My daughter quit volleyball this year, so I haven't been as invested in watching the Cougs with her, but it appears they lost to the 16th-ranked Marquette [insert new non-racist mascot name]s, and they have a pretty stout non-conference schedule.
It's probably not fair to expect this team to beat a top-20 opponent handily after looking the Haddock twins, RJP, and Syndnie Martindale (she was overshadowed by Mary Lake, but she gave us two quality years in the backrow), but after an amazing season last year that included a early-season win over a stout Stanford squad, losing to Marquette feels like a downer.
I mostly feel bad for Mary Lake, who has been incredible her entire time in Provo. She could very well end up in the Sweet 16 as a senior, but it's tough to imagine the Cougs going beyond that unless McKenna Miller or another OH really steps up their game (tough to ask of MM coming off her injury...although I did get to chat her up at the Holy War for a few minutes. She was super cool...I was conscious of the risk of looking like creepy old guy, and she just kept talking as we walked).
I've only looked at box scores, but a few surprises: 1. Taylen Ballard's production (wait...I guess she did marry Dalton Nixon? That boy out-kicked his coverage). In 2018, she never seemed to regain her confidence after her knee injury in 2017. 2. Maddie Robinson's absence in the first two games and resurgence in the Marquette game. 3. Heather Gneiting's lack of production. Eschenberg seemed to have had big games offensively, but Gneiting's stat sheet is a little bare (not always indicative of contribution for a MB, though, especially depending on the rotations).
It's probably not fair to expect this team to beat a top-20 opponent handily after looking the Haddock twins, RJP, and Syndnie Martindale (she was overshadowed by Mary Lake, but she gave us two quality years in the backrow), but after an amazing season last year that included a early-season win over a stout Stanford squad, losing to Marquette feels like a downer.
I mostly feel bad for Mary Lake, who has been incredible her entire time in Provo. She could very well end up in the Sweet 16 as a senior, but it's tough to imagine the Cougs going beyond that unless McKenna Miller or another OH really steps up their game (tough to ask of MM coming off her injury...although I did get to chat her up at the Holy War for a few minutes. She was super cool...I was conscious of the risk of looking like creepy old guy, and she just kept talking as we walked).
I've only looked at box scores, but a few surprises: 1. Taylen Ballard's production (wait...I guess she did marry Dalton Nixon? That boy out-kicked his coverage). In 2018, she never seemed to regain her confidence after her knee injury in 2017. 2. Maddie Robinson's absence in the first two games and resurgence in the Marquette game. 3. Heather Gneiting's lack of production. Eschenberg seemed to have had big games offensively, but Gneiting's stat sheet is a little bare (not always indicative of contribution for a MB, though, especially depending on the rotations).
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