Highlights from the Dig City Podcast 9/13/2023
For those of you who do not want to take the time to listen to the full 24 min podcast or need a quick review, here are key highlights from Coach Shondell:
You had two great wins last week.
For those of you who do not want to take the time to listen to the full 24 min podcast or need a quick review, here are key highlights from Coach Shondell:
You had two great wins last week.
- Taylor Anderson had a really good weekend in her first two starts.
- We have a lot of good centers but are going to play whoever I think gives us the best chance to win.
- Taylor is long and athletic and that’s the profile you hope to recruit and develop.
- Her setting skills are good but we hope that they become better as she trains.
- She also can block and is a strong server.
- Well deserved to be the B1G Setter of the Week
- When we made the decision last week for her to start it wasn’t that her setting skills were that much better but it was about her serving skills and defense.
- Lorrin Poulter is not going away. She’s had a different look on her face this week in practice. She has handled her situation very, very well.
- And Sydney Yim could be starting at 2/3 of the Div 1 schools in this country.
- Lourdés Myers had the week we’ve been expecting and waiting for.
- Confidence breeds confidence - watching her this week she is a totally different person.
- When she committed I celebrated because I knew she had such potential to be.a great VB player.
- Her arm swing and the way the ball comes off her hand is unique.
- She had a medical redshirt last year because of a leg injury and all she did for 6 months was stand in the box and hit balls. (BAM… BAM… BAM).
- Grace Heaney who is in a battle for that right sided position has a corner on it right now.
- But I want to get Kenna Wollard in there - she started the first match of the year but hasn’t played much since because Heaney has been so good.
- Kenna is as good a person as we have in our program and as good a player. I want to get her in there more and hope to do so this weekend.
- And of course Chloe Chicoine won her second B1G Freshman of the Week as well as B1G Player of the Week.
- She played well all weekend but especially against Kentucky.
- She certainly has balanced our attack.
- She has made life better for Eva Hudson who is now a better defender in the back row and a better server than she was last year.
- Chloe wants to be in the gym 24° every day and she has the energy, the stamina and the physical strength to do it.
- Because she is undersized a little she is a small liability as a blocker but she makes up for it in every other conceivable way.
- Eva Hudson was, for the first time, back like last year.
- She told our team that “toughness wins” and she was correct.
- She jumped on that last overpass by Kentucky and about knocked someone’s head off for the win.
- She is always in the right spot at the right time and when the game is on the line you want to have her in there.
- We will continue to monitor the players working the hardest - Hudson and Chicoine - and take care of them. At first they resisted that but then realized that we need them to be healthy and strong all season long.
- We gave Eva Monday off and yesterday (Tuesday) she looked great.
- They are a really good team - they are 8-1 and just beat Florida State 3-0 and Florida State last night almost beat Florida last night - they went to 5 before they lost 13-15.
- They have good athletes in every position.
- They are well coached by their new head coach Jenny Maurer
- They have some really big arms with three transfers from some notable programs like Penn State, Oregon and San Diego.
- This is a one-off because next year USC will be in our conference.
- It was great for Illinois to fill in this spot and it will be fun to see them.
- I guess they wanted to see what next year will be like (laugh).
- They have Skylar Fields who is one of the top 5 athletes playing WVB in the country.
- They are 4-4 with a loss to Houston but have won their last 3 matches only losing one set in those three.
- There are a lot more good teams and players than ever before.
- I think that group of 6 or 7 are at the top right now.
- Pittsburg is a team that has really opened eyes. They are like us - very young.
- I don’t think we are in that grouping yet but we could be. But we could also be a team that fades away too.
- In the Big Ten…
- Nebraska is really good - a great defensive team. They beat Stanford last night at Stanford 3-1.
- Wisconsin is big and old. They are veterans and have the biggest team in the county.
- Minnesota is the next team you look at. New coach and some new players but they are great players.
- I think in the next group is Penn State, Ohio State and us. We all have new and young players who are good but we are all trying to figure it out.
- Penn State and Ohio State have lost more than many people thought but will be good when they put it together.
- Following that group, Indiana is a team that has a lot of experience and they are playing pretty well.
- Illinois has always been in that top half but they are struggling a little bit. They’ve had some injuries and some things going on over there.
- I think Maryland and Northwestern may be sleepers.
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