Each from time to time, this turns into a don’t-do-today-what-you-can-put-off-for-a-long-time job.
I used to be in Chicago the primary week of July for USA Volleyball Ladies Junior Nationals and the subsequent week wrote this pocket book:
USAV Nationals notes: LSU soccer, IUPUI, recruiting Egypt and extra
And there was each intention of following up the subsequent week with extra. Effectively, right here you go, higher late than by no means. Most of these things aren’t about membership volleyball, extra about NCAA groups as we took time to go to with a ton of coaches.
However to catch up, in the event you missed it, right here is John Tawa’s season-ending women membership volleyball Dots:
Tawa’s Ladies Membership Volleyball Dots: SCVC pulls stunner; Storm wins second in three years
Within the meantime, we’ve received the NBA/volleyball angle, a few updates, and what it’s prefer to recruit whereas in China.
Volleyball Nuggets
In that final pocket book, we began with all of the LSU soccer tie-ins to top-level women membership volleyball. On this one, we’ll begin with the Denver Nuggets.
Sure, the NBA champions loomed massive contained in the McCormick Place conference middle within the type of head coach Mike Malone. He was watching his daughter, Bridget, play for her Colorado Juniors staff that received 16s Open..
“You understand, it’s probably not enjoyable,” Malone mentioned. “I get extra nervous watching my daughter play than teaching our video games with the Denver Nuggets.
“I’m a proud father and I don’t get an opportunity to see her play sufficient. However now that the summer time is right here I simply come right here as a dad and help her and get actually nervous watching them win each match.”
Virtually. The Colorado Juniors 16Shannon went 10-1 (20-3 in units). The staff misplaced solely to Dynasty 16 Black however got here again to win its final 5 matches, together with a 25-21, 25-21 victory over Austin Juniors 16 adidas within the remaining.
The Nuggets’ ties to Colorado Juniors additionally embody normal supervisor Calvin Sales space. His 6-foot-7 daughter, Carter, performed her freshman yr at Minnesota and after final season transferred to Wisconsin.
And don’t overlook that the Nuggets play-by-play announcer is 1984 males’s volleyball Olympic gold-medalist Chris Marlow.
“Nice man, been with him eight years now in Denver and we at all times speak about his volleyball experiences and in addition that he coached his daughters,” Malone mentioned.
Malone married into volleyball, so to talk. His spouse, the previous Jocelyn Cole, performed at Windfall School, and their different daughter, Caitlin, additionally performs.
“My two daughters love the sport and I’m glad they selected volleyball as an alternative of basketball,” Malone admitted. “That will have been a lot tougher to look at. This can be a nice ambiance.”
Since nationals, Colorado Juniors introduced that Bridget Malone, who was MVP of the nationwide event, has dedicated to North Carolina.
Houston readies for Huge 12
Few groups received everybody’s consideration in 2022 like Houston, which misplaced within the NCAA Event spherical of 16 to Stanford. Earlier than that, the Cougars battled by way of of essentially the most thrilling matches of the event, successful 25-14, 25-19, 18-25, 23-25, 15-11 over South Dakota after which 25-27, 25-15, 12-25, 25-23, 15-8 over Auburn.
Houston completed 30-4, 19-1 within the American Athletic Convention. Now this system is within the Huge 12.
Coach Dave Rehr scheduled accordingly. Within the pre-conference, Houston opens with visiting USC and and the slate contains Texas State, Kentucky, SMU or Purdue, and Texas A&M.
“We knew we needed to put together for the Huge 12 so we’ve got a schedule that may get us prepared,” Rehr mentioned.
When you didn’t comply with Houston final yr, nicely, the Cougars are loaded. Among the many returners are graduate-student exterior Abbie Jackson and libero Kate Georgiades, the senior who received a lot social-media love for taking out an end-line desk chasing down a ball towards South Dakota.
THE EFFORT FROM @kate_george17!!! 💯💯💯
💻 ESPN+@NCAAVolleyball x #SCTop10 x #BeSomeone pic.twitter.com/A7RXRDW1EE
— Houston Volleyball (@UHCougarVB) December 2, 2022
The massive additions are Kenna Sauer, the graduate-student exterior who transferred from Texas Tech, and outdoors Nena Mbonu, a graduate-student from Louisville.
Houston opens Huge 12 play at BYU on September 20.
Talking of Auburn …
Auburn additionally received everybody’s consideration final yr.
The Tigers, who completed 22-9, opened 14-0 however most observers agreed that was towards lower-tier competitors. However that didn’t matter, as a result of Auburn rolled to a 10-8 SEC end and knocked out Creighton in 5 in this system’s first postseason victory since 2010.
And right here’s the scary factor: “We misplaced no one,” coach Brent Crouch mentioned. “We added 5 and misplaced no one.”
The Tigers are joined by 5 transfers, together with senior center Bella Bell from Kentucky and graduate-student center Kyla Swanson from Illinois. Everybody on the roster made the Auburn journey to Europe this previous spring.
BC momentum
Boston School received the NIVC final fall, “which was a terrific expertise for our group,” coach Jason Kennedy mentioned. “We return a majority of our first two contacts and I hope we’ll be just a little forward of schedule going into the autumn than some groups which have extra to interchange.
“We misplaced some key items, so we’ll see.”
The Eagles have 5 freshmen, together with Audrey Ross. The 6-3 product of San Ramon Excessive College in Danville, California, and NorCal “is below the radar,” Kennedy mentioned. “I’m excited to see what she will do.”
Recruiting from China
Notre Dame’s Salima Rockwell has continued her work for Volleyball World TV and this summer time referred to as Volleyball Nations League matches in Hong Kong.
“It was superior,” mentioned Rockwell, who grew to become fairly an completed TV analyst throughout her few years away from teaching. “I received to name matches with Türkiye and Poland and China. All the highest groups. It was so enjoyable and people are my individuals and it was cool as a result of they bear in mind me and coaches had been superior with the interviews (in between units) though they didn’t wish to do them. However had been they had been nice with me.”
However recruiting didn’t cease simply because Rockwell was in China.
“June fifteenth was a problem,” she mentioned of the primary day coaches may contact recruits.
She relied closely on assistant Craig Dyer. When you’re in China, when it’s time to fall asleep individuals are waking up in America, and if you get up there, individuals in America are making ready to name it a day — the day earlier than.
“He put all the youngsters I wanted to contact, all of their time zones, my very own time zone, the time distinction, so it labored out. It was a little bit of circus and I didn’t sleep for a couple of days, but it surely labored out.”
Notre Dame completed 10-18 final season, 5-13 within the ACC.
“Issues are nice,” the second-year coach mentioned. “Our 5 freshmen are on campus doing summer time college and I believe the tradition is tremendous wholesome. We’re in a very good place proper now and recruiting goes nicely.”