Spoiler alert …. USA women updated
August 9th, 2012
By Cindy Luis
By Cindy Luis
If you don’t want to know, stop right here.
full story http://www.teamusa.org/USA-Volleyball.aspx
USA setter Lindsey Berg, who missed the quarterfinal win due to injury, was back in the lineup today as the top-ranked Americans defeated Korea 25-20, 25-22, 25-22 in the Olympics semifinal.
The U.S. (7-0)will play Brazil Saturday (7:30 a.m. HST) a rematch from Beijing won by Brazil
Berg was the team captain. Serving/defensive specialist Tama Miyashiro subbed in all three sets, had one dig.
The Americans have never won Olympic gold, winning silver in 08 and 84.
Leading the U.S was Destinee Hooker with 24 points (21 kills, 3 blocks)
Volleyshots
Go USA. Bring home the gold! Hugh McC will be able to recruit anyone he wants at U of M. This should also help Paula W. at UCI. It sounds like Dave S. learned a few things from watching the Olympics in person. He seemed to be very energized by the experience. I think we will be very good by the end of the season.
Dave Shoji talked about the Women’s USA Olympic team making the hard seems easy, especially the plays made by Logan Tom. I noticed that the biggest difference in Olympic and college play is defensive floor coverage, besides the athleticism and power of a Destinee Hooker. In college, tips and partially blocked balls constantly fall on the floor untouched. In Olympic play, there seems to someone always there to cover them. I wondered whether it was superior physical gifts or effective team assignments. I guess it is both but watching these professionals play is much less frustrating.
Brazil beating Japan soundly 2-0, 25-18.25-15.
Brazil sweeps 25-18, 25-15, 25-18
Teams met in Group B play, U.S. won 3-1.
Today’s Ann Kang at Iolani, anyone attending? Most interesting match up today at 5pm, Los Al with Christian Jones MB vs. Kaiser with Nikki Taylor OH.
i highly doubt girls will flock to minnesota just because hugh coached the national team.
They will “flock” to Minnesota because he is a great coach and a great guy. When he talks people listen. Ask anyone who knows him.
I agree with Poo, Hugh is a good coach, but no better than names mentioned already. On top of that, it is Minnesota! Have u been there? As far as his performance as US coach, he’s done a great job, but let’s also give credit to the players. He’s coaching some of the world’s best athletes in volleyball. It will be pretty hard to mess that up.
If im a young woman just got out of HS and has brilliant future in volleyball, Minnesota will be on my bottom 15. Plus, it will take some time for Hugh to get that going.
It all boils down to how he does on college Vball, we’ll have another discussion then.
it’s evident that girls will want to play for him… just like many girls would want to play for russ rose, john dunning, jmac, dave shoji, etc; but let’s not play him out to be the god of volleyball.
That’s Eugenio George.
Lindsey Berg stuck it out for 4 years, but how many girls would rather spend 4 or 5 years of their lives in Minnesota than Hawaii or the west coast of California.
Berg ended up at Minnesota in part because of her dad’s close friendship with Mike Hebert, both of whom were at UCSB along with Shoji.
I hate to contradict myself but you all have good points. I know I would rather spend 4 years here or in Calif. ,especially with the advent of sand volleyball. I’m just saying he will do well in Minnesota.
Mick Haley and USC had a huge influx of talent when Mick went to USC after coaching the national team. What happened with that? Take a look at the 2002 and 2003 seasons.
I am sure the first few years, Minnesota will benefit because of Hugh being there, just like USC did with Mick the first few years.
But you do have to remember that no matter how many want to go play for any school, there are scholarship number limitations. Agree that coaches coming off a national team stint have attracted a lot of talent, Haley to SC is a good example. Hugh is a very good coach.
Cindy,
To me, Shoji USUALLY will NOT get the outstanding players, cause he has the National reputation of taking players that want to be great and having them achieve that goal. There are alot of examples of that throughout his coaching years. To just name a few, Robyn Ah-Mow, Tee Williams, Kim Willoughby, Hewitt, and now Hartong. Do you agree Cindy?
I don’t. Shoji doesn’t get the outstanding players because of his REPUTATION of taking a player who wants to be great and achieve that goal. If that was the case if I were a outstanding player I’d play for him and achieve a much greater goal than I could achieve playing for any other coach.
What I was trying to say, Shoji has never gotten an outstanding high school player, unless they have a tie to the islands. What he has gotten are those good high school players that want to be great, and in turn made them great. Cause the are hungry and want to learn from him how to be great. Shoji is one of the best coaches around at doing that. His track record speaks for itself.
Mick Haley didn’t recruit the core of the group that won those NCAA championships in 2002 and 2003, which includes the likes of April Ross and Keao Burdine. Those players were juniors and seniors by those championship seasons, which means they were freshmen in either 1999 or 2000. Haley was still with the national team, and had very little to do with their recruitment. Credit Jerritt Elliott for recruit those players instead.
Credit Haley for being a reputable coach. But we can’t credit him with recruiting the players that won him titles in 2002 and 2003.
not completely true Warrior. Haley was named the coach, much as McCutcheon was, earlier. Elliott more of a ‘placeholder’ for Haley when he returned. Players knew when they were juniors and seniors who they would be playing for.
Good post Ron, I respect for that.
Good post Ron, I respect you for that.
Talk about respect, Dave Shoji should receive the highest of all the coaches mentioned. Year after year, Stanford, USC, Penn St, UCLA, Washington and now Illinois to mention a few, sign more than their share of top players as rated by Senior Aces the gage of high school senior players. Hawaii signed two, Kanani and Jane in the last how many years, and what Shoji has done with the players he has is anything short of really amazing coaching.
WORD!
Hugh will raise the level of recruits that will be attracted to his program but as Cindy noted he has the same amount of scholarships as everyone else. Winter weather doesn’t seem to hamper recruiting in Nebraska/Big Ten Conference. Don’t know if they will have sand vb, would be a plus.
leftout,
I have been in Minnesota and Nebraska, in the winter time, and there is no comparison, Minnesota’s winters are much, much worse. If I had a choice between the 2 schools, I would pick Nebraska, if tho I knew Hugh was the coach at Minnesota, just because I do not want to freeze.
Don’t know the difference between winters in Nebraska/Minnesota. Went to school in Chicago in the mid 70′s, that was enough. One of my co workers hated “the land of a thousand lakes” due to mosquitos.
leftout,
I have also been to Chicago, in the winter time, so I know what you mean, never want to do that again. lol
Nikki Taylor’s Kaiser teams lost a close match to Oaks Christian (20-25, 33-31, 11-15). Their match against Los Alamitos may be still going on or they just haven’t updated yet.
vballfreak808,
Does it mention how Nikki Taylor did? Hoping to watch her play this fall, sometime.
Sorry only scores but maybe will be mentioned in the paper if the write an article. Anyways Kaiser got swept by Los Alamitos (25-16, 25-19)
In other news, Tayler Higgins’ Punahou team went 3-0 and was in Pool A with local school Mid-Pacific Institute, along with schools Chaminade and Branson
http://iolanigirlsvolleyball.org/
(Go to the left of the page and click on Sched/Results for Scores)
Thanks, for the info, vballfreak808.
Thanks VBF, was about to give the link. We have long covered the Kang tournament. don’t know why we wouldn’t now.
Kaiser lost 25-16 25-19
Cindy,
Were you able to make this afternoon’s practice, if so, how did it go?
Steve, i posted something hours ago about Day 2,
Sorry, Cindy, but your post just appeared now at around 7:30 PM, the computer at SA must be really slow.
My apologies Steve. Post hadn’t been updated when I turned my laptop off.
Can USA beat Brazil again? Brazil manhandled #3 Japan in straight sets…USA is #1, but the Brazilian women seem to be hitting their stride…
Kaiser lost to Kahuku big time, 25-8 25-18. Wondering if Nikki Taylor played at all.
Nikki Taylor isn’t playing for Kaiser this year
I was at Ann Kang for the Afternoon pools and was really impressed.
Los Al dominated their pool (handily beating Kahuku who looked sluggish for the 3pm match and then Kaiser was really confused with their lineup; it looked as if the Lib was subbing the OH out of the backrow, not the traditional way of the Libero for the MB in the backrow). Yes they lost the 2nd set to Oaks Christian, but Los Al played their subs in that set and as you see 15-4 in the 3rd, played their starters.
Kahuku played well after losing to Los Al and advanced out of their pool.
As said earlier, Nikki Taylor wasn’t even on the bench for Kaiser today; heard she won’t be playing this year. Kaiser looked real confused for the entire day with many different lineups that even the coach didn’t understand.
Redondo Union looked real impressive in their pool and Moanalua played them tough in the first set; both advanced out.
Punahou handled their pool and surprisingly, Mid-Pacific (with a coach who’s only been with the program for a couple of weeks) took 2nd from the pool.
Host Iolani played well, as did Santa Monica.
Both championship pools (in the morning) should be very good. Punahou, Redondo Union, Santa Monica and Kahuku and then Los Alamitos, Iolani, Moanalua and Mid-Pacific in the other.
-Correction
Iolani’s championship pool (Los Alamitos, Moanalua and Mid-Pacific) is in the morning (8a to 2p)
Punahou’s championship pool (Redondo Union, Santa Monica and Kahuku) is in the afternoon (3p to 8p)
Thank you Tiffers. Appreciate all the info and expert analysis. See new thread if you want to post there.