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WCAC
Sept 4, 2018 13:12:07 GMT -5
Post by spikeball on Sept 4, 2018 13:12:07 GMT -5
I thought it might be interesting (to some) to preview the WCAC conference. Many of the WCAC and MCPS girls play on the same club teams, and the MCPS coaches and parents are familiar with a lot of the WCAC players (and vice versa). If the community does not mind, we could use this thread to provide updates of the WCAC season. I do not want to interrupt or take away from the focus on the MCPS schools / state tournament, which is why I thought a separate thread might be okay. Anyway, here are my thoughts:
1. Holy Cross (Last season's record 15-1): The Tartans have won six straight WCAC titles and are the favorites to win a seventh this year. AHC lost Jade Parchment (All-Met 1st team; WCAC 1st team), but return All-WCAC players Nicole Dao (setter/VA Juniors) and Riley Parchment (libero/Metro Travel 17). They were without powerful OH Maddie Ewers last year (injury), but she is back along with a whopping SIX freshman who played on Metro Travel 14 or MVSA Airbenders last year; some of whom should contributed immediately. And that is before we even mention three other bigs in Courtney Okwara (Metro Travel 17), Maggie Ryan (Metro Travel 17) and Alejandra Serrano (MVSA Fierce 16). Coach Geiser will be without the clutch terminator that he has had for the past four years; but the roster is big and loaded with talent.
2. Paul VI (12-4): The Panthers can't match AHC's size or depth; but their starting rotation is very strong. They are a very good serving and serve receive team - able to take teams out of their system, while usually being able to stay in theirs. They did lose All-Met HM / WCAC 1st teamer Nina Askew, so Coach Farrar will need one of their young talent to step up in the middle, but their two 6-rotation pin hitters are among the best in the league: Mary Page (Metro Travel 15) and Elena Sanchez (VA Juniors). Together with all-conference returners at setter (Katie Maher) and perhaps the best libero in the WCAC (Jessie Page), PVI will have at least an outside chance to challenge Holy Cross for the title ... but they'll need to stay healthy, because there does not appear to be too much help beyond the top group.
3. St. John's (11-5): The Cadets are very similar to PVI: they aren't very big or deep ... they have a very good starting lineup ... they lost an all-conference player (Rebecca Frye, setter, All-Met 1st team; WCAC 1st team) ... and they return some extremely talented players. SJC is the only team to return three players from last year's 1st/2nd all-WCAC teams: Rachel Richardson (1st), Nicole Taylor (2nd), and Lauren Antonucci (2nd). Rachel and Nicole (hitters) play for Metro Travel club teams, and they could finish 1-2 in the league in kills; Lauren was the setter for MVSA Blizzard, and now takes over at that position for St. John's after she played libero for them last year. Unlike PVI - SJC did add some freshman talent: hitter Samiha Foster (Metro Travel) and libero Kathryn Kelyman (MVA), and they, along with hitter Annika Eigen-Zucci (Arlington Elite; HM all-conference) should give Coach Pribac's team at least some hope for the school's first WCAC title in 15 years. The Cadets will need help in the middle, and consistent back row play, in order for that to be a realistic hope.
4. Bishop O'Connell (6-10): The Knights were 16-0 in 2016 (but fell to Holy Cross in the WCAC finals), lost pretty much their entire starting rotation, and stumbled understandably in 2017. They won't be as good as 2016, but they will be much better than they were last year. Their front line is big and talented: Skye Ferris (5'11), Sasha Millora Brown (6'2) and Ajia James (6'1). Skye and Sasha were all-conference HM last year and played all-around for Dulles. Ajia James is an elite player in her top sport - basketball - and will bring her incredible athleticism back to the volleyball court. They have a very solid setter - Kelly Moriarty (VA Top Team 18); she may not be as dynamic offensively or play as big at the net as the top setters in the league, but she has a tremendous serve, plays under control, and makes good decisions. Even without adding new talent, DJO would be able to take a leap forward this season ... but Coach Alaoui added at least two good - potentially great - pieces: Sydney Amos and Anna Drahozal. Sydney transferred in from Stuart HS, where she was an all-district libero, and Anna is a 5'10 freshman hitter (Dulles VBC) who will add size to the already sizeable DJO front-line.
5. Good Counsel (8-8): The Falcons are a number of years removed from their dynasty era (six straight WCAC titles from 2006-2011), and it's unlikely that this year's team will return to the school's glory days. But Coach Kart's team returns their core from last season. They have a couple of solid front-row players: 6-foot, six-rotation hitters (who can also serve and pass at a high level): Celia Larson (All-Met HM; WCAC 1st team) and Lauren Kiss (WCAC 3rd team), who have played together on MVSA's top team for the past few years. Celia missed most of club season with injury, and GC will need her to be healthy to be able to compete for a league title. Their only real loss was Denver Pugh, who transferred to national powerhouse Flint Hill; Denver is a high-level talent (she recently committed to Oregon State), but for a variety of reasons, she was not featured at Good Counsel. There are other talented players on the roster: hitter Jackie Mitchell (MVSA Riot), setter/RS Sarah Crocker (MVSA Fierce), libero Joyce Quierolo (WCAC honorable mention), and setter/DS Maddy Dancer. Good Counsel was very competitive last year ... they went 0-2 against each of the top four teams (and went 2-0 against each of the bottom four teams), but they took 3 sets off Holy Cross in their two matches, and at least one set in each of their matches vs PVI, SJC and Ireton. They may end up with a similar .500 record in WCAC this year, but are close enough in talent to the top teams that they might be able to pull off an upset or two.
6. Bishop Ireton (12-4): The Cardinals seem destined to follow the fate of last year's O'Connell team. Ireton was 12-4 last year - and the only WCAC team to beat Holy Cross - but they lost a lot to graduation. Gone are WCAC Player of the Year (and All-Met 1st team) hitter Claire Farrell, hitter Frankie Litteleton (All-Met HM, WCAC 1st team), DS Caroline Keese (WCAC 2nd team), and two other starters who made all-conference HM (hitter Tori Patacsil and setter Grace McCaffery). It appears as if their next best player (hitter Myka Lee) is also gone; she was a 6-rotation hitter last year as a freshman but is not listed on the Ireton roster. So it looks like the only returners who got any playing time last year are sophomore setter Taylor Wilmot (Arlington Elite) and libero Kaitlin Becht. Taylor is a potential star at setter; she was great last year as a freshman running a 6-2, and she could be the best setter in the league next year after Dao and Antonucci graduate. Kaitlin is a reliable passer with a tremendously efficient serve (98.3% on ~300 attempts). Lilly Taylor (freshman hitter), who is a proficient beach volleyball player for Evolution, could make an impact; but the rest of the team is a question mark. Unless a few of these unknown players step up in a big way, it could be a tough season for Coach Ranger's team. A 6-10 record seems about right, as Ireton may end up going winless vs the top five teams, but they should sweep the bottom three.
7. Bishop McNamara (4-12) 8. St. Mary's Ryken (4-12) 9. Elizabeth Seton (0-16)
The Mustangs pulled off a shocking upset over Ireton last year, in a loud and raucous home environment (as always seems to be the case). But while McNamara may have the most enthusiastic fans, they do not have the players this year to pull off a similar upset. 6 of their top 7 players graduated; the only returner is senior setter Jaelyn Fletcher, but it is not clear who she is going to set to, or who is going to be passing the ball to her. Coach Kellam's team will be fortunate to match last year's four win total. ... The SMR Knights did not pull off any upsets last year, but they split with McNamara and were competitive in a few matches vs the top teams; unfortunately Coach Harris lost his top three players, and did not add any new freshman to the varsity roster. ... Seton started off last year winning the second set of its opener (vs Ireton), but then went on to lose its remaining 47 sets in conference play. Coach Murdock is an energetic and talented coach and her team is not without talent: setter Jaida Bynum and hitter Mya Dixon in particular. While it is unlikely Seton will be able to compete with the top six teams in WCAC play, they certainly have a chance to finish ahead of McNamara and/or Ryken.
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WCAC
Sept 4, 2018 22:46:54 GMT -5
Post by mhsparent on Sept 4, 2018 22:46:54 GMT -5
I thought it might be interesting (to some) to preview the WCAC conference. Many of the WCAC and MCPS girls play on the same club teams, and the MCPS coaches and parents are familiar with a lot of the WCAC players (and vice versa). If the community does not mind, we could use this thread to provide updates of the WCAC season. I do not want to interrupt or take away from the focus on the MCPS schools / state tournament, which is why I thought a separate thread might be okay. Anyway, here are my thoughts: 1. Holy Cross (Last season's record 15-1): The Tartans have won six straight WCAC titles and are the favorites to win a seventh this year. AHC lost Jade Parchment (All-Met 1st team; WCAC 1st team), but return All-WCAC players Nicole Dao (setter/VA Juniors) and Riley Parchment (libero/Metro Travel 17). They were without powerful OH Maddie Ewers last year (injury), but she is back along with a whopping SIX freshman who played on Metro Travel 14 or MVSA Airbenders last year; some of whom should contributed immediately. And that is before we even mention three other bigs in Courtney Okwara (Metro Travel 17), Maggie Ryan (Metro Travel 17) and Alejandra Serrano (MVSA Fierce 16). Coach Geiser will be without the clutch terminator that he has had for the past four years; but the roster is big and loaded with talent. 2. Paul VI (12-4): The Panthers can't match AHC's size or depth; but their starting rotation is very strong. They are a very good serving and serve receive team - able to take teams out of their system, while usually being able to stay in theirs. They did lose All-Met HM / WCAC 1st teamer Nina Askew, so Coach Farrar will need one of their young talent to step up in the middle, but their two 6-rotation pin hitters are among the best in the league: Mary Page (Metro Travel 15) and Elena Sanchez (VA Juniors). Together with all-conference returners at setter ( Katie Maher) and perhaps the best libero in the WCAC ( Jessie Page), PVI will have at least an outside chance to challenge Holy Cross for the title ... but they'll need to stay healthy, because there does not appear to be too much help beyond the top group. 3. St. John's (11-5): The Cadets are very similar to PVI: they aren't very big or deep ... they have a very good starting lineup ... they lost an all-conference player (Rebecca Frye, setter, All-Met 1st team; WCAC 1st team) ... and they return some extremely talented players. SJC is the only team to return three players from last year's 1st/2nd all-WCAC teams: Rachel Richardson (1st), Nicole Taylor (2nd), and Lauren Antonucci (2nd). Rachel and Nicole (hitters) play for Metro Travel club teams, and they could finish 1-2 in the league in kills; Lauren was the setter for MVSA Blizzard, and now takes over at that position for St. John's after she played libero for them last year. U nlike PVI - SJC did add some freshman talent: hitter Samiha Foster (Metro Travel) and libero Kathryn Kelyman (MVA), and they, along with hitter Annika Eigen-Zucci (Arlington Elite; HM all-conference) should give Coach Pribac's team at least some hope for the school's first WCAC title in 15 years. The Cadets will need help in the middle, and consistent back row play, in order for that to be a realistic hope. 4. Bishop O'Connell (6-10): The Knights were 16-0 in 2016 (but fell to Holy Cross in the WCAC finals), lost pretty much their entire starting rotation, and stumbled understandably in 2017. They won't be as good as 2016, but they will be much better than they were last year. Their front line is big and talented: Skye Ferris (5'11), Sasha Millora Brown (6'2) and Ajia James (6'1). Skye and Sasha were all-conference HM last year and played all-around for Dulles. Ajia James is an elite player in her top sport - basketball - and will bring her incredible athleticism back to the volleyball court. They have a very solid setter - Kelly Moriarty (VA Top Team 18); she may not be as dynamic offensively or play as big at the net as the top setters in the league, but she has a tremendous serve, plays under control, and makes good decisions. Even without adding new talent, DJO would be able to take a leap forward this season ... but Coach Alaoui added at least two good - potentially great - pieces: Sydney Amos and Anna Drahozal. Sydney transferred in from Stuart HS, where she was an all-district libero, and Anna is a 5'10 freshman hitter (Dulles VBC) who will add size to the already sizeable DJO front-line. 5. Good Counsel (8-8): The Falcons are a number of years removed from their dynasty era (six straight WCAC titles from 2006-2011), and it's unlikely that this year's team will return to the school's glory days. But Coach Kart's team returns their core from last season. They have a couple of solid front-row players: 6-foot, six-rotation hitters (who can also serve and pass at a high level): Celia Larson (All-Met HM; WCAC 1st team) and Lauren Kiss (WCAC 3rd team), who have played together on MVSA's top team for the past few years. Celia missed most of club season with injury, and GC will need her to be healthy to be able to compete for a league title. Their only real loss was Denver Pugh, who transferred to national powerhouse Flint Hill; Denver is a high-level talent (she recently committed to Oregon State), but for a variety of reasons, she was not featured at Good Counsel. There are other talented players on the roster: hitter Jackie Mitchell (MVSA Riot), setter/RS Sarah Crocker (MVSA Fierce), libero Joyce Quierolo (WCAC honorable mention), and setter/DS Maddy Dancer. Good Counsel was very competitive last year ... they went 0-2 against each of the top four teams (and went 2-0 against each of the bottom four teams), but they took 3 sets off Holy Cross in their two matches, and at least one set in each of their matches vs PVI, SJC and Ireton. They may end up with a similar .500 record in WCAC this year, but are close enough in talent to the top teams that they might be able to pull off an upset or two. 6. Bishop Ireton (12-4): The Cardinals seem destined to follow the fate of last year's O'Connell team. Ireton was 12-4 last year - and the only WCAC team to beat Holy Cross - but they lost a lot to graduation. Gone are WCAC Player of the Year (and All-Met 1st team) hitter Claire Farrell, hitter Frankie Litteleton (All-Met HM, WCAC 1st team), DS Caroline Keese (WCAC 2nd team), and two other starters who made all-conference HM (hitter Tori Patacsil and setter Grace McCaffery). It appears as if their next best player (hitter Myka Lee) is also gone; she was a 6-rotation hitter last year as a freshman but is not listed on the Ireton roster. So it looks like the only returners who got any playing time last year are sophomore setter Taylor Wilmot (Arlington Elite) and libero Kaitlin Becht. Taylor is a potential star at setter; she was great last year as a freshman running a 6-2, and she could be the best setter in the league next year after Dao and Antonucci graduate. Kaitlin is a reliable passer with a tremendously efficient serve (98.3% on ~300 attempts). Lilly Taylor (freshman hitter), who is a proficient beach volleyball player for Evolution, could make an impact; but the rest of the team is a question mark. Unless a few of these unknown players step up in a big way, it could be a tough season for Coach Ranger's team. A 6-10 record seems about right, as Ireton may end up going winless vs the top five teams, but they should sweep the bottom three.7. Bishop McNamara (4-12) 8. St. Mary's Ryken (4-12) 9. Elizabeth Seton (0-16) The Mustangs pulled off a shocking upset over Ireton last year, in a loud and raucous home environment (as always seems to be the case). But while McNamara may have the most enthusiastic fans, they do not have the players this year to pull off a similar upset. 6 of their top 7 players graduated; the only returner is senior setter Jaelyn Fletcher, but it is not clear who she is going to set to, or who is going to be passing the ball to her. Coach Kellam's team will be fortunate to match last year's four win total. ... The SMR Knights did not pull off any upsets last year, but they split with McNamara and were competitive in a few matches vs the top teams; unfortunately Coach Harris lost his top three players, and did not add any new freshman to the varsity roster. ... Seton started off last year winning the second set of its opener (vs Ireton), but then went on to lose its remaining 47 sets in conference play. Coach Murdock is an energetic and talented coach and her team is not without talent: setter Jaida Bynum and hitter Mya Dixon in particular. While it is unlikely Seton will be able to compete with the top six teams in WCAC play, they certainly have a chance to finish ahead of McNamara and/or Ryken. Wow that is a great analysis and look forward to updates during the season. Actually would love to see your in-depth analysis of some of the MCPS teams!
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WCAC
Sept 5, 2018 9:09:10 GMT -5
Post by Scott Zanni on Sept 5, 2018 9:09:10 GMT -5
Great summary. I'd love to see more people posting information like this for all the teams.
WCAC thread works just fine here.
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WCAC
Sept 11, 2018 15:34:49 GMT -5
Post by spikeball on Sept 11, 2018 15:34:49 GMT -5
It's still early; but a quick non-league update: Paul VI beat Middleburg Academy 3-1 last week, and St. John's won a tournament last weekend that included teams such as Atholton and South River (and county teams Damascus and Sherwood). In the Washington Post preview rankings that came out last week, Middleburg was ranked #7, Atholton was ranked #8 and South River was "on the bubble", so at least on paper those were pretty impressive wins for the two WCAC teams. FYI - Holy Cross is #4 in the WaPo's rankings. So if the Post is to be believed, as many as 3 of the top 10 teams in the DMV may reside in the WCAC. We'll see. But the paper also listed Bishop Ireton as a "bubble" team, which is way wrong (fake news, some might say), so I'm not sure how well the Post's volleyball writer actually knows about volleyball.
There are some titanic battles this week: Holy Cross swept O'Connell (3-0); and St. John's did the same to Good Counsel (3-0). Upcoming games: St. John's @ Paul VI on 9/13, and Paul VI @ Holy Cross on 9/14. So we'll know a lot more about those three teams by the end of the week.
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WCAC
Sept 17, 2018 8:21:40 GMT -5
Post by spikeball on Sept 17, 2018 8:21:40 GMT -5
Paul VI has established itself as the team to beat in the WCAC. The Panthers beat St. John's (3-1) and Holy Cross (3-1). Any questions they had going into the season about needing a presence in the middle have been answered: Charlotte Rodgers (Metro Travel) is a force ... she dominated offensively against SJC (who are a bit weak in the middle) and she dominated defensively against AHC (who have very strong middles). Against the Cadets and Tartans, Paul VI played consistently and solidly: their hitters aren't jaw-dropping "terminators" (though they are strong and very smart with their placement, avoiding the block, knowing when to tip, etc.), but their passing and court coverage was just incredible in these two matches. They dug against the big hits, they passed well on free balls and serve-receive almost without exception, and they had very few hitter errors. There were many long rallies in both matches, and PVI just kept getting it up and in until SJC and AHC eventually made a mistake with a bad pass or hitting error. It should be noted that St. John's was/is missing one of their really good hitters with what looks to be an ankle injury; not sure how long she'll be out, but they could have used her against PVI. Anyway, these three teams are extremely talented and entertaining to watch; every match they play this season (it'll happen at least 4, and probably 6, more times) should be must-see viewing. As for Paul VI specifically, you couldn't get off to a better start to the season: they beat their two conference rivals, as well as Middleburg Academy. Those three opponents are all in the top 10+ of the most recent Washington Post rankings (#4, #9 and on the bubble); I expect that PVI will move at least into the top 5 in the next rankings.
Good Counsel beat O'Connell in a very exciting 5-set match at O'Connell. I think we had a pretty good read on those teams coming into the season: those two schools may not be quite at the level of the great triumvarite (as confirmed when GC got swept by SJC; and DJO got swept by AHC), but they are solid all-around teams and clearly a notch ahead of the rest of the league. Their rematch at GC should be another thriller, and it's quite likely that GC and DJO will end up 4th and 5th in the league and will face each other for a third time in the WCAC quarterfinals.
It was unfortunate for O'Connell and Ryken, who were scheduled to play in the Endless Summer Classic down in Virginia Beach, to have that tournament canceled due to Hurricane Flo. It would have been nice to see how the WCAC teams fared against foreign competition.
The bottom four teams in the league are as expected, but perhaps in a slightly different order than first predicted: Ryken swept Ireton (I knew the Cardinals would have a precipitous fall, but wow). Even though it was a sweep, the match was competitive - with Ryken rallying from big deficits in sets 2 and 3. And then Ireton turned around and lossed a nail biter to Seton in five sets. Meanwhile, Ryken, Seton and Ireton all swept McNamara; it could be a long season for the Mustangs.
Updated power rankings (through 9/16 games):
1. Paul VI 2. Holy Cross 3. St. John's
4. Good Counsel 5. Bishop O'Connell
6. St. Mary's Ryken 7. Elizabeth Seton 8. Bishop Ireton
9. Bishop McNamara
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WCAC
Oct 4, 2018 8:51:35 GMT -5
Post by spikeball on Oct 4, 2018 8:51:35 GMT -5
O'Connell has been the story lately. They have played great over the past couple of weeks ... defeating St. John's (3-1) and Holy Cross (3-1). SJC is still without one of their starting hitters (Eigen-Zucci), and Holy Cross is without their starting setter (Dao) and their best OH (Ewers). But O'Connell has played great lately; they've won match over the past two weeks other than against the WCAC powerhouse, Paul VI.
Speaking of Paul VI, they are likely going to run away with the WCAC. They are a clear notch better than the next set of teams. They are undefeated (9-0) in conference, and have lost only two sets (one each to AHC and SJC). They played Padua - traditionally, one of the best teams in Delaware and in the mid-atlantic region - and won a thriller in five sets. The way that PVI is playing right now, I would put them as a favorite over any team in the DMV, including Northwest.
Ryken and Good Counsel have flip flopped a bit ... Ryken doing a bit better than expected, and GC doing a bit worse. Ryken swept Good Counsel (though each of the sets were extremely close). GC has been plagued lately with serving woes; they served poorly vs Ryken, and even more poorly against St. John's. GC did beat O'Connell in five sets and has the talent to pick off a set from the top teams, but they need to piece together consistent play over an entire match if they want to do any damage in the WCAC playoffs. Ryken's wins have mostly been against the bottom of the league ... their remaining schedule is brutal: 5 of 7 games vs PVI, AHC, St. John's and O'Connell + a rematch vs GC (in Olney). Ryken is 6-3 now, but it wouldn't surprise me if they end up 7-9.
SJC has been up and down; they do have the best player in the conference (Richardson) and the best (healthy) setter in the conference (Antonucci), but they remain weak in the middle, and especially weak in serve receive. They don't match up well vs PVI (which is a good serving team and has a dominant middle), but those two will face each other on Friday, where SJC will be looking for revenge ... and PVI will be looking to stay on track for a 16-0 conference record.
Updated power rankings (through 10/3 games).
1. Paul VI (9-0)
2. Holy Cross (8-2) 3. Bishop O'Connell (7-3) 4. St. John's (5-3)
5. St. Mary's Ryken (6-3) 6. Good Counsel (4-6)
7. Elizabeth Seton (2-7) 8. Bishop Ireton (1-9)
9. Bishop McNamara (0-9)
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WCAC
Oct 4, 2018 10:01:55 GMT -5
Post by mhsparent on Oct 4, 2018 10:01:55 GMT -5
O'Connell has been the story lately. They have played great over the past couple of weeks ... defeating St. John's (3-1) and Holy Cross (3-1). SJC is still without one of their starting hitters (Eigen-Zucci), and Holy Cross is without their starting setter (Dao) and their best OH (Ewers). But O'Connell has played great lately; they've won match over the past two weeks other than against the WCAC powerhouse, Paul VI. Speaking of Paul VI, they are likely going to run away with the WCAC. They are a clear notch better than the next set of teams. They are undefeated (9-0) in conference, and have lost only two sets (one each to AHC and SJC). They played Padua - traditionally, one of the best teams in Delaware and in the mid-atlantic region - and won a thriller in five sets. The way that PVI is playing right now, I would put them as a favorite over any team in the DMV, including Northwest. Ryken and Good Counsel have flip flopped a bit ... Ryken doing a bit better than expected, and GC doing a bit worse. Ryken swept Good Counsel (though each of the sets were extremely close). GC has been plagued lately with serving woes; they served poorly vs Ryken, and even more poorly against St. John's. GC did beat O'Connell in five sets and has the talent to pick off a set from the top teams, but they need to piece together consistent play over an entire match if they want to do any damage in the WCAC playoffs. Ryken's wins have mostly been against the bottom of the league ... their remaining schedule is brutal: 5 of 7 games vs PVI, AHC, St. John's and O'Connell + a rematch vs GC (in Olney). Ryken is 6-3 now, but it wouldn't surprise me if they end up 7-9. SJC has been up and down; they do have the best player in the conference (Richardson) and the best (healthy) setter in the conference (Antonucci), but they remain weak in the middle, and especially weak in serve receive. They don't match up well vs PVI (which is a good serving team and has a dominant middle), but those two will face each other on Friday, where SJC will be looking for revenge ... and PVI will be looking to stay on track for a 16-0 conference record. Updated power rankings (through 10/3 games). 1. Paul VI (9-0) 2. Holy Cross (8-2) 3. Bishop O'Connell (7-3) 4. St. John's (5-3) 5. St. Mary's Ryken (6-3) 6. Good Counsel (4-6) 7. Elizabeth Seton (2-7) 8. Bishop Ireton (1-9) 9. Bishop McNamara (0-9) Thank you for your regular updates with regard to the WCAC. It is great to read your analysis plus hear about the girls we see during club season but not necessarily during the regular MCPS schedule. It is interesting to see your praise of Paul VI as I saw them scrimmage in the pre-season and to be honest kind of surprised they are doing so well but maybe they were missing players for that scrimmage and/or the coach was trying different line-ups.
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WCAC
Oct 4, 2018 15:32:42 GMT -5
Post by spikeball on Oct 4, 2018 15:32:42 GMT -5
PVI scrimmaged Churchill pre-season, and I know they didn't have their full team for that matchup. They aren't very deep - it is very big dropoff after their top 7 players, - so if that was when you saw them, it would not surprise me that they didn't look very good. They are 15-2 overall, and their only losses were in the Loudon Valley Invitational when they were missing one of their starters (Jessie Page, best libero in the conference). And when watching them, it may be deceptive how good they are because they don't have any one player who is jaw-dropping in terms of athleticism or power. But all six girls on the floor (even their MH) are solid passers; so they extend points, and give their setter 3-options on the majority of plays. Don't get me wrong, they have very talented players (multiple girls on Metro Travel + Virginia Junior teams, and in particular Mary Page (OH) and Charlotte Rodgers (MH) are All-Met level players ... and they both are sophomores (!)), but they are just fundamentally sound all-around. It's not really fair to compare them to Holy Cross right now - since AHC is depleted with injuries ... at full strength the two of them are probably pretty close. PVI has no margin of error, but as long as they stay healthy, they should win the WCAC and the VISAA, too.
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WCAC
Oct 5, 2018 5:29:25 GMT -5
Post by mhsparent on Oct 5, 2018 5:29:25 GMT -5
PVI scrimmaged Churchill pre-season, and I know they didn't have their full team for that matchup. They aren't very deep - it is very big dropoff after their top 7 players, - so if that was when you saw them, it would not surprise me that they didn't look very good. They are 15-2 overall, and their only losses were in the Loudon Valley Invitational when they were missing one of their starters (Jessie Page, best libero in the conference). And when watching them, it may be deceptive how good they are because they don't have any one player who is jaw-dropping in terms of athleticism or power. But all six girls on the floor (even their MH) are solid passers; so they extend points, and give their setter 3-options on the majority of plays. Don't get me wrong, they have very talented players (multiple girls on Metro Travel + Virginia Junior teams, and in particular Mary Page (OH) and Charlotte Rodgers (MH) are All-Met level players ... and they both are sophomores (!)), but they are just fundamentally sound all-around. It's not really fair to compare them to Holy Cross right now - since AHC is depleted with injuries ... at full strength the two of them are probably pretty close. PVI has no margin of error, but as long as they stay healthy, they should win the WCAC and the VISAA, too. Yes I saw Paul VI during the pre-season scrimmage at Churchill. I am not familiar with their players at all so did not realize they did not have their full roster. Although I recall they had a lot of players present at that scrimmage so that is why I wondered if their coach was trying different line ups
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WCAC
Oct 14, 2018 9:05:57 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by Good Counsel on Oct 14, 2018 9:05:57 GMT -5
An individual at Good Counsel is unhappy with their coaching staff. The comments part of every Washington Post poll contains a negative comment.
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WCAC
Oct 18, 2018 17:18:21 GMT -5
Post by spikeball on Oct 18, 2018 17:18:21 GMT -5
With one major exception, things have gone as expected over the past couple of weeks in the WCAC. But that isn't to say that there haven't been some exciting, close, intense, nail-biting matches. There have been a bunch of them. First - wow - Ryken's win over Holy Cross was a shocker. Even the Washington Post wrote about it. The game was in Leonardstown (always a tough trip), the Ryken gym is tiny, and the students were loud, as the Knights pulled off a thrilling 5-set win. Lila Flores was particularly solid, playing all around and hitting, passing, and serving well for the Knights. Even against a depleted Tartan team, that was the upset of the year.
Here are the standings through games of 10/17 (and my projections):
1. Paul VI 13-0 (projected finish 16-0, clinched #1 playoff seed) 2. Holy Cross 10-4 (12-4 or 11-5, will finish #2 (if they beat SJC) or #3 (if they lose to SJC)) 3. St. John's 8-4 (12-4 or 11-5, will finish #2 (if they beat AHC and avoid getting upset at Ryken) or else will finish #4 (if they lose to AHC or Ryken) 4. Ryken 8-4 (9-7 or 8-8, almost certain to finish #5; they just need to win one set vs Good Counsel; since they likely will lose their other three games vs DJO, PVI and SJC) 5. O'Connell (DJO) 9-5 (11-5, will finish #3 (if AHC beats SJC, since they own the tiebreaker over SJC), otherwise will finish #4 (if SJC beats AHC, since AHC owns the tiebreaker over DJO) 6. Good Counsel 5-8 (8-8 or 7-9; if they sweep Ryken they could finish #5, but otherwise they are locked into #6) 7. Seton 4-9 (4-12, locked into #7) 8. Ireton 1-12 (1-15, locked into hosting the #8/#9 game) 9. McNamara 1-13 (1-15, locked into traveling to Ireton for the #8/#9 game)
From top to bottom ... Paul VI remained perfect, but just barely. They beat SJC in three tense sets (-22, -21, -22), they beat Holy Cross 3-1, and they were on the ropes against O'Connell ... DJO smoked them 25-15 in the fourth set and had all of the momentum, but PVI gutted out a win 15-12 in the fifth. The stars for each team (Ferris for DJO and Mary Page for PVI) were jaw-droppingly good all-around in that one ... but PVI was just a little bit better up front and especially so in the back. From watching those three games, it sure seems like the difference maker in the WCAC is Jessie Page, the libero for PVI. SJC, AHC, and DJO have pin hitters as good as, or better than, PVI (though PVI's middle is the best in the league); and all three of those other teams clearly have a better setter than PVI; but PVI keeps points alive way better than every other team in the league, and the passes from back row to setter are almost always a 2 or 3. It'll never happen, but I think Jessie Page should be considered for player of the year (though that award will almost certainly go to a hitter - either her sister or Rachel Richardson (SJC)). But I digress.
Holy Cross got Maddie Ewers back just in time to smoke Good Counsel, and to get play in the HUGE game tomorrow at St. John's Gallagher Gym. As referenced above, the winner of the AHC-SJC game is going to get the #2 seed. That is big - the first match would be relatively easy (vs Seton) (as opposed to having to play Good Counsel, who at least has a long shot to pull off an upset), and then the #2 seed will host the semi-final game. Holy Cross is guaranteed to be either the 2 or 3 seed (and thus avoid PVI until the finals), so it has slightly less consequences for them. But for SJC, the difference is pronounced. With a win, it likely would mean a rematch - at home - vs AHC in the semis; but a loss tomorrow and SJC would get the #4 seed ... and - at best - would have to travel to PVI for a semifinal match. There have been a lot of big games in the WCAC, but its hard to think of any one that will be bigger than the Holy Cross - St. John's game tomorrow night.
St. John's may be hitting their stride at the right time. They were leading PVI for the vast majority of sets 1 and 3, and had it tied late in set 2 ... but it was the younger Page and Elena Sanchez who were clutch and carried the Panthers to 25 each time. Still, the Lady Cadets played well. Then in their next match - against a Ryken team that had just defeated Holy Cross - SJC demolished the Knights by scores of -10, -19 and -22. Next match vs O'Connell, SJC dropped two very close sets (-23, -22), and then turned it on and smoked DJO by lopsided scores of -13, -14 and then 15-7. Earlier this week, SJC hosted Flint Hill - folks reading this post don't need to be told how good Flint Hill is, but just in case ... they have (at least) four D1 commits, and are almost unquestionably the best team in the DMV. Flint Hill won the match, but it was St. John's play, especially in taking a set off of Flint Hill (something only 4 other teams have done all year against the Huskies), that was impressive. Did I mention the Holy Cross-St. John's game yet? With Holy Cross getting back to full strength - and with St. John's starting to click - it has the potential to be epic.
O'Connell was so so close to beating their arch rival PVI, and that followed their lopsided loss to SJC (at least as much as a 5-setter can be a blowout, that was it). One wonders how they will respond to those two tough games. They travel to Ryken tomorrow. See above Holy Cross at Ryken description to understand how that game could be a challenge for DJO. O'Connell has shown that they can beat any team in the conference (they beat AHC, beat SJC, and were a whisker away from beating PVI), so they definitely have the potential to win it all. And it's even more exciting to think about this team's potential for next year (and frankly the top of the conference should just be awesome and even more competitive than it has been this year).
Good Counsel is a bit of a mess; they have talented kids (their roster is littered with players who are on MVSA's top teams), but they just aren't playing well. It wouldn't surprise me if things came together and they pulled off an upset in the playoffs (they have beaten O'Connell, taken a set off of SJC, and hit 19+ points in 4 of 6 sets vs Holy Cross), but they would have to show a level of consistency that they haven't showed lately. The team makes a lot of mistakes in key spots - hitting errors, serving errors, serve receive errors. And their best passers are their hitters, and - frankly - their best ballhandlers are their hitters. Larson, Kiss, Mitchell and Crocker can swing. But they aren't getting good sets, and the setter isn't getting good passes.
Not much to say about Seton, Ireton and McNamara. Those three are in their own "category". They have flashes of decent play - and have fun out there ... and they have really supportive / positive fans and parents (in contrast to some of the teams at the top, not naming any names). But those three schools are a clear notch below the rest of the league.
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WCAC
Oct 20, 2018 18:13:48 GMT -5
Post by NoVert on Oct 20, 2018 18:13:48 GMT -5
With one major exception, things have gone as expected over the past couple of weeks in the WCAC. But that isn't to say that there haven't been some exciting, close, intense, nail-biting matches. There have been a bunch of them. First - wow - Ryken's win over Holy Cross was a shocker. Even the Washington Post wrote about it. The game was in Leonardstown (always a tough trip), the Ryken gym is tiny, and the students were loud, as the Knights pulled off a thrilling 5-set win. Lila Flores was particularly solid, playing all around and hitting, passing, and serving well for the Knights. Even against a depleted Tartan team, that was the upset of the year. Here are the standings through games of 10/17 (and my projections): 1. Paul VI 13-0 (projected finish 16-0, clinched #1 playoff seed) 2. Holy Cross 10-4 (12-4 or 11-5, will finish #2 (if they beat SJC) or #3 (if they lose to SJC)) 3. St. John's 8-4 (12-4 or 11-5, will finish #2 (if they beat AHC and avoid getting upset at Ryken) or else will finish #4 (if they lose to AHC or Ryken) 4. Ryken 8-4 (9-7 or 8-8, almost certain to finish #5; they just need to win one set vs Good Counsel; since they likely will lose their other three games vs DJO, PVI and SJC) 5. O'Connell (DJO) 9-5 (11-5, will finish #3 (if AHC beats SJC, since they own the tiebreaker over SJC), otherwise will finish #4 (if SJC beats AHC, since AHC owns the tiebreaker over DJO) 6. Good Counsel 5-8 (8-8 or 7-9; if they sweep Ryken they could finish #5, but otherwise they are locked into #6) 7. Seton 4-9 (4-12, locked into #7) 8. Ireton 1-12 (1-15, locked into hosting the #8/#9 game) 9. McNamara 1-13 (1-15, locked into traveling to Ireton for the #8/#9 game) From top to bottom ... Paul VI remained perfect, but just barely. They beat SJC in three tense sets (-22, -21, -22), they beat Holy Cross 3-1, and they were on the ropes against O'Connell ... DJO smoked them 25-15 in the fourth set and had all of the momentum, but PVI gutted out a win 15-12 in the fifth. The stars for each team (Ferris for DJO and Mary Page for PVI) were jaw-droppingly good all-around in that one ... but PVI was just a little bit better up front and especially so in the back. From watching those three games, it sure seems like the difference maker in the WCAC is Jessie Page, the libero for PVI. SJC, AHC, and DJO have pin hitters as good as, or better than, PVI (though PVI's middle is the best in the league); and all three of those other teams clearly have a better setter than PVI; but PVI keeps points alive way better than every other team in the league, and the passes from back row to setter are almost always a 2 or 3. It'll never happen, but I think Jessie Page should be considered for player of the year (though that award will almost certainly go to a hitter - either her sister or Rachel Richardson (SJC)). But I digress. Holy Cross got Maddie Ewers back just in time to smoke Good Counsel, and to get play in the HUGE game tomorrow at St. John's Gallagher Gym. As referenced above, the winner of the AHC-SJC game is going to get the #2 seed. That is big - the first match would be relatively easy (vs Seton) (as opposed to having to play Good Counsel, who at least has a long shot to pull off an upset), and then the #2 seed will host the semi-final game. Holy Cross is guaranteed to be either the 2 or 3 seed (and thus avoid PVI until the finals), so it has slightly less consequences for them. But for SJC, the difference is pronounced. With a win, it likely would mean a rematch - at home - vs AHC in the semis; but a loss tomorrow and SJC would get the #4 seed ... and - at best - would have to travel to PVI for a semifinal match. There have been a lot of big games in the WCAC, but its hard to think of any one that will be bigger than the Holy Cross - St. John's game tomorrow night. St. John's may be hitting their stride at the right time. They were leading PVI for the vast majority of sets 1 and 3, and had it tied late in set 2 ... but it was the younger Page and Elena Sanchez who were clutch and carried the Panthers to 25 each time. Still, the Lady Cadets played well. Then in their next match - against a Ryken team that had just defeated Holy Cross - SJC demolished the Knights by scores of -10, -19 and -22. Next match vs O'Connell, SJC dropped two very close sets (-23, -22), and then turned it on and smoked DJO by lopsided scores of -13, -14 and then 15-7. Earlier this week, SJC hosted Flint Hill - folks reading this post don't need to be told how good Flint Hill is, but just in case ... they have (at least) four D1 commits, and are almost unquestionably the best team in the DMV. Flint Hill won the match, but it was St. John's play, especially in taking a set off of Flint Hill (something only 4 other teams have done all year against the Huskies), that was impressive. Did I mention the Holy Cross-St. John's game yet? With Holy Cross getting back to full strength - and with St. John's starting to click - it has the potential to be epic. O'Connell was so so close to beating their arch rival PVI, and that followed their lopsided loss to SJC (at least as much as a 5-setter can be a blowout, that was it). One wonders how they will respond to those two tough games. They travel to Ryken tomorrow. See above Holy Cross at Ryken description to understand how that game could be a challenge for DJO. O'Connell has shown that they can beat any team in the conference (they beat AHC, beat SJC, and were a whisker away from beating PVI), so they definitely have the potential to win it all. And it's even more exciting to think about this team's potential for next year (and frankly the top of the conference should just be awesome and even more competitive than it has been this year). Good Counsel is a bit of a mess; they have talented kids (their roster is littered with players who are on MVSA's top teams), but they just aren't playing well. It wouldn't surprise me if things came together and they pulled off an upset in the playoffs (they have beaten O'Connell, taken a set off of SJC, and hit 19+ points in 4 of 6 sets vs Holy Cross), but they would have to show a level of consistency that they haven't showed lately. The team makes a lot of mistakes in key spots - hitting errors, serving errors, serve receive errors. And their best passers are their hitters, and - frankly - their best ballhandlers are their hitters. Larson, Kiss, Mitchell and Crocker can swing. But they aren't getting good sets, and the setter isn't getting good passes. Not much to say about Seton, Ireton and McNamara. Those three are in their own "category". They have flashes of decent play - and have fun out there ... and they have really supportive / positive fans and parents (in contrast to some of the teams at the top, not naming any names). But those three schools are a clear notch below the rest of the league. Great analysis, spikeball. The only thing I would add is the setting uncertainty at AHC. Senior Nicole Dao might be back in time for the playoffs, but would have been out for a long time. Go with the senior who hasn't played, or stay with the freshman who has been playing setter for the first time at AHC or club?
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WCAC
Oct 21, 2018 8:50:08 GMT -5
Post by mhsparent on Oct 21, 2018 8:50:08 GMT -5
With one major exception, things have gone as expected over the past couple of weeks in the WCAC. But that isn't to say that there haven't been some exciting, close, intense, nail-biting matches. There have been a bunch of them. First - wow - Ryken's win over Holy Cross was a shocker. Even the Washington Post wrote about it. The game was in Leonardstown (always a tough trip), the Ryken gym is tiny, and the students were loud, as the Knights pulled off a thrilling 5-set win. Lila Flores was particularly solid, playing all around and hitting, passing, and serving well for the Knights. Even against a depleted Tartan team, that was the upset of the year. Here are the standings through games of 10/17 (and my projections): 1. Paul VI 13-0 (projected finish 16-0, clinched #1 playoff seed) 2. Holy Cross 10-4 (12-4 or 11-5, will finish #2 (if they beat SJC) or #3 (if they lose to SJC)) 3. St. John's 8-4 (12-4 or 11-5, will finish #2 (if they beat AHC and avoid getting upset at Ryken) or else will finish #4 (if they lose to AHC or Ryken) 4. Ryken 8-4 (9-7 or 8-8, almost certain to finish #5; they just need to win one set vs Good Counsel; since they likely will lose their other three games vs DJO, PVI and SJC) 5. O'Connell (DJO) 9-5 (11-5, will finish #3 (if AHC beats SJC, since they own the tiebreaker over SJC), otherwise will finish #4 (if SJC beats AHC, since AHC owns the tiebreaker over DJO) 6. Good Counsel 5-8 (8-8 or 7-9; if they sweep Ryken they could finish #5, but otherwise they are locked into #6) 7. Seton 4-9 (4-12, locked into #7) 8. Ireton 1-12 (1-15, locked into hosting the #8/#9 game) 9. McNamara 1-13 (1-15, locked into traveling to Ireton for the #8/#9 game) From top to bottom ... Paul VI remained perfect, but just barely. They beat SJC in three tense sets (-22, -21, -22), they beat Holy Cross 3-1, and they were on the ropes against O'Connell ... DJO smoked them 25-15 in the fourth set and had all of the momentum, but PVI gutted out a win 15-12 in the fifth. The stars for each team (Ferris for DJO and Mary Page for PVI) were jaw-droppingly good all-around in that one ... but PVI was just a little bit better up front and especially so in the back. From watching those three games, it sure seems like the difference maker in the WCAC is Jessie Page, the libero for PVI. SJC, AHC, and DJO have pin hitters as good as, or better than, PVI (though PVI's middle is the best in the league); and all three of those other teams clearly have a better setter than PVI; but PVI keeps points alive way better than every other team in the league, and the passes from back row to setter are almost always a 2 or 3. It'll never happen, but I think Jessie Page should be considered for player of the year (though that award will almost certainly go to a hitter - either her sister or Rachel Richardson (SJC)). But I digress. Holy Cross got Maddie Ewers back just in time to smoke Good Counsel, and to get play in the HUGE game tomorrow at St. John's Gallagher Gym. As referenced above, the winner of the AHC-SJC game is going to get the #2 seed. That is big - the first match would be relatively easy (vs Seton) (as opposed to having to play Good Counsel, who at least has a long shot to pull off an upset), and then the #2 seed will host the semi-final game. Holy Cross is guaranteed to be either the 2 or 3 seed (and thus avoid PVI until the finals), so it has slightly less consequences for them. But for SJC, the difference is pronounced. With a win, it likely would mean a rematch - at home - vs AHC in the semis; but a loss tomorrow and SJC would get the #4 seed ... and - at best - would have to travel to PVI for a semifinal match. There have been a lot of big games in the WCAC, but its hard to think of any one that will be bigger than the Holy Cross - St. John's game tomorrow night. St. John's may be hitting their stride at the right time. They were leading PVI for the vast majority of sets 1 and 3, and had it tied late in set 2 ... but it was the younger Page and Elena Sanchez who were clutch and carried the Panthers to 25 each time. Still, the Lady Cadets played well. Then in their next match - against a Ryken team that had just defeated Holy Cross - SJC demolished the Knights by scores of -10, -19 and -22. Next match vs O'Connell, SJC dropped two very close sets (-23, -22), and then turned it on and smoked DJO by lopsided scores of -13, -14 and then 15-7. Earlier this week, SJC hosted Flint Hill - folks reading this post don't need to be told how good Flint Hill is, but just in case ... they have (at least) four D1 commits, and are almost unquestionably the best team in the DMV. Flint Hill won the match, but it was St. John's play, especially in taking a set off of Flint Hill (something only 4 other teams have done all year against the Huskies), that was impressive. Did I mention the Holy Cross-St. John's game yet? With Holy Cross getting back to full strength - and with St. John's starting to click - it has the potential to be epic. O'Connell was so so close to beating their arch rival PVI, and that followed their lopsided loss to SJC (at least as much as a 5-setter can be a blowout, that was it). One wonders how they will respond to those two tough games. They travel to Ryken tomorrow. See above Holy Cross at Ryken description to understand how that game could be a challenge for DJO. O'Connell has shown that they can beat any team in the conference (they beat AHC, beat SJC, and were a whisker away from beating PVI), so they definitely have the potential to win it all. And it's even more exciting to think about this team's potential for next year (and frankly the top of the conference should just be awesome and even more competitive than it has been this year). Good Counsel is a bit of a mess; they have talented kids (their roster is littered with players who are on MVSA's top teams), but they just aren't playing well. It wouldn't surprise me if things came together and they pulled off an upset in the playoffs (they have beaten O'Connell, taken a set off of SJC, and hit 19+ points in 4 of 6 sets vs Holy Cross), but they would have to show a level of consistency that they haven't showed lately. The team makes a lot of mistakes in key spots - hitting errors, serving errors, serve receive errors. And their best passers are their hitters, and - frankly - their best ballhandlers are their hitters. Larson, Kiss, Mitchell and Crocker can swing. But they aren't getting good sets, and the setter isn't getting good passes. Not much to say about Seton, Ireton and McNamara. Those three are in their own "category". They have flashes of decent play - and have fun out there ... and they have really supportive / positive fans and parents (in contrast to some of the teams at the top, not naming any names). But those three schools are a clear notch below the rest of the league. Great analysis, spikeball. The only thing I would add is the setting uncertainty at AHC. Senior Nicole Dao might be back in time for the playoffs, but would have been out for a long time. Go with the senior who hasn't played, or stay with the freshman who has been playing setter for the first time at AHC or club? Great agreed analysis by spikeball, as all season. With regard to AHC setting, I would say unless Nicole is completely out of shape from being out for this long you have to go with the senior. You should not lose your spot due to injury plus Nicole has been setting for years while as you said the freshman is only setting for the first time. I am sure Nicole will pick right back up with her hitters just fine
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WCAC
Oct 22, 2018 14:37:54 GMT -5
Post by spikeball on Oct 22, 2018 14:37:54 GMT -5
In response to AHC and their setting situation ... yes, my "sources" have confirmed that Nicole Dao has been cleared to play, and will take over as full-time setter starting this week. AHC plays Seton on Thursday; that will be a very easy game for the Tartans. I would guess that Nicole would play one set just to get some game action (and so that Coach Geiser can observe her condition, timing, and chemistry in game action), but I don't think she will play the full game ... no need for it vs Seton. And if she responds well during/after that game, then in the first round of the WCAC - when Holy Cross will be play Seton again - Nicole might play 2 sets to ramp up for the rest of the tourney, which should be competitive. Barring some setback, in the semis and finals (likely vs SJC and then PVI), there is no doubt that Nicole will play full-time. Jackie Bardin has been great all season, but Nicole is an elite setter (at least offensively). Jackie is a slightly better athlete, and so she can run down bad passes on offense and digs/tips on defense just a little better than Nicole (though neither of them are much more than "capable" on defense - not much of a block out of either of them); but Nicole excels in two areas: (i) serving and (ii) kills (i.e., tips/dumps). Jackie gets her serve in (95%+) but it is soft and easy to play. Nicole is (very) slightly less "accurate" with her serve; but still reliable (~90%), but she gets aces in buckets ... and even when she doesn't get an "ace" her serve is so difficult to play (flat knuckleball effect) that the defense is almost always put out of system. And I've seen Jackie play dozens of sets and don't remember a single time when she attempted a "kill" other than when it has been telegraphed on a second ball, or when she is forced to on a third ball; while Nicole routinely gets 1-2 winners on second ball tips/dumps (and she attempts it 4-5 times per set), which forces the defense to keep an eye out for it and results in being a step slow to get in position for a block or to line up a dig. The difference in "offense" can't really be over-stated, given the different skills/styles of Jackie/Nicole, even if the team may be a tad bit weaker defensively. Holy Cross will need all the offense that it can get, given Maddie Ewers' situation (see below).
A couple of incredible games on Friday: as expected, the SJC-Holy Cross game was epic. And - not expected - Ryken beat O'Connell. As I've said ... it is really tough to play in Ryken's gym. Long travel, small, claustrophobic, loud gym. Ryken has now defeated Holy Cross and O'Connell at home, and swept Good Counsel there. They will next host PVI (no matter how big the home court advantage, I don't see PVI losing that match - or even a set). And they will play St. John's in their regular season finale (senior night), which will be a much more likely chance for them to pull off (another) home upset. In beating DJO, Ryken was led - as usual - by Lila Flores who had another great game hitting and serving. But it was DJO's terrible serve receive game that proved to be the difference - surprisingly, likely 1st team all-WCAC player Skye Ferris had a rough game in the back row and Sydney Amos - DJO's libero - picked a bad time to have her worst game of the season. The passing was so bad that O'Connell simply couldn't get many good sets ... and the much better hitters of O'Connell couldn't do much of anything, as it was free-ball after free-ball (or weak back row hits/tips). O'Connell has now dropped three in a row, and is sputtering a bit heading into the playoffs.
It looks as if the SJC-AHC game was awesome. Holy Cross won 23-25, 27-25, 30-28, 25-21. Alejandra Serrano had - by far - her best game of the season; leading the Tartans in hitting (22 kills) and with exceptional defensive play. She carried the team, and she was needed because Maddie Ewers again is dealing with physical issues ... she had to miss large chunks of the match to deal with nagging injuries. My guess is that Maddie will sit out the next two games (vs Seton x 2) to hopefully allow her to play in the WCAC semis/finals. For SJC, it was pretty awesome to see the 1-2 combination of Lauren Antonucci (setter) and Rachel Richardson (hitter). Lauren had 50 assists (!), 5 kills, a number of key blocks and digs, and served great as usual (95%). Rachel led the match in kills (31) while hitting over .300 (!!) ... which is incredible given the number of attempts she had from all-over the court. The Lady Cadets have a good chance of facing AHC again in the WCAC semis ... but they will need to find someone else besides Lauren and Rachel to step up (junior Nicole Taylor and freshman Sam Foster (both Metro Travel studs) certainly have the ability, but have struggled during high-pressure situations) if they want to have a chance in that one.
Here is an update on things heading into the last week of the regular season: 1. PVI 13-0 (clinched #1 seed - will face Ireton/McNamara winner in WCAC quarters) 2. AHC 11-4 (clinched #2 seed - will face Seton in WCAC quarters) 3. Ryken 9-4 (assuming they split vs PVI and Good Counsel, will be 10-5 heading into finale vs SJC) 4. SJC 8-5 (they will beat Seton and Ireton, and will be 10-5 heading into finale vs Ryken) ... that means that the Ryken/SJC game likely will determine who is the 3 seed (first round vs Good Counsel, semis at Holy Cross) or the 4/5 seed (first round vs O'Connell, semis at PVI). Even with the return of Nicole Dao to AHC, PVI still is the best team in the WCAC (at least on paper) - and a first round game vs Good Counsel would seem a little bit easier than vs O'Connell - so getting the #3 seed would be huge for either the Cadets or Knights (long-shot) chances to make the finals. 5. O'Connell 9-6 (will finish 10-6 ... likely will end up as the #4 seed. It's complicated and we could get deep into the tiebreaker, but at 10-6, they will have the same record as Ryken (if Ryken loses to PVI and SJC - the most likely scenario), DJO and Ryken split their two matches 3-1 each, so whatever is the next tiebreaker after head-to-head sets would decide the #4-#5 seeds. But since #4 plays #5 in the first round, it would only make a difference in where the game is played (admittedly that could be a big difference). If SJC and O'Connell both finish 10-6 (i.e., if Ryken beats Good Counsel and then beats SJC), then O'Connell would win the tiebreaker be the #4 seed and host SJC (the #5 seed) in the first round. The third and final scenario - if Ryken loses to PVI and Good Counsel - but beats SJC, then there would be a three-way tie for third among Ryken, SJC and O'Connell at 10-6, and they would finish 3-4-5 in some order. It would require some effort to walk through the tiebreaker for those three teams in that situation, but suffice it to say that O'Connell's loss to Ryken was a big one - they could've locked up the #3 seed with a win; now they are depending on others and crossing their fingers). 6. Good Counsel 6-8 (clinched #6 seed, will play the #3 seed in WCAC quarters) 7. Seton 4-9 (clinched #7 seed, will play AHC in WCAC quarters) 8/9. Ireton/McNamara (clinched #8/#9 seed, will play each other, then winner will face AHC in WCAC quarters)
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WCAC
Oct 26, 2018 8:24:28 GMT -5
Post by spikeball on Oct 26, 2018 8:24:28 GMT -5
Last day of the WCAC season tonight. I didn't think there would be much to report until the playoffs, but ...
Ryken beat PVI. Um. Wow. The game was at Ryken, of course. It was a 5-setter, and PVI won the first two fairly easily, so perhaps PVI went on cruise control ... and the game meant nothing to PVI's position in the conference. But still, it looked to me like PVI was trying their hardest at least in the 4th (and then the 5th) sets. The game happened the same day that the Washington Post wrote a nice piece about PVI, and the success they've had this season. I've been singing the praises of Jessie Page (libero) all season, and maybe the Post writer reads this message board, because this is what they wrote: "[Jessie] Page has been the focal point of the Panthers’ attack. Her defense and fluid passes allow setter Kathleen Maher to precisely set up her teammates. That all players on the court have the ability to attack allows Maher to be flexible.Using the balanced attack and stout defense, the Panthers hope the outcome of this year’s tournaments will end more favorably." That's exactly right! Jessie Page for Player of the Year. Anyway, back to the reason for this update: Ryken. What an enigma. But this is consistent with another thing I've been saying all year: Ryken's gym is a nightmare for visiting teams. It is small, the ceilings are low, the fans/students are crammed in just a few inches from the court. Ryken is just an "average" team on the road [they just got swept last night at Good Counsel], but at home, they are world-beaters. I doubt there is a more significant home court advantage in the area.
Ryken games: - vs PVI: Lost at PVI 0-3. Won at home 3-2. - vs AHC: Lost at AHC 0-3. Won at home 3-2. - vs DJO: Lost at DJO 1-3. Won at home 3-1. - vs SJC: Lost at SJC 0-3. GAME TONIGHT at RYKEN (TBD) - even vs the bottom tier teams (Seton, McNamara, Ireton), Ryken won all of those games, but dropped a set in each of those away matches (but won in 3 at home each time).
The game tonight: SJC at Ryken. Based on which team is better, SJC should win 3-0. But since this is in Leonardstown, I actually think Ryken is the favorite. It has huge implications for each team's chances (of at least reaching the finals): the winner gets the #3 seed (and hosts a first round playoff game, and avoids PVI in the semis), loser gets the #5 seed (and has an away first round playoff game, and would get PVI in the semis).
Only other update is to keep an eye out for Good Counsel in the playoffs. They got a tongue-lashing from Coach Kart after losing (badly) to Holy Cross a couple of weeks ago. Good Counsel has more talent (I think) than O'Connell and Ryken, and pretty close to that of PVI/AHC/SJC, but they underachieved for most of the season. Perhaps the pep talk worked, because the Lady Falcons have won 3 straight, including a convincing sweep of Ryken. They will be a dangerous team in the playoffs (vs either SJC or Ryken in the first round). If everything clicks, they could pull off an upset or two.
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