2019 Summit Volleyball

[kiyoat]

So far in this very early part of the season, Denver, USD and UNO look like the front-runners, as expected.  PFW, ORU and NDSU could be contenders, as well.

Today (Friday, Sep 6) there are a large number of league games, ... to be continued

[kiyoat]

The first half of the first week with conference matches has played out... with some surprises. Although in Volleyball you often see less upsets, we had two major ones last night.

long-time consecutive regular-season champs and preseason favorite Denver lost a four-set match at Purdue-Fort Wayne. Huge upset, as Denver had been completely dominating the regular season that last several years. Some chinks in the armor had been seen before this, and their stats had been pretty average this year, but this is still a huge shock IMO. It helps the Yotes, obviously.

NDSU was trounced in Brookings by perennially bad SDSU. The Bison had been looking much better in the W/L column recently, and I thought they were going to be a contender this year. The stats actually told a different story, with the Jacks in the upper-half in many stats, and the Bison in the lower half. I guess the stats might hold some weight. Look out for the Jacks.

Omaha still appears to be a very dangerous team, as does PFW. The Yotes are dominating the stats and the win column, but the conference as a whole is changing. You never know who might have a good/bad match, but I'll bet on red this year.

[Yotes]

Wow that Denver loss could be big news for USD. We finally wrestled the autobid away from them last year, but regular season champ gets the tournament at home the following year. It's been in Denver 6 years in a row (all but their first season in the league). Bringing that to Vermillion would be a boon for the program. Coyote volleyball continues to rise.

[kiyoat]

I guess I spoke too soon on the rise of the Jacks. They were beaten in their home gym by fellow perennial bottom-dweller WIU. Hard to say what is going on with some of these teams. Likely there is some inconsistent play.

Denver swept ORU, but every set was very competitive.
USD really dominated UND. The F-Hawks only scored 8 points in the last set.

[yotebewithyou]

Sept 30, 2019 7:58:56 GMT -6 kiyoat said:

I guess I spoke too soon on the rise of the Jacks. They were beaten in their home gym by fellow perennial bottom-dweller WIU. Hard to say what is going on with some of these teams. Likely there is some inconsistent play.

Denver swept ORU, but every set was very competitive.
USD really dominated UND. The F-Hawks only scored 8 points in the last set.

The WIU/SDSU match was played at the Pentagon and SDSU blew a 2-0 lead

[kiyoat]

10/14 Summit Standings:

1 USD ---6-0
2 PFW ---5-1
3 Denver 3-2
4 Omaha 3-3
5 NDSU --2-4
5 ORU ---2-4
5 SDSU --2-4
5 WIU ---2-4
9 UND ---1-4

While maintaining a high RPI is important to get into the NCAA tournament, really the conference race and regular season title is more important in my opinion.  This is what will earn conference tournament hosting for next year. 

If the rising attendance numbers are any indication, we should have no problems packing in fans to the SCSC for a 2020 tournament, when the stakes are highest.  Reluctant Yote fans tend to come out of the woodwork for great teams in postseason play.  Remember the 2016 WNIT? 

We will likely have at least a little help from blue-clad fans, as well.  Despite the Jacks' lack of competitiveness in this sport, I'd guess the fans will show up for a local tourney.  Having home court in that tourney is big, and could help fuel a long run of NCAA appearances.  Would be great also to showcase that venue.

With that having been said, Purdue-Fort Wayne is only one match back from us.  We will need to put them in the rear view mirror on Sunday in the Pentagon.  Apparently there is a pre-match event/tailgate for Yote fans at the nearby Blue Rock Bar & Grill.  Sounds like fun, Sioux Falls Yotes!  Let's get there.

[kiyoat]

SDSU canned their coach.  I actually thought they were making some progress this year, but in the end they DID finish last again...

[kiyoat]

Zimmer with the lead...

He's a really young coach, Graduated from Kansas in 2010, and has been an assistant at Steven F Austin (2 yrs) and Wyoming (7 years).  He was "assistant HC" for the last three seasons, which sometimes can mean he is a good recruiter.  No idea how he will do, but they literally have nowhere to go but up.

[kiyoat]

There is a brief conversation between John Gaskins, Mick Garry and Matt Zimmer about USD vs SDSU volleyball 11:05-16:55 (he also talks about USD Football recruiting and the Dome renovations)

(LINK)

John: Last night you were there at the SCSC for the NIT of volleyball championship (is what we'll call it), losing to Georgia Tech.  2,431 fans.  Obviously it was a smaller crowd (than the WNIT), partly because it was a Tuesday night.  But compare the atmosphere on-campus, and the feeling within the community, when we go back to Amy Williams and the 2016 USD Women's basketball team playing for the WNIT championship in front of over 7,000 in the Dakota Dome.

Mick: Well, that was the single most memorable spectator event that I'd ever covered down there... There wasn't an empty seat that day.  But for volleyball, ... in comparison to that program's history, and (compared to) volleyball attendance anywhere... Seeing 2,400 to 2,500 people there getting into it, .... that was pretty cool.  It's good for that program. 

And my goodness, Leanne Williamson, she started as a GA 11 years ago there.  Just a GA assistant for Matt Houk.  For her to hang in there, and when she got the program, just took off, building on (his success) to a degree that I'm sure nobody expected.  Very few would have expected that this person who had not ever been a division-1 head coach was gonna be able to just really push that thing ahead and maintain it. 

Good grief, they've got most of their skilled players coming back next year.  So they'll be very good again next year....  For a lot of years in Division-2, they were terrible in volleyball.

John: Hmm.

Mick:  Just to see that they got it together.  They made a series of good hires, and they (now) play in a decent place.... You get to (now) see that people WILL go to a volleyball game if you give them a reason to, once in a while.

John: It's a fun sport to watch.  Very fast-paced.  Great athleticism.

[kiyoat]

John: This is interesting to get Mick Garry of GoYotes.com and Matt Zimmer who covers the Jackrabbits for the Argus in at the same time.  It's the most volleyball talk on sports radio outside of Lincoln Nebraska that you'll ever find....

So what is the deal with the "Bermuda Triangle" that is Brookings, SD in college volleyball?  Why is USD having all this success, and SDSU just can't find the formula?

Matt: That's a good question.  They had a Guy named Andrew Palileo as their coach right around the time they went D-1.  He had them going.  He got them into the postseason one or twice.  He's now the HC at... Washington State, I think?

John:  I believe that's where he LEFT for.

Matt: Yeah, I don't know if he's still there. [actually North Texas currently]  He's obviously made a name for himself in NCAA volleyball.  But none of the coaches they've had since then have done very well.  Their most recent hire, Nicole Cirillo, was a really nice person.  Everyone seemed to really like her.  But did not get it going at all.  They were really patient with her.  I think they gave her five years, and they never won more than five games (in a season).  USD won more games this year than she did in her entire 5-year tenure.

John: Wow.  So maybe it's just because USD is the place to be for the top in-state players?

Matt: Yeah, well, you also have to consider that ... the Northern Sun, how good NSIC volleyball is.  Because that's right in the same area, here.  That league is loaded.  The national champion in D-2 comes out of that league every year.  Like eight teams in that conference are ranked in the Division-2 top-25.  So you're competing with them for players, too. 

And I think they just swung and missed with their most recent hire.  They hired another Summit League assistant.  I would expect this time... they will probably hire either a D-2 Head Coach, or an assistant from a Power-Conference school.  I would not expect them to hire another Summit League assistant, like they did last time.  Because that didn't work.

John: There you go.

[kiyoat]

I had to laugh a little about Matt's theory that because the Northern Sun Conference is dominant in Division-2 volleyball, that it negatively affects SDSU's recruiting. I mean, if anything it just shows how much volleyball talent is all around us in this region. If the Jacks can't compete with Augustana and Northern State for the best recruits, I just don't know what to say. That's sad.

He got it right when he said they just swung and missed with their hiring. The bad part of that (for them) is that we now have nearly a decade head-start on them in local recruiting. The Jacks now have a stigma associated with their program that it will take some time to move past. Plus the SCSC is far superior to Frost as a volleyball facility, and that isn't going to change any time soon.

Basically the uphill recruiting battle we have faced in football for local talent in the last decade is what the Jacks have been experiencing in volleyball. It could change, but not overnight. And not if the admin and fans don't care.

[kiyoat]

Mick: Hiring the right person is a HUGE part of it.  USD had Matt Houk (who has now been a long-time Associate HC at Minnesota, a national power).  And maybe to a certain extent just got lucky that Leanne was gonna be as good as she was.  Because she did not have the traditional qualifications going into it.

John: Did she go straight from being a GA to the Head Coach?

Mick: No.  No, she started out as GA, and worked her way up.

John:  How was the program with Houk, when he left?

Mick: Very good.  But not as good as it is now.

John: Right.  Kinda like Ryun Williams to Amy Williams?  That sort of thing.  Yeah, Herbster has had himself some hires....

Her, Amy Williams, Dawn Plitzuweit, Craig Smith, ....

Mick: Yeah, the weird thing is, at USD with that women's basketball team, is that they've all won with their predecessor's players...

John: True.

Mick: ... So it's kinda weird, but it shows how that can work if you are in a situation where your coach has to leave every five years because they're too good.

[kiyoat]

Dec 18, 2019 16:21:11 GMT -6 kiyoat said:

Zimmer with the lead...

He's a really young coach, Graduated from Kansas in 2010, and has been an assistant at Steven F Austin (2 yrs) and Wyoming (7 years).  He was "assistant HC" for the last three seasons, which sometimes can mean he is a good recruiter.  No idea how he will do, but they literally have nowhere to go but up.

Looks like they are hiring that Wyoming assistant...