
her a chance to figure it out. But I agree right
now. She's not. Her ball control is not good
enough to be a left side and she's not terminal
enough from the right side to be a right side.
So it's tough. It is, but she's a player who
could be an X factor given her physicality if
she can figure it. She gets all the runway in
the world. A good double sub. Yeah. And for all
of you people who are like, she got MVP at the
love. I don't care. I don't need to hear it.
Okay. But again, we've talked about it with her.
She needs to be able to play volleyball with
people who are just as physical as her. And she
has to prove that she can do that. So maybe that's
why Sage made the roster. Because she has trouble
connecting with a Jordan Poulter type set. You
don't bring a setter to bring along a player
you hope is going to make it. No, but Logan Eggleston
was the same thing. Mind you, she had Brie O
'Reilly setting her all year. I don't know. We'll
see. We saw that Brie O 'Reilly and Skinner had
trouble connecting. Anyway, we could dive in
forever. I like those right side picks. Overall,
I'm not opposed to these picks. Okay, let's move
on to liberos. This position and the opposite
position were the two holes that we kind of felt
the U .S. had last season. So the liberos that
were picked are Lexi Rodriguez, Morgan Hentz,
Elena Scott, and Elena Ogilvie. I'm okay with
those choices. I just don't love any of them
internationally yet. You guys, that's what he
said about Alina Scott. They have put themselves
at the top of the potential options. But for
me, none of them have proved that they can play
against the top hitters when things are faster,
bigger, higher. This is a huge question mark
to me, position -wise for the U .S., if Juan
Guarantes does not come back. Agreed. I don't
mind any of these picks. I'm actually incredibly
curious to see who comes out as the front runner
for this position for the U S and how they handle
it. This might be for me, the biggest drama.
But do you, can you think of anybody that's missing?
No. Like if you even think of the Liberos, I
played love. We've got like Maya Sands. We've
got Lauren Briseño, Jillian Grimes played love.
I mean, Brazilian was on the list last year.
You could maybe make a fringe argument for some
of those liberals, but nobody is a standout.
Nobody's moving the needle. Exactly. Yeah. So
if you're going to pick four to take a bet on,
I'm okay taking these four. And I think probably
Pence is leading the way. Honestly, I don't know.
This position, I agree, is just, it's a tough
position for them. And the opposite elevated
itself by bringing Jordan Thompson back, I think.
But this position has question marks all over
it for me because it's not even like I think
there are better options available. No. And the
thing is, you don't have a ton of great passing
left side options. So having a great libero actually
makes a huge difference for this roster, in my
opinion. So we will see. This is what I'll be
keeping my eye out on. Okay, middles. We've got
Anna Hall, Chiaka Ogbagu, Dana Retke, Asia O
'Neill, Molly McCage, Sammy Francis, and Anna
Dodson. Some things to note. Serena Gray, Amber
Ajit, and Haley Washington are all injured. This
is an interesting one for me. To me, you kind
of have... Like, Ogbagu and Retke are your best
two middles. Agreed, yeah. And then after that,
it's kind of like, meh. So what are you looking
for from a strategic standpoint of who you want
to bring in? I'm not sure O 'Neal and McCage
are international quality middles. Like, they're
serviceable. I agree with that. I don't see them
being on the 2028 roster. I mean, I don't know
if I bring them along. I like that they're bringing
Sammy Francis. So she hasn't had a shot. She's
big. She played her first season overseas in
Japan. Like, give her a shot. I like that. Anna
Dodson did pretty well in Italy last season as
well. I am okay with that one as well. I'm a
little surprised they're not going to give Andy
Jackson a shot. I understand, like we talked
about her maybe not showing up in the finals
and some other things, and her blocking is definitely
not up to international standards yet. Again,
this is kind of that upside conversation we had
with the setters. She could be a difference maker
for you. The way she hits the slide, how physical
she is, if she can figure out, you know, her
blocking and how to be serviceable in that regard,
she's got a way higher ceiling than O 'Neal and
McCage. Well, and Anna Hall is kind of a random
pick for me too. Honestly, I understand she had
a baby in September, was coming back, all this
stuff. To be quite honest, I didn't closely follow
Madison this year because, well, I sucked. So
I don't know. Maybe she was really, really good
in love. Somebody tell me. Maybe she was. But
that one's kind of random to me. And then the
McCage -O 'Neal thing is also a stretch. And
I know that there are some huge O 'Neal and McCage
fans out there. I agree with you. I don't think
they are what the program needs. Well, but my
thing is, it's like you look at roster construction.
Are either of those two going to bring you something
that Rettke and Okbogu don't bring you? And my
next question to you is, is a healthy IG better
than them? I think so. Okay, so there you have...
And honestly, the way Serena Gray played this
year, I think Serena Gray is better too. So...
You have potentially your four middles there.
Two of them are hurt. I get that. But then why
are you not giving... younger yeah potentially
program like she's the same well you know why
they play for love austin well i mean you can
say that andy jackson is the same in the same
boat as maddie skinner for me you got a physical
player who's maybe not as polished bring her
along If you are going to play a team that's
really good defense, like for example, if you're
going to end up playing like a Japan who's undersized
but great defensively and you're going to need
an offensive middle, like that's Andy Jackson.
She can score at will against a team like that.
You can start to develop some players who you
can use in specific situations down the road.
And I just. Again, I don't know what her commitments
are. I don't know if they asked her, but that
is one for me who I think you want to be seeing
in those situations sooner rather than later.
I can get behind that. Your girl Tia Jimerson
was not, I heard not invited back, but I'm not
sure. And then Breon Butler from last year apparently
had some issues with Sullivan and was not invited
back. Jimerson is. I'm not a Jimmerson fan, as
you all know. You like her more than I do, but
I don't think she should have been on the list
anyway. Yeah, I like her attitude. I think she
brings something and a little grit, a little
sandpaper, a little attitude. You know that I
love attitude. You know that I love personality.
I feel like the way that she goes about it is
different, but we don't have to dive into this
again. I understand what you're saying. But when
I look at that roster, it strikes me as like
a Nebraska. Where is your Logan Tom? Where is
who on that team is sitting players down and
being like, that's not how we function. I think
that is a consideration. And Jimmerson is not
good enough to do that. No, I'm like, yeah, you
think she's going to be that player? But I can
see Jimmerson in practice firing people up. Pushing
competition is what I'm saying. That was one
of the reasons I liked her. But I understand
that she's not on the roster. Injury -free, let's
hope that Gray and IG would have replaced a couple
of these options. But who knows? Yeah. And then
we've got our outsides. We've got Tori Stafford,
Avery Skinner, Sarah Franklin, Kara Holick, who
is Karabajma, Simone Lee, Logan Eggleston, Maddie
Kubik, Katie Baird, and Claire Hoffman. Some
context, Mimi Collier declined her invite, which
I'm glad they invited her. Catherine Bowden is
taking the summer off again to rehab an injury.
Kalia Lanier was not invited. That's a big miss
for me. That's a big miss for me. I thought she
played well enough, and I think she's quite frankly
better than some of these left sides. That's
the big one. This outside group makes me nervous.
Has me asking questions. Yeah. Who outside of
Lanier do you think should have been asked that
wasn't? This group makes me nervous, but I'm
not sure there are that many better options.
I don't disagree with you. This is tough. I agree
that Cleo Lanier should have been given a shot.
You play for one of the top clubs in the world.
You started. You did well. Why not? That's a
huge miss. You have seen and played against the
level that you're going to see at VNL, and I
think that makes a huge difference. Big miss.
Maybe the biggest miss of the roster. Okay, so
Torrey Stafford and Olivia Babcock are the only
two current college players that were invited.
Do you think that any other current college players
could have been asked? I mean, Andy Jackson.
Okay, yeah, Andy Jackson. Or one of the setters.
But from a left -side perspective. Yeah, no,
I don't think so. The jump is big, I think, especially
from the left side in terms of defense, passing.
You're hitting against massive right sides. I
like Tori Stafford because I think she's got
a well -rounded game, pass and track with enough
exposure to the game at that level. I like that
pick. But yeah, I don't think you have enough
good options. Okay. Like Claire Hoffman to me
was a huge question mark. She's the left side
for Salt Lake. I was like, she's not, you gotta
be kidding me right now. So I was trying to come
up with reasons of why this group was selected.
And the only thing I can really land on is they're
seen, they knew either scene, but be passing
was such an issue. For them last year that maybe
he was trying to find left sides that were competent
passers. Which is why. You skipped Lanier? Yeah.
She's not a fantastic passer. No. She scores.
So that's why I'm like, okay, maybe that's why
Maddie Kubik was picked. Maybe that's why Tori
Stafford was picked. Maybe that's why Cara Badgma
was picked. You know what I mean? Not players
that I would have been like, yes, should be on
the roster today. But like. Maybe that's why.
Other than that, I don't know why some of these
players would have been on it other than that.
Because Claire Hoffman, for me, no. And I think
you're probably right. Here's my issue, is that
these are decent passers. But then you have to
score. No, you can have one passing left side.
That's fine. But they're decent passers. In the
Powderpuff Serving League. I understand Lanyard's
not a great passer, but she was passing serves
from Entropova, from Iganu. She has seen those
balls. That's fair. Now you're going to have
all of these passing outsides come and play here?
We've talked about the service pressure we saw
in Love. It's nothing compared to what they're
going to see. So while the theory might be right,
it appears to me that they didn't have anybody
from their staff. watching the European games.
All of their recruiting and looking and analysis
came from Love because they were coaching there.
Well, Adam, look at this. Who are the starters
for Love Austin? Yes, I understand. Maddie Kubik,
Logan Eggleston, Asia O 'Neill, Molly McCage,
and Maddie Skinner. The setter won as Canadian,
can't play, did libero, Japanese, and thankfully
Zoe Fleck wasn't added because we know he probably
wanted it. I don't disagree with you. Starting
lineup for Austin, you guys. Are you kidding
me? They needed somebody watching European volleyball.
Maybe they had somebody. Who knows? Well, he
didn't do his job. Or she didn't do her job.
Because, I'm sorry, you need at least a couple
players who have played against that level. Especially
on the left. I think this position is going to
undo them. Well, now, yeah. Last year, we were
like, ooh, right side and libero not so hot.
Now, I'm like, your left sides are going to kill
you. Yeah, I agree. I'm glad Avery Skinner's
on the list. 100%. I honestly thought it was
going to be a trio of Skinner, Franklin, and
Lanier. At least Ronnie Jones Perry wasn't on
the list this year. On the note of left sides,
do you think that Plummer or Bowden, you know,
not really playing on her professional team,
being injured, having to rehab, she's missed
a couple seasons now. Like, do you think... The
window for her competing internationally is closing.
No, because I still think that a, she's way more
experienced than a lot of the left sides I have
on the roster. And B, she is capable of stepping
in and playing left side if needed or right side.
I mean, when she came in this year for her team,
she was quite effective. Yeah. So I think that
if she wants to come back, I think they should
reserve a spot for her if she's healthy enough
to be serviceable. Okay. I was, I was just curious.
Cause it's, I mean, she's a unique athlete for
them at this point and where they are roster
wise, but again, hasn't been able to play, you
know, for a variety of reasons. And I just find
this all interesting because I feel like last
year was a year of like, okay, let's test it
out because we're in a new cycle. And this year
it's kind of like, okay, we kind of have to get
the pieces. put in place because next summer
things are really starting to ramp up and granted
yeah they have a spot in the olympics they don't
have to stress about that but i feel like but
you're not going to go from never making it past
the quarterfinals to winning a gold medal like
yeah they're gonna have to start putting some
results on the table correct so we got some interesting
questions pertaining to this vnl roster that
i kind of want to go through so one of them is
If you could cut one player from each position,
two for the left sides because there are so many,
from this roster, who would it be and why and
who would you replace them with? And what would
be your starting lineup with this current roster
as it is? I know who I would cut from the center
is Sage. Yeah, correct. We already kind of talked
about this. So if we are operating with like
we don't know who. or whatever, I would replace
her with Jenna Gray. Agreed. We already know
why I would cut Sage, because if you're not starting
for your team, what are you doing? You're not
starting for your MLV team. Who would you cut
from the opposites? For me, it would be... Okay,
so my question is, is this about performance
this summer? Let's say performance this summer.
I'm probably going to cut Skinner then. I think
she's got the law. She's listen, you know what
I said? I think that she is potentially an X
factor, but if you're looking at, if Sullivan's
job is on the line going, Hey, you have to, you
have to hit X performance marker or we're hiring
somebody else for next year. I think those other
options give you more flexibility and are more
reliable at the position. Man, this is a tough
one. I even considered Olivia Babcock. but she's
probably better defensively than Maddie Skinner.
Oh my gosh. This is, this is actually a hard
one. Cause I think this is a pretty equal position
across the board. I mean, I just, I like Kendall
Kip's body of work this year. I think she's playing.
And Samity has been playing against like good
competition for a while. I'll say Babcock because
I just think last year she looked a little bit
like a fish out of water. She did. Okay. But
like she was just not quite there yet. If we're
looking at this year. If we're building to the
future, absolutely keep her on the roster. But,
okay, which libero would you get rid of? Putting
aside personal bias, probably Elena Scott. Over
Elena Ogilvie? Yeah. Interesting. I think Rodriguez
deserves another chance. Like, she was fresh
out of college last time. I think she deserves
another chance to see if she's improved. I was
going to say Ogilvie. The thing for me that...
I love Elena Scott's setting. Well, that was
going to be... I think that she needs a little
bit more time to get up to the speed of defense
and serve -receive. I mean, Ogilvie does as well.
I think Elena Scott's setting sets her apart.
Yeah. Especially seeing the inconsistent setting
coming from the libero position last year. They
need somebody who can deliver an out -of -system
ball. Actually, I think you've convinced me.
I think that gives her the edge over Ogilvie.
It was between Ogilvie and her for me. I thought
that Ogilvie might handle the pace a little bit
better than she does, but agreed her setting
is better. Okay, middles, who would you take
off? O 'Neal or McCage. It's between those two
for me. I never saw Anna Hall play this year,
so for me it was between Anna Hall and O 'Neal.
But without actually having seen Anna Hall play,
like maybe she's incredible. So I'm also going
to go with O 'Neal because I think Molly McCage
is a better blocker. Yeah. Okay. Which two outsides
would you take off? Probably Hoffman and Maddie
Kubik. Thanks. I understand if you're looking
for ball control, but they just can't score at
that level. Can you think about them hitting
against Hawk or Antropova or like, that's just
not. It's not going to happen. And I don't think
their passing is so prolific that you need them
on the court. Like Avery Skinner is a better
pastor than they are. I'm going Hoffman. And
I was thinking about actually doing Tori Stafford
because I'm going from like today. I think, yes,
if you want, if you want to build for the future,
you need to start infiltrating those college
players into the mix to like get them experience.
But if we're looking at it today, I'd probably
take Stafford off Hoffman. Because I don't think
Hoffman's passing is that good that she's going
to make up for what they currently have. Who
do you think is better offensively, Stafford
or Hoffman? It's hard because we're seeing Stafford
hitting against college kids. No, I understand
that, but just think about... I mean, the angles
that Stafford can hit, her ceiling is higher.
Yeah, okay. But we're picking two. Yeah, I'm
staying with my choices. Okay, so the list as
it currently is, who would you pick as your starting
seven? Assuming everybody is healthy. Okay. So
I'm going Poulter. I'm going Hentz. I'm going
Rettke and Ogbagu. And then I'm going Skinner
and Franklin. Did you say your opposite? Thompson.
Okay. Mine's the same. I really love Micah Hancock,
though. So I would probably do Hancock, Thompson,
Hentz right now. Retke Agbagu and Avery Skinner
and probably Franklin. Yeah. That's who I'm expecting
to see in matches they need to win. Okay. The
second interesting question about this was, what
do you think this team identity will be this
year? So like we know Karch's teams were really
fast sets to the pins, front and back row. And
then like, He wasn't rostering people that couldn't
fit that identity. Do you think there will be
an identity? And if so, what do you see it being?
Honestly, I have no idea how to answer this question.
I feel like this kind of team is like a hang
and bang team. It's like, they're not constructed
to run super fast offense. Their passing isn't
good enough. So I feel like they're like a hang
and bang, but like not Mark of a Boscovich level.
But do you think their identity is hang and bang
by default? Or do you think that's what they
want to be? No, it's by default. Yeah, okay.
What do they want to be? Couldn't tell you. I
don't think that that is clear. Because they're
not super aggressive servers. Nope. They're not
great passers. Avery Skinner runs a really good
fastball. Franklin's better. Her pipe is very
good. Yeah. I think... they're going to try and
own the middle of the court. I think that's their
only shot. Right? You have, I mean, Retke and
Obagu. Including in the pipe. Yes. Just that
hold zone. Yes. Retke and Obagu are not prolific
offensively, but they're good. I would say they're
both, I think they're both better in front of
the setter. Yes, I agree with you. But you think,
I hope they're running Chaka behind because I
do not like Retke off of one foot. Agreed. Well,
this is also why I think that Andy Jackson makes
a lot of sense. But I think they're going to
try and run really good middle pipe combos to
try and free up their outsides and hold the block
in the middle. That's it. That's how they can
win. And because you don't need the passing to
be amazing to do that, you can still... Force
the middle, and I think Poulter does a pretty
good job of that when she's healthy. Run over
top. I don't know if that's what they're going
to do, but I think that's what they need to do.
So we'll see. I mean, this is always a super
interesting topic because right now there are
not a ton of clear -cut standouts. You're not
looking at this roster going, yes, 100%, this
person is a lock. We'll see what happens come
week one of VNL and who travels. I'm sure there'll
be a few surprises. It is time for listener questions.
Question one. I was curious about how one can
get into volleyball analytics or being a statistician.
I've been a brief player of the sport and have
been following and learning for a long time.
I have a strong foundation. In qualitative and
quantitative research and analysis, I'm interested
in combining my skills with my passion, but I'm
not sure where to start. I'm sure the market
is tough for jobs, but I would want to learn
volleyball software for my own benefit. You asked
the right guy. So, I mean, the first thing you
need to do is get good at Data Volley. And so
Data Volley is the software that... 99 % of teams
use for doing their analysis and collecting data.
The data input part is really important because
you want it to be as accurate as possible live
in the moment. You can get the software. I mean,
I connected with a team when Sarah was playing
pro. I borrowed a license. I practiced. I talked
to their statistician about what they were looking
for. And then it was just reps, reps, reps. And
then from there, you can start to put your analysis
and your stats degree But getting good at the
input part and understanding what coaches are
looking for would be the starting point. And
there are lots of colleges out there who are
looking to add a video analytics person to their
team. Once you become proficient at the data
entry and the data volley and connecting with
a team, and I would recommend going to a college
team and just... Understanding the specifics
of what that coach is looking for is. Okay. We
got so many questions about college teams doing
international trips in particular pit because
they have been posting their trip to Europe on
Instagram. There are multiple parts to this,
but I'll try to break it down as concisely as
possible. I wanted to ask you guys what your
opinions are on NCAA teams traveling to other
countries in the summer to compete and train
in places where the playing style is much different
than college. For reference, Pitt swept one of
Italy's junior national teams. Cal Berkeley is
going to Shanghai and Beijing. What do you guys
feel about this? Do you think playing against
another country's U19 or U21 team is beneficial
or not? A hundred percent. It's an amazing experience.
It's a good recruiting tool. It's always beneficial
to play against a different style, different
athletes to play in an environment that you're
uncomfortable with. I think it's great for these
athletes to have this opportunity. Well, and
I think it used to be a college could take an
international trip once every four years. And
I think they've recently changed it to they can
do it every year, which wow. could also be a
good recruiting tool. You know, playing against
a U19, U21 team, sure, you guys are like around
the same age. It's good to play against a different
style of volleyball. It's good to be exposed
to those different types of athletes and especially
doing it in an environment that isn't your own,
as Adam was saying. I think it's beneficial.
I know. When I was in college, like the summer
before we won the national championship, we traveled
to China and Japan. And we weren't playing against
U19 teams. We were playing against professional
teams. So a little bit different. Obviously,
the players were older. So it was a little more
experience on the other side of the net. But
I think even more than... just the volleyball
aspect, being in an uncomfortable situation in
a country where you don't know anything, you
don't have your comforts and you just are like
locked in with your team. I think that was more
beneficial than the volleyball component, to
be honest. And like, keep in mind, this was back
before like video calls and all that stuff. So
we were like completely isolated in these countries
together. I think it's the team component and
having that shared experience together that is
more beneficial than the actual volleyball. So
to kind of build off of this, we got a few more
questions that relate to it. Last week, we talked
about teams not being able to push past a certain
point in the tournament. How do you feel about
the almost entire lineup for Pitt getting experience
against international teams? Do you think the
different look that they have to offer can give
Pitt an edge to have a good start this fall?
Is this type of experience significant enough
to help them better compete against teams like
Nebraska? And will it be good enough to help
them finally push into the national championship
match? No. Honestly, I'll go back to what I said
in part A of this question. For me, these trips
are more of a team building exercise. than anything
else. Yes. While it's good to go and potentially
beat the Slovenian U19 team who are like, if
this, the Italian team were world champions and
they beat them like, yeah, sure. Is that nice?
Yes. But I don't think it gives any indication
of honestly anything because let's keep in mind,
these are exhibition matches. The Italian team
is not going studying like who these players
are and what are their tendencies. They don't
even know who Olivia Babcock is. I guarantee
you. They're probably using it as a trial. They
probably showed up for practice one day and their
coach was like, we're having an exhibition game
against this American team. And they're like,
okay. So then they used it as a training day.
Like they don't know anything about these players.
There's no preparation involved. Both teams are
just going and playing. sight unseen yeah while
it might be nice to be like oh we beat the u19
team that won world championships it's like yeah
nobody prepared well so i'm going to disagree
with you slightly on this and i think this is
maybe a pit specific thing at this point i think
pit not making the finals is mental well yeah
we talked about that When you go into a different
experience and you're uncomfortable, maybe this
provides some sort of team bond. Maybe this provides
some sort of experience that they can lean on.
It's not volleyball related necessarily as to
why they're not making the finals. I think it's...
dealing with pressure it's mental it's making
decisions so putting yourself in different situations
may be the key to unlocking a better performance
and i'm not saying it's gonna okay i hear what
you're saying but i'm saying do you think the
fact that they beat the slovenian whatever team
or the italian team is going to give them the
the boost they need No, the result is irrelevant.
No, that's what I'm saying, though. From a skill
perspective, it doesn't matter. It's an exhibition
match. I think we're talking about two slightly
different things. We are. Okay. I interpreted
this question as, was this a good idea and does
this in some way give them an edge that they
haven't necessarily had? And I think it's possible.
And I like that they tried something different
because they've been banging their head against
the wall for a while. Okay. I think it's a...
I think it was a good choice. And I took this
question as does beating these teams or does
competing against this level of team give them
the boost they need? So I was taking it as a
strict like volleyball level giving them the
boost and you were like switch up the experience
giving them the boost. I agree that switching
up the experience and doing something new together
could potentially give them that boost but I
don't think playing against No. Okay. This, these
teams are going to like give them the volleyball
skill to push past like Nebraska or something.
Yeah. Agreed. Okay. So we're on the same page.
Yeah. Okay. The last part of this question is
do the international teams play FIVB six subs
and NCAA teams use their sub rules or like how
would these games work? Honestly, you guys, again,
I didn't follow this on Instagram. So maybe this
was like, an official match with like spectators
and stuff. I don't know if it was tell me, but
from my experience in doing this, it's like an
empty gym. It is a practice gym where nobody
is there. Yeah. And it's like a literal six on
six practice. It's essentially a scrimmage and
the coaches. don't give a whack who's on the
court. They're going to go, hey, we're going
to play. I'm going to move players in and out.
I'm looking at this. No matter what happens,
we're going to just play four set. I don't know
if that's what this was or if it was more official,
but from when I have done things like this, it's
like both teams kind of operate however they
want. The coaches do flip -flops middle of the
set. So, yeah, I feel like it would be Pitt kind
of doing what they do and then the other team
just doing what they do. And probably reffed
by an assistant coach. Yeah. If what you saw
on social media was different, let me know. But
I wasn't following along, so I don't know. Okay,
question three. A fellow volleyball mom and I
disagree over the concept of a team wanting it
more. I say that... A team that wants it more
wins, and she says that that's not a thing. What
are your thoughts on this, and can you think
of a match where one team clearly wanted to win
more? I would phrase this slightly differently.
There are athletes who hate to lose, and there
are athletes that like winning. Those are two
very, very different things, and I think that
100 % makes a difference. I think that's a good
way to put it. In a situation like this, those
athletes that hate losing will do literally anything
to make sure their team wins. That's getting
in a teammate's face. That's taking a ball they
shouldn't. That's making an extraordinary swing.
Whereas some athletes are like, well, if I get
a good swing and I score, I like winning. But
if the match ends, I'm okay going out for dinner
afterwards. No, you're laughing, but you see
that. I think that mentality plays a huge part
in long -term success. Maybe not like in one
specific match, but give me six athletes who
hate losing. Well, and I can, for an example,
I can, the Texas A &M Nebraska match, I think
is a perfect example of that. I wasn't going
to go there. Well, I did. Based on Adam's definition.
I think that the, not across the board, but certain
players like winning on Nebraska. The Texas A
&M girls, they were not, like their backs were
against the wall and they clawed their way through
and they found a way to score points and they
refused to lose. That match highlights what this
question is for me. I agree with you. And it
can be different. Like you had all seniors, they
had one shot driven by their coat. Like there
were lots of factors that can have on it, but
I think that's a very, very good example. Okay.
Question four. We've seen how an athlete's mental
state can dictate their performance, especially
in high pressure situations like a tournament
final. Can you guys discuss the relationship
between emotions and athletic performance? Okay.
We might need to do a whole podcast on this.
I'm going to say, I'm going to preface this by
saying this is not a statement of like, everybody
is like this. There are definitely exceptions.
Okay. So before you get all upset, I know that
there are exceptions, but generally speaking,
my observation of this is that athletes who maintain
or are able to maintain the same demeanor in
all situations. are the ones that perform at
the highest level. If you are an athlete who
is loud in your face, give it all you got, pump
up your teammates, cheer for yourself, whatever.
If that is you and you are that, whether your
team is winning or losing, you've gone on a run
for the better or for the worse, but you are
that person and you don't change that. your performance
will usually stay consistent. If you are a quiet,
serious player who gets fired up when your team
scores, you're pissed off when you make a mistake,
but that is you and you maintain that headspace
in all moments, your performance is probably
going to be consistent. When you are volatile
and you are so happy when you're playing well,
but then you are beating yourself up when you're
making mistakes. And then when your team is scoring
points, you're happy. And then you look so upset
and frustrated when you aren't. Those players
are very up and down in performance. For me,
I don't know if you agree with this, being able
to maintain a consistent demeanor. maintain your
emotions regardless of the situation, I typically
associate with more consistent performance. So
I think what you're describing is the ideal performance
state. Like when you can get to that place, that's
the goal and that's where you perform best. The
way I like to explain it. to athletes, especially
younger athletes, is you want to not be necessarily
thinking while you're playing. You want to just
be you and performing the things that you've
practiced and your emotions, they happen during
a match. You can be excited. You can be upset.
You made a mistake. You could go back and think,
oh man, if I miss this serve, you know, my team's
going to lose. All of those things are normal.
But how you deal with those emotions and what
you've put in place to maintain the state that
you're talking about is the important piece.
And that looks a little bit different for every
player. And that's what you have to kind of figure
out is how do I recognize what I'm feeling? How
do I deal with it? And then how do I get back
into the headspace that allows me to perform
the best? And again, it's totally individual.
But when you can do that, it looks like what
you're describing. Yeah, I'm not. You're going
to feel emotions. It's completely normal. You're
not just going to be like deadpan, like no feeling
whatsoever while you're playing. You're going
to go through those things. I was definitely
describing the outward portrayal of those emotions.
But I think internally, I think if you stay very
in the moment and process driven, that not only
helps you regulate your outside emotions and
what you're expressing. But it helps you, as
I said, stay in the moment and not get too far
ahead of yourself. Yeah, I might be incredibly
frustrated, but if I need to execute a pass this
next point, I'm going through in my mind the
steps or the techniques of what I need to do
to execute that pass. And that brings you back
into the moment. Yeah. Great question. And that's
a pretty simplified answer for something that
takes... years to develop and other things, but
that's the gist. Okay. Last question. I like
this one. It's a long question, but I'm going
to read it anyway. As a former club and collegiate
athlete who now coaches youth sports, I've noticed
a major shift in competitiveness over the past
20 years. With the rise of mental health awareness,
many programs seem to emphasize having fun and
staying positive rather than letting mistakes
affect players. I coach with that philosophy
too, but I sometimes wonder if it's unintentionally
reducing competitive intensity in women's volleyball
especially. It feels like there are fewer teams
that balance joy and competitiveness well. I'm
curious, does that mindset work at the highest
professional and international levels or does
elite competition still require a certain edge,
anger, or intensity? Is volleyball culture in
the U .S. evolving for the better or are we losing
something important competitively? I honestly
just got goosebumps. This is such a good question,
you guys. I read this one and I was like, wow.
I'm going to take the first crack at this. Kids
need to have fun to engage in sport 100%. I totally
agree with that philosophy. You should not be
yelling at a 12 -year -old when they don't do
things. They need to want to come to practice.
Where I think we lose the mindset a little bit
is in the definition of fun. That fun can't be
hard. If you watch kids learn skills, they should
be frustrated. They should be working towards
something. But the joy and confidence they get
when they learn and execute that skill. You can't
take that away from them. And I think that's
what we need to be striving for is it's okay
to be frustrated. It's okay to cry on the court.
It's okay to make mistakes. But then you need
to highlight when they get there, when they do
it right. And I guarantee you will see them light
up and they'll be like, I want to do it again.
And I want to do it again. And that feeling of
overcoming something difficult to build confidence
and have success is addicting. And that is the
joy that you can provide athletes while still
maintaining a culture of excellence, while still
having them learn something, while still having
them do hard things. I think the mistake we make
is that we equate fun with easy. That may be
true in the moment, but I don't think long -term
it works. I mean, I think that was a really good
answer. That was a really good answer. I think
I agree. A hundred percent. I think for sports,
like you said, kids need to enjoy it to want
to come back. But I think to get to the top level,
you do need to enjoy doing hard things. You do
need to find joy in the process of overcoming
challenges and difficulty. And I think parents
have an innate instinct to obviously want to
protect their children. And not to see them struggle
or suffer, but like overcoming struggle and overcoming
suffering is fun. And it is such a sense of accomplishment
that not a lot of kids are even given the opportunity
to do anymore because they are so protected at
all times. And so, yeah, I do think we are losing
some competitiveness, particularly in North America.
But I think... Particularly on the women's side.
Yeah, but I do think that there are kids who
really want it and who have it in them if they're
only given the opportunity to let it come out.
Two things. I have yet to see a kid or work with
a kid who hasn't had a huge smile on their face
when they've managed to accomplish something
they haven't been able to do before. I think
that is across the board, no matter how good,
no matter how competitive. no matter what avenue
they experience that in, that is something in
my opinion that is universally enjoyed. So that's
the first one. Yeah. But I think it's just the,
the, the mindset of just like, I love you and
this is hard. Yeah. You know, like this is a
hard thing, but it doesn't change how I feel
about you because especially girls are such people
pleasers. They look for that positive affirmation
and reinforcement from authority figures. And
I think acknowledging that this is hard, but
I love you and I want you to overcome this. You
can. Yes, I totally agree. Her other point of
I've seen things change in the past and now,
I think there's one key difference that I've
noticed in coaching athletes over this period
of time as well. And it's back in the day, like
when we played, If a coach told you to do something,
you never asked why. You just, you did it. A
coach's word was law. Yes. I think now athletes
require more communication. They're watching
things on social media. They're seeing their
favorite players do certain things. There is
a little bit of a, you have to get the athlete
to buy into what you're trying to get them to
do. Which isn't a bad thing. It's not a bad thing
because it forces you to be able to articulate
it. And every athlete. Probably should have one
or two things they're working on themselves,
right? Your left side is passing. Your middle
is being in the air on time. Your right side
is working on their cross body swing. It takes
more effort. But if you can have each athlete
focused on one or two things that they're trying
to accomplish, the environment in the gym will
change because everybody's like, I want to do
this. I want to do this. And I think that communication
piece is one of the big changes that we've seen
over the last. whatever, 10, 15 years in youth
sports specifically? This was a fabulous question.
Absolutely. Really good questions today, everybody.
So we are in the in -between. VNL for Women starts
on June 3rd. So you know what, guys? We are going
to take a couple weeks and decompress as well.
There's not much to watch in the next couple
weeks, but be sure to tune in to VBTV starting
the week of June 3rd for... women's vnl and we're
going to be alternating or women men women men
we are going to be back that week so no episode
for the next couple weeks as we kind of take
a little vacation ourselves be sure to submit
all your questions as always because we're going
to pick up once vnl gets going That concludes
this week's episode of Volley Talk. There's always
something shaking in the volleyball world and
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once V &L starts. Bye.