Wisconsin Badgers 2022 | Volley Talk (2024)

If I remember right, the badgers were down quite a bit in the second when the shift happened, 12-17 I think?. Then they went on a 7-1 run started by Hilley's serving, and that was it.

Sounds slightly similar to the NCAA championship match last year.

Sitting here thinking "Let's see... gold people got their email about 7 PM last night... so silver people should get theirs at about.... eh, better check one more time..."

:-)

I presume you are talking Kentucky-Texas?

It was much more of a steam roll than that. The badgers went on a 13-6 run to win set 2, then won both the remaining sets 25-13 for a 63-32 difference in points. They were a force from then on. Night and day compared to performances prior to that match.

Yay Mallory!

For those who might not know, "Madison College" is the Madison WI campus of the statewide two year "tech school" system. Sometimes a sort of "feeder" school for post high school kids who aren't ready for a full four year college.

The second sets were very similar... the full match performances were not.

Wasn’t that the 2020 championship? I’m talking about the 2021 championship. Nebraska dominate the first set and got very close to taking the second. It kinda felt like it might be a sweep, and then the Badgers turned it on and the whole feeling swung 180 degrees.

Different in that the Nebraska championship match continued to be a dogfight.

The 2019 Penn State match was a complete blowout once the second set turned. 25-13, 25-13. Like I said earlier, had Penn State ever lost back-to-back sets scoring so few points?

The other thing that made that Penn State blowout so surprising is that Wisconsin's W-L record was only 6-4 up to that point. It wasn't just a huge turnaround in that match, it was a turnaround of the entire season.

Sure. And that’s why I said “somewhat”.

Lots of unanswered questions at important positions including setter and libero, and do not know how DS will shake out. WI will have some bumps initially but I think will round into shape and be top two in the conference. While I do think NE is likely the favorite in the BIG, I do not think I'd trade much with MN right now. CC might be it, given we haven't seen Landfair post injury.

Sure, it’s possible. What’s impossible is to say how possible it is given question marks concerning setter performance and formation (not worried about libero or DS at all now).

Agree with SportyBucky, it will start out more than a little rough. I expect to see a lot of improvement as the year proceeds. Much more so than in prior years.

Passing and terminating pins can help setters transition and mask challenges therein. We need MJ just to be good, not great, to make this team a contender this year.

It will be a badger team with a very unusual look, having a dominant pin hitter. I think the badgers may be leaning pretty hard on Franklin to begin. It will be hard not to, and it will be fine for preseason. She alone cannot carry them through the B1G though. Where they will improve through the year is getting more effective at spreading the offense around to bring in other attackers. Smrek is a big (literally) X-factor.

The passing will be there I think. We will have the personnel at least.But that is one element of the game I can never predict. Based on my impression of how well MJ and Ashburn got their feet to second balls on the run, they will need it to be pretty good.