VB: Duke 3, NC State 0

[burnspbesq]

Duke closes out the regular season in style, dominating the Wuffies, 25-18,25-15, 15-15.

Extremely efficient offensive performance, as Sklar, Obeime, and Whitaker all had double-figure kills while hitting over .400.

Duke finishes 22-7, 14-4 in conference, and finishes third in the ACC.

NCAA selection show is tomorrow. Duke is almost certainly in, but probably won't host first and second round matches.

[flagellaman]

Does anyone know why Maggie Deichmeister hardly played this season. Is she injured? She was an honorable mention All-America and 3rd team All-ACC last season.

[buddy]

Does anyone know why Maggie Deichmeister hardly played this season. Is she injured? She was an honorable mention All-America and 3rd team All-ACC last season.

Maggie was not hurt. She got beaten out by Kelsey Williams, whose game improved dramatically. Maggie has a year of eligibility left and, as of now, is planning to come back next year for a fifth year.

[Duke_VB_fan]

Maggie was not hurt. She got beaten out by Kelsey Williams, whose game improved dramatically. Maggie has a year of eligibility left and, as of now, is planning to come back next year for a fifth year.

My understanding was that Deichmeister was injured through most of last year's off-season and didn't start playing again until just before the season started. My guess is that having to take a considerable time off hurt her development, and helped give Williams a chance to gain the necessary reps and experience to improve her game. It would be great if Maggie came back for a 5th year next season.

[burnspbesq]

My understanding was that Deichmeister was injured through most of last year's off-season and didn't start playing again until just before the season started. My guess is that having to take a considerable time off hurt her development, and helped give Williams a chance to gain the necessary reps and experience to improve her game. It would be great if Maggie came back for a 5th year next season.

Interesting that with two quality setters available we didn't try to run a 6-2 system. If you put Obeime opposite Sklar, you would have four hitting options (three in the front plus either Sklar or Obeime out of the back row) in every rotation.

[hughgs]

Interesting that with two quality setters available we didn't try to run a 6-2 system. If you put Obeime opposite Sklar, you would have four hitting options (three in the front plus either Sklar or Obeime out of the back row) in every rotation.

With the relatively quick offense that Duke runs, it's very difficult for the hitters to adjust to the timing of two setters. Plus, I believe that Jeni is subbed out of the back row so she wouldn't be an option in the back row.

[flagellaman]

Interesting that with two quality setters available we didn't try to run a 6-2 system. If you put Obeime opposite Sklar, you would have four hitting options (three in the front plus either Sklar or Obeime out of the back row) in every rotation.

Most college and international teams use the 5-1 instead of 6-2.

Kelsey and Maggie are excellent setters, but probably not as lethal hitting as Emily, Alyse, Jeme, Jordan and other trees on the roster. Having both Kelsey and Maggie in a 6-2 means one fewer high-end hitter on the court in the front row, putting the opponent/defense at an advantage with 3 blockers vs. 2 hitters.

When Emily rotates to the backcourt, she is a good option as the backrow hitter; Emily doesn't rotate out because she is excellent digging; Jeme, Alyse, Jordan et al, not so much, and that's why you see Nicole, Chloe and other defensive specialists rotate in (Sasha stays on the court all the time in the back row as the Libero). And when Emily is in the back row, Nagel still has three high end hitters in the front row.

When Emily is in the front row, I don't think there's a back row hitter most of the time, just Kelsey and two uber defensive specialists.

So, what does this mean when Kelsey rotates to the front row? I believe Emily is in the back row, i.e., opposite Kelsey. I may be wrong as I haven't watched any games. Kelsey and most college setters can hit, so she is not a liability, but not the preferred first and second options.

[Duke_VB_fan]

Most college and international teams use the 5-1 instead of 6-2.

Kelsey and Maggie are excellent setters, but probably not as lethal hitting as Emily, Alyse, Jeme, Jordan and other trees on the roster. Having both Kelsey and Maggie in a 6-2 means one fewer high-end hitter on the court in the front row, putting the opponent/defense at an advantage with 3 blockers vs. 2 hitters.

When Emily rotates to the backcourt, she is a good option as the backrow hitter; Emily doesn't rotate out because she is excellent digging; Jeme, Alyse, Jordan et al, not so much, and that's why you see Nicole, Chloe and other defensive specialists rotate in (Sasha stays on the court all the time in the back row as the Libero). And when Emily is in the back row, Nagel still has three high end hitters in the front row.

When Emily is in the front row, I don't think there's a back row hitter most of the time, just Kelsey and two uber defensive specialists.

So, what does this mean when Kelsey rotates to the front row? I believe Emily is in the back row, i.e., opposite Kelsey. I may be wrong as I haven't watched any games. Kelsey and most college setters can hit, so she is not a liability, but not the preferred first and second options.

I think you're confused on a few points:
1. Sklar is a left side hitter, so she plays opposite the other left side hitter (Obeime) in the rotation. In contrast, Williams as the setter is positioned opposite the right side hitter (Atkinson/Vucich)
2. In the 6-2 system that is most often run in NCAA volleyball, the 2 setters do not play front row at all (and thus, do not hit). Instead, they are subbed out for hitters when they rotate into the front row. Thus, at all times, the team will have 3 front row hitters and 1 back row setter.

The original question as to why Duke doesn't run a 6-2 offense (with Williams and Deichmeister as back row setters being subbed out for front row hitters) is a good one, considering that we have two All-ACC caliber setters on our roster. In my opinion, the major reason for this is due to the insufficient passing that results from this particular system. Running a 6-2 requires a lot of subs and teams can use up the maximum allotted subs/set quickly, especially in longer sets. Thus, teams cannot afford to also sub out their left side hitters in the back row for passing/defensive specialists as well, as Duke currently does with Obeime subbing out for DiPasquale. As a result, running a successful 6-2 offense in college essentially requires a team to have 2 left side hitters who can also pass well and play 6-rotations. Sklar is an example of the latter, but Obeime unfortunately is not a good enough passer at this level. Thus, running a 6-2 offense would require Duke to use Sklar and Karelov in a 2-person serve receive formation (with Obeime being "hidden" in the service reception pattern). This is technically doable because both Sklar and Karelov are very capable passers (there are others teams who do this) but it places a significant passing burden on both of them, especially Sklar who is also relied upon heavily to hit as well. Precise passing is a huge key for Duke because of the quick offense that they run, as someone alluded to earlier. In addition, Duke's middles are a vital part of the team's offense, but setting the middles effectively requires good passing. While Coach Nagel has experimented with the 6-2 offense in previous seasons, I also get the sense that she is not a big fan of it in general.

Obeime is a lethal hitter (front and back row), and I've held out hope that she could develop into a strong passer that would allow her to play as a 6-rotation left side hitter alongside Sklar in a 6-2 system, but I guess it just wasn't meant to be. She and Williams will be dearly missed though- I hope that they can go out on a high note with a win over a very good Hawaii team on Friday.