The 2019 NCAA Volleyball season is upon us as virtually every collegiate program in the land is preparing for Match #1 this weekend. Tweets flying at record pace, Instagram posts at the airport, the obligatory shot getting on the bus, or the photo of the quiet before the storm at the home gym populate team websites and social media accounts as the excitement builds for first serve. But some of the folks in charge of these squads have seen it before. They've seen it many, many times before. Now, they'll give you the coach speak about how every squad is different and each new team has it's own challenges and yada yada, but nothing gets by veterans as savvy and coy as Sam Houston head coach Brenda Gray and our own Debbie Humphreys.
The collective deans of the Southland coaching ranks, Gray and Humphreys have faced off against each other in numerous battles. Many of these matches have etched permanent memories for players and fans on each side and we'll get another version of SFA/Sam Houston on none other than Halloween night in Shelton Gym later this season. You can bet that tilt will be all treat and very little trick. After all, Humphreys and Gray have already seen just about every trick in the proverbial book.
But as the cycle begins once more, both Gray and Humphreys are interestingly on the verge of the same milestone: 700 Career Division 1 coaching victories. Let that sink in for a minute. Seven Hundred Wins. Start doing the math with the 20-win plateau defining a decent year and you quickly realize how elusive and how much tenure a coach has to amass in order to eclipse such gaudy numbers. Humphreys for years has told me that she doesn't keep up with such things. She's fond of saying things like "if it weren't for SID's and people like you reminding me about it, I'd never even know". I used to call bull on stuff like that, but I've watched her enough to know now that she's telling the truth. The most important match is only the one you are about to play.
Gray, for her part, also doesn't seem too caught up in all the zeroes at the end of her win total. In a recent article in the Huntsville Item she was quoted as saying "This is a new team that gets to make their own history, so to me, we're starting back over at zero." Do these coaches practice saying stuff like that? I mean, that's the most "first interview of the year" stuff I've ever chuckled my way through reading. If they do practice it, they've had plenty of time. Gray enters her 36th year guiding the Bearkats and Humphreys will carry the clipboard for campaign #32.
Despite the neutral quote, I've got to wonder about the convenience of playing a first match in a home tournament against lowly Prairie View A&M. After all, the Bearkats opening tournament is aptly named the "42nd Annual SHSU Invitational". Sheesh. And they say numbers don't matter? Don't believe it.
Gray begins the season with 699 wins. By Friday evening the NCAA D1 coaching ranks will add another 700 match winner to the list. An elusive tally? You bet. When the Bearkats polish off Prairie View, Gray will become only the 26th coach in history at the Division 1 level with 700 victories. Gray had a shot at getting to 700 during last years' Southland Conference Tournament, but a semifinal loss to Central Arkansas (that I had the privilege to call) thwarted that plan. Still, the resume is clearly impressive and anyone who knows SLC Volleyball history can confirm that more years than not, Gray gets her club in the mix of things at the top of the Southland standings.
I'll share two memories of Coach Gray that really gave me a ton of confidence as a volleyball enthusiast, writer and broadcaster. In 2010, the second year for my blog, the 'Jacks were preparing to play Sam Houston in Huntsville. I wasn't doing radio at that time, but during that era "court-side chat rooms" were one way to engage fans who wanted to follow along with the match. Anyone who knows me is aware that I am obsessive in my preparations and so I was watching a few of Gray's recently taped interviews to see what I could learn. At one point she shockingly broke off from answering a question and said "that's interesting.... there's a guy over at Stephen F. Austin named Greg who just addressed that in a post he wrote.... if you aren't reading his stuff, you really should, it's pretty good." I about lost my lunch. Brenda Gray had just confirmed a) that she could tell me apart from the dust ball that was gathering over in the corner of the gym and b) that she actually read and paid attention to something I said or wrote. I had made the big time. I felt like the kid in the middle school lunch room that the popular crowd had just acknowledged for the first time. Pure validation, but I probably didn't deserve it.
Second, the following year in 2011, the Bearkats rode a four game conference winning streak into the SLC Tournament in Conway, Arkansas. Sam Houston had outlasted UTSA during that streak and then matched up with the Roadrunners again in the second round of the conference tournament. But, this time SHSU lost a hard-fought first set and never recovered. UTSA swept the Bearkats and finished their season. I was seated at the secondary media table doing my "chat" thing and after the loss, the Bearkat squad came and briefly sat in the stands to watch the next game before travelling home. Gray sidled up to me at the media table and began to talk about the loss very openly. Surprised already that she was even conversational after that match and that she had picked me to talk to about it, she then proceeds to lean in to the conversation and asks me "What do you think happened? Look at my team over there. They are all so down and dejected. What happened?" Like I had an answer to that!? I gave her a line of "media speech" mimicking all the "coach speech" I had heard before and hoped that pacified her in the moment. Brenda Gray was asking ME for my opinion? What universe had I been transported to? Again, pure validation.
Now, she probably doesn't remember either of those two short moments in time, but as you can tell, I clearly do. That's what I've always enjoyed about Coach Gray. A rival for sure, but she's repeatedly engaging, respectful, makes players available and is able to compete while still encouraging learners like me. Sure, I'd rather us beat Sam Houston that just about anyone, but respect is respect, and she's got mine.
Humphreys enters the 2019 season at 694 wins for her career. She'll be coach number 27 at the D1 level to reach the 700 club. Apply whatever formula you want to our pre-conference tournament schedule, but at some point in September we'll have our own celebration of the nice round number. It will give Debbie another chance to tell us she didn't see it coming until I or Charlie Hurley, our volleyball SID, told her she was at 699 the day before.
Humphreys, of course, doesn't need a pair of vignettes told about her relating to my volleyball work. Humphreys is single handedly responsible for me even having an opportunity in this game. Most of what I know originally comes from talking with or watching her. I've ask her countless interview questions and paid attention to thousands of phrases, listened to hundreds of times that she has addressed the team or a player in practice or in a match. I've tried to basically hang on her words because I knew I could have no better local teacher than someone of her caliber. The fact that I get to type in this space is due to her. The fact that I worked public address for our club starting back in 2006 was due to her request. The blog, Internet radio, ESPN, opportunities with the conference, access to players and coaches and everything that comes with it is all because of Debbie Humphreys. Selfishly, I hope win #700 doesn't come while the club is in Illinois. I want to add another item to the long list of accomplishments that I was there to witness. But alas, it's not about me.
I am blessed to have worked with SFA Volleyball for 14 seasons and every time Humphreys says to me "OK, I'll tell you this off the record...." I think to myself how lucky I am to be trusted. I don't take that for granted.
To even have the chance to "talk the game" with standouts like Gray and Humphreys is memorable for me. But as you gear up for what should be another exciting season for Ladyjack and Bearkat volleyball, do me this favor: Whatever side you fall on, think deeply about the impact of Brenda Gray and Debbie Humphreys. Think deeply about how many lives they have impacted and how much wisdom they have imparted. Think about how many relationships that they have helped to coalesce. Think about how many people they have taught. Think about your own personal definition of "success" and then realize that no matter what it is -Gray and Humphreys have met your criteria for using the word.
Keep climbing the list below Coach Gray and Coach Humphreys... thanks for the memories and keep 'em coming.
Division 1 Winningest Active Coaches Entering 2019 Season
1. Russ Rose, Penn St. (1272)
2. Mary Wise, Florida (931)
3. Karen Chisum, Texas State (895)
4. Chris Poole, Florida St. (824)
5. Joe Sagula, North Carolina (802)
6. Barry Goldberg, American (750)
7. Tom Hilbert, Colorado State (735)
8. Carolyn Condit, Miami (OH) (732)
9. John Cook, Nebraska (721)
10. Brenda Gray, Sam Houston (699)
11. Debbie Humphreys, SFA (694)
Showing posts with label Brenda Gray. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brenda Gray. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 28, 2019
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
SLC5: Focus on the West, Interviews with Gray & Kolbe of SHSU
You listened yesterday. You know the drill 'cause you catch on quick. So, no need for delay. Here is a trip around the West side of the Southland Conference. Plus, just because you deserve a bonus: Check out the two interviews which follow SLC5. The first is with SHSU Head Coach Brenda Gray and the second is with their All-Southland Conference Senior Outside Hitter Carli Kolbe.
Remember: Three matches in Four Days!! Check out the upcoming schedule on the sidebar --->
Axe 'Em!! We need wins!!
SLC 5: Western Edition
Remember: Three matches in Four Days!! Check out the upcoming schedule on the sidebar --->
Axe 'Em!! We need wins!!
SLC 5: Western Edition
Chat with Brenda Gray:
Chat with Carli Kolbe:
Sunday, July 18, 2010
The Dozen In Charge
As we close in on 40 days until the first serve of 2010, there are a dozen people scattered around the conference (11, actually) who are working tirelessly to create schedules for fall workouts and who each hope this year will be "their year" to hoist the tournament trophy over head. Ultimately, the players are the ones who dig, set, serve, block and kill their way to success, but orchestrating it all are the respective head coaches around the league.
I penned a fair number of words last year about Debbie Humphreys as she approached her 500th career victory- and rightly so - that was a major accomplishment that places her in a select group. Today's subject is to begin to go around the league and introduce or reacquaint - as the case may be - you to the people who have volleyball head coaching jobs in the Southland Conference.
The coaches can rather easily be broken up into three groups - the legends, the veterans of the conference and the next generation of coaches in the SLC. A few of these next generation coaches have spent quite a bit of time coaching in junior college ranks, but for the purpose of this series of posts, we are considering wins, accomplishments and tenure only associated with the Southland and Division I volleyball.
I am going to do this in three installments, all appearing over the course of this week. Today's entry focuses on the big three in the SLC. These three coaches' accomplishments cast a shadow the others just can't enter at this point in their careers. Indeed, no other mid-major conference in the nation can boast of three active 500 game winners. If you want to talk volleyball coaching in this conference, then you clearly, clearly talk of these three first.
As we go through the three part series, I will also share a small "behind the mic" recollection about each of those that aren't rookies. I hear some VERY interesting things sitting as close as I do to the visiting bench at home games. This isn't a tell-all, but rather just a set of personal observations I've accumulated the last several years. Don't read too much into it, my observations suffer from both the small sample curse and the fact that I only see opposing coaches when they are on the road and generally not coaching in front of a home crowd.
The Legends
Karen Chisum, Texas State
Some time early in the season, possibly even at the Bobcats' first tournament way up in New York, Chisum will earn her 700th career victory at Texas State. She is currently 7th among active NCAA DI coaches in wins and she is about to enter her amazing 31st season as the ring leader of the Bobcats. Possibly the two others listed below will eventually catch her win total, but they've got a lot of volleyball left to coach if they indeed accomplish all that Chisum has. To me, she seems to do a fantastic job of having her girls ready to play night in and night out. It's hard not to respect someone who has won 6 regular season SLC titles, 6 SLC tourney championships and seven appearances in the NCAA tournament.
When I first became interested in SFA Volleyball, it seemed as though UT-Arlington was the constant thorn in our side. Clearly, now that "honor" belongs to Chisum and Texas State. Certainly a love-to-hate club among SFA fans, players and folks like me, the truth is Chisum runs a top notch program which seems to always be in the mix come crunch time. I love the way Chisum schedules and clearly she does a good job recruiting as evidenced by their website boasting of a national top 50 recruiting class coming in. Scary. One way or another, to win the conference title or tournament, your just gonna have to deal with Texas State. That's all the respect Chisum probably wants. It is well earned.
Chisum has always appeared all-business to me at game time. Despite her focused manner, she is generally one of the visiting coaches who takes the time to say hello to the press table and engage in small chit-chat. I've never seen her get really out of control at Johnson Coliseum. Her coaching demeanor - at least to me - has always seemed a little more level than others from around the conference - even to the point of taking on the air of knowing she's going to get her club to bring it. Some might call it an air of confidence or use other words leaning more pretentious. I don't know about that. I just see 697 career wins and I think that speaks enough.
Brenda Gray, Sam Houston State
Gray has coached 26 seasons at Sam Houston and is another member of the 500-win club as she enters 2010 with 542 wins to her credit. I'll bet that Gray is a master communicator with her players because I think she could strike up a conversation with a flagpole. I was pleasantly shocked during the 2009 SLC Tournament in San Antonio when Gray walked right up to me - starting talking to me like we had been friends for years - telling me that she was an avid reader of this space and then launching into strategy of how to get the most out of her club in the tourney. She was candid, funny and genuinely interesting to talk to.
I've never really held any animosity towards Sam Houston Volleyball...not the way I do against Texas State or Lamar, but I can recall a few matches against Sam through the years that just ripped your heart out. Gray's pretty fiery. I've seen her rip players pretty good during timeouts, but toward that end, I asked Gray specifically in San Antonio about curbing star Carli Kolbe's well documented emotional outbursts. Gray told me she actually likes it when Kolbe gets all bent out of shape and that she doesn't particularly try and reign her in. Instead, she says Kolbe plays best when she's got a chip on her shoulder. Her communication to me that day was very convincing that she knew the makeup of her club well. Almost three decades as the leader of SHSU Volleyball and 500+ wins tells me I should listen more and ask fewer questions when conversing with Gray.
Gray always chats it up with those of us at the table. She seems like a real outgoing type of coach. I'll admit, she's one of my favorites from around the conference. Of course, maybe that has to do with the fact that she's a reader of the blog.
Debbie Humphreys, SFA
I'm not sure there is a lot I could say in a post like this that I haven't said already about Humphreys. I'll remind you she has 508 wins and enters her 23rd season in charge here at SFA. One of the things I've always liked about Humphreys is that she isn't afraid to turn around and ask the home crowd to get a little rowdy. In case you didn't know: Debbie is smart, real smart. I will say that I have witnessed and heard things that will not be recounted here that convince me beyond any doubt that she is a person of integrity. As a university professor I am tuned in to academic issues by nature. I can honestly say Humphreys is looking to recruit athletes that have a fair amount of grey matter between the ears. She is one of the people who makes working at SFA a pleasure for me.
While I am sure her former athletes could tell a more complete story, I will add this: Knowing what I know about Humphreys, I could not imagine a high school recruit not wanting to play for her and play here at SFA. I just hope I have the fortunate fate of learning more volleyball from talking to her in time to come.
Finally, she treats the support staff like me with respect. All I really do is yell names really loud and tell people to stand up for the National Anthem. She always finds time for interviews - win or lose - she always passes around the high fives to players and support staff alike and I get invited to numerous things I probably have no real business attending. Why? Because she sees every little part of the "family" as important. I don't intend on forgetting that any time soon.
Guess what? Player profiles start this week too! Leading off will be high jumper and middle blocker extraordinaire Carrie Hahn. Leading up to the season, I will profile each of the returning athletes (Carrie IS a returning athlete!) with their own interview and post. Like last year, I will do a joint interview of all the freshmen once they get on campus.
Look for Carrie's interview here in a few days!!
I penned a fair number of words last year about Debbie Humphreys as she approached her 500th career victory- and rightly so - that was a major accomplishment that places her in a select group. Today's subject is to begin to go around the league and introduce or reacquaint - as the case may be - you to the people who have volleyball head coaching jobs in the Southland Conference.
The coaches can rather easily be broken up into three groups - the legends, the veterans of the conference and the next generation of coaches in the SLC. A few of these next generation coaches have spent quite a bit of time coaching in junior college ranks, but for the purpose of this series of posts, we are considering wins, accomplishments and tenure only associated with the Southland and Division I volleyball.
I am going to do this in three installments, all appearing over the course of this week. Today's entry focuses on the big three in the SLC. These three coaches' accomplishments cast a shadow the others just can't enter at this point in their careers. Indeed, no other mid-major conference in the nation can boast of three active 500 game winners. If you want to talk volleyball coaching in this conference, then you clearly, clearly talk of these three first.
As we go through the three part series, I will also share a small "behind the mic" recollection about each of those that aren't rookies. I hear some VERY interesting things sitting as close as I do to the visiting bench at home games. This isn't a tell-all, but rather just a set of personal observations I've accumulated the last several years. Don't read too much into it, my observations suffer from both the small sample curse and the fact that I only see opposing coaches when they are on the road and generally not coaching in front of a home crowd.
The Legends
Karen Chisum, Texas State
Some time early in the season, possibly even at the Bobcats' first tournament way up in New York, Chisum will earn her 700th career victory at Texas State. She is currently 7th among active NCAA DI coaches in wins and she is about to enter her amazing 31st season as the ring leader of the Bobcats. Possibly the two others listed below will eventually catch her win total, but they've got a lot of volleyball left to coach if they indeed accomplish all that Chisum has. To me, she seems to do a fantastic job of having her girls ready to play night in and night out. It's hard not to respect someone who has won 6 regular season SLC titles, 6 SLC tourney championships and seven appearances in the NCAA tournament.
When I first became interested in SFA Volleyball, it seemed as though UT-Arlington was the constant thorn in our side. Clearly, now that "honor" belongs to Chisum and Texas State. Certainly a love-to-hate club among SFA fans, players and folks like me, the truth is Chisum runs a top notch program which seems to always be in the mix come crunch time. I love the way Chisum schedules and clearly she does a good job recruiting as evidenced by their website boasting of a national top 50 recruiting class coming in. Scary. One way or another, to win the conference title or tournament, your just gonna have to deal with Texas State. That's all the respect Chisum probably wants. It is well earned.
Chisum has always appeared all-business to me at game time. Despite her focused manner, she is generally one of the visiting coaches who takes the time to say hello to the press table and engage in small chit-chat. I've never seen her get really out of control at Johnson Coliseum. Her coaching demeanor - at least to me - has always seemed a little more level than others from around the conference - even to the point of taking on the air of knowing she's going to get her club to bring it. Some might call it an air of confidence or use other words leaning more pretentious. I don't know about that. I just see 697 career wins and I think that speaks enough.
Brenda Gray, Sam Houston State
Gray has coached 26 seasons at Sam Houston and is another member of the 500-win club as she enters 2010 with 542 wins to her credit. I'll bet that Gray is a master communicator with her players because I think she could strike up a conversation with a flagpole. I was pleasantly shocked during the 2009 SLC Tournament in San Antonio when Gray walked right up to me - starting talking to me like we had been friends for years - telling me that she was an avid reader of this space and then launching into strategy of how to get the most out of her club in the tourney. She was candid, funny and genuinely interesting to talk to.
I've never really held any animosity towards Sam Houston Volleyball...not the way I do against Texas State or Lamar, but I can recall a few matches against Sam through the years that just ripped your heart out. Gray's pretty fiery. I've seen her rip players pretty good during timeouts, but toward that end, I asked Gray specifically in San Antonio about curbing star Carli Kolbe's well documented emotional outbursts. Gray told me she actually likes it when Kolbe gets all bent out of shape and that she doesn't particularly try and reign her in. Instead, she says Kolbe plays best when she's got a chip on her shoulder. Her communication to me that day was very convincing that she knew the makeup of her club well. Almost three decades as the leader of SHSU Volleyball and 500+ wins tells me I should listen more and ask fewer questions when conversing with Gray.
Gray always chats it up with those of us at the table. She seems like a real outgoing type of coach. I'll admit, she's one of my favorites from around the conference. Of course, maybe that has to do with the fact that she's a reader of the blog.
Debbie Humphreys, SFA
I'm not sure there is a lot I could say in a post like this that I haven't said already about Humphreys. I'll remind you she has 508 wins and enters her 23rd season in charge here at SFA. One of the things I've always liked about Humphreys is that she isn't afraid to turn around and ask the home crowd to get a little rowdy. In case you didn't know: Debbie is smart, real smart. I will say that I have witnessed and heard things that will not be recounted here that convince me beyond any doubt that she is a person of integrity. As a university professor I am tuned in to academic issues by nature. I can honestly say Humphreys is looking to recruit athletes that have a fair amount of grey matter between the ears. She is one of the people who makes working at SFA a pleasure for me.
While I am sure her former athletes could tell a more complete story, I will add this: Knowing what I know about Humphreys, I could not imagine a high school recruit not wanting to play for her and play here at SFA. I just hope I have the fortunate fate of learning more volleyball from talking to her in time to come.
Finally, she treats the support staff like me with respect. All I really do is yell names really loud and tell people to stand up for the National Anthem. She always finds time for interviews - win or lose - she always passes around the high fives to players and support staff alike and I get invited to numerous things I probably have no real business attending. Why? Because she sees every little part of the "family" as important. I don't intend on forgetting that any time soon.
Guess what? Player profiles start this week too! Leading off will be high jumper and middle blocker extraordinaire Carrie Hahn. Leading up to the season, I will profile each of the returning athletes (Carrie IS a returning athlete!) with their own interview and post. Like last year, I will do a joint interview of all the freshmen once they get on campus.
Look for Carrie's interview here in a few days!!
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Conference Opponent Breakdown: Sam Houston State
The Ladyjacks travel to Huntsville on Wednesday night to face off with upstart Sam Houston State. I am pleased to announce that Volleyball Sports Information Director Ben Rikard and I will be teaming up to bring you a LIVE BLOG from Huntsville during the match. You can access the live blog here or you can click on the sidebar that says "Ben Rikard/Laurel Kuepker Blog". If you can't be in Huntsville to root on the club, then be sure and be with us as www.sfajacks.com and www.sfavolleyblog.net team up to give you complete coverage of Ladyjack Volleyball.
So, let's breakdown these West Division leading Bearkats. You might remember that earlier in the year, I made a previous trip to the other Johnson Coliseum to watch SHSU face off with our first home opponent Louisiana-Lafayette. I try and keep tabs on all of the teams in the Southland, but I'll have admit that I have kept a little closer watch on Sam Houston and Texas State than the others. The reason for this is: I am curious to answer whether Sam Houston is really this good and whether Texas State is really having a down season from what people expected. We'll deal with the fact that the Bobcats shouldn't be written off yet later, the focus today is SHSU.
So, what gives? Seven straight conference wins coming into this week. Best record in the conference this side of Conway, Arkansas. Are they this strong? Well, I'll say this - what they are doing is impressive. Very impressive. For this most part, this team is young. They are making their run through the conference with a little different cast of characters than even they would have expected at this point. Let's begin by recapping the fact that this is actually a very different club than what they put on the floor last year - save for the two soldiers named Ferguson and Kolbe.
What They Return for 2009:
Kills: 52% (11th in SLC)
Assists: 80% (8th in SLC)
Blocks: 42% (11th in SLC)
Digs: 76% (7th in SLC)
Below the median in all four categories. What this club has managed to do is find more than decent pieces to complement the two-headed monster of Ferguson/Kolbe. Its one thing to replace stars when they graduate. Its an entirely different thing to piece in the puzzle around your existing and returning stars and make it an efficient machine. That's exactly what Sam Houston has done, so give Brenda Gray credit. By the way, Gray enters Wednesday's match with 537 career victories, so like our own newest member of the "500" club, Gray has been around the block a few times.
Currently, they sit at 15-10 - as many wins as last year already - and a spiffy 7-1 SLC Record. They have a weird schedule remaining, with four straight home games (SFA, McNeese, UTSA and TAMUCC) followed by four games on the road to end conference play (UTA, Texas State, UCA and Northwestern). I'm guessing they'll win five of those and finish with a 12-4 SLC Record. If they do that, then there is a good chance we are looking at the #1 or #2 seed in San Antonio here. Turning inward for a moment, SFA still has Texas State, Lamar and UCA remaining on their schedule. More than likely, if Sam Houston beats us tomorrow, we will have a hard time catching them the rest of the way. We'd have two more conference losses than them and they'd hold the tiebreaker. Needless to say, the reality of SFA obtaining a top two seed in the tournament probably rests with the outcomes of games this week against Sam Houston and Lamar.
2008 Record: 15-19, 9-7 SLC - Sam Houston finished last year with the 5th seed in the SLC Tournament and beat you know who in the first round. The next day they lost to Texas State in the semifinals. In all honesty, it can be argued that they had only one really impressive win last year and that was against Lamar just a few weeks before the end of the SLC slate. They lost to Southeastern Louisiana and got pushed to five sets by (last years' versions of) Nicholls State and TAMUCC - both at home. Their straight set win against UTSA and the aforementioned win vs. Lamar made some of us turn and look just enough to give them some credit at the end of last year. Of course, they beat us on our home floor when in counted, so in a way, they finished 2008 on the up.
Key Losses: A lot actually... they lost Haley Thomas who was their top blocker last year and second on the team in kills per set. Sarah Hazlewood transferred to Houston Baptist. Hazlewood was their second leading blocker and fourth on the team in kills per set. Launa McClung, a starter from last year who was fourth in blocks and fifth in kills is also done suiting up in orange as is starter turned back-up setter Megan McNamara. They lost other role players as well. I believe many folks looked at the seniors that were leaving and Hazlewood up and bolting and thought... well, they just have Ferguson and Kolbe and that's not enough. I think that's proven to be a mistake in logic. I think Sam Houston is flying under the radar and people are expecting them to come back down to earth because all they really have is Ferguson and Kolbe. Go ahead, use that logic. I'm sure SHSU enjoys being thought of as the overachievers. I think they are for real. Now, it is true.. all these young players aren't battle tested, so come playoff time, they may not hold up. But as far as sifting back in the standings...nah, ain't happening. Texas State and Lamar have their hands full in the SLC West.
So...who are these newbies that are filling in the slots around the big two...
Key Additions: Well, if I had been writing this at the beginning of the season, I would be singling out Freshman Outside Hitter Kelli Stewart. She was starting at the time I last was in Huntsville and looked to be in a position to play a key role. She got injured and that gave opportunity to another freshman Camille Alfaro. She's hit under .100 to this point, but recently has been integral and is currently fourth on the team in kills. Another freshman has benefited from injury as well as Michelle Miller replaced veteran Kym Loving after Loving went down. Miller may be the catalyst for Sam's resurgence as she currently sits third in the conference in assists per set. She very much seems to have made the transition to the college game quickly and despite Loving being a strong quarterback, Sam may have received a little blessing in disguise by finding Miller to be capable.
Then, there's libero Kaylee Hawkins - another freshman. She wasn't playing in the libero spot early in the season, but she's settled in there in recent weeks. She had some tremendous digs in the match I saw against ULL early in the season, so its no surprise she has been a steady defender. She is listed as an OH, so we may have an eventual six-rotation player here in years to come if they find another taker for the off-colored smock. Believe it or not, early in the season SHSU was using yet another freshman at libero: Jamie Haas. Haas still ranks third on the team in digs as of this writing - although her playing time has diminished. All this without evening mentioning that yes - freshman - Kim Black - has been starting recently as well.
When you factor in all these freshman you can only come to one conclusion: this was an awesome recruiting class for Brenda Gray...especially when you consider Kelli Stewart was one of, if not the, prize recruit they had coming into the year. If they find a filler for Ferguson next year, this team could be really strong going forward.
Who to Watch: Just watch Kolbe. She's one of the most entertaining players in the conference...and part of it is that she plays and acts like a brat. Its what gives her an edge and its what can be her downfall. She's downright sassy. She wears her emotions on her sleeve, but she is dogged and fierce...and she could play for me any day. Yeah, she's probably a little too much for her boots at times - its entertaining to watch her get frustrated because she pouts, but she's good, and its entirely within her reach to be a Player of the Year in this conference at some point. No one in the conference has swung more than her this year - that includes Ms. My Shoulder Is Gonna Fall Off Ridley down in Corpus.
Despite all the supporting cast, this team squarely sits on the shoulders of the brash Kolbe and the underrated Ferguson. At some point tomorrow night, Kolbe will swing for the 1000th time this year - her 979 total attacks leads the SLC. She's powerful - both as an attacker and as a server. Want proof?... take a look at this photo. Look at her head and get a grip on where the ball must be in that picture. Then, realize she is off the net. That is one powerful looking swing. Sam runs a tremendous fraction of its offense thru this two-headed monster I call the Annacarli. Only one team has two of the top five performers in kills per set and its SHSU - Kolbe being third in the SLC behind wonderchild Chloe Smith (UCA) and arm-fall-off Ridley. Ferguson is fifth.
Possible Lineup: Miller at setter, Katie Phillips, Black and Ferguson - all listed as middle blockers. Then, on the outside expect to see Kolbe and Alfaro with Hawkins at libero. That's three freshman and two sophomores in starting slots.
Final Thoughts: Before the season began, I looked at this match up and chalked up one in the win column for the good 'ol purple, red and white. Now? Its gonna be a dog-fight for sure. We have no more time to figure out who we are. They are way hotter than us right now...riding a seven game match winning streak. Beating them tomorrow would go a long way in making a statement to the conference that we should still be considered among SLC elite. If Sam wins? Well, then they rightly should take the attitude of "eat my dust"...all the way to a top-two seed in San Antonio.
So, let's breakdown these West Division leading Bearkats. You might remember that earlier in the year, I made a previous trip to the other Johnson Coliseum to watch SHSU face off with our first home opponent Louisiana-Lafayette. I try and keep tabs on all of the teams in the Southland, but I'll have admit that I have kept a little closer watch on Sam Houston and Texas State than the others. The reason for this is: I am curious to answer whether Sam Houston is really this good and whether Texas State is really having a down season from what people expected. We'll deal with the fact that the Bobcats shouldn't be written off yet later, the focus today is SHSU.
So, what gives? Seven straight conference wins coming into this week. Best record in the conference this side of Conway, Arkansas. Are they this strong? Well, I'll say this - what they are doing is impressive. Very impressive. For this most part, this team is young. They are making their run through the conference with a little different cast of characters than even they would have expected at this point. Let's begin by recapping the fact that this is actually a very different club than what they put on the floor last year - save for the two soldiers named Ferguson and Kolbe.
What They Return for 2009:
Kills: 52% (11th in SLC)
Assists: 80% (8th in SLC)
Blocks: 42% (11th in SLC)
Digs: 76% (7th in SLC)
Below the median in all four categories. What this club has managed to do is find more than decent pieces to complement the two-headed monster of Ferguson/Kolbe. Its one thing to replace stars when they graduate. Its an entirely different thing to piece in the puzzle around your existing and returning stars and make it an efficient machine. That's exactly what Sam Houston has done, so give Brenda Gray credit. By the way, Gray enters Wednesday's match with 537 career victories, so like our own newest member of the "500" club, Gray has been around the block a few times.
Currently, they sit at 15-10 - as many wins as last year already - and a spiffy 7-1 SLC Record. They have a weird schedule remaining, with four straight home games (SFA, McNeese, UTSA and TAMUCC) followed by four games on the road to end conference play (UTA, Texas State, UCA and Northwestern). I'm guessing they'll win five of those and finish with a 12-4 SLC Record. If they do that, then there is a good chance we are looking at the #1 or #2 seed in San Antonio here. Turning inward for a moment, SFA still has Texas State, Lamar and UCA remaining on their schedule. More than likely, if Sam Houston beats us tomorrow, we will have a hard time catching them the rest of the way. We'd have two more conference losses than them and they'd hold the tiebreaker. Needless to say, the reality of SFA obtaining a top two seed in the tournament probably rests with the outcomes of games this week against Sam Houston and Lamar.
2008 Record: 15-19, 9-7 SLC - Sam Houston finished last year with the 5th seed in the SLC Tournament and beat you know who in the first round. The next day they lost to Texas State in the semifinals. In all honesty, it can be argued that they had only one really impressive win last year and that was against Lamar just a few weeks before the end of the SLC slate. They lost to Southeastern Louisiana and got pushed to five sets by (last years' versions of) Nicholls State and TAMUCC - both at home. Their straight set win against UTSA and the aforementioned win vs. Lamar made some of us turn and look just enough to give them some credit at the end of last year. Of course, they beat us on our home floor when in counted, so in a way, they finished 2008 on the up.
Key Losses: A lot actually... they lost Haley Thomas who was their top blocker last year and second on the team in kills per set. Sarah Hazlewood transferred to Houston Baptist. Hazlewood was their second leading blocker and fourth on the team in kills per set. Launa McClung, a starter from last year who was fourth in blocks and fifth in kills is also done suiting up in orange as is starter turned back-up setter Megan McNamara. They lost other role players as well. I believe many folks looked at the seniors that were leaving and Hazlewood up and bolting and thought... well, they just have Ferguson and Kolbe and that's not enough. I think that's proven to be a mistake in logic. I think Sam Houston is flying under the radar and people are expecting them to come back down to earth because all they really have is Ferguson and Kolbe. Go ahead, use that logic. I'm sure SHSU enjoys being thought of as the overachievers. I think they are for real. Now, it is true.. all these young players aren't battle tested, so come playoff time, they may not hold up. But as far as sifting back in the standings...nah, ain't happening. Texas State and Lamar have their hands full in the SLC West.
So...who are these newbies that are filling in the slots around the big two...
Key Additions: Well, if I had been writing this at the beginning of the season, I would be singling out Freshman Outside Hitter Kelli Stewart. She was starting at the time I last was in Huntsville and looked to be in a position to play a key role. She got injured and that gave opportunity to another freshman Camille Alfaro. She's hit under .100 to this point, but recently has been integral and is currently fourth on the team in kills. Another freshman has benefited from injury as well as Michelle Miller replaced veteran Kym Loving after Loving went down. Miller may be the catalyst for Sam's resurgence as she currently sits third in the conference in assists per set. She very much seems to have made the transition to the college game quickly and despite Loving being a strong quarterback, Sam may have received a little blessing in disguise by finding Miller to be capable.
Then, there's libero Kaylee Hawkins - another freshman. She wasn't playing in the libero spot early in the season, but she's settled in there in recent weeks. She had some tremendous digs in the match I saw against ULL early in the season, so its no surprise she has been a steady defender. She is listed as an OH, so we may have an eventual six-rotation player here in years to come if they find another taker for the off-colored smock. Believe it or not, early in the season SHSU was using yet another freshman at libero: Jamie Haas. Haas still ranks third on the team in digs as of this writing - although her playing time has diminished. All this without evening mentioning that yes - freshman - Kim Black - has been starting recently as well.
When you factor in all these freshman you can only come to one conclusion: this was an awesome recruiting class for Brenda Gray...especially when you consider Kelli Stewart was one of, if not the, prize recruit they had coming into the year. If they find a filler for Ferguson next year, this team could be really strong going forward.
Who to Watch: Just watch Kolbe. She's one of the most entertaining players in the conference...and part of it is that she plays and acts like a brat. Its what gives her an edge and its what can be her downfall. She's downright sassy. She wears her emotions on her sleeve, but she is dogged and fierce...and she could play for me any day. Yeah, she's probably a little too much for her boots at times - its entertaining to watch her get frustrated because she pouts, but she's good, and its entirely within her reach to be a Player of the Year in this conference at some point. No one in the conference has swung more than her this year - that includes Ms. My Shoulder Is Gonna Fall Off Ridley down in Corpus.
Despite all the supporting cast, this team squarely sits on the shoulders of the brash Kolbe and the underrated Ferguson. At some point tomorrow night, Kolbe will swing for the 1000th time this year - her 979 total attacks leads the SLC. She's powerful - both as an attacker and as a server. Want proof?... take a look at this photo. Look at her head and get a grip on where the ball must be in that picture. Then, realize she is off the net. That is one powerful looking swing. Sam runs a tremendous fraction of its offense thru this two-headed monster I call the Annacarli. Only one team has two of the top five performers in kills per set and its SHSU - Kolbe being third in the SLC behind wonderchild Chloe Smith (UCA) and arm-fall-off Ridley. Ferguson is fifth.
Possible Lineup: Miller at setter, Katie Phillips, Black and Ferguson - all listed as middle blockers. Then, on the outside expect to see Kolbe and Alfaro with Hawkins at libero. That's three freshman and two sophomores in starting slots.
Final Thoughts: Before the season began, I looked at this match up and chalked up one in the win column for the good 'ol purple, red and white. Now? Its gonna be a dog-fight for sure. We have no more time to figure out who we are. They are way hotter than us right now...riding a seven game match winning streak. Beating them tomorrow would go a long way in making a statement to the conference that we should still be considered among SLC elite. If Sam wins? Well, then they rightly should take the attitude of "eat my dust"...all the way to a top-two seed in San Antonio.
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