I know, I am inconsistent with how often I write an entry. With working on a thesis, I have an irregular schedule and thesis will always trump this blog. So here are a few things that's been on my mind:
Good Friends:
I got word back in September that my two good friends Shay and Tony are gonna be parents! Wow, I am so happy for them. They're gonna be amazing parents and this kid will be so lucky to be born to these two fine people. It's crazy to me because I have known both of them mostly separately for...more than a decade each, then they got married, and now they're having a baby. It's wonderful!
Thesis:
Good news! After some tough years and rough starts, the Big D [for Doctorate of Architecture, D. Arch.] has been resuscitated! I just had a committee meeting Thursday night and amazingly I was able to keep everyone on board. It was a good meeting, a lot of good comments and discussion, and so I've still got a lot of work to do. Overall, I feel less stressed and concerned, I'm excited about this project, that has never changed, so we'll see. I know a lot of you keep wondering when I'm gonna finish. Hopefully it'll be Spring. Don't worry, when it's done, EVERYONE WILL KNOW!!!
UH Wahine Volleyball:
Um, well, they beat Tennessee in the first round of the NCAA. Then they lost to Middle Tennessee in the second round, so... I don't know. I definitely thought they were going to the semis. I know, they don't have Kamana'o, but they were playing like a team by the second half of the season. They were really playing well and on fire. *sigh*
I can't wait for next season!
UH Warrior Volleyball:
Preseason has them at 8th. They usually start in the top 5, but last season, they graduated Beckwith at setter, Dante at middle, Hakala at right, and Kalima at libero/outside, key positions and star players. This season, Schkud is the only true senior leading a few juniors, a few freshmen, and a bunch of sophomores. Schkud has not been a starter, but the papers say he's settled in the right-side position nicely. I'm excited to see what he can do.
I tend to write about the Warrior VB a lot because I'm more familiar with it and their competition. Anyone up for going to a game with me?
UH Football:
Let me just get it out...WOOHOO!!! WAC CHAMPIONS! WE'RE GOING TO THE SUGAR BOWL! AHHHHH!!!
Okay, now that that's done...
The Heisman will be announced Saturday 3:00 p.m. Hawaii time, so, hours from now. I know it sounds like Tebow's the favorite, but I do believe that it should be Colt. I watch shows like Around the Horn and stuff and they've mentioned things like leadership, how many games did the team lose, what conference they play in, etc.
The three other finalists have all lost a few games. UH is undefeated. Mariotti [ATH] thinks that Hawaii couldn't win in the SEC, but how does he know? He doesn't, there's no way of proving this team couldn't beat the SEC. Colt's got crazy numbers. The other finalists have good numbers too, but Colt's also got records, NCAA records! Not just Hawaii records, WAC records, NCAA records. I'm missing the reason I should be impressed with Tebow's rushing TDs, I don't know. Well, Colt got injured and missed a couple games. Actually, Colt got injured and missed one full game and a couple quarters in a couple games or so; Hawaii still won.
So they could say, well, Colt missed some play time and the team still won so they don't need Colt that much. I say, who does the team play for? Sure, Hawaii's got great players and they can win without Colt, but they play for Colt. I like Graunke, I look forward to seeing how he leads next year, but if Colt had gone NFL last year, this season would've been different, whether HI went undefeated or not. They play heart 'cause Colt came back.
And leadership, Colt's got that in spades. I've written in earlier entries about how respectful and humble he is, everyone in HI knows that, it's evident just by watching his interviews. He came back for this team. And when he did get injured, yes he played hard, but most importantly, when he had the concussion, I'm sure he said he could play, but he listened to doctors and coaches and did what was best for the team. He wasn't being the hero, he had confidence that his team could go on and they beat Nevada. He was a leader from the sidelines.
Obviously, I could go on. My last thoughts on the Heisman, I hope Colt gets it, but if he comes in fourth, it'll be an injustice. He should win it or be second. Let's see what happens.
Showing posts with label UH Wahine Volleyball. Show all posts
Showing posts with label UH Wahine Volleyball. Show all posts
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Jayme Lee Remains My Volleyball Hero
The 2007 Wahine Volleyball regular season is over and I am so proud of this 2007 team. They remained focused and determined while everyone else (critics, fans, etc.) wondered what would happen without All-American Kanoe Kamana'o to lead them. Brandt, the starting setter this season still has much to improve to reach the level of Kamana'o, but with a quirky serve and good mobility, it will be interesting to see how far she can go.
And Jamie Houston has got my attention. In the beginning half of the season, it seemed as if those amazing sets from Kamana'o had spoiled Houston, as if she was not interested in improving so much as to better a bad set. From the second half on, she started to play in a manner that said she wanted to earn all the praises that the sportscasters and writers have been giving her all this time. I have to say that she impressed me this season. Sure, the last match against New Mexico St scared me a little, but she regrouped and found other ways to score against them. I am finally excited to see how she will top this season's performance in the next season.
The only disappointment this season, for me, was at the libero position; I would rather see Jayme Lee start as libero. After the great job she did after earning and never letting go of the position once she had it, I do not understand how Ka'aihue kept the libero job this season. I am all for the position going to the best player at that position. Show me a better libero than Lee and I will not argue for Lee to start.
_____________________________________________________
So why Lee over Ka'aihue?
1. Because of her serves: Both players use a standing float serve that is tough, but given the height difference (Lee is about 6 inches shorter), Lee's serve has a tendency to unexpectedly drop short just in front of opponents. This season, Lee's service percentage is a .959 to Ka'aihue's .953 with half the errors and half the attempts. Sure, that sounds close, as if it's not really a comparison, but the service aces to games ratio is Lee's .12 to Ka'aihue's .07-a huge difference. Over time, Lee will have more aces and less errors than Ka'aihue. Lee rarely makes a service error. On the season so far, Lee has 11 aces to Ka'aihue's 7.In last season's 35 matches, Lee had 24 aces.
2. Because of her mobility: Because Lee is 6 inches shorter and maybe 30 pounds lighter, she can react quicker to an errant ball. When both players plant their feet in anticipation of a hard hit from the opponent, Lee will be able to react faster by way of some physics law (okay, I don't completely remember my physics). This was evident earlier this season when both L and K were on the court and a teammate shanked a ball back towards the tunnel. L got to the ball first while K was closer to the ball. L didn't save it, but she got there first, showing that her height wasn't a shortcoming on a play like that one.Just in general play, when covering a hitter or getting to any shanked balls, Lee reacts quicker. She also seems to know her coverage better.
3. Because of her technique and accuracy: This one, you might just have to trust me. Lee's play is cleaner. She passes the ball up so that the setter has an easier time in setting the ball. Lee passes the ball directly to the setter; the setter doesn't have to move and has more time to see the block and choose to which hitter to set the ball. Simply put, Lee does exactly what the libero is supposed to do.Whereas, too many times, when Ka'aihue passes the ball, the ball travels along a flatter parabola. This causes the ball to arrive at a sharper angle to the setter, making it easier for the setter to double-hit (a penalty point for the other team). Also, Ka'aihue isn't as accurate as Lee in getting the ball to the setter.
4. Because of the numbers: The first graph shows the digs per player, per game for the 2006 season. The second graph is the same for the 2007 season. The highest number of digs is highlighted in yellow; second highest in pink; third highest, only for the libero, is in green.
The libero should have the most highlighted games, and they both do. They should also be either 1st or 2nd place in digs each game. Breaking down the highlights:
[# of games]
Lee = [14] 1st place in digs, [13] 2nd place, [5] 3rd place, [3] 4th or worse.
Ka'aihue = [12] 1st place in digs, [12] 2nd place, [0] 3rd place, [7] 4th or worse.
One of the three games where Lee placed 4th or worse was the very first match of the season, the only match that season where Lee did not start; she was the 4th, I believe, libero to be tried. Ka'aihue has started every match this season, so those seven matches in 4th or worse is a big bad number. Lee had one game last season where she had less than 5 digs; Ka'aihue already has 6 games. That tells me that Lee is more productive. In digs per game, Ka'aihue wins it by 4.08 to Lee's 3.80 last year. However, Lee has the uncanny distinction of getting an occasional dig/kill, or what they call a "libero kill." She's 5/5 this year, she had several last year, Ka'aihue is 1/6 this year. The "libero kill" numbers don't really count for libero's since technically they aren't allowed to "attack" a ball, but that said, Lee's kills are impressive. That's something you can't teach.
____________________________________________________
Anyways, I'm sure Lee is just happy to be playing and doesn't care who starts in the big scheme of things, but I think she should be starting. Everyone else has pretty much upped their game this season, I talked about Houston earlier and certainly Kaufman has improved over this season since getting the starting job, Hittle is back to old form if not better than she ever was before the injury last season, but Ka'aihue has not improved. I'm disappointed. By the way, not like Ka'aihue cares about my opinion either, I'm fully aware of that.
Up next for the Wahine: Tennessee State tomorrow in Kentucky, the first round of the NCAA playoffs.
GO WAHINE!!!
And Jamie Houston has got my attention. In the beginning half of the season, it seemed as if those amazing sets from Kamana'o had spoiled Houston, as if she was not interested in improving so much as to better a bad set. From the second half on, she started to play in a manner that said she wanted to earn all the praises that the sportscasters and writers have been giving her all this time. I have to say that she impressed me this season. Sure, the last match against New Mexico St scared me a little, but she regrouped and found other ways to score against them. I am finally excited to see how she will top this season's performance in the next season.
The only disappointment this season, for me, was at the libero position; I would rather see Jayme Lee start as libero. After the great job she did after earning and never letting go of the position once she had it, I do not understand how Ka'aihue kept the libero job this season. I am all for the position going to the best player at that position. Show me a better libero than Lee and I will not argue for Lee to start.
_____________________________________________________
So why Lee over Ka'aihue?
1. Because of her serves: Both players use a standing float serve that is tough, but given the height difference (Lee is about 6 inches shorter), Lee's serve has a tendency to unexpectedly drop short just in front of opponents. This season, Lee's service percentage is a .959 to Ka'aihue's .953 with half the errors and half the attempts. Sure, that sounds close, as if it's not really a comparison, but the service aces to games ratio is Lee's .12 to Ka'aihue's .07-a huge difference. Over time, Lee will have more aces and less errors than Ka'aihue. Lee rarely makes a service error. On the season so far, Lee has 11 aces to Ka'aihue's 7.In last season's 35 matches, Lee had 24 aces.
2. Because of her mobility: Because Lee is 6 inches shorter and maybe 30 pounds lighter, she can react quicker to an errant ball. When both players plant their feet in anticipation of a hard hit from the opponent, Lee will be able to react faster by way of some physics law (okay, I don't completely remember my physics). This was evident earlier this season when both L and K were on the court and a teammate shanked a ball back towards the tunnel. L got to the ball first while K was closer to the ball. L didn't save it, but she got there first, showing that her height wasn't a shortcoming on a play like that one.Just in general play, when covering a hitter or getting to any shanked balls, Lee reacts quicker. She also seems to know her coverage better.
3. Because of her technique and accuracy: This one, you might just have to trust me. Lee's play is cleaner. She passes the ball up so that the setter has an easier time in setting the ball. Lee passes the ball directly to the setter; the setter doesn't have to move and has more time to see the block and choose to which hitter to set the ball. Simply put, Lee does exactly what the libero is supposed to do.Whereas, too many times, when Ka'aihue passes the ball, the ball travels along a flatter parabola. This causes the ball to arrive at a sharper angle to the setter, making it easier for the setter to double-hit (a penalty point for the other team). Also, Ka'aihue isn't as accurate as Lee in getting the ball to the setter.
4. Because of the numbers: The first graph shows the digs per player, per game for the 2006 season. The second graph is the same for the 2007 season. The highest number of digs is highlighted in yellow; second highest in pink; third highest, only for the libero, is in green.
The libero should have the most highlighted games, and they both do. They should also be either 1st or 2nd place in digs each game. Breaking down the highlights:
[# of games]
Lee = [14] 1st place in digs, [13] 2nd place, [5] 3rd place, [3] 4th or worse.
Ka'aihue = [12] 1st place in digs, [12] 2nd place, [0] 3rd place, [7] 4th or worse.
One of the three games where Lee placed 4th or worse was the very first match of the season, the only match that season where Lee did not start; she was the 4th, I believe, libero to be tried. Ka'aihue has started every match this season, so those seven matches in 4th or worse is a big bad number. Lee had one game last season where she had less than 5 digs; Ka'aihue already has 6 games. That tells me that Lee is more productive. In digs per game, Ka'aihue wins it by 4.08 to Lee's 3.80 last year. However, Lee has the uncanny distinction of getting an occasional dig/kill, or what they call a "libero kill." She's 5/5 this year, she had several last year, Ka'aihue is 1/6 this year. The "libero kill" numbers don't really count for libero's since technically they aren't allowed to "attack" a ball, but that said, Lee's kills are impressive. That's something you can't teach.
____________________________________________________
Anyways, I'm sure Lee is just happy to be playing and doesn't care who starts in the big scheme of things, but I think she should be starting. Everyone else has pretty much upped their game this season, I talked about Houston earlier and certainly Kaufman has improved over this season since getting the starting job, Hittle is back to old form if not better than she ever was before the injury last season, but Ka'aihue has not improved. I'm disappointed. By the way, not like Ka'aihue cares about my opinion either, I'm fully aware of that.
Up next for the Wahine: Tennessee State tomorrow in Kentucky, the first round of the NCAA playoffs.
GO WAHINE!!!
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Jayme Lee Is My Volleyball Hero
The Rainbow Wahine Volleyball team opens their regular season this Friday against Idaho. They've had a rocky start in the three pre-season tournaments that they've hosted this year. They are also figuring out how to fill up the win column without the amazing setter Kanoe Kamana'o, the hard-hitting Sarah Mason, and the all-around Cayley Thurlby.
Every year, people talk about OH Jamie Houston. Her Freshman year, they were promoting her as possibly the next Kim Willoughby. She has some shining moments, but I'm actually a little disappointed. Here's why: she's not consistent and she doesn't play smart. Notice they talk about her high-number kills, but not her kill percentage. She's a tough hitter, when she makes it in. She's a good blocker and passer, but sometimes she steps in the libero's way. I thought she really earned the MVP in the game against Wichita but most of the time she gets the honors far too often than she earns it. She's in her junior season and with the way people talk about her, I'm hoping she proves them right this year. Without Kamana'o, she's going to have to show that she can make the kill even off of a not-so-good set.
They also like to throw in Ka'aihue's numbers. So far she has been one of those players whose numbers don't really speak for their play. I mean that she's good at digging the ball straight in the air, which Brandt has to get to, and most of her digs come at Brandt at a low angle. She'll get the stats, but not with good, steady, and few spectacular plays. Ka'aihue doesn't impress me so much that I would want to watch her play instead of Jayme Lee. She doesn't do anything that Lee wouldn't do and Lee does things that Ka'aihue hasn't shown she can do yet, and Ka'aihue's supposed to have the height advantage.
So what about Lee makes her my VB hero? I have to admit here that I'm a little biased because I'm about the same height as Lee. If only they had the libero position when I was younger... I still wouldn't be good enough to play college VB! But for now I'll live vicariously by watching Lee.
But really, Lee was fantastic last year! I would say, aside from Kamana'o, Lee was the MVP of the entire 2006 season! She more than makes up for any inches she lacks. She dives, she digs, she puts it up right to the setter, she's great with covering her hitters. I'd want to play like Jayme Lee!
Players to watch:
Juliana Sanders, Sr. MB: I can't imagine what it must be like to be a 6'2 female. I like the face she gets when she's determined, it's intimidating, even when watching her on TV! So far in the pre-season, she's been building up her block numbers and getting in the kills, what's needed in a great MB.
Tara Hittle, Jr. OH: who knows what might have happened if she hadn't gotten injured last season, but she's back, shaking off a little rust, and helping to stabilize the passing. She hasn't had a great start yet, but I know she's just getting warmed up.
Aneli Cubi-Otineru, So. H: This is the one that people should be talking about! She's exciting to watch and I can't believe she's just a sophomore. We'll get to watch her for two more seasons after this one. She's consistent, a good passer, and a smart hitter. And I have to like an athlete that looks and points up after each kill, giving credit to God [Okay, not all people care about that kind of stuff, you might not, but I do]. She'll be a big reason why things open up for Houston to be the kill leader most matches.
Amber Kaufman, So., H/MB: she was exciting to watch last season whenever she got court time and I've been waiting for her to get more. It looks like that wish will finally be granted, though at a price. Last season she filled in the right-side and was effective there. By the end of this past tournament, she filled in for Kari Gregory in the middle. While I just want to see Amber play, anywhere, it's a little bitter-sweet because Gregory is usually a great blocker but for some reason, she wasn't effective against those teams. We'll see if Amber gets the nod to start against Idaho. Last season, she killed, she blocked, and I can tell she just enjoys it all!
And I've already mentioned Jayme Lee. She's enough reason to catch the matches this weekend. Now to find someone to go with me... GO 'BOWS!
Every year, people talk about OH Jamie Houston. Her Freshman year, they were promoting her as possibly the next Kim Willoughby. She has some shining moments, but I'm actually a little disappointed. Here's why: she's not consistent and she doesn't play smart. Notice they talk about her high-number kills, but not her kill percentage. She's a tough hitter, when she makes it in. She's a good blocker and passer, but sometimes she steps in the libero's way. I thought she really earned the MVP in the game against Wichita but most of the time she gets the honors far too often than she earns it. She's in her junior season and with the way people talk about her, I'm hoping she proves them right this year. Without Kamana'o, she's going to have to show that she can make the kill even off of a not-so-good set.
They also like to throw in Ka'aihue's numbers. So far she has been one of those players whose numbers don't really speak for their play. I mean that she's good at digging the ball straight in the air, which Brandt has to get to, and most of her digs come at Brandt at a low angle. She'll get the stats, but not with good, steady, and few spectacular plays. Ka'aihue doesn't impress me so much that I would want to watch her play instead of Jayme Lee. She doesn't do anything that Lee wouldn't do and Lee does things that Ka'aihue hasn't shown she can do yet, and Ka'aihue's supposed to have the height advantage.
So what about Lee makes her my VB hero? I have to admit here that I'm a little biased because I'm about the same height as Lee. If only they had the libero position when I was younger... I still wouldn't be good enough to play college VB! But for now I'll live vicariously by watching Lee.
But really, Lee was fantastic last year! I would say, aside from Kamana'o, Lee was the MVP of the entire 2006 season! She more than makes up for any inches she lacks. She dives, she digs, she puts it up right to the setter, she's great with covering her hitters. I'd want to play like Jayme Lee!
Players to watch:
Juliana Sanders, Sr. MB: I can't imagine what it must be like to be a 6'2 female. I like the face she gets when she's determined, it's intimidating, even when watching her on TV! So far in the pre-season, she's been building up her block numbers and getting in the kills, what's needed in a great MB.
Tara Hittle, Jr. OH: who knows what might have happened if she hadn't gotten injured last season, but she's back, shaking off a little rust, and helping to stabilize the passing. She hasn't had a great start yet, but I know she's just getting warmed up.
Aneli Cubi-Otineru, So. H: This is the one that people should be talking about! She's exciting to watch and I can't believe she's just a sophomore. We'll get to watch her for two more seasons after this one. She's consistent, a good passer, and a smart hitter. And I have to like an athlete that looks and points up after each kill, giving credit to God [Okay, not all people care about that kind of stuff, you might not, but I do]. She'll be a big reason why things open up for Houston to be the kill leader most matches.
Amber Kaufman, So., H/MB: she was exciting to watch last season whenever she got court time and I've been waiting for her to get more. It looks like that wish will finally be granted, though at a price. Last season she filled in the right-side and was effective there. By the end of this past tournament, she filled in for Kari Gregory in the middle. While I just want to see Amber play, anywhere, it's a little bitter-sweet because Gregory is usually a great blocker but for some reason, she wasn't effective against those teams. We'll see if Amber gets the nod to start against Idaho. Last season, she killed, she blocked, and I can tell she just enjoys it all!
And I've already mentioned Jayme Lee. She's enough reason to catch the matches this weekend. Now to find someone to go with me... GO 'BOWS!
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