In other news the Aggie football team is no good either. But at least I didn't have high expectations for them.

I'm very disappointed by the VB team this year however. The Lone Star Smackdown continues.

Not sure how that ended up being a smiley but lets say I'm optimistic for the future?

How did they look tonight? Did Kendra look 100%?

was there no possible way she could take a medical redshirt (kendra)

Didn't watch the game it was in Austin, just followed the live stats.

If I'm reading the stats right she had 6 kills 2 errors and .333 PCT.

If E is errors A&M had 44 Kills and 22 Errors for a .167 pct.

See team stats here.
http://live.texassports.com/2005/volleyball/game/index_individual_v.html

[This message has been edited by RedassAg04 (edited 10/26/2005 9:52p).]

I didn't get to see the match, but just by looking at the stats, it looks like we continue to get whipped at the net. Since Kendra went down, we've gotten no production out of our middle blocker.

The season's been a major disappointment. I hesitate to think what next season is going to be like after losing Laura, Kendra, Kari, and Holly. It may take some time to get this thing turned around.

So those numbers sound pretty bad to me anyone with some knowledge care to comment?

what's the lone star smackdown at now?

tu 2 points ags 0. A total of 19 are available.
We lost something like 4 to 15 last year and I expect this year will be worse.

[This message has been edited by RedassAg04 (edited 10/26/2005 10:23p).]

VB team is an embarrassment.

seriously, what happened? last year we should have gone to the third round at least (we should have beaten tennessee). how did we fall so far so fast?

quote:

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seriously, what happened? last year we should have gone to the third round at least (we should have beaten tennessee). how did we fall so far so fast?

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No Melissa Munsch to compliment Laura.

Gig'em!
01000100 01100101 01100001 01101110 00100000 00100111 00111000 00111000

^
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basically, that's it. No one has stepped up.

Both womens BB and VB coaches get reviewed this week, Blaire is safe but Corbelli might be put on the hot seat. 4 straight losses, knocked out of the top 25, swept by tu, little hope of even winning another match this season. Add that to we havent won a Big 12 title in Vball ever and now in jeopardy of not making it to the NCAAs for the first time since 93. Im not saying she'll be fired, but as MJ proved, Bill does not have much tolerance for coaches who win games but never brings home any hardware.

[This message has been edited by Aglax2005 (edited 10/27/2005 3:55p).]

Title should be: Good? They're Grrrrreat!

I know it's a buzzword we keep hearing in all sports and venues, but IMO the answer is: parity. I think this year's team would have been fine in the past. That is, they could travel back in time and probably finish about the same in the BigXII as most of Corbelli's teams, except a couple of the late-90s squads who were the best this school has seen.

What has happened is that the BigXII has gotten TOUGHER. Used to be, you expected to struggle against Nebraska, Texas was a home-team-wins toss-up, and one of the Kansas schools would always give you fits each year... but the rest of the BigXII could be counted on to be a relatively safe bet or an easy 'W'.

That is no longer the case. Even the bottom-rung teams in this conference aren't pushovers anymore outside the national top 10. It's a melee out there, and the mistake we have made is we haven't been BUILDING UP, and we have been passed by. Granted, a lot of things went wrong at the same time, and God knows losing Lexy was a big hit to the program. But just having very good young ladies isn't enough anymore, and really hasn't been for ten years. Title IX has made a difference, despite some of its flaws, and club ball has become an enormous business in Texas. Unlike the slim pickings of the '80s and early '90s, there's a whole generation of 18 year olds out there who have extensive club/JO experience, and if you want to float to the top you need to have a couple creme-de-la-creme recruits on the court at all times.

Somewhere along the line, Corbelli has lost the ever-escalating recruiting race.

[This message has been edited by wannaggie (edited 10/27/2005 4:04p).]

[This message has been edited by wannaggie (edited 10/27/2005 4:06p).]

I think this team is just bad. Laura Jones can't do everything. The only other person I can think of that's pretty consistent is Kari Kelley.

Hmmmm....team is sliding steadily downhill, Corbelli can't recruit with the big girls/boys, team gets smeared on national tv, and fans clearly see a program that is underachieving.....seems like a no-brainer for BB.

its just been a tough season, injuries and chemistry just haven't been there, but every team has down seasons (see OU football this year) its just a cycle, but we'll come out firin next year

Yes with the loss of Laura Jones we are sure to be a improved team, can't you see the underclassmen stepping up this year!?!?!?

[This message has been edited by RedassAg04 (edited 10/28/2005 12:20a).]

oh yeah with laura jones gone we lose all hope, i didn't say we'd be winnin a NCAA title but i think the only way we could go is up, and lindsey yon and kainz in the mix and some up and comin freshman we could see some major improvement, (see pavan for nebraska)

True, a new class always brings new potential.

Sometimes you can have great players, but the consistency, chemistry, and cohesion aren't there: see Hawai'i this year, Florida last year, and Arizona since 2001. Despite my previous post, it's hard to dump all the blame on the Corbellis, because anyone who has coached volleyball can tell you that there's no quantifiable way to judge how well a recruit will fit with the other five players on the court. And in volleyball particularly, there's a lot to be said for setter chemistry. I've personally played USAV with some A and AA setters who were great for other hitters, but certain sets just weren't at the speed/angle that worked best for me. You both try to adjust to each other, but in a long rally when you get out-of-system, those little style issues start to make a big difference.

Take Kelsey Bryant, for example. She looked like a terrific MB in high school and club ball, and everyone expected her to have a very good chance of working her way into the lineup as a freshman. But so far there's been precious little to see, so the jury is still out. Whether that was a mistake in recruiting, or a mistake in pre-season training, or a mistake in coaching technique, is very difficult to know, and I want to be sure I don't come off as another idiot armchair quarterback who somehow always could do a better job.

However, nothing succeeds like success, and getting better recuits each year, especially to a place like B/CS, depends on your school's perception in the volleyball grapevine of parents, boosters, and HS/JO coaches. A year like this year will make it even harder to convince top prospects to be Aggies. It hurts to say this, heck it hurts to even think it, but if I were the Martin HS vb coach in 2001 and could see the future, I'd advise Laura Jones to go to t.u., who are just one stellar OH away from legitimate contention for the Final Four.


[This message has been edited by wannaggie (edited 10/28/2005 9:06a).]

[This message has been edited by wannaggie (edited 10/28/2005 9:07a).]

quote:

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but if I were the Martin HS vb coach in 2001 and could see the future, I'd advise Laura Jones to go to t.u., who are just one stellar OH away from legitimate contention for the Final Four.

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That has to be the dumbest thing I've heard.

You say that as the coach could see into the future to this year. You say that like the Martin coach didn't know that A&M was just 2 years removed from the ELIGHT EIGHT! You say that like the Martin coach didn't know that A&M finished with their SECOND BEST overall and Big XII records in History. You say that like the Martin coach would not want Laura to join a team with other All-Americans such as Munsch(2003,2004) and Jenna Moscovic(2001).

Give me a break, in the past four years that Jones has been here we had been as competitive as any other team in the Big XII. It just so happens that ONE year in the past 12 that we won't be making the NCAA tourney and you would have sent Laura to texas who we have consitently beat with the exception of this year.


That has to be the most uninformed post ever.






Texags: Where being the cool guy is like being the smartest person with Down Syndrome!

Wait, we're not gonna make the NCAA tourney?

I will be the first to admit when there's a topic I'm uninformed about. DI women's vball is not it. I very explicitly stated that my hypothetical coach could see into the perfect future - an impossibility. Your disagreement relies on facts from the subsequent non-hypothetical reality, which of course will be inconsistent with the alternate timeline. It's a rhetorical device, which like all such devices takes a certain license with the finer details in order to highlight a larger point. You are 100% right that there are many other great things Laura has been a part of at A&M, both inside and outside of Rollie.

I'm always proud to tell other people at other schools about the accomplishments of TAMU volleyball since the mid-90s. But in this thread I'm talking about this year. Nothing in volleyball happens individually, every element depends on every other element. Munsch was an incredible all-around player, but without Jones on the floor to also occupy the opposing defense and give A&M wins, that AA honor gets more elusive. If you think the AA committee only looks at stats and isn't swayed by conference finish, team hype, and postseason results, you don't know the AVCA.

Every serious player dreams of playing for a national championship, and every coach dreams of having their players get there someday. It's very simple:

*hypothetically speaking*, 2005 t.u. + 2005 Laura Jones = 2005 t.u. Final Four, in my opinion. The other elements - setting, floor defense, middle attacks, are finally working together.

When you say, "in the past four years that Jones has been here we had been as competitive as any other team in the Big XII," you're circularly begging the question.
*Hypothetically speaking*, as a high school coach I would tell my player, "Look, you could go to school A and put the team on your back for four years and come away as the big fish in the small pond with some very nice in-school records that aren't likely to be broken for a very long time... OR, you could go to school B, which has a new coach and great long-term recruiting prospects, and you are one important part of a strong team and in four years you come away with a school record that won't be broken for a very long time... and a conference championship, and a berth in the Final Four which will be just a half-hour plane ride away from your hometown so all your friends and family can easily come and scream themselves silly in support."

This hypothetical situation is only in the context of "Laura Jones: Senior Year," and naturally leaves out other considerations like degree plan and family tradition and school tradition and not ever having to face the tragedy of a closet filled with clothes in "burnt orange."

...

Let me clarify something. I admire Laura Jones greatly both as a player and as a leader. I've watched her career since her club/highschool/YNT days. See, because of the expensive and high-octane club system, volleyball tends to have more than its fair share of pampered Brittanys and Courtneys whose wealthy suburban parents can afford to ship them off to camps and hire a personal coach and pay for nice equipment and a highlight video, and who are the first to point fingers elsewhere when their team doesn't get the job done. Laura is nothing like those girls. She has taken the most from the training and instruction provided to her and puts it to the test every day. I have never seen her display anything less than fierce, professional competition and energetic team leadership. Which is why I also admire her as a person. Every top Division I coach had her on their short list of recruits. She could have gone almost anywhere she wanted and been a four-year starter. Yet she chose to stay close to home and play for us when all we had were a couple recent very good years and a long history of nothing much.

My comments are made with all this in mind. As an active participant in this sport it hurts me to see a player like Laura have her college career end like this. And by "this" I mean the very real possibility that we could play host to a Regional and not even qualify for the postseason at all. I love A&M, but I love Laura Jones' talent too, and all I meant to say was that I'd rather glimpse a bird flying freely in the distance than stare at all its colorful brilliance in the confines of my living room cage.

Curlee, that's right.
The NCAA selection committee has been accused of massaging the tournament bracket to help teams make their own regional in order to ensure heavy attendance, but at this point our W-L ratio will most likely not even be high enough to qualify.

And even if we do manage to get enough wins, we're now at the mercy of how the rest of the conference shakes out. If we end up sixth or worse, the committee cannot reasonably put us in the tournament and not take any teams above us. If they do so, those bracket slots are necessarily unavailable to teams from other deserving conferences, and the result would not be healthy for the sport.


[This message has been edited by wannaggie (edited 10/28/2005 2:29p).]

Wanna, get lost, tsip!

Yes, anyone who has a general knowledge of the sport and various teams nationwide and relative strength and is able to speak about the big picture in some manner outside of "we got spirit yes we do, we got spirit how bout you" boosterism must be disloyal and a t-sip.

I have several other teams I'm a fan of, both in and outside of the Big12, but when the Aggies are on the floor I'm always yelling for them no matter who the opponent. Frankly, getting in and out of B/CS for Aggie events takes a good bit of time and planning. Yet I always try to make the long trip for at least one match each season, especially if the tu game falls on a weekend. I have also travelled to College Station for at least one postseason match every year since the mid 90s that we have played host to NCAA tournament rounds.

But I offer my opinions in a straightforward and unvarnished manner, and sometimes those opinions are going to sound harsh. Your one-liner questioning my loyalty may score big points with the Jerry Springer audience types, but it's a completely groundless accusation and does nothing to contribute to the discussion of this year's depressing performance.


[This message has been edited by wannaggie (edited 10/29/2005 1:42p).]

And a defeatist!

wannaggie has made some good points. It will be tough to justify our team making the postseason. If they do though, I will be extremely happy, but it's been a really tough year. And I do feel bad for Laura cuz this is her last year and the team just isn't stepping up like they're should.

The posts i have seen have plain just made me shake my head. The fact is in sports NOTHING is ever guaranteed. That is why you play the game. There is no guarantee that A&M is going to win such and such amount of games. I know some of the players and I know there have been some factors making this season pretty tough but to say that Laura regrets going to A&M and tu would've been guaranteed to go to final 4 if laura were to go there are unwarranted.

She's had 4 great years here and most athletes would kill for even ONE. I've heard she loves it here and when that final whistle blows for the last time she will hold her head high deservedly. These girls will accomplish in sports more than many of u ever will second guessing on the couch. The fact is nothing is for certain and it seems funny that ppl can claim "expertise" after the fact. If A&M succeeds next year i'll bet ya'll say it is because of the sophs stepping up. All we can ask of them is to play their hearts out and leave it all on the floor. Other than that its the way the ball bounces. (or the way the refs call it)

And BTW, if you have suggestions for Coach Corbelli don't you think it would be more profitable to talk to them then bash them on a msg board. They're really friendly ppl and like to talk to fans after the game, and would love some constructive criticism.

[This message has been edited by djrun01 (edited 10/31/2005 8:37p).]

I never said that Laura must regret going here...the thing I agreed with was us not making the postseason. I think Corbelli is one of the greatest volleyball coaches I've ever seen. It's just a down year this year, and that's disappointing. I feel really bad for the girls and for the seniors in particular.

The rumors I've heard about Corbelli losing her job make me quite upset. I don't want to believe them. But, Johnson lost his baseball job last spring and that shows that anything can happen. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we keep Coach Corbelli cuz I think she's awesome. And I want to wish the best of luck to all the seniors on the team. And you never know....we may win out the rest of the season and make the playoffs (wouldn't that be awesome???).

Djrun, I'm not sure who you're disagreeing with, but your reactions are not to things I've posted.

You said:

quote:

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The posts i have seen have plain just made me shake my head. The fact is in sports NOTHING is ever guaranteed. That is why you play the game. There is no guarantee that A&M is going to win such and such amount of games.

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I said:

quote:

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Sometimes you can have great players, but the consistency, chemistry, and cohesion aren't there...it's hard to dump all the blame on the Corbellis, because anyone who has coached volleyball can tell you that there's no quantifiable way to judge how well a recruit will fit with the other five players on the court.

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You said:

quote:

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to say that Laura regrets going to A&M and tu would've been guaranteed to go to final 4 if laura were to go there are unwarranted.

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I didn't claim inside knowledge that Laura actually regrets choosing A&M, only that as a fan of the sport I hate to see an incredible player on a team where he/she won't get to play with and against the best of the best in a championship situation.

And I didn't say that tu was "guaranteed a Final Four". I said they are "one stellar OH away from legitimate contention", which I stated as my opinion based on watching them this year and watching the rest of the country. They return a starting setter for the first time in years, Leticia Armstrong and Brandy Magee are tearing it up in the middle/slide, Paolini brings a big block to the right side, and Jennings has grown leaps and bounds as a libero. Defense, setting, middle, RS, everything that has been unstable in austin for so long has finally clicked. But Christian is inconsistent and Acevedo, despite having one of the heaviest arms in the nation, is 5'10" at most and can't get past the block when their transitions slip out of system. Laura Jones can and does get her kills game in game out no matter who is on the other side, and she carries primary passing duties as well. She is in my opinion even better than Mira Topic was, and if Laura were at tu this year I think they would be ranked in the top 7 nationally.

You said:

quote:

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She's had 4 great years here and most athletes would kill for even ONE. I've heard she loves it here and when that final whistle blows for the last time she will hold her head high deservedly.

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I said:

quote:

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You are 100% right that there are many other great things Laura has been a part of at A&M, both inside and outside of Rollie... I'm always proud to tell other people at other schools about the accomplishments of TAMU volleyball since the mid-90s.

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You said:

quote:

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These girls will accomplish in sports more than many of u ever will second guessing on the couch. The fact is nothing is for certain and it seems funny that ppl can claim "expertise" after the fact.

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I said:

quote:

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...whether that was a mistake in recruiting, or a mistake in pre-season training, or a mistake in coaching technique, is very difficult to know, and I want to be sure I don't come off as another idiot armchair quarterback who somehow always could do a better job.

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Clearly, we agree more often than not.



[This message has been edited by wannaggie (edited 11/1/2005 7:39a).]

quote:

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And BTW, if you have suggestions for Coach Corbelli don't you think it would be more profitable to talk to them then bash them on a msg board. They're really friendly ppl and like to talk to fans after the game, and would love some constructive criticism.

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Actually that's a really stupid idea. Coach Corbelli knows infinitely more about volleyball than any of us, including (shock) you and wanaggie. We don't need armchair quarterbacks telling her how to do her job.

Talking to Corbelli is a great idea. I'm sure she would love to talk to a bunch of random people about how to run her team. In fact, let's all go talk to Fran, Torbush, and co. after every football game. That would improve our program immensely.

All this talk about letting Corbelli go is a little disappointing to me. She's had a great career here and to give up on her after a down year is ridiculous to me. If next year turns out much like this year, you could probably persuade me but not yet. She's earned at least another year, IMO.

Edit: Sip or not, wannaggie seem to be the most knowledgeable vball poster on this board. Good objective analysis, good information but no gloating. Must not be a sip.

[This message has been edited by redass04 (edited 11/1/2005 10:44a).]