I think we've gone 4-1 in 5 setters b/c we were the better team that wouldn't have really gone to 5 sets if we had been 100% healthy but we're finding ourselves having down sets and losing them instead of steamrolling teams 3-0 like we've done in the past many times... but we are the better team with better talent and maybe experience so we're able to dig deep and come out with the win. It's like the midpoint of Colliers tenure here when we just could not win a set against Pitt and Louisville but now we're where Pitt and Louisville were then against the other teams that take us to the brink but we're still able to somehow pull out the W.
I agree setting has been an issue ever since McKissock left... but Soares has been pretty impressive and she's only a freshman. She'll have a solid next 3 years. Mendes is good but she's only a freshman so it's not really fair to expect the next Julia out of her... not yet at least. Hopefully she'll continue to get better and become a scary force in the next 3 years. I think Otene is my fav player right now. When she's on, she's lights out and she can do everything, including a very solid defense. Bertolino has really stepped up this year and that killer serve has been amazing. Paola has also noticeably improved this season compared to the last... We're definitely a more balanced team with multiple threats over when we were relying on just Mari and Julia. I hate that Mogridge got hurt but that's also forced us to dig deep into the bench and honestly, I love that other players are seeing playing time since Collier tends to stick very tight to her starting 6. Certainly all the court time the other players are getting now will pay dividends later. I like this "new" team.
I've watched every match this season via streaming so I'll throw my two cents in. Outside of Pitt, if memory serves me correctly, I think the other five setters were a result of us being up a set heading to the 4th set and for lack of a better explanation we seem to lose a bit of focus and drop the 4th only to bear down and take the 5th set. I agree with Ipoh that in those matches we looked like the better team throughout the match. One good thing that comes from it is I believe we don't panic and have confidence that we can win the 5th and don't allow the subpar performance of the 4th to affect us. I also like what I have seen from Engeman in the small sample size of her appearances. She plays with power much like Mogridge. If she ever is able to get rid of that nasty knee brace she could be more of a contributor.
But what sets us apart from most of our competitors is our defense. Every player on the court hits the floor hard to dig the ball. We often win points not because of our offense which is very good, but because the other team has such a hard time putting the ball away against our defense. We play more long points than any team in the nation. Pimentel digs everything and Otene has had four matches , I think, with at least 20 kills AND over 20 digs. And a lot of people forget that Bertolino is the libero (defensive specialist) for the Argentine national team.
I will also add that I have really enjoyed seeing CMC utilize the depth of this team instead of relying on an ironman 7 player rotation as she has in previous years. Not only because I enjoy seeing different players but I also think it shows the development of players under our coaches and really helps with recruiting. When both high school and transfer players see us play they see a team that is willing to let players hard work determine court time which is all any player can ask. And nobody on the team has shown more growth this year than Bertolino. The serve is obvious, but her vast array of shots makes her extremely difficult to defend. She hits with power, with touch, with topspin and sees the court very well. As a team I think we hit cross court shots much more often than most teams and usually with good accuracy. I also think both she and Otene have really increased their vertical leaping ability. Otene has really become the other star of the team. My only issue with her is she seems to lose focus at times. But she comes to play when the competition steps up.
My final thought is we are seeing two stars in the making in both Mendes and Soares. Both freshman from Brazil that play much older due to their international experience. Neither play with any fear or trepidation that you often see from freshman. I think both will be all ACC players in the very near future. They also give us a team that is well spread out class wise to help us maintain a high level of play for years to come. Mogridge is only a sophomore. Bertolino is just a junior. I will say this, however, we will really miss Pimentel next year.
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