Links to Interviews Done During 2017 SLC Tournament

This page will be updated as new interviews are posted and scheduled throughout the 2017 Southland Conference Volleyball Tournament

Sunday, November 10

VIDEO:  Elizabeth Armstrong, Central Arkansas (Tournament MVP)
VIDEO:  Jeni Jones Chatman, Central Arkansas

AUDIO:  Samantha Anderson, Central Arkansas
AUDIO:  Abbie Harry, Central Arkansas
AUDIO:  Megan Nash, Central Arkansas

Saturday, November 18

VIDEO:  Jeni Jones Chatman, Central Arkansas
VIDEO:  Jacey Smith, Abilene Christian

AUDIO: Corrine Grandcolas, Abilene Christian
AUDIO: Angela Mooney, Abilene Christian
AUDIO: Haley Tippett, Central Arkansas

Friday, November 17

VIDEO:  Madeleine Doud, Texas A&M - Corpus Christi
VIDEO:  Savanah Allen, Central Arkansas
VIDEO:  Lorin McNeil, Abilene Christian

AUDIO:  Haley Tippett, Central Arkansas
AUDIO:  Trent Herman, Houston Baptist
AUDIO:  Angela Mooney, Abilene Christian

Thursday, November 16:

VIDEO:  Channing Burleson, Northwestern State
VIDEO:  Samantha Anderson, Central Arkansas

AUDIO:  Shanna Spree, McNeese
AUDIO:  Hannah Brister, Northwestern State
AUDIO:  Jeni Jones Chatman, Central Arkansas

Complete List of 2015 SLC Tourney Interviews

Links to interviews done at the 2015 Southland Conference Tournament:

Sunday, November 22 (SLC Championship)

Interviews Done After Texas A&M Corpus Christi Defeats HBU 3-1 in the Tournament Final:

VIDEO:  Ivy Baresh
VIDEO:  Tony Graystone
AUDIO:  Morgan Carlson
AUDIO:  Kristyn Nicholson
AUDIO:  Kelsee Felux

Saturday, November 21

VIDEO: HBU:  Jessica Wooten
VIDEO: Texas A&M Corpus Christi: Madeleine Doud
AUDIO: McNeese: Amber Fryer and Bridget Justis
AUDIO: HBU: Trent Herman

Friday, November 20

VIDEO:  Texas A&M Corpus Christi:  Morgan Carlson
AUDIO:  Southeastern Louisiana:   Jim Smoot
AUDIO:  Texas A&M Corpus Christi:  Tony Graystone
AUDIO:  HBU:  Trent Herman, Allison Doerpinghaus & Blair Gillard
AUDIO:  Sam Houston: Brenda Gray, Jordan Vaughn & Brooke White

Thursday, November 19

VIDEO:  Texas A&M Corpus Christi:  Kristyn Nicholson & Kate Klepetka
AUDIO:  McNeese:  Ashleigh Fitzgerald, Malina Sanchez & Kelly Graham

2015 SLC Tournament: Complete Broadcast Schedule

Broadcast Schedule for 2015 Southland Conference Volleyball Tournament:

Friday, November 20

Match 1:  #1 TAMUCC  vs. #8 SLU (11 AM, SLDN, Greg Miller)

Match 2:  #4 McNeese vs. #5 UNO (1:30 PM, SLDN, Greg Miller)

Match 3:  #3  SFA vs. #6 HBU (4:00 PM, SLDN, Chris Mycoskie)

                   (Match 3 Internet Radio: Here at SFAVolleyBlog)

Match 4:  #2 UCAvs. #7 Sam Houston (6:30 PM, Greg Miller)

Saturday, November 21

Match 5:   Match 1 Winner vs. Match 2 Winner (Noon, Greg Miller)*

Match 6:   Match 3 Winner vs. Match 4 Winner (2:30, Chris Mycoskie)*#

                  (Match 6 Internet Radio:  Here at SFAVolleyBlog)

*Games could be jointly called by Chris Mycoskie and Greg Miller.  Decision: TBA

# If SFA is not involved in Match 6, Greg Miller would call & no Internet radio broadcast would be done.

Sunday, November 22

Match 7  Southland Conference Tournament Championship (ESPN3, Lincoln Rose and Brooke Bentley)

(Internet Radio for Championship Here at SFAVolleyBlog)

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I am pleased to have been asked to work for the Southland Conference Digital Network this weekend and provide streaming coverage of many of the matches on Friday and Saturday.  Chris Mycoskie, Assistant Commissioner of the Southland Conference and lead contact for Southland Television and Electronic Media will also call some matches as he has done in years past.

Chris has many talents and responsibilities and so he approached me last week about helping out delivering content so that he could aid in other duties while in Conway.  We hope this partnership will strengthen the overall "team" effort of providing the very best coverage of this weekends event.

I am honored - on the heels of my first season in charge of being the ESPN3 commentator for SFA Volleyball - to be asked to take on such an important and visible role.  This will be my 7th Southland Conference Tournament to cover, but first to involve television/Internet streaming.

Chris wisely felt it best if in this first year of partnership, that he call the matches which involve SFA.  I will run radio through my blog for those that would like to listen to the Ladyjacks in that format.  Of course, I have and would always try and provide the best coverage for ANY match I was assigned.  However, this arrangement allows viewers to dispel any worries concerning my SFA loyalties.

In the truest sense, for these broadcasts, I do not work for ESPN or SFA, but instead work for the Southland Conference.  I take that very seriously.  My pledge is to provide the highest quality description and experience that I possibly can.  I am quite familiar with each team in the conference and confident that I can provide the viewer with an experience that is complementary to the real showcase:  the athletes and coaches attempting to earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Special thanks to my readers, SFA Volleyball, Athletic Director Robert Hill at SFA, all the players, coaches, administrators and fans that have supported - and critiqued - me for these last seven years.

SFAVolleyBlog's official partnership with the Southland Conference marks a major step forward for this blog and for it's mission of bringing you courtside with Ladyjack and Southland Conference Volleyball.

For seven years,we have been SFA Volleyball's Strongest Presence on the 'Net. I am ALWAYS receptive to meeting new people and talking "shop".  Please, introduce yourself.  If you are a fan of one of these eight teams, we already have a common bond.

Live Chat During 2013 SLC Tourney Championship: UCA vs. NSU

 

SLC Tournament: Day 1 Continuous Coverage

Tournament officials and the Southland Conference office request that no live audio/video transmissions coincide with existing coverage provided by the Southland Digital Network and/or ESPN3.  Information about these live events can be found here: Southland Website Describing Their Coverage  I have agreed to comply with these requests and anticipate launching SFA VolleyBlog Radio during the 2014 season.

Coverage of the tournament on my site will consist of periodic interviews and commentary in a continuously open chat window.  This chat window will remain open all during the first day of the tournament and then a new window will open on Days 2 and 3.

Feel free to submit questions and comments even when I am "off-line". Once back courtside, I will post your comments and questions and do my best to address the issues you bring up.  All comments/posts/questions during matches will automatically print in the window.  I'll do my best to satisfy any interview requests from players/coaches you might have subject to their availability during the weekend.

Finally, thanks so much for the email and social media support!  Regular tweets during the Tourney will appear at @SFAVolleyBlog.

 

2013 Southland Conference Tournament Interviews

Links to Interviews conducted during the 2013 Southland Conference Tournament will appear below.  Once at the SoundCloud home page for SFA VolleyBlog, you will be able to access any interview done during the tournament or previous interview done this season.

Check back here often for updates:

SUNDAY INTERVIEWS:

Tony Graystone of TAMUCC Breaks Down the Championship Match Between UCA/NSU


Post-Match Comments by Evie Grace Singleton of UCA

Post-Match Comments by Heather Schnars of UCA

Post-Match Comments by Tourney MVP Marissa Collins of UCA

Post-Match Comments by Head Coach David McFatrich of UCA

SATURDAY INTERVIEWS:

Pre-Match Interview with Libero Keelie Arneson of NSU

Interview with UCA MB Jessica Nagy and L Shelbee Berringer

Post-Match Interview with NSU OH Stacey DiFrancesco

On Court Post-Match Comments By UCA OH Scout Brooks

On Court Post-Match Comments By UCA Head Coach David McFatrich


FRIDAY INTERVIEWS:

Interview with Freshman of the Year Ashley Elrod of NSU

Interview with McNeese State OH Malina Sanchez

Interview with HBU Head Coach Trent Herman

Post-Match Comments by NSU Coach Stephanie Hernesman

Pre-Match Interview with SFA's Jill Ivy and OJ Olson

Pre-Match Interview with UCA's Heather Schnars and Head Coach David McFatrich

Post-Match Comments By HBU MB Caiti Wenger and Head Coach Trent Herman

Post-Match Comments By TAMUCC Head Coach Tony Graystone

Post-Match Comments By TAMUCC OH Brianna Brink

Interview with NSU Libero Keelie Arnesman & Co-Head Coach Hugh Hernesman

The several hundred people who got a chance to witness yesterday's SFA/Northwestern State match really got a treat.  Now, don't get me wrong.  I wish SFA had been able to extend the level of play shown in the first set and a half throughout the entire match and pull out a big win on the final day of the regular season.  In the end, the balance of NSU that I have talked with so many people about shone through and the Demons were able to secure a 3-1 victory.

Many times I've commented to other fans, coaches, our players and anyone else that will listen that I enjoy back row defense as  much as any other part of the game.  Well, yesterday might very well have been one of the best combined efforts by two back rows I have ever seen.  The 5th Annual SFAVolleyBlog.net all-SLC teams are still in construction.  They will (as always) be released here before the conference makes official All-SLC announcements later this week.  I'll have say this, though.. liberos Keelie Arneson and OJ Olson put on an absolute clinic...just a lock down clinic... on digging up balls. You'd be hard pressed not to think we were watching the two best liberos in the conference. We're not talking about several dozen nice, right to target digs either... there were some balls absolutely blistered by hitters on both sides that the back rows dug up with perfection.

On the Northwestern State side, Arneson, Stacey DiFrancesco, Ashley Elrod and Emily Johnson all played wonderful defense.  For us, Olson and Janet Hill were absolute digging machines.  It was so awesome to see senior Amanda Rister put up huge dig numbers as well in her farewell match at Shelton Gym.

242.

242 digs total in four sets!  Olson set the SFA record for most digs EVER by a Ladyjack in a four set match.  Now, that is saying something considering that the All-American Stephanie Figgers lines our record book for most of the back row statistics.  Meanwhile, Arneson eclipsed her own record for the second time in becoming (again) NSU's all-time single season dig leader.  When it was all said and done, Olson had 43 digs and Arneson 42 digs in the four set defensive war.

On Friday, before NSU practiced in Shelton Gym, I got a chance to sit down and have quite an extensive talk with Arneson and Co-Head Coach Hugh Hernesman.  We cover a lot of ground in the interview you'll hear at the link below, so settle in and have a listen to both player and coach discuss the fantastic year that the Demons have had to this point.

Finally, I am working on a little surprise for my coverage of the Southland Conference tournament which starts this Friday.   You'll have to wait for an announcement later in the week.  As always, I am working on ways to cover SFA volleyball with more and more depth.  SFA will be looking to pull an upset against #1 seed Central Arkansas.  Northwestern State (#2) draws McNeese in their first round match up.

I'll be there all weekend covering every match and trying to talk with as many players and coaches as I can among all the excitement.  The Dugan Wellness Center in Corpus Christi is one of facilities in the Southland I haven't been to before, so I am anxious to get to the island and see how this weekend goes.

Look for the next article to be my All-Conference picks post (late Monday or early Tuesday) and then a tournament preview article in the middle of the week.  I'll get to Corpus Christi quite late on Thursday night, but I'll be fired up and ready to go with coverage Friday morning.  SFA plays at 4:00 PM.

Click Here to listen to the interview with Keelie Arneson and Hugh Hernesman

Interview with Oral Roberts MB Jessica Pancratz and OH Sara Pope

Well, I did it.  I went a year (basically) without bringing up the name Jessica Pancratz on this website.  Readers will remember that last year I was utterly shocked when the Oral Roberts middle blocker didn't show up on All-Conference lists.  It turns out there was more to that story that I originally knew and in all honesty more than is intended for me to know.  I get that.  We rarely know exactly why things like that happen.  Still, the absurdity of her being left off the lists became a theme for me last November.  In fact, I've written several times that I think the way the Southland Conference structures its balloting for postseason honors is flawed.  Pancratz's situation aside, I think the voters last year did an excellent job.  I don't have a problem with the voting in general - instead, I have a problem with the fact that the ballot is constrained artificially by the conference.

For anyone who cares to rehash the entire "Pancratz Fiasco of 2012", you can go back and read the string of posts here for my original picks, and then here for the original post defending Pancratz and finally here for sounding off about the Southland balloting protocol

We all have certain players that aren't on our "home" teams that we appreciate watching and Pancratz has been one of those players for me the past two years.  She was a natural person to try and interview because of the posts from 2012.  Several people have asked if I had ever talked with her directly...assuming that she was keenly aware of all my lobbying.  I can honestly say yesterday was the first time I have ever spoken to her and she was not aware of my writing last year.  Maybe that was a good thing.

Nevertheless, it is actually refreshing to hear her honesty in this interview as she reflects on the honor missed.  As much as I enjoyed finally getting a chance to talk to her, I'll have to admit the conversation caught me off guard a few times.  The honesty in her answers reflected just how much these type honors can mean to athletes.  It just reinforced to me that the voting system is flawed no matter how well the research is done.  The whole balloting structure...well... as Jessica puts it in this interview..."sucks".

The other great thing about this chat is that it also showcases Sara Pope.  This newcomer-of-the-year candidate was the America East Player of the Year at Albany (NY) last year.  From the greater Tulsa area, Sara transferred to ORU prior to this season and has instantly made her mark on both the ORU offense and the Southland Conference in general.  Before the match I was commenting to a few folks that ORU may be the only collegiate team that has TWO former MVP's of other conferences on their current squad.  Libero Bruna Silva was the Player of the Year (Defense) in the Summit League before ORU joined our conference.

While this is Pancratz' senior season, Pope has one more at ORU.  As good as she's been this year it is kind of scary to imagine her taking another step forward.  If that happens, then she may be a candidate for Player of the Year honors in our conference in 2014.

ORU looks locked in to the 4 vs. 5 matchup in the Southland Tournament next week.  If that happens, then if UCA knocks off the #8 seed, we might see a repeat of last years' final in the semifinals this year.

I anticipate expanding my coverage of the conference tournament this year over and above what I have been able to do in the past.  This is often a time of year where I post frequently, so check back often.   Once we get to Corpus Christi, I anticipate scheduling multiple (sit down) interviews per day as well as on-the-spot interviews after matches.

Definitely plan to use www.sfavolleyblog.net as one of your primary SLC Tournament resources along with the conference and tournament websites.

Click Here to Listen to the Interview with Jessica Pancratz and Sara Pope

Lucky 7 ?

With one week to go in the Southland Conference regular season, the time for SFA to create a sense of hope is right now.  The 2013 season has largely been one of ups and downs with very little momentum created during the last few months.  “All is well that ends well”, they say, so let’s hope SFA can convince themselves and convince their fans that they are capable of taking down some teams with better records on paper.  If so, then there is still the chance we can head to Corpus Christi  believing that we can be the “hot” team and make a run.

So, let’s take a look at what remains for SFA and other teams that figure to have low-end seeds in the 2013 Southland Conference Tourney.  My bet is that we are headed for the #7 seed, which, as I’ll argue below, may not be too bad a spot to be in.  Before we get started, I should make clear what I think many SFA fans realize.  We haven’t locked up a spot in the tournament yet.  However, going into Tuesday’s match with Oral Roberts, our magic number is one.  One SFA win or one loss by either Lamar or McNeese does the trick.

Let’s break this down:

McNeese (7-9)

Remaining: HBU (Home), Nicholls (Away)

McNeese owns the tiebreaker with Lamar by virtue of beating the Cardinals 3-1 both times they played.  So, McNeese controls their own destiny.  If they win out and Lamar wins both of their matches, then McNeese would have the tie break over Lamar.  Both McNeese and Lamar winning both games and SFA losing both games would knock SFA out of the tournament and give the Cowgirls the #7 seed.  There is a way that McNeese could win one game and still not get in.  If Lamar wins both of their games, then Lamar would be 9-9, McNeese would be 8-10 with a win and a loss, then they get bumped out by SFA who at worst would also be 8-10, but we own the tiebreak against them.  This is a scenario that wouldn’t be advantageous for SFA given it is one of the few scenarios that gets us the #8 seed.

I’m thinking McNeese splits their last two and finishes 8-10.  However, if McNeese beats HBU on Tuesday, this could be bad news for SFA. It forces us to win in order to get the #7 seed if McNeese goes ahead and beats Nicholls too (which is likely).  Besides SFA winning, the best thing that could happen to us is HBU beating McNeese.

Lamar (7-9)

Remaining: TAMUCC (Away), HBU (Away)

Lamar is in a tough spot because they don’t own the tiebreak against either SFA or McNeese.  They are the only team that HAS to win in order to make the tournament. As of right now, they are on the outside looking in.  They need to pick up at least one win and then hope McNeese loses both games.  That would get them in the tournament as the #8 seed.  Even if SFA lost both games in this scenario, SFA would still get the #7 seed since SFA and Lamar would be 8-10 and McNeese would be 7-11.

Things really don’t look all that good for Lamar.  McNeese has a relatively comfortable match up with Nicholls on the last day of the season.  Lamar will be underdogs at TAMUCC, so there is a decent chance that both McNeese and Lamar are 7-10 going into their last game of the season.  If this is true, then SFA is automatically in no matter whether they beat ORU tomorrow or not and then Lamar would need to beat HBU and have Nicholls upset McNeese.  The Cowgirls recently swept Nicholls at home.

I’m thinking Lamar loses both and finishes 7-11 and doesn’t make the tournament.

SFA (8-8)
Remaining:  ORU (Home), Northwestern State (Home)

The ‘Jacks, believe it or not, are actually in a pretty good spot because of owning tiebreakers.  As mentioned earlier, SFA doesn’t even have to win a game in order to make it into the tournament.  If SFA finishes 8-10 and at both McNeese and Lamar also finish 8-10, then not only does SFA make it in the tournament, they avoid the #8 seed due to the tiebreak.  Of course, if SFA wins at least one game this week, then they are automatically in even if McNeese and Lamar win out.  So, we have a bit of an easy route to make it to the tournament by virtue of being one full game ahead of McNeese and Lamar in the standings AND owning the tie break against both.

I think SFA will finish in the 7-hole no matter what.  This might be a lucky spot.  It gets us out of a first round match up with UCA and gets us on the opposite side of the bracket from them.

HBU (8-7) has three games left: at McNeese and home for Sam Houston and Lamar.  To me that looks like two wins and a loss to finish at 10-8.  If that happens, then even if SFA wins out this week we would STILL fall to the #7 seed since HBU owns the tie break against us.  So, there are just a whole lot of scenarios that point to us falling into that seventh slot.

Now, if HBU only won one game and SFA won both.. we would leap frog them into the #6 slot.  We could also get the #6 seed if HBU lost all three and we won one game this week.

So, if it is most likely that SFA is the #7 seed, then who is our most likely first round opponent next week?

Northwestern State (14-2) plays UCA at home and then comes to Nacogdoches.  They own the tie break with Oral Roberts.

Sam Houston (13-3) is on the road against HBU and TAMUCC.  They own the tie break with the Demons.

Oral Roberts (11-4) plays us tomorrow, but then finishes with two relatively easy games at home against Southeastern Louisiana and New Orleans.  They own the tiebreak with SHSU.  So, ORU can’t finish in the #2 slot.  Even if they win out, they’d be 14-4 and Northwestern State at worst would be 14-4 and ORU would lose the slot on the tie break.

So, either the Demons or Bearkats will be the #2 seed. 

That SHSU/TAMUCC game on the last day of the season is very, very interesting.  Suppose UCA beats Northwestern State.  Then SHSU is in control of their fate at the #2 seed on the last day of the season if they beat HBU tomorrow.

If the ‘Jacks can prove that they can play with Top 4 seeds Oral Roberts and Northwestern State this week, then enough momentum could be gained to be in the same position as we were last year.  Remember, we beat the Demons in the first round in last year’s tourney.  I’ll be honest:  I would rather play Sam Houston in the first round than Northwestern State.  I just really don’t think we match up well with the Demons… too many offensive weapons.  If Wells-Gibson had an off day or we could keep her in check, then I don’t think Sam Houston is all that deep.  Don’t get me wrong.. both are great teams.  Remember, Sam Houston SWEPT us.  Still, if there is a team that is a little overrated going into the tourney, I think it is Sam Houston.  I don’t see them making the final, but we’ve all known that I have had to eat crow before.

Here is my pick for how things finish up:

#8 McNeese vs. #1 UCA

#5 Texas A&M Corpus-Christi vs. #4 Oral Roberts

#7 SFA vs. #2 Sam Houston

#6 HBU vs. #3 Northwestern State

The key game besides our own is HBU/McNeese  If McNeese wins tomorrow and SFA loses to ORU, then the chance we get the #8 seed goes up quite a bit. It really puts the heat on us to beat Northwestern State on the last day of the season.  That’s something I think we are capable of, but I like our chances better against ORU than against NWLA.

Honestly, if the bracket falls the way I predict, I am OK with that.  That’s not an easy road, but I think we’d be in the weak side of the bracket and thus would have the best chance at pulling some upsets.

As always, I’ll be covering the SLC Tourney in full force.. blogging all three days I am there.  There will be live chats for all SFA matches and live blogging updates for every game.  Also, as I’ve done the last two years, there will be constant interviews with as many teams and players as I can get access to.  It is an exciting time of the year, there is still a glimmer of hope that SFA will get a little steam built up behind them and then put a scare into Sam Houston or Northwestern State in the first round.

Axe’ Em ‘Jacks!   

Road Kill

With two weeks left on the Southland Conference regular season schedule, it is safe to say that SFA’s 14-13 overall record, and especially the 6-8 mark in SLC play qualifies as a disappointment.  Sure, four straight victories over the next two weeks could get us into the tournament and avoid the #8 seed.  It would also qualify as an emotional boost and establish some confidence for the first round match up.  So, all is not lost as of yet because there is still meaningful volleyball to be played.  Yet, to this point, things haven’t gone according to script.

Then again, do we have a script?  Of the seasons in recent memory there are some in which we have taken a while to establish a regular set of starters and substitution patterns.  This season qualifies as different.  There were no regular starters or rotation patterns.  Even if we play the exact same group over the last two weeks, that will hardly count as a pattern given the season is in its third month.

It is hard to know what is more inconsistent:  the overall quality of play by this years’ squad or the lineups and offensive sets that we run out there against our opponents.  Of course, the two are correlated in some way.  Still, the combinations are dizzying.  One setter offense?  Two setter offense?  Six rotation player?  Three rotation player?  On the bench?  From week to week no one knows.   Need replaced during the match?  Will that player return or sit the remainder of today?  That’s up in the air.

Now, all of the above could be taken as a criticism as to how we’ve utilized our personnel.  It could be taken to be a criticism of coaching decisions.  Maybe there are others – possibly myself included – that would have made fewer concoctions out of the lineup than what our coaching staff has, but still, it is hard to pin this years’ lack of consistent performance entirely on role changes.  Coach Humphreys and crew can never be accused of being unwilling to try something new.  I mean, I have never seen so many attempts at trying to find the magic combination as I’ve witnessed this year.  To no avail.  It hasn’t happened.

I like roles.  I think players like roles.  I find it hard to believe that players can prepare and be at their best among constant change.  Then again, this is collegiate athletics.  Adaptation is key.  Be versatile or sit on the pine.  I can understand that.  Flexibility is required when things don’t naturally settle into a working pattern. Still, it is mind blowing just how many changes have been made. Playing time and roles are largely unstable.

I haven’t mentioned one factor yet that others might instantly have thrown into the ring:  injuries.  Sure, we’ve had injuries.  Injuries affect your lineup and they certainly require that roles be fluid.  However, maybe I am in the minority here:  I don’t think our injuries a) cost us more than maybe one win and b) aren’t really all that more than what other teams have experienced.  Maybe I am wrong.  I didn’t go through every roster and check the exact time that players have been out.  However, as I’ve studied the teams we are about to play I’ve commonly come across stories of injuries.  As I’ve talked to coaches before and after matches they all tell me stories of girls being sick, hurt, having to leave the team, etc.  It’s sports.  People get hurt.

No, I don’t think injuries are/were the most important factor in our underwhelming play so far in 2013.  I think they were a factor, but I think they were secondary, if not tertiary in terms of problems.  Culprit #1?  Net defense.  We allow way too many one-one-one attacks at the net.  We don’t consistently close blocks and far too often are caught out of position giving opposing setters the chance to pick attackers that create isolation attacks repeatedly on us at the net.  Simply put, we have statistical leaders in blocks, but overall… I don’t think we are a good blocking team.  And there IS a difference between statistically generating blocks and being a good blocking team.  In fact, a lot of being a good blocking team may very well never translate to actual blocks.  An attack that is slowed down – even barely touched at the net – is more likely to be dug (and dug to target) than forcing a back row player to slow down a full powered swing.  Secondly, and maybe more importantly, a closed block forces attackers to choose alternate lanes to swing into.  These alternate lanes are attackers secondary choices and they can be more easily read by back row defenders.  When only one lane is open, then that lane can be better anticipated by the back row player.

We don’t do those two things:  1) we don’t consistently touch balls at the net to help out the dig and 2) we don’t take away alleys for hitters so that balls can be funneled down one lane.

The result:  Our opponents score more easily than we would prefer.

Now, I said injuries were an issue, but maybe issue #3.  So, what about Issue #2?  Well, if net defense is at the top of the “needs improvement” list, then next in line is the same darn thing I’ve written about for season after season:  It helps (tremendously) if you have one go-to-girl that can score from anywhere on the court and is on the court at all times.  Middle blockers don’t play all the way around.  Plus, middle blockers are supposed to “block”. At least, their title suggests so. To continue, if your blockers are having trouble slowing down opposing offenses, then splitting their attention by having them carry a heavy offensive responsibility is only further increasing the chance that they won’t consistently contribute on both sides of the ball.  No, the players that should be your go-to six rotation players are definitively outside hitters.

Earlier in the year, I argued for Kaitlyn Granger to be “left alone” and just put out there for six rotations.  Recently, this is exactly how she’s been used and I like that.  I just think she is the kind of player that will play her best if she is in the game consistently, not playing then sitting, then playing then sitting.  However, the suggestion that Granger play six-rotations was not with the thought that she would be the go-to on offense.  The go-to’s are clearly Ivy and Bates.  One of them, in my mind, should ALWAYS play six rotations.  Here is where the injuries put a snarl into the plan… maybe.

Ivy’s knee and Bates’ ankle at times this year have kept them out of the lineup and I understand that each needed to be gradually worked back into playing shape and build up stamina and confidence in their health.  But at some point, once they’ve proven that they can play, then you gotta have one of them out there at all times.  Otherwise, you don’t have that go-to on the floor to get you out of a funky rotation or really even to create a diversion for the opponent.

Its’ nice to have three solid offensive choices on the floor as much as often to force the defense to respect the entire net.   Typically, SFA has two players on the floor that I think the defense has to worry about and unfortunately, in some rotations, at some points in the year, we have had one decent offensive option on the floor in our weakest rotations.

Offense actually has become  MORE of a problem as the year has progressed.  SFA is hitting .199 as a team – which is actually 40 points higher than last year.  However, we have hit .174 in conference matches - meaning that we were having more attacking success earlier in the year as opposed to the last month or so. 

Look back over the last months’ games and identify the one where you think SFA had its best offensive showing.  If you don’t pick the home game against Lamar, then it has to be a candidate.  That match was against a decent opponent and we were in control for virtually the entire afternoon.  The net defense was better that day and in terms of actually blocks, we basically doubled the Cardinals up. 

The offense was sharp and how did we do it?  Bates (20 kills, .500) and Ivy (11 kills, .375) led the way and Granger did what I mentioned above.  She was a complimentary piece – limiting her errors, which she has to do – and came within one kill and one dig of a double double.  The offense was led by the outside/right side hitters and the middles blocked balls.  Plus, Madison Martin played out of her mind on the back row, digging up things left and right.  Aside:  The girl can play.. no doubt… I love me some Madison Martin, but someone hitting negative .046 isn’t an attacker.  Her role is as a back row defender and passer and she’s damn good at it.  However, giving her 20-25 swings a night just shouldn’t be in the game plan.

So, not enough net defense and no consistent six-rotation scorer than can bail you out of a tough run.  That’s my top two in terms of why we are sitting at .500 and on the bubble of the tournament.  Everyone knows we still have a shot.  I mean, c’mon, suppose we beat both SELA and UNO and even split at home between ORU and Northwestern St.  That’d be 9-9 in SLC play, maybe we’d tie with someone we had the breaker on and earn the #7 seed.  That’s not terrible, because then we would be opposite UCA in the bracket and play someone in the first and second round that we could have complete confidence against!  It can be done!

However, to finish this up and make what I think is my overall point… consider this “leaderboard”.  The statistic that I think encapsulates my point here is looking at the DIFFERENCE between attack percentage and opponent attack percentage.  You want this to be positive.  If it is negative then your opponents are swinging at a higher percentage than you.  Now, if this is negative AND your own attack percentage is below league average, then that’d be a double whammy… and that’s precisely SFA’s situation.

CONFERENCE ONLY (ATTACK % - OPPONENT ATTACK %)

1. UCA            .151

2. ORU            .094

T3. SHSU       .057

T3. NWLA       .057

5. TAMUCC    .039

6. Lamar          .016

7. McNeese    .009

8. HBU            -.007

9. UIW             -.032

T10. ACU        -.044

T10. SELA      -.044

12. SFA           -.047

13. NICH         -.072

14. UNO          -.201

The top five teams in the conference are also the five that top this list.  The teams we are fighting with for a tournament spot (Lamar, McNeese, HBU) are all at basically zero on that list.  Draw your own final conclusion.  I think I’ve made a sufficient case.

I’ve already written once this season about opposing hitters feasting on us.  If you are looking for a tell-tale sign as to whether we have anything left in the tank for the last three weeks, don’t talk about injuries. 

Instead, how about we ride our two prize horses named Ivy and Bates as much as we can and everyone else on the front row start slowing some opposing attacks down on a consistent basis?

Step Up. 

SLC Interview Link, Voting for All-Tournament

As a wrap up of the 2012 Southland Conference Volleyball Tournament, I will leave up this page for a few days linking to the seven interviews that were done during the tournament.  Click the link below to listen to day by day interviews with coaches and players from around the league

CLICK HERE for 2012 SLC Tourney Interviews


In the spirit of full disclosure, which I believe is important to maintain my role and a level of integrity among the league, here is the 2012 All-Tournament Ballot that I filed at the match.  I was allowed to vote for the All-Tournament Team as a member of the media:

My Ballot for All-Tourney:

(1) MVP : Jessica Hays, UCA
(2) Marissa Collins, UCA
(3) Sheina Fernandes, ORU
(4) Jill Ivy, SFA
(5) Jessica Nagy, UCA
(6) Shelbee Berringer, UCA

The announced offical all-tournament team consisted of the first five that I voted for and ORU libero Bruna Silva.

I'll add more comments about my thinking in casting my ballot later today or tomorrow. 

Congrats to UCA and ORU.  And again, I thought SFA represented themselves very, very well.  All in all, I believe we gave the tournament champions their toughest test.  More comments in a day or so...

What A Great Game. Thank You, SFA & all SLC Fans

I am going to get into a short discussion about Central Arkansas here in a minute because they deserve a ton of credit, but this post is going to begin and end with discussion about Stephen F. Austin Volleyball. It's time to write about the namesake.. this is SFA (accent on the "SFA") VolleyBlog and everyone knows I love Ladyjack Volleyball with a passion.

Now that a few hours have gone by, I've had a great steak at a quaint restaurant in downtown Conway and watched my Alma mater - the unranked Baylor Bears - just destroy #1 Kansas State in football, I've had a chance to digest all the volleyball I witnessed today. The main thing I keep going over in my brain is how proud I am of the 2012 squad. We were 14-18 last year, and I wrote early in the year that I thought 18-14 was going to be about right for us. Instead, we finish 22-12 and take major strides towards moving back into the upper crust of the conference.

You see, its one thing to be a Northwestern State - a team on the rise that has historically been down. It's another thing to be an Oral Roberts - new to the conference and winding up a mid-seed that got hot. But, we are SFA. The history of Southland Volleyball traces to us. Well, us and UTA, but they left and now they stink. There is a certain pride, a certain expectation - with Ladyjack Volleyball, and the last few years didn't sit well with the SFA faithful. We weren't as relevant in the conference as we were used to. The 2012 squad pointed us back in the right direction and although we will miss Burns and Hanlan, we have a lot to look forward to. So, yeah, I am really proud of our coaches and our players.

The matches this weekend were incredible. How could you be in that gym tonight and not get caught up in what you saw?  I heard fans (both UCA and SFA) talking about how intense and how even the match was. Just great volleyball and I think both teams earned another dose of respect for each other. SFA had a six week spell where we played inconsistently. It looked like that might be our destiny again until halftime against the Demons. From that point on, SFA played with resolve. We had a down set or so tonight against UCA, but for the most part, we played quality volleyball. Our defense tonight was particularly impressive - both at the net and digging up balls. Jessica Hays had 17 kills and 19 digs, so it's not like she was quiet, but at no point did she take over the match. Many of her 50 attacks were touched, blocked or incredibly dug up by either Hanlan, Olson or Bates. Burns had 10 blocks and Hanlan finished her career in the libero jersey and had a match high 19 digs. I am so proud for them and the fact that they contributed so much in their final collegiate match.

Cara Leslie had spurts where she played particularly well and I am anxious to see what she can do as a sophomore. We needed her tonight and she stepped up. Jill (the Kill) Ivy was phenomenal. She had the UCA crowd sitting behind me in awe. I actually heard a couple of them say they hadn't seen someone hit a ball that hard at their defense all year long. I thought Holland was poised and ran a good game and Tori Bates had some smashing shots that had all of us excited for what she can do the next three years.

But in the end, it was two very good teams and we came out on the short end. It is right to give Central Arkansas their due. What they have done this year in pressure situations with comebacks and winning sets that are tight, and finding ways to force and/or win fifth sets is really impressive. When it gets to be crunch time, UCA seems to always handle themselves well. They do what good teams do.. they find a way. And they've found a way twice against us in two very emotional matches. In all, they beat us three times this year and that speaks for itself.

Also, let me address Alicia Dittrich and her her contributions tonight. She was great. Tonight she showed me - and others - why she led the league in hitting percentage. How can you not be impressed by 14-1-22 (.591)? She also played tremendous defense - the thing I have harped on with her position - she had 7 blocks. When people play like she did - even though I stand by my general thoughts and assessments about middle blockers and how I rated them during the entire year - despite that.. this is not a time for me to be defensive. It's a time for me to acknowledge what I saw... a great performance by one of the many fantastic players on the UCA squad. So, to all of UCA's main crew.. and especially to Dittrich because I have singled her out for other reasons, I tip my hat. You deserve your credit and I want to be "stand up" and give it to you.

This is a slightly different UCA team than in past years. I actually don't think they are as dominant as some other teams they've fielded. I think they actually have a few flaws - and blocking, in general, is one of them. But, one thing this Sugar Bear team seems to have in bushels is the ability to "finish" and find ways to win. Because of that, what they are doing in 2012 in some ways is more impressive than the teams that Chloe Smith played on.

Let me add this in here: Again, this isn't to be defensive, it's to be explanatory:  I was questioned about my "2/3 defense, 1/3 offense" assessment for middle blockers on Friday.  Since that time I have asked three additional people - two coaches and one other person who you'll have to trust me when I say has a history of being around the game - about those proportions.  The three answers I got were "Defense is at least half of it" and "60/40 on the defensive end" and "I think your 2/3 is about right".  It depends on a teams' system, and I have a small sample, I know, but I think my limited data taken from folks in the last 48 hours reinforces the proportional mix that has been utilized in statistical analyses. Let's move on...

How about Oral Roberts, people? Man, I am SUPER impressed with them right now. One great thing about tomorrow's final is I think it matches up the league's best offense against the league's best defense. Sadie Schaffer was terrific and I believe she is someone that can cause problems for UCA. Also, I am sorry that I will only get to see Sheina Fernandes play one year. That girl is a player. She didn't make a single attack error in that match against Sam Houston. Give me Hays as my 1st round pick and Fernandes as my 2nd rounder and I'll kick all ya'lls butts in Southland Conference Fantasy Volleyball.

I'll just let this be what it is: I said I didn't like our draw in the tournament when I wrote the first round preview article. You always want to win as many games as you can and finish as strong as you can.. but, I'll always believe that if we were on the other side of the bracket as the 6-seed, then the match you saw tonight would have been the championship. Now, UCA might still have won. But, I think we did fantastic given our side of the bracket.

I am so much more optimistic on the last day of the season now than I was even last year, and certainly more so than two years ago when we sat at home while others played in Huntsville. I am eager to see Granger next year along with the dimension that Connell and Crowder could bring. I foresee Olson at libero and Granger fighting for playing time, creating competition on the left with Bates and Randall. Hopefully, Kainer will develop more and push all three of them as well. Bates and Randall are already so good in terms of defense from the left side, that between the two of them and Granger maybe we will finally have enough offense to satisfy me from that position. I also think we will be deep and competitive at setter with even more quality choices on the roster.

Maybe one of this years' freshmen will pull a "Jill Ivy". Wow. Where would we be without her? She was a whole universe better this year than she was last year and in 2011 she was darn good! I got struck with something today... last year, I picked Texas State's RS Amari Deardorff as my Player of the Year. I think Jill is going to be better than her when it is all said and done.. and she might be as good as her right now! Oh man, if we get that kind of power on the left - what if Bates improves as much as Ivy did this year? - then we are gonna have a really strong offense in the next two years.

See, I am already there for 2013.

One last thing: Thank you - to everyone - that supported me in 2012 in even the smallest way. The blog became more well known than ever before. This space is getting recognized as more and more legitimate. I am blessed for that.

I want to say thank you for this: The last two days set all-time records for page views at www.sfavolleyblog.net. My Google Stats for today showed 483 page views. 483!!. I average about 80 to 100 views a day and the best two days in terms of traffic that I have ever had are the last two days. I broke a record Friday with near 300 views and then got close to 500 today. That's 800 page views during the tournament so far. I have more twitter followers than half of the official twitter feeds for the teams in the conference .

To all the league officials, coaches, players, fans and parents: Thanks. I promise to keep promoting the sport. Thank you for your spirited opinions - even when we disagree - we are talking "volleyball" - and that's positive to me. I've learned and been humbled by all of you.

There are two articles I have just about finished that I will share during late November or early December.

Hey, I get to watch a final tomorrow between two good teams.. not as a public address announcer.. not as a blogger.... but as a fan.

Nevertheless.. I'll still be wearing SFA purple. Always.

2012 SLC Tournament: 1st Round Preview

Before we get into today’s topic of breaking down Friday’s first round tournament matchups, let me make sure and share with you this week’s schedule here at the blog. On Tuesday night, I will post my list comprising the 4th Annual SFA Volleyblog.net All Conference Teams. I always put out my list the day before the conference does so that my picks can stand in an unbiased way against the coaches and SID picks. I’ll refresh you on the rules I use for making those selections in that post.


Next, I will be traveling to Conway on Thursday and be providing commentary all during the day live during Friday’s matches. We’ll call this “live blogging” since I will provide updates several times an hour all during the day. Then, at 4:00 I will shift into “live chat” mode using the traditional chat software that you regularly see here when SFA squares off against Northwestern State. We’ll shift back into live blog mode after the match and for all day Saturday. If SFA plays on Saturday and/or Sunday, I will certainly do live chats for those subsequent matches. I am considering chatting live during the conference final on Sunday no matter who plays – I’ll make that call based on a few discussions with conference officials.

Lastly, I am also working on beginning a new “SFA Volleyblog award” in addition to all conference teams that I put out each year. I don’t want to give away any details because I am still compiling some numbers, but it won’t surprise you that this new “award” will focus on back row defense. I think you’ll like the data that I present, but I may not get it all done by the time I get to Conway.

OK, on to the previews of the first round of the 2012 Southland Conference Volleyball Tournament:

Match 1: 11:00 AM Friday
#7 Nicholls State vs. #2 Sam Houston State
Regular Season: Sam Houston swept Nicholls both times

I am happy for first year coach Patrick Hiltz in that his club officially gets a tournament berth, but we can’t hide behind the facts that a) Nicholls and Southeastern Louisiana made the tournament due to the format not changing in the year we only had 10 teams and b) 6-12 and 5-13 teams don’t really deserve to compete in the postseason. I’m not being ugly, it’s just the truth. I understand the conference decision not to alter the format of the tournament for just one year, but that meant that we ran the risk of having some below average teams in the postseason. Now, there are some conferences where every team plays for the right to earn an NCAA berth, but I don’t prefer that sort of format at all. All that being said, this shouldn’t be a big issue since Sam Houston should have little trouble eliminating the Colonels in the opening match.

Sam Houston has too many weapons on offense and Nicholls just doesn’t have the counterpunch. Nicholls has no wins against any of the teams seeded above them in the tournament. I would like to say this, though: Nicholls State has a fair number of Seniors this year and I am happy that those players will get a chance to play in the conference tournament to finish their college careers. Jennifer Brandt, Jessica Addicks, Kathryn Stock, Nancy Taylor, Sarah Terry and Amanda Newlin have each played a fairly integral role on the team during 2012. Some of those players have been central to Colonel Volleyball the entire time they have been on campus. I’ve particularly enjoyed watching Brandt and Addicks – it seems like they have been at Nicholls forever. I hope they play an inspired match and give Sam Houston a fight in what likely will be their final game of their careers.

Sam Houston is also full of seniors. I think their resolve is hardened now, and like I said way back on August 30 in this space, I expect the final to feature the Bearkats against the host Sugar Bears. I hope to interview both Brenda Gray and some of the Bearkat players during the tournament. I’ll post those audio files as they are recorded. Before we get into more discussion about Sam Houston – because I am sure I will comment about them a lot this weekend - we need to recognize the contributions of Devaney Wells-Gibson and her impact on the Bearkat success. I’ve focused a fair number of words on the veterans like Black, Hawkins, and Cleveland. But, Wells-Gibson, only a sophomore, has stepped into the void left by Carli Kolbe and been nothing short of stellar. Take a look at these stats: 4.07 kills per set, 435 total kills, a .242 attack percentage in 1162 attacks plus 3.28 digs per set and 50 blocks. Folks, that’s elite. In fact, it might be good enough for SLC Player of the Year Honors. I will go ahead and tell you right now that she is one of the players I am considering for that honor. I don’t think she’s received the credit around the league that she deserves. If the Bearkats make the final, I as suspect they will, watch for her to show up on the All-Tournament team.

Odds: (50/50 means a toss up): Sam Houston 85/15. Nicholls might challenge or even escape with one set, but that’d be about the extent of the damage I think they could inflict.

Match 2: 1:30 Friday
#6 Oral Roberts vs. #3 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
Regular Season: Split. Home Team swept road team in each meeting.

Ahh, here we go. This is the match – other than our own – that I am most anxious to see on Day 1. I told you last week that if this was the 3/6 match up I was going with ORU and I’m not changing course now. Let me slip this in right here… I thought SFA’s 3-1 win in Tulsa was mighty impressive. The comebacks in Set 3 and 4 were some of the firmest resolve I think the ‘Jacks have shown all year. ORU looked a little shell shocked in those last two sets. I think they got it together and took their frustrations out on Northwestern State two days later.

I expect ORU to play well in this tournament. They have two fantastic blockers in Jessica Pancratz and Sheina Fernandes. Pancratz ,in particular, has become one of my favorite non-SFA players this year. That girl can block and she’s got one of the fastest arm swings I’ve seen lately. You know how in baseball there are some players you just gotta watch take batting practice? That’s like Pancratz in warm-ups. Watch her hit in warm-ups – she can put on a show.

One of the key battles in this matchup will be the ORU blockers against TAMUCC’s Shannon Hullum on the right side. I think Hullum is TAMUCC’s best offensive weapon and in fact, while we are at it – Hullum has REALLY improved her game during her time in Corpus Christi. When the Islanders came to Nacogdoches, I was focused on Baresh because I haven’t seen her play before. Hullum stole my attention though. Baresh didn’t play all that well against us, but Hullum really shined. She’s another player that I think got overlooked a little this year.

If the Islanders can mix up their offense and get contributions from Brink and Baresh on the left, then I can see this matchup falling their way. Brink may be the X-factor. She’s my current “Tara Frantz” candidate. There’s always one girl who puts up decent numbers and I just don’t buy into how they do it. That’s Brink..I’m not sold on her. Logan Borque is going to have to have the game of her life trying to mix up the offense and keep the ORU front line guessing. If Borque is off, ORU will win. Borque didn’t set well in my opinion when I saw her in Nacogdoches, but I know she is capable of better. Still, I just don’t think Brink and Baresh will be able to do as much as what TAMUCC will need them to do against the ORU front line. Sticking with the setter matchup – Laura Taylor did a nice job against SFA with attacking just enough on 2nd strike. I’d like to see Taylor try and do a lot of that against Alverson to keep her guessing in the middle in order to open up more for either Tatum Freeden on the left or players like Rosa or Schaffner on the right.

Then there is Nolan vs. Silva. Two great liberos. I’ve been singing Nolan’s praises to people for a while and although I wasn’t impressed with Silva when she came to Nacogdoches, her resume is complete enough and I’ve talked to others that have witnessed her stellar play to where I am a believer.

I don’t think there is any doubt that this is the most interesting match of the first round. I think the left sides are even with maybe a slight edge to the Islanders. I like ORU more in the middle – in fact, I like ORU in the middle by quite a big margin. Plus, I’ll give a slight edge to ORU at setter and on the back row. Corpus Christi has the edge on the right. That seems like a toss up on paper, but in the end, I think the low seed gets this one.

Odds: (50/50 means a toss up): ORU 60/40. If Brink and Baresh combine for 6 kills per set, then I’ll swing it to them. But again, if Borque doesn’t run the offense well, ORU might cake walk it.

Match 3: 4:00 Friday
#5 Stephen F. Austin vs. #4 Northwestern State
Regular Season: Split. Home Team won each meeting. SFA won 3-1 in Nacogdoches, NWLA won 3-0 in Natchitoches.

When SFA beat Northwestern State in Nacogdoches, the ‘Jacks were in the middle of probably their most consistent level of play all season. September was a banner month for SFA as they stormed out to a 5-0 SLC record and at one point looked like they could challenge for the league’s top spot. If not for feisty UCA denying the ‘Jacks four match points in their game at the end of that month, who knows what might have happened. Instead, SFA lost to UCA in a heartbreaker and ever since that point has been radically inconsistent. After the UCA match, they went to Huntsville and played horrible. They then immediately got ripped by TAMUCC and I penned the article about still believing this year was different. After all, we going into the “soft” part of the schedule. But, then Southeastern Louisiana happened. And it happened twice. Bad in a non-conference game down in Houston vs. HBU. Good against Lamar and a non-conference match against North Texas. But then ridiculous at Northwestern State. Then, really good at home against the Islanders in the rematch with them and good at Oral Roberts. Then, yesterday at UCA where the team couldn’t even hit zero? Up. Down. Up. Down.

The good thing is: It’s been about a month (SELA, HBU) since SFA laid an egg twice in a row. We have been able to adjust after bad losses. The issue is that we haven’t been able to maintain any momentum after we’ve adjusted. And that is DEFINITELY the key word for SFA’s match up against the Demons: adjustments. SFA must do something to slow down the offense that Northwestern State’s front line can throw at you. In Natchitoches, we couldn’t block to save our lives. DiFrancesco and O’Connell destroyed us on the left. Neely did some damage, but they didn’t really need her that night because why go away from the primary side if the defense can’t stop it? I mean, Emily Sweet isn’t stupid… she could easily tell that we weren’t defending her primary targets, so just keep feeding it to the left until somebody throws down on you a couple times.

I mean.. Hanlan is one of the best liberos in the conference, but if you allow left side hitters to hit uncontested cross court shots over and over then even the best of back row players can’t dig them up. The X-Factor in this match for Northwestern State is Glynna Johnson. If she contributes on offense, then SFA may be in trouble. Why? Because, if we don’t at least slow down DiFrancesco and O’Connell on the left then we are going to lose. But even if we do slow them down, we’d have to make sure that Johnson and Neely don’t get 15 or 20 kills between them. Johnson didn’t do a lot in Natchitoches, but again, she didn’t have to. So, what I think the Demons have to do is to get everyone involved. If they do that, our block may not be able to adjust and they’ll take the match.

SFA has to get the offense out of Jill Ivy that they were getting a few weeks ago. After getting double figure kills from Ivy in 8 of 9 matches in the middle of the SLC slate, she’s topped out at 8 kills in her last four contests. She hadn’t hit negative all year until her errors have exceeded her kills twice in the last two weeks. Is she wearing down? I don’t think so, but it’s clear that we are going to need her typical offense as our base starting point. The ‘Jacks will also need Burns, Allen, Bates, Ivy – even Leslie if she is ready for game action in time– to be a big presence at the net.

Our offense always makes me worry. Ivy has to come up huge and in addition to that we have to get a stellar performance on offense by at least one of Burns or Bates, preferably both. One positive for SFA is that sometimes we can pull a wild card out of our hats….like Katzy Randall getting a double-double or Jacque Allen putting up really good offensive numbers (15 kills vs. Lamar, anyone?). Who knows? Cara Leslie had some great games for us early on. I don’t know how much she’d be ready to contribute or even how she would be used, but maybe she could provide a spark.

In the end, I just worry about how much more offense Northwestern State can generate from the left side than we can. I think we can match up with them in the middle. I think we are better on the right and I think the liberos are both stellar. SFA seems to have to walk too thin a tight rope to pull off a great match. We frequently can’t compensate for one of our better players having an off night. We can win, but the balance is so delicate.

Odds: (50/50 means a toss up): Northwestern State 55/45. If Ivy and Burns dominate, we win. If Sweet picks us apart by mixing up her distribution and NWLA gets contributions all across the front row, we lose. Either way, UCA lurks.

Match 4: 6:30 Friday
#8 Southeastern Louisiana vs. #1 Central Arkansas
Regular Season: UCA won both, but SELA took sets both times including pushing UCA to five in Conway.

You know how SELA was able to hang? Their middles. Courtney Donald absolutely ruled against UCA both times they played. Check it out.. in two matches against the Sugar Bears, Donald hit 34-5-63 (.460). Holy smokes, that is awesome! C’mon Southland Conference.. show some love for Courtney Donald. This girl has got to wind up an All-SLC pick, maybe even first team. Hey, SELA’s other middle, Veronica Turk did some damage against UCA as well. Is there a secret in there? Is that the way to attack them? I don’t know, but it goes without saying that if the Lady Lions are to have any chance of pulling off the upset, then Donald will have to shine.

This tournament is set up for UCA to win. I actually think they got a great draw in terms of the bracket. Sam Houston has the tougher side in my opinion. I just don’t see the winner of the SFA/NWLA match being able to maintain things against UCA on Saturday, especially if the SFA/NWLA game is well played on both sides and it goes to five sets. The Sugar Bears just have too many things going for them: possible player of year Jessica Hays, experience, good play in the middle in Taylor Hammonds and Alicia Dietrich – who by the way, complement each other really well in terms of skill sets. Then you’ve got the outstanding setter play of Marissa Collins. Finally, any one of Nagy, Brooks or Schnars might get hot and just add insult to injury while you are over there trying to slow down Hays. It’s just too much. Finally, factor in the home court advantage, which still exists even though we are playing at Ferris and not Prince.

UCA is beatable. Conference play has shown that. But, the only team to beat them in Conway is the team they will likely square off against in the final: Sam Houston. The Sugar Bears are 6-0 against the teams on their side of the bracket. They can’t go into cruise control mode, but if they play their game, the three teams on their side of the bracket will have to absolutely play their best game of the year in order to hang in. They have a ton of talent and I expect they will be energized by the home atmosphere. They’re the favorite and their Friday match shouldn’t slow them down much.

Odds: (50/50 means a toss up): Central Arkansas 90/10. First time they played: UCA 3-SELA TWO. Second time they played: UCA 3-SELA ONE. Third time they play: UCA 3 - You complete the pattern.

All in all, I still will go with Sam Houston and UCA in the final. ORU is my dark horse and my heart, of course, is with SFA. We’ve shown this year that we can compete with the top teams in the conference, so this is do-able. We can go in there and make a run. But to do so will require three straight matches of consistent play – we are going to have to elevate our game in order to accomplish that.

I think the bracket sets UCA up the title, and who could argue that they don’t deserve it? Sam Houston is a worthy regular season co-champion and as many seniors as they have on the roster, they will surely show up knowing this is their last shot.

To be really honest, I don’t like our draw in the bracket. I’d feel more comfortable on the other side of the bracket. But, if a team gets hot, then often times there is little that can stop them.

We’ve beaten Northwestern State. We are capable of beating them again. We pushed UCA to the brink, and it’s tough to beat a good team three times, so we have that going for us. We’ve beaten Sam Houston State. Now, all of that was in our own rowdy, loud gym. We’ve got to take that confidence with us on the bus to Conway and put all the pieces together three straight days. I can’t wait for Friday. Going to this tournament is one of my favorite weekends of the year. How about we have a little celebration Sunday night? Why not us?

#3 Through #6: Really No Difference

First things first: I know that posts have been a little more scarce during October, so let me address some things that a few of you have asked about. First, and unfortunately, as some of you know, my wife and children were in a car accident last week on the way home from school. Each of us can probably remember a time or two where our world stopped on a dime and getting the call from my son that they had been in a wreck certainly put me in “drop everything” mode. After a few x-rays to make sure no bones were broken, my wife and oldest son are bruised, but recovering. Rather divinely, my two youngest children barely had a scratch on them – which if you saw the condition that the family van is in post-accident, would make you a believer in angels if you weren’t already. Of course, I’ve believed for quite some time now.


Secondly, more of you probably know that at one point this month it looked like I was headed for shoulder surgery. Many days of throwing a little white sphere known as a baseball, both in my youth and during my adulthood while working with my kids, combined with this years’ weightlifting hobby sent my shoulder into a big knot. Expecting a torn rotator cuff, I had an MRI which again thankfully came back negative, but I have been in rather intense physical therapy for the last three weeks. I may get full range of motion back or I may not. That’s left to be seen, but I am learning how to stretch and contort my arm in all sorts of ways as the physical therapist basically says I have a “frozen” right shoulder (capsulitis for you med-heads out there).

Now all of the above isn’t out there for a pity party, I just felt like I owed the readership a small explanation. During the middle of the season, I am usually writing twice a week, but that’s been cut down this month due to life’s unforeseen little surprises. We all have them and my family and I choose to maintain perspective and seek out what God is asking us to learn during small trials. I have become aware of so many other people around me that are truly suffering in comparison to our bruises, dings and aches. I’m genuinely trying to be less selfish and focus more on others and how I might be able to help them. There is something therapeutic about reaching out to people who are truly hurting. Perspective is everything and I clearly see that I am blessed. Blessed to have a loving family, a fantastic and flexible job and wonderful extended family amongst my hobbies – such as volleyball.

This post is the summary of a conclusion I have come to while tracking SFA and a few other SLC teams that are hovering around them in the standings. My premise is: there is little difference this year in what appear to be the middle seeded teams in the conference tournament. Now, I know that we still have two weeks left to sort these seeds out and that wacky things could and maybe will actually happen, but my guess is that one of the #3 through #6 seeds is going to get hot come tournament time and put a real scare into Central Arkansas and Sam Houston State.

For the hometowners, let’s admit something: There was a time when it looked like SFA could win the conference. That time is gone. We are a middle seed. We had our shot and we blew it. It’s that simple. We shot ourselves in the foot. We lost two matches to Southeastern Louisiana - the first of which was done in ultra-embarrassing fashion on the day to honor Coach Humphreys and we really haven’t played consistently well for an entire month now.

Central Arkansas and Sam Houston are the two best teams in the conference. I told you that a long time ago. I predicted they would meet in the conference tourney championship before the season began. You can check that prognostication here.

Now, despite those teams more than likely headed for a one-two finish.. let’s look at the teams that are likely to finish from third to sixth. I see little difference in these teams and any one of them could get hot at just the right moment and steal a championship berth from either the Sugar Bears or Bearkats. I am not saying that Nicholls State or Southeastern Louisiana couldn’t pull an upset. I just think it is far more likely that they are one and done when we all get over to Conway for the tourney. So, without further delay, here is a list of the teams in the middle of the conference and my reasons why they can… and can’t… be taken seriously:

Northwestern State (10-4 SLC)
Current Seed: 3
Remaining SLC Games: SFA, SHSU, @UCA, @ORU
Predicted Finish and Seed: 11-7, 4th Seed

Why They Can Make It To the Final: They are red hot – winning six straight conference matches and during that time only dropping five sets. They have a legitimate 1-2 punch on the outside with DiFrancesco and the surging Caiti O’Connell. Their back row is stable with Keelie Arneson, the best libero that no one knows about and they have an opportunity for that elusive “signature win” right here down the stretch. If they knock off either Sam Houston at home or UCA on the road, then no matter what happens in the other matches, they will know they can hang with the teams at the top. Stop and think how far they have come in two years. This is truly one of the programs on the rise in the Southland.

Why They Won’t: It’s all too soon too fast. Despite making the tourney last year, they don’t have anywhere near the experience that Sam Houston or UCA has in tournament play. This might be the year that the Demons get past the first round, but rebuilding tends to come in steps – not leaps. Despite a quickly maturing group, the team is still young. Plus, the recent six game winning streak doesn’t exactly include many strong teams. In fact, it has probably come against the league’s worst. Finally, that “signature win”? I doubt it comes to pass. Like SFA, their schedule is tough and they are more likely to enter the tournament on a downslide than on an uptick.

Stephen F. Austin (9-5 SLC)
Current Seed: 4
Remaining SLC Games: @NWLA, TAMUCC, @ORU, @UCA
Predicted Finish and Seed: 10-8, 6th Seed

Why They Can Make It to the Final: No matter what happens during the last two weeks, SFA will be able to say this: We had four match points against UCA, two for a sweep and we’ve already beaten Sam Houston and Northwestern State once. So, why should we be afraid of matching up against anyone? When the ‘Jacks are clicking on all cylinders, they are truly a force. Burns in the middle, Ivy on the right can lead the way on offense and all that is required is for Bates to keep ‘em honest on the left. Randall is back and playing particularly well on defense and Hanlan is capable of digging up everything in the garden as evidenced by the 47 scoops last week in one match. They have the talent. They’ve proven they can hang. They shouldn’t be scared of anyone.

Why They Won’t: They aren’t consistent enough to even put together back to back solid matches right now. One night they pass well, the next, they’d shank underhanded serves. One night they block 16 balls, the next night, they are slow to slide over from the middle to block and the pin blockers can barely get off the ground. One night, they hit .230, the next night, they hit .030. Need I go on? If they’d have won against UCA and not keeled over against Southeastern Louisiana – TWICE – then they would be tied for first place! Problem is – they can’t maintain things. The likelihood of getting hot is low because of the tough competition waiting during the last two weeks of the regular season. This team CAN play well, but I’ve seen this before. Don’t color me surprised if we only manage a win or two down the stretch, go into Conway with basically no momentum and then lose a five-setter in the opening match. All the SFA faithful know that I hope that doesn’t happen, but we are running out of time to regain our early season form.

Texas A&M- Corpus Christi (8-5 SLC)
Current Seed: 5
Remaining SLC Games: NICH, SELA, @SFA, Lamar, McNeese
Predicted Finish and Seed: 13-5, 3rd Seed

Why They Can Make It to the Final: They have the easiest schedule of all the mid-seeds left and they should enter the tournament on a super high. Despite not having success against Sam Houston, they have beaten Central Arkansas once this year. At one point in the middle of the season, they won seven straight matches and they have likely SLC Coach of the Year Tony Graystone at the helm. This is THE surprise team of the year and everyone would LOVE for them to play Cinderella and waltz to the tournament final. What do they have to lose? They weren’t even in the tourney last year. Talk about playing with reckless abandon - this group should be loose and confident by the time they get to Conway. Playing a team with nothing to lose is dangerous, and with a first round win, the Islanders could become the darlings of the tournament.

Why They Won’t: Reality set in the last few weeks. Sure they have an easy schedule, but they got ripped by Sam Houston – TWICE. Each match featured a 25-12 or 25-11 beat down set. To me that shows they really aren’t elite. They don’t have an impressive road win having lost at all of Central Arkansas, Sam Houston, Oral Roberts and Northwestern State. If the tournament was in Corpus – as it will be the next two years – then fine, they might could be counted on. As it sits, I see an average road team at best and one that will brought back to reality once again once the tournament starts. In fact, I think the weak schedule could work against them. Watch SFA or Oral Roberts get them in the first round. In fact, if the 3/6 matchup is TAMUCC/ORU, I’d be really confident in going with the Golden Eagles.

Oral Roberts (8-6 SLC)
Current Seed: 6
Remaining SLC Games: @McNeese, @Lamar, SFA, NWLA
Predicted Finish: 11-7, 5th Seed

Why They Can Make It to the Final: Anyone noticed that this club has started to get their act together lately? Written off early on, it looks like ORU might be the dark horse going into the final two weeks of the season. They beat Central Arkansas, lost a five set match to Sam Houston that went all the way to 21-19 in the 5th set and then swept Corpus Christi – all of that within FOUR DAYS! The other reason why they can make it to the final: Defense. This team can seriously block balls at the net and those that get past the front row players like Pancratz and Fernandes are likely to be dug up by Silva on the back row. Don’t look at me funny if we all get to Conway and people start saying: ‘I didn’t think ORU was this good’. I think the sleeping giant may have just been awakened. This team looks scary to me. I wouldn’t want to play them in the first round. Plus, they have experience going deep in conference tournaments – having advanced to their conferences’ final last year with basically the same club that is on the floor now.


Why They Can’t: They aren’t good enough to pull two upsets in a row. They are the alter ego of SFA, but with likely the same fate. Whereas, SFA peaked early and faded late, ORU was flat early and has played well in recent weeks. But in the final analysis, there just isn’t as much on the floor as what is run out there by UCA and SHSU. I think of Oral Roberts like I do SFA.. they are capable of dominating in one match.. but one match only. I think they’ll struggle to find consistency in the final three weeks of the season. I’ve picked them to win three or four remaining, but watch out for that match in Beaumont. Lamar might pull the upset.

In the end, I just don’t see that much difference between having the 3rd seed and having the 6th seed. I believe one of the above four teams will surprise some people and make a serious run. The safe bet is UCA vs. SHSU in the final – which is what I have thought will come to pass from the beginning of conference play. But, I think what may be just as likely as a 1 vs. 2 match up in the final is that one of the above four teams above begins to fire on all cylinders at just the right time and we get to see an exciting conference final that includes one of UCA/SHSU taking on a team with an unbelievable story:

NWLA: From first round defeat to competing for a right to go to the NCAA’s

SFA: A return to glory, completing their “Return to Relevance” season in style.

TAMUCC: Cinderella becomes fan favorite as Islanders go from out of the tourney to championship in just one year.

ORU: Dismissed by the league early on, but then storming their way to the final when it matters.

Which headline will it be?

Actually, what I think would be particularly fun is to see both UCA AND SHSU go down and the final feature two of these teams. Of course, I’ve got my fingers crossed that we’ll find that early season magic and have ourselves one heck of a party just north of Little Rock.