(09-15-2021, 12:23 AM)fullmetal Wrote: Wins over Florida, Penn St, and Nebraska. Losses to Texas and Minnesota. Hey, if Texas and Minnesota run their tables, Stanford could potentially be the #3 team in the nation ;)
I don't really want to put money on that, but I would put money on this less-experienced team getting better and better as the season goes on. I'm cautiously optimistic for a deep postseason run. In Hambly I trust.
I totally appreciate the valuable insights shared by former Stanford WVB coach Don Shaw on the play of the Stanford players, especially his observations on the setting connection between fellow freshmen setter MINER and OH/RS FRANCIS (with glaring emphasis on the need for a higher set) and the need for FRANCIS to add more variety to her shots. Of course, both will definitely improve with time.
It is interesting to note that the match hitting % of freshmen FRANCIS and Nebraska's BATENHORST and KRAUSE - all three were Top 5 nationally ranked recruits from the Class of 2021 - were very similar, with FRANCIS (13/9/46) at .087, BATENHORST (10/6/41) at .098, KRAUSE (10/7/34) at .088