Comments on: Girls Volleyball: State Playoffs, Rankings, Standings

By: Q

Thu, 06 Dec 2012 01:06:42 +0000

I agree witn vbfreak. Michelle is a good hitter but great compare to others you mentioned. St Mary’s should be happy she turned them down.

By: VB Freak

VB Freak — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 00:43:17 +0000

Interesting statements about Michelle. I’m sure she’s a great player but put her ahead of Kyra Holt….that’s a stretch. Don’t minimize Kyra’s efforts this season because Albany didn’t make the playoffs. Albany had an inexperienced freshman setter and an inconsistent back row not a good combination to make another run at state. If you talk about feared hitters in CA then Michelle’s all around talent needs to be compared to No. CA players Christine Alftin (Cal), Allie Spindt (UCSB), Gabby Palmeri (Pepperdine), Rianna Brennan (as of now not playing)and last year’s standout, Mikayla Tucker who pounded the ball with conviction from anywhere on the court. These players including Kyra left lasting impressions. I’ve seen Michelle play and I’m sorry to say that I couldn’t tell her apart from any other hitter on the team. I’ll be sure to watch in club (Norcal dream team) and maybe she’ll change my opinion.

By: JR

JR — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 19:31:10 +0000

LL
you are right. Campo would not be where they are this year without Shurtz. I think she had 29 kills vs Odow. I also think you are right about Michelle, to me she is third in the east bay in front of Kira from Albany. Annie and Sabrina is a toss up. However, when these two met at Deer Valley, Annie’s team won. Annie had a better game in that match then Sabrina, especially in the back row attack and passing. Maybe Campo has better back row defense then Cal. But Annie was killing it in the back.

By: Bronco Fan

Bronco Fan — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 14:41:54 +0000

LL Alum & Fan- Northgate did play poorly and lose to Maria Carillo in the NCS Semi-Final. But don’t look too much into the MaxPreps rankings as they are flawed. Northgate’s ranking is penalized heavily for playing 6-8 DVAL games which thy were forced to play. If you look at the non-league schedule, Northgate played as tough of schedule as any of the top teams in the East Bay. In fact, Northgate won the 32-team NG Tourney just a week before NCS. Las Lomas, San Ramon Valley, Monta Vista, Vista de lago, Maria Carillo, Cardinal Newman, and State Champ Branson were all in the field.(Campo pulled out at the last minute) Michelle Lawrence’s play will stand on its own, there is no need to pump her up on a message board. I will say she is one of the most feared hitters/players in the state.

By: Bronco Fan

Bronco Fan — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 05:40:19 +0000

LL Alum & Fan – Don’t put too much faith into the MaxPreps ratings, they are flawed. Northgate did have a bad night, and lost to Maria Carillo in the NCS Semi-Final. The DVAL was weak this year (this hurt their MaxPreps ranking), but the Broncos did play a very strong non-league schedule. Please do not forget that Northgate did win the Northgate Tourney a week before NCS. The 32 team field included Las Lomas, Maria Carillo, San Ramon Valley, Cardinal Newman, Vista De Lago, Monte Vista, and State Champion Branson. Northgate also beat a Arizona D-5 State Champ twice a couple of weeks earlier. I think I will let Michelle Lawrence’s play stand on its own. I don’t think there is a more feared player in the area. Just saying……

By: LL Alum & Fan

LL Alum & Fan — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 03:45:34 +0000

The candidates discussed are all very good players and are going to play big time college volleyball and should do well at it. That’s a given. An argument made for any one is made at least in part by comparing one to the others. Since it’s a team sport and not a skills competition of how many kills one has, how high they jump, etc., frankly Lawrence for Player of the Year is a stretch. The DVAL is soft and Northgate should win it most years. They won it by 3 games this year over College Park so it’s definitely possible, perhaps even probable, they still win the DVAL this year without Lawrence. NG was unable to advance to the NCS final, beating only Concord and Dublin, and are ranked 109th in California. Dozens of spots below any other team mentioned lately on this board -
- Campolindo #17
- California #29
- Las Lomas #50
- Bishop OD #53
- Northgate # 109

Comparatively speaking, where are the team accomplishments?

Any valid comparison involves Clayton and Shurtz. If you believe Clayton is a better player, and feel that Cal High’s having their best season in nearly 30 years is a big factor, and maybe combine that with the fact that they play Div. 1, then maybe that’s your pick. I’ve read comments about strength of the supporting cast that Campolindo has. That’s what it takes to play for a state title! If one believes that Campo still makes the state final without Shurtz, then Clayton is absolutely your pick. Specifically, I don’t believe Campo would have beat BOD in the playoffs this year without Shurtz. I’m not sure they would have gotten by Valley Christian. They made the title game, again, which as a public school is amazing.

By: Coach

Coach — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 19:08:57 +0000

You know what they say about opinions? I would argue that everyone in the Bay area knew Michelle and Sabrina were going to get thew ball a majority of the time and still couldnt be stopped. There is something to be said about going all the way to the state finals, but one would and could argue that she had way more in terms of a supporting cast than the other two. So i would think that would factor into thew decision. BTW, i could give you Michelle and Sabrina’s stats for the playoffs which are just as impressive.

By: VBT

VBT — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 02:32:18 +0000

I see the discussion for POY is still raging on; nice.
As previously mentioned, fair or not, Hitters are in a position that enables them to garner attention by both their stats and importance to the team. Mary Vaccaro was a hybrid OH/Setter, but won the award in 2010 by taking her team to the State finals as a hitter. Like it or not, the OH is going to be the horse that carries a team to the State finals; provided you have a great setter and excellent defense of course.
Q @20 points out an important fact: Hitting % outweighs # of Kills. It evens that offensive stat out as he explained.
LL Alum @26 points out that the ultimate goal for every high school player, coach, & fan is to reach the State Finals (their Super Bowl). The fact that, of the three being discussed, only Shurtz is still playing tips the scale to her as the POY as I see it.
29 Kills in win over Sacred Heart Cathedral in Norcal Semis
22 Kills in win over Valley Christian (my pick for next year’s powerhouse team) in the Norcal Finals
and 18 Kills; 12 Digs in State Final vs. Cathedral Catholic.
Hard to argue that in my opinion.

By: VB Player

VB Player — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 01:34:44 +0000

CIF STATE VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS SCHEDULE

Saturday, December 1 at Concordia University Irvine

Division V at 10:00 a.m. – Branson vs. Tri-City Christian

Division IV at 12:30 p.m. – Sacred Heart Prep vs. Francis Parker

Division III at 3:00 p.m. – Campolindo vs. Cathedral Catholic

Division II at 5:30 p.m. – Archbishop Mitty vs. Martin Luther King

Division I at 8:00 p.m. – St. Francis vs. Marymount

By: VB Player

VB Player — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 01:34:05 +0000

BROADCAST INFORMATION
Time Warner Cable has exclusive broadcast rights for all five matches.
All five (5) Championship Games – Live in HD, televised on Time Warner Cable
• Time Warner Cable – Check SoCal101tv.com for details.
o High Def – Games air live on Time Warner Cable channel 700 throughout the TWC footprint in Los Angeles and San Diego.
o Also available on TWC Local On Demand.
• Time Warner Cable has also made the games available for distribution to other local television providers throughout California. Please check with your local television distributor for channels and times.
• Online: Games streamed live on http://www.livestream.com/twcsports