Volleyball 2014

[vu72]

Well, we won, but, this IUPUI team was picked third in the Summit. We needed to win this at home.  It took five but nonetheless, we won.

[vusupporter]

This IUPUI team also has won the Summit regular season each of the last two years, went to the NCAA Tournament last year and ended the year just six spots below us in RPI (103-109).  Not saying it's on par with a win over a Big Ten team, but that's a solid victory, especially with lineup positions still up in the air.

[valpopal]

After losing a few valuable seniors to graduation last year, the current team apparently is still coming together, and the players are yet learning to work with one another. Nevertheless, I liked how they seemed to become better as play progressed, and I appreciated their ability to come from behind to snag a tough victory. I think winning a close contest like this one should develop confidence and prove beneficial in the future.

Also, though Emily Campbell was almost unstoppable in the closing two sets, as Coach Avery said afterwards, it was a good sign that so many players stepped up in crucial moments. By the way, the play was made even more difficult by the heat in the ARC, which felt like a sauna. It was remarkable how much energy players for both teams still displayed in the final set. This was a win that deserved celebration.

[original sin]

All the more reason to get AC then? Time to join the other 99% of D1 schools.

[historyman]

All the more reason to get AC then? Time to join the other 99% of D1 schools.

Why? Don't the soccer players and football players play in heat too. I think it makes the volleyball team tougher to beat when they are used to playing in the sauna that is the ARC in Sept and early Oct when their opponents are used to playing in AC.

[original sin]

Don't quite get that logic. Soccer and football are outdoor sports. And conversely, why have heat for basketball? It would make Valpo tougher to beat when other teams are used to playing in heated facilities using your logic. The ARC is definitely not a selling point when it comes to recruitment. A very outdated facility.

[LaPorteAveApostle]

The logic works.

[valpopal]

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[valpotx]

That's our 18th in-season tournament championship under Avery, and we have at least one in 10 of the last 13 seasons.  Now, if we can only translate that into the HL championship for once!!

[valpopal]

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[LaPorteAveApostle]

Your most minimalist work yet, 'pal?

[VULB#62]

Looks like the Crusaders took 3 straight from Drake this morning.

[valpopal]

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[vu72]

Just found this hysterical video put together by the five seniors from last year.  Very well done and says a lot about how close these teams become and how much fun they have!  Great stuff!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pz5gMi41a1c#t=11

[VULB#62]

Looks like Carin's team is starting to jell.  Wow 9 straight sets to the championship.  Congratulations VU volleyball!

[valpospartan]

Congratulations for such a good start.  Keep it up ladies.

[valpotx]

Avery's 19th in-season tournament championship.  I assume that Volleyball has their own trophy case by now??

[valpopal]

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[VULB#62]

Well deserved.

[bbtds]

That was my thought as well, but I also thought, maybe this schedule will enable Carin to:  focus on the HL,  keep the whole team fresher for the HL season by allowing her to play more kids more often and be more competitive in the tournament.  Does that make sense?

Has this been the case so far? Has Carin been playing some of the developing underclassmen during this stretch of victories?

[FWalum]

Horizon League volleyball video from September 12th Interview: Carin Avery

[VULB#62]

That was my thought as well, but I also thought, maybe this schedule will enable Carin to:  focus on the HL,  keep the whole team fresher for the HL season by allowing her to play more kids more often and be more competitive in the tournament.  Does that make sense?

Has this been the case so far? Has Carin been playing some of the developing underclassmen during this stretch of victories?

Her interview with the HL kinda points to that -- She has 10 underclassmen and has a bunch of sophs seeing significant time in her rotations. She mentions that a surprise so far is that this bunch plays calmer and she's seeing fewer unforced errors from this crew than last year when 4 seniors were the core of the rotation -- and that team got to the HL finals.  BTW she handled the interview very well and represents Valpo with style and composure.  She and Mike are great people and valuable assets for the university -- not just athletics.  We are fortunate.

[valpopal]

The play of the underclassmen has been one of the most encouraging elements of the success for the volleyball team. In fact, this week soph. Emily Campbell was named Tournament MVP and a Horizon League Player of the Week while soph. Morganne Longoria and fresh. Taylor Graboski made the All-Tournament Team and Longoria was on the list of Horizon League outstanding players of the week.

[valpo64]

It is always great to see such top quality people and coaches represent VU.   I hope we can continue to recruit these type of people to lead our athletic programs...GO VALPO!

[VULB#62]

Saw where Mike's soccer team got some regional and national love.  How about this volleyball team -- any regional or national recognition so far?  They're 9-1 with their only loss a 3-2 score and they are killing most teams 3-0 or 3-1.