I'm in the process of watching my third match this season. It's Penn State vs Loyola. Loyola is the reigning champion, and Penn State is a fixture in post season play. The match is really bringing home something I noticed in an earlier match I watched this season. The first I saw was BYU vs Loyola, two preseason top 10 teams. BYU in particular is entering the season as the number 1 team. It was a good match. BYU is going to be better than they were last year, and Loyola wasn't expected to repeat. It was a good way to start the season.
The second was Cal State Northridge vs Cal Baptist. CSUN is off to a very strong start with a 4-0 record. CSUN isn't usually one of the big contenders, so I was wondering how good they are. Cal Baptist has been good in the past, but since joining the NCAA I don't think they have been as good as they were as an NAIA team. While watching something stuck out to me. They both seemed to be running a slow offense. The time difference between first tempo sets and second tempo sets was pretty big. I don't know if they would be enough time for a middle to jump with the opposing middle and be able to get back up off the ground to try to block the bic or at the pins, but it was a big enough time gap. When I first figured this out I was wondering if the set I just saw was out of system, but it was still happening in system.
There was a part of me that wondered if I was just thinking of the pace of FIVB play in things like the World League. That was the most recent men's volleyball that I watched, so I figured that might be skewing my perception. I had that experience going from watching World League to watching NCAA women's volleyball, and that was a regional final in the tournament. When I saw that Penn State and Loyola were scheduled to play tonight I knew I would have a good gauge of if I was seeing slow play or if my perception was skewed. Early in the first set I have seen both Penn State and Loyola running a much faster offense than what I saw in CSUN vs CBU. I'm seeing both teams with the middle and the bic hitter both in the air at the same time. That just wasn't happening last night. My initial thoughts watching CSUN was that their perfect record is not going to stand up to the contenders in the MPSF. I would imagine Penn State, Loyola and BYU would all do well against CSUN, just based on offensive tempo.
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Your recent reflections on the early matches of the 2016 Men's Season demonstrate a deep understanding of the nuances in volleyball strategies. Your keen observations about the offensive tempo of various teams, from BYU and Loyola to Cal State Northridge and Cal Baptist, offer valuable insights into the evolving dynamics of the season.
I appreciate your comparative analysis and your ability to connect the observed playing styles to potential outcomes in competitive settings. The consideration of offensive tempo as a key factor, especially in predicting how teams like Penn State, Loyola, and BYU might fare against opponents like CSUN, adds a strategic layer to your assessment.
Your willingness to question and test your own perceptions, ensuring a more accurate understanding, reflects a thoughtful and analytical approach. It's evident that you're not only watching the matches but actively engaging with the strategic elements of the game
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