MyNameIsDoug?
Well-known member
Break it down by D1 and D2. Been a weird year, so not sure who's expected to be on top outside of the usual suspects.
I think it's incredibly hard to predict without having a HS season last year. I'd expect a lot of movement in the early polls as we find out who the real contenders are.Break it down by D1 and D2. Been a weird year, so not sure who's expected to be on top outside of the usual suspects.
Yeah, definitely tough to gauge after a lost year. I'm sure some teams that could've made a run last year will end up being down this year; it's a shame.I think it's incredibly hard to predict without having a HS season last year. I'd expect a lot of movement in the early polls as we find out who the real contenders are.
In the South Region, my (uneducated) guess would be:
1. St X
2. Elder
3. Moeller
4. Badin
5. LaSalle
6. Walnut Hills
After that, I'm really not sure. Teams like Fairfield, Loveland, Milford and Mason have some good players but hard to say where they fall.
What did X's lineup look like yesterday? RS and M2 was a little bit of a question mark for them.Attended the quad match at Mt Vernon. Paid closer attention to St X and Jackson in matchup of regional 1s.
jackson-
In system was able to hit over the top of setter/RSs/middles.
Was in system very low percentage of time off serve receive. Really struggled in passing. X won in 3. Stayed tight until around mid-teens then gave up points late.
st x-
Will go as far as Kastner takes them. He was consistently jumping over the block.
Rest of offense struggled. Played at net height.
Tried to run the slide that they liked to run with mauch. Still early so timing may be off. I didn’t see the arm or foot speed to run the play.
was trying to think of teams that would pose matchup problems for Kastner. Maybe Moeller with Beckelhimer or O. Orange.
random notes -
My Vernon- really small team. I was hoping to see someone like S. Stanley who was a undersized but could jump and hang. Didn’t see it. Dominated by x.
Mt Vernon field house-
Just opened. Loved the idea of 4 Cts inside running track. Lots of room to serve and play. Court was some rubberized material same as track. I was interested to see if there would be pancakes or impact on hitting/passing. Not a lot of diving defense. Heard one bench give a teammate a shout out when he put his chest on the floor. Talked with a hitter who said there was a lot of grip and hard stopping. Threw him off of timing.
It probably also impacted sliding on passing. Just a thought.
Meyer-m2, berkemeier-rsWhat did X's lineup look like yesterday? RS and M2 was a little bit of a question mark for them.
Meyer-m2, berkemeier-rs
Badin will be a contender in D2 as well. They're good to begin with and they scheduled very tough (first weekend quad match aside) so I can only imagine that'll help going forward.Any early thoughts on the Cincinnati area teams? Looks like St. X is as good as advertised. Elder seems pretty solid. Fenwick looks to be a contender in D2. Not sure about Moeller but saw they beat Badin fairly easily. Any individual standouts so far?
Fenwick isn't very big, but they're super scrappy and have pins who can put the ball away and a very good pair in their libero and setter. Definitely an early favorite for a state run. Fenwick vs Alter will be worth watching - they don't play for a few weeks, though.Any early thoughts on the Cincinnati area teams? Looks like St. X is as good as advertised. Elder seems pretty solid. Fenwick looks to be a contender in D2. Not sure about Moeller but saw they beat Badin fairly easily. Any individual standouts so far?
First game for Walnut is tomorrow @ Moeller. Tough opponent for first game of the year!Badin will be a contender in D2 as well. They're good to begin with and they scheduled very tough (first weekend quad match aside) so I can only imagine that'll help going forward.
I know there were questions here about St. X's depth at some positions; I wonder how that'll affect them throughout the season. Elder seems to have good depth and options at almost every position, which is always a good problem to have. Bianco seems to have started the season pretty strong for them as well. Tbh, don't know as much about Moeller. Saw they dropped one to Badin, but, based on the scores of the other sets, I have to imagine that was the result of some lineup tinkering. Just an assumption, though. Seems like almost all Cincinnati area public schools are down this year compared to 2 years ago when Lakota East, Mason and Loveland were pretty solid. It'll be interesting to see how Walnut is. I know Ober is juggling that and coaching at Thomas More; wish him the best in what'll be a stressful spring I'm sure haha
Boy, that's a good question. I'd imagine Lakota East or Fairfield should be the favorites. Both have played some good statewide competition to start the year and that's reflected in their records so far and both have some talented players. Overall, I expect the conference to be down more than usual. Wouldn't be surprised to see Mason struggle. A few of the teams I expect will have decent records as a result of softer than usual scheduling, but won't be true reflections of their talent levels.First game for Walnut is tomorrow @ Moeller. Tough opponent for first game of the year!
But yeah, the publics aren't as strong this year it seems... Who is the favorite to win the GMC?
I'd throw Sycamore into the mix as well...Boy, that's a good question. I'd imagine Lakota East or Fairfield should be the favorites. Both have played some good statewide competition to start the year and that's reflected in their records so far and both have some talented players. Overall, I expect the conference to be down more than usual. Wouldn't be surprised to see Mason struggle. A few of the teams I expect will have decent records as a result of softer than usual scheduling, but won't be true reflections of their talent levels.
Possibly. Good on them beating LE last night. The conference as a whole is definitely way down this year compared to 2019 and what it possibly could've been last year. Oak Hills in particular lost a lot that would've been good last year.I'd throw Sycamore into the mix as well...
Agreed- OH was solid and senior heavy last year.Possibly. Good on them beating LE last night. The conference as a whole is definitely way down this year compared to 2019 and what it possibly could've been last year. Oak Hills in particular lost a lot that would've been good last year.
They're off to a good start this year, but the schedule they've played so far leaves a lot to be desired.Agreed- OH was solid and senior heavy last year.
It sure would be nice to have a mix up one of these years and have a team or two other than the big three make it out of the South region.I heard from someone that was at the Walnut Hills match last night -- scores were as follows:
M 25-20
M 25-12
W 25-20
M 25-23 (I believe the score was tied 22-22 with W serving)
Not a bad start for Walnut Hills. at least 2 sophomore starters in their first high school match.
After a few matches under their belts they will be a contender for one of the spots to go to the state tourney
To be the best Walnut team ever isn’t a high bar as there’s only been a team for a few years, haha.Last year would have been WH best team ever. Dom Hagerty was probably the best player in the south region to go along with a lot of the pieces they have on the team this year.
This year they have a lot of the stronger players in their age groups (Wheatley, Tombragel as sophs and Vogelpohl, Lipscomb as srs) All 4 on the top Attack teams this past year. Playing right with Moeller was certainly no fluke
Whether their bar was high or not is irrelevant, they are definitely trending in the right direction. The WH Freshman squad recently took 1st at Elders 4 team tourney, so it appears they are stockpiling talent for years to come. Big match coming up tomorrow night at Elder, any chance Elder pulls the upset?To be the best Walnut team ever isn’t a high bar as there’s only been a team for a few years, haha.
However, I agree, and think Walnut would have been very tough for the GCL last year, especially Elder. Hagerty likely would have been in the running for POY in the south with Haas.
Have to hope this is a continuing theme and not something that levels or dies off after a 4-5 year stretch. Would really like to see more public schools offer boys' volleyball for younger ages.Whether their bar was high or not is irrelevant, they are definitely trending in the right direction. The WH Freshman squad recently took 1st at Elders 4 team tourney, so it appears they are stockpiling talent for years to come. Big match coming up tomorrow night at Elder, any chance Elder pulls the upset?