2023 Volleyball Schedule

[BrooklynBull]

 

Unfortunately, I am likely to be In Buffalo when they are at St. Johns and they will be in Toledo for homecoming weekend.

[dj_paige]

My gut feel is that HCSS has used last year's success (MAC Semi-finalist, WIVC invitation) to try to "upgrade" the non-conference schedule. There are three Big East teams on the schedule (Xavier, Depaul and St. Johns), and two other P5 teams (Arkansas and Missouri). I call it the FLJ-ization of the schedule. This means there is only one home tournament (which includes a Big East opponent), whereas in the past Buffalo usually hosted two home tournaments. And also notice, there are no local or even semi-local opponents on the schedule this year (unless you consider Binghamton to be semi-local, but they were 17–8 last year). I haven't computed a "strength of schedule", but it sure seems like this is a much tougher non-conference schedule than in previous years.

I hope I am right about this. Remember, FLJ beat a number of P5 programs along the way to build the program, and Buffalo hosted Stanford at Alumni Arena in WBB. Hey, Kevin Hambly, after you come east to thrash Penn State, consider stopping at Buffalo.

In any event, Buffalo returns almost all of their regulars from last year; we have a first team All-MAC setter in Mandy Leigh and possibly the best duo in the MAC at middle blocker, Abby Leigh and Courtney Okwara. And then there's the exciting freshman Manoela Forlin, who is currently playing for the Brazil U-19 team which will compete in the U-19 World Championships. This could be a very big year for UB.

Edited June 22, 2023 by dj_paige

[dj_paige]

Scott Smith told me that last season the strength of schedule was in the low 200s, this upcoming season it is in the 150s. The idea, of course, is that this stronger schedule will help UB compete better in the MAC.

Edited July 29, 2023 by dj_paige

[dj_paige]

Manoela Forlín to compete in the U-19 World Championships for Brazil — schedule: 8/1/2023 vs Canada, 8/2 vs Peru, 8/3 vs Thailand, 8/5 vs Bulgaria, 8/6 vs Italy, all games played in Szeged, Hungary, then playoff/medal round. Games to be streamed on VBTV ($7.99/month). Box scores and standings at https://en.volleyballworld.com/volleyball/competitions/women-u19-world-championship-2023/

[dj_paige]

Manoela Forlín plays briefly in each of Brazil's first two matches (both 3-0 wins). In the first game, she has a kill at match point, her only attack of the match. In the second game, she gets a block, but no attacks.

Also see https://ubbulls.com/news/2023/7/31/womens-volleyball-manoela-forlin-is-ready-to-represent-ub-and-brazil-at-the-u19-fivb-world-championships.aspx

Edited August 2, 2023 by dj_paige

[dj_paige]

Against Thailand, Forlín scores 2 kills, 0 errors on 6 attacks, in brief playing time. Forlín is playing as the reserve opposite (in the NCAA that position is called "right side"), and she only comes into the games on a "double-switch" which is something coaches in international volleyball do regularly, late in a set. When the setter on a team rotates into the front row, the setter and opposite are subbed out and a new setter and opposite are subbed in, with the opposite in the front row. So that's when Forlín comes in, she plays the 3 rotations in the front row, and then comes out. This is similar to an NCAA two-setter offense, except because substitution rules are different in international volleyball, Forlín and a setter can only be subbed in once per set, while under NCAA rules, a new setter and opposite can be subbed in every 3 rotations (usually) throughout the set.

Edited August 4, 2023 by dj_paige

[dj_paige]

Manoela Forlín has her best game of the tournament so far against Bulgaria, but Brazil loses 3–1 (first time Brazil has lost a set). Forlín has 10 point (9 kills, 1 ace), second on the team in scoring, including 6 points in the 3rd set. For the first time in the tournament, she was given a start in the 4th set, but didn't last long on the court in that set. Normally, Larissa Brandão is the starting opposite for Brazil, and she gets most of the playing time at that position, but Brandão had a weak performance, resulting in a lot more playing time for Forlín, who played very well off the bench.

A side note of minor interest: Bulgaria's captain, 6-5 opposite Iva Dudova, has been playing professionally in Bulgaria's professional league since she was 14.

Edited August 5, 2023 by dj_paige

[dj_paige]

Manoela Forlín finishes the tournament with 26 kills, 2 blocks and 1 ace, plus a 47.27% attack efficiency (that's pretty good!) playing almost always as a reserve off the bench. Brazil finishes 7th, but Brazil nearly defeated eventual champion United States in 5 sets, losing the fifth set 15–11. For Brazil to play roughly even against the USA, let me add some context here: the players on the USA U-19 team have all committed to P5 programs, and not just any P5 programs, but to programs that are the cream of the crop and national powers — Oregon, Southern Cal, Texas, Wisconsin, Penn State, Nebraska. Does this mean Manoela Forlín can compete at that level? I'm not quite ready to say that yet, remember Forlín was a reserve for Brazil. We'll see how well she plays at the mid-major level in a few weeks.