SVC 2014 : Game of Thrones Edition

[RonVonHagen]

I think this year will be an epic year in the best conference in Southeast Ohio. With the talent level that is very deep in a Senior heavy league look for 3 teams to battle it out for the SVC Championship. Adena, Unioto, and Westfall will be fighting it out (like the Night’s Watch vs. Wildings) to the end. All three teams each lose a key Senior (Adena - Scaggs, Unioto - White, and Westfall - Tackett) but return a ton of extremely talented Juniors who are now Seniors. Sooo...which of these three teams will sit on the throne and wear the crown?? (another Game of Thrones reference) All three teams are capable of winning it all and all three will make a lot of noise come tournament time but the team that will win it all is the team that has the best chemistry. The importance of playing together and trusting your teammate will be the difference between 1st place in the SVC and 2nd/3rd. Who that will be I have no clue...but I will enjoy watching in what could be one the best seasons ever in the SVC.

My Preseasons Lists

Best Passing Team: Adena

Best Hitting Team: Unioto

Best Serving Team: Huntingron/Unioto

Best Blocking Team: Westfall

Best Defensive Team: Adena

"All Hands Like Butter Team" (They set the ball so soft you think their hands are made of Charmin): MaKenna Stienbrook (Unioto), Kirsten Dawsen (Adena)

"All Swag Team" (A little bit cocky...maybe. Major skill set...definitely! These players play with swagger and back it up.): Alayna Lytle (Huntington), Karee Neff (Unioto), Amanda Curry (Westfall), Lexi Overly (Unioto), Logan Goebel (Southeastern), Rikki MaGill (Huntington)

"All Phone Booth Team" (Hitting against this block is like hitting out of a phone booth...for those that don’t know or have never seen a phone booth, google it on your smart phone): Hannah Wallace (Westfall), Hannah Phillips (Westfall), Amanda Curry (Westfall), Emily Dresbach (Southeastern)

"All Tossing Up The Spader Team" (Getting an ace can change the momentum of a set and these players can hit bombs): Rikki MaGill (Huntington), Jenna Hutton (Adena), Karee Neff (Unioto), Hannah Phillips (Westfall), Alayna Lytle (Huntington), Lexi Overly (Unioto)

"All Crankenstein Team" (These players hit the ball as Marv Albert would say, “with authority”): Amanda Curry (Westfall), Hannah Phillips (Westfall), Dylana Gragg (Huntington), Jenna Hutton (Adena), Karli Bower (Adena), Lexi Overly (Unioto), Karee Neff (Unioto), Taylor Ovelry (Unioto)

"All X Factor Team" (Players that become pleasant surprises and can be a factor in their teams winning matches): Kelly Fuchs (Westfall), Anna Karr (Unioto), Jessica Hutton (Adena), Alley Flechtner (ZT), Payton Reuter (Piketon)

I want to wish all the teams good luck and I hope you all have an injury free season..... so let's get this party started :122249

[warningtrackpower]

SVC Preview was Saturday night at Unioto - here's my take on SVCsportszone.com

http://www.svcsportszone.com/2014svcvol ... eview.html

[boo33vb]

Good post Von Hagen and you know i trust your view on talent. Could not make it to preview so i can't make any comments on individual skill sets but i will stick out my arthritic neck and predict Westfall to repeat as SVC champs. If you want to beat them you must hit around, over or through a block that must seem like the great wall of China given the height they have. Whoever owns that stretch of road named 550 between Frenchtown and Frankfort with home and away wins takes 2nd. The rest is a crap shoot with PV dead last as another coaching change and starting over sets them way back again. Adena plays like a machine with not much height but just keep grinding away and Unioto plays emotional so they can be up and down if you catch them on a down night a win is doable. Stay healthy and have fun athletes and coaches.

[iknow]

With all due respect, the top 4 teams have girls sitting on the bench that would be stars at another school. I look for the league champ to have two losses. Unioto should win the league, with Westfall trying to find an answer in the back row and Adena trying to find out how they can defend the net. Huntington could play spoiler if anyone takes a nap on them.

[HHSSoftball]

Guess I will stick my neck out and make a prediction this year! A safe prediction is that there is going to be ALOT of fun nights watching volleyball in the SVC this year. The talent pool is so deep it is going to make for some exciting matches. Going into the preview I thought that Westfall, Unioto and Adena would be a toss up for the league title with Huntington able to knock any of them off and having a chance to play themselves into the race. Coming out of the preview my perspective changed slightly and here is why:

Adena - Looked absolutely dominant in the preview (and yes I know it was only a preview and not everyone was playing on the Westfall side and there were very limited times anyone had there actual rotation on the floor). However, fast offense is fast offense and great defense is great defense and Adena absolutely exhibited both! They play so fast on offense that most teams are going to find themselves playing on their heals most nights and this will help to neutralize their lack of size at the net. They are my absolute pick to win it!

Unioto - Also looked very good against a pretty decent Southeastern team. I was very impressed with their depth in the front row. However, I think there struggle against a really good team (Adena) will be there lack of blocking and attacking from the middle. If good teams know you are only going to attack from the outside, regardless of your depth, they are able to neutralize that attack. Ultimately, I think that is why Unioto will finish 2nd.

Westfall/Huntington - Both good teams, but both lack just a little from the 2 teams above them. Westfall has the size and ability at the net to play with anyone... and I do mean anyone. I know that we all said last year that their ability to serve receive and play defense was the key and they did this very well last year. However, with the loss of Tackett (which I compare to ZT's loss of Spetnagle after their league championship) I believe they are not the same team. Huntington serves extremely tough and plays great defense. Their serve could cause Westfall fits, but there are unproven in several spots at the net. If you combine these 2 teams strengths you would have a great volleyball. However, since there strengths and weaknesses are exact opposites I have trouble picking one over the other, so I will go with a tie for 3rd.

Zane Trace - I give a slight nod to this team over Piketon based on past success and great coaching. Again, I think ZT and Piketon are similar in talent, but I just think that ZT will prevail for the 5th spot. By seasons end, they may be playing well enough to bite one of the teams in front of them.

Piketon - The loss of Pelphrey is obviously huge to this team, but they do have some good returning pieces including a very good floor general. Again, a team that could bite one of the teams in front of them if they catch them sleeping on a night.

Southeastern - a couple of really nice players and the addition of Skeens athleticism will definitely help. I just dont think they have the depth of talent to compete night in and night out.

Paint Valley - Lost a lot of pieces from last year and are trying to rebuild with some youth. They have some decent size, but again, not enough depth or athletes to compete in this league.

[iknow]

I will also say that ZT should be considered in the mix of spoiler on any night. I believe they are well ahead of the bottom three in the league. Good luck to all teams and stay healthy! Should be a great show!

[Xtoxxviii]

What a great analogy Mr. Van Hagen
Though those of us who prefer the texture of refined pulp between our thumb and index finger
refer to the epic story as A Song of Fire and Ice.
Regardless of your choice of medium
the tale of Dragons, Knights, Kings, Queens and angry dwarfs
is a classic for the ages, just like the coming season of SVC Volleyball.

With your lead-in the X will liken the contenders for the SVC Title
to the noble houses of Westeros vying to sit upon the Iron Throne

The Lady Warriors from House Adena
To me resemble the former rulers of the mythical 7 kingdoms, House Targaryen.
The Targaryen words are "Fire and Blood"
And more fitting words could not describe the Lady Warriors
when they have their opponents playing back on their heels.
The Targs like the Warriors was once the undisputed supreme rulers of the land.
Though a couple seasons removed from Rule
The Targs and Warriors are setting primed
to retake what they rightfully claim to be their domain.
The question is if the new generations are ready to stake that claim.

The Lady Mustangs of house Westfall
Being the most Northern Post of the SVC and the defensive height the Mustangs bring to the fray
one can only liken them to the Wall and the order of the Nights Watch.
As we seen in episode 9 of season 4 the Wall is impossible to overthrow via a full frontal assault.
Your only chance at defeating the Wall is to find a way to out flank
the highly skilled archers of the Night Watch.
The same can be said when trying to devise a game plan
to defeat House Westfall.
Find a way to get around the wall and the Mustangs will be reciting the sacred vow
"And now our watch has ended".

The Lady Sherman's of house Unioto
With colors of Purple and GOLD
the Sherman's are a natural fit with House Lannister.
House Lannister words are
"A Lannister always pays their debts"
&
" Hear Me Roar"
Well the Sherman's are looking to settle some debts from seasons ago.
A late season loss to Adena kept the Sherman's from a share of the SVC Crown
and
to date the Sherman Class of 2015 has never defeated the Mustangs on the courts of Williamsport.
As for the "Hear Me Roar"
Mr. Von Hagen can attest the Sherman's opening warm up song is Katy Perry's "Roar".
Can the Sherman's realize their destiny and claim the SVC crown
or will they be like King Joffrey at the PURPLE Wedding and choke?

The Lady Pioneers of house Zane Trace
Another Northern seat of the SVC very similar to House Stark in Game of Thrones.
Trace like the Starks have lost several key players over the past few seasons.
Once the powerful overlords of the north,
now both Trace and House Stark are looking to find a way
to reestablish themselves as key players
in the epic battle to sit upon the ruling Throne.
House Starks words are
"Winter is Coming"
And thus could be true for SVC foes who come to Kinnikinick over looking the Northern Overlords.

Lady Huntsmen of house Huntington
Staying with the geography theme
I will connect the Ladies of Kelly Green
with the southwestern Westeros house of Tyrell.
The Tyrell words are
"Growing Strong"
And the Huntsmen are doing just that,
with some nice young talent look for Huntington
to keep growing strong as the season goes.
The gals from Huntington also resemble House Tyrell
in the fact that in recent seasons have came up short
of ruling expectations despite well played plans.


Game of Thrones
like The SVC SEOP's Volleyball forum fraternity
has a vast cast of characters
in fact with so many similarities
we could cast the Game of Thrones with our very own......


Warning Track Power/ George RR Martin

The all knowing recorder of this Epic Tome
who is truly a student of his well researched writing.




Judge Judy / Joffrey Baratheon

Need The X say more




Hhssoftball / Hot Pie

Hot pie seems to show up when we least expect him
And always has pivotal information and able to deliver it in a sublime manner.
The culinary master never leaves a detail out and reminds us all
"Never give up on the Gravy"



Dad Paul 08 / Robb Stark

What the young wolf lacks in political scheming
he makes up in militarily strategy, valor and honor.
While the political leaches get the best of the King of the North
it needs to be noted Robb never lost a battle.



Main man / Tywin Lannister

The stoic leader of house Lannister
once was thought to have smiled,
and the underling who made this claim was never heard of again.
Cut shot the Old Lion and be prepared to hear "The Rains of Castamere".




Boo33VB / Vayrs

The master of whispers,
with his net work of little birds
he always knows the score
and what's going to happen before anybody else.
Superior knowledge of the game
but due to his Essos birth
he has little chance of ever resting on the Throne of swords




Ron Van Hagen / Syrio Forel (The First Sword of Braavos)

The personnel trainer of several of the top swords of the Seven Kingdoms.
While some feel he lacks empathy
and his training too hard and grueling for the youth he teaches.
The results can not be disputed
and all his top students have admiration for his knowledge
and gift he bestows them.
Syrio training motto
“every hurt is a lesson, and every lesson makes you better.”





bman / Stannis Baratheon

Stannis is a large man - tall, broad shouldered and sinewy.
While he is not particularly unattractive,
he is also not considered as handsome as The X or even Hhssoftball.
Stannis is a serious, stubborn, unforgiving man with an inflexible sense of duty and justice.
He neither dissembles nor flatters.
Stannis is obsessed with slights both real and imagined
causing him to grind his teeth regularly.
He is an accomplished commander, sailor, and warrior,
although his personality hinders his ascension to the Iron Throne.
While he is respected and feared, he has never had the affection of nobles or smallfolk.




iknow / Sandor Clegane (The Hound)

A realist who calls it like it is.
Sandor refused Knighthood, and the Kingsguard vows.
One of the greatest swords in all of the realm and doesn't mind letting everyone know it.
Most fear or try to avoid The Hound but those same nobles want him on their side if trouble arises.




Danicalifornia / Samwell Tarly

Samwell is one of the most intelligent men in all of Westeros.
His quest for knowledge is never clinched, always searching for more.
Sam took his Nights Watch vow at the Hart Tree
instead of his homelands customary Faith of the Seven
Which leaves several to question which side he is truly on.
While not the greatest with the sword nobody can top his intellect
And Sam proves more then once the Pen is mightier than the sword.




Laura Smith / Lady Olenna Tyrell (The Queen of Thorns)

With out a doubt the individual that understands and plays
the Game of Thrones the Best.
None is wittier or more aware of the situation at hand.
Always playing the right angle to assure her House continued empowerment.




Aaron Ridenour / Bobby Knight

Ok The General is not really a character in the Game of Thrones
but with a last name like Knight we can fit him in.
Nobody works over a chair like the animated coach.




Jessica Rodgers/ Brienne of Tarth

Underestimated and undeterred describe Brienne.
And those who underestimate her
find themselves on the business end of her Valyrian steel
Sword, Oathkeeper.
Honest and true, loyal to a fault,
Brienne is on the fast track to being the first of her kind
to be a part of the sacred order of the Kingsguard.





Lori Koker / Catelyn Stark

Lady Cat tries every move possible to ensure the stability of her family
and a return of power to house Stark.
When last seen at the Twins during the Red Wedding she was left speechless.
*****Spoiler alert for the TV Show runners*****
This will not be the last we hear from Lady Stark.




Tina Magill / Asha Greyjoy (Yara Greyjoy in the HBO series)

The heir of Pyke and Iron Islands
Captain of the battle ship BLACK WINd
A great commander and the best reaver in all of the Seven Kingdoms.
Considered a long shot to take the Iron Throne but no one has bested her yet.




The X
Now I know most of you are thinking with such dashing good looks,
quick to wit and superior dexterity Jamie Lannister

would be the X's Game of Thrones Character.
However with ZERO West Virginia blood in my veins
the X does not see any Relative connection.




If not Jamie then surely the X is as noble and holds true to duty as Ned Stark,

Sorry but no again,
in no way would the X let a young Turk like King Joffrey be off with thy head.




Now my distracters may think of the X as Jon Snow,

as Ygritte likes to claim
"You Know nothing Jon Snow".
While I admit there are several similarities between the X and Lord Snow
the humbleness of the latter does not make for a suitable match.




Mance Rayder

like Mance the X does not bend at the knee,
except for when the better half says so..
I guess that makes for another NO




No there is only one character in Game of Thrones
who is as large of a character as the X is on SEOP's
And Only One word is need to be spoken
HODOR!

[iknow]

In a word...wow. I bow to your knowledge of SVC Volleyball and some movie that I haven't a clue. You nailed all the characters, now I wait for your predictions. Or did I miss them in the translation? Regardless.. awesome post!

[iknow]

Like the Vinnie Vincent Invasion once said...its that time of year. Can't decide if I am going to the Unioto tri-match or on the road to scout Adena. Either way...Can't get enough (Winger)...See you all at the games.

[Xtoxxviii]

Like the Vinnie Vincent Invasion once said...its that time of year. Can't decide if I am going to the Unioto tri-match or on the road to scout Adena. Either way...Can't get enough (Winger)...See you all at the games.

The tri match is at Chillicothe
Scheduling conflict at the U.

My hart says the U.
But my eyes have seen the Warriors and they are looking good.
Westfall is gonna be right in the mix.

I will take Trace next, just a hunch.

Huntington not looking as sharp early in the season as they have in the past,
A slow start and they will be in the bottom half of the standings.

Piketon, some good young talent, adapting to the speed of SVC play will be hard on them
But should have some nice non-conference wins.

SE hard to get much higher with the coaching changes/non changes over the past few seasons.
Like wise will have a nice out of conference record.

PV just lost too much to graduation and lost a very good coach.
They do have a strong 8th grade team so the future will be brighter for the bearcats.

Again the Tri Match between Unioto, Chillicothe, and Waverly will be at Chillicothe tomorrow
Unioto is scheduled to play at 10 and 12

[Xtoxxviii]

Unioto gets week 1 wins over
D2 Logan Elm
D2 Waverly
D2 Chillicothe

[Main Man]

The " Great X " has never and will never disappoint . His words are loud and actions are very discrete. Bottoms up "X " for another wild 2014 volleyball season that we are ready to embark on.................... 8)

[RonVonHagen]

tentotwentyeight...forget the league being "epic" that post was redonculously epic!

The first week in SVC play has all my contenders looking at going 2-0. Adena takes on the Huntswomen and Piketon. It will be a good measuring stick for Huntington to see if they can hang with the Warriors. Westfall has an easy go of it taking on ZT traveling to Richmondale. The U travels south to Pike County and has a homer vs ZT. That being said all my top 3 contenders all stay in the hunt for the title and gold ball....for now.


Side note: I would really like to see referees step up their game and call these Varsity matches a little tighter...and by that I mean calling the double contact. They let way too many go during the season and when it comes tournament time and a team makes a deep run they will find out they must play cleaner. And by then it might be too late, just sayin.

[Xtoxxviii]

The Tanks Take the Streaks in Three at The Oven.

On the officiating-
I agree Mr. Hagen, in fact the X has heard rumors that one team in particular has installed automatic hand sanitizers in each players locker. Promoting the idea of "Clean Hands".

The other issue the X has is the use of "Line-up Checks" when there is no line-up issue what so ever. We all know it's just a stall tactic to try to break the other teams momentum.
I'm going to propose to the Ohio High School Athletic Association that for every line-up check a team does they lose a time-out. If no time-outs are left then that team loses a point.
What say you Von Guru Hagen?

The other issue is line judges,
They are there to
CALL THE BALL
Not
CHASE THE BALL
Players should be doing the chasing anyway.
The best line judges are always the ones who only worry with making calls.

Of my soap box till Thursday
The X

[Xtoxxviii]

WKKJ scoreboard is reporting a score that the X will not repeat until the SVC Sports Zone makes it official

Edit:

The score has been corrected,
Westfall over Trace in three 18,12,22
Adena over Huntington in three 15,14,13
S.E. Over P.V. In three 6,13,14
The U over the Streaks 5,15,15

[RonVonHagen]

As expected the "big three" roll their opposition in three! I expected Huntington to push Adena a little more...oh well it's early.

Now regarding the line up check. Yes it can be used as a stall tactic but I don't think its overused. And quite frankly if a coach is using it to stall I always feel that"s a bush league move and I don't do it. That being said one of the worst way to lose a point is when you get called for a rotation violation and a lot of that is on the coach. I do like the idea of limiting the amount of line up checks you get per set.

Vball is a momentum game and here are a few tactics besides the "line up check" that are used to slow and stop that "mo", if you watch a match real close you might see these...
1. A substitution
2. An actual time out by the coach
2. Sweat/ moisture on the floor...gotta wipe that up!
3. Shoe becomes mysteriously untied... i need to tie it mr down ref
4. Slow play....player goes after a dead ball, takes their sweet time and rolls it back slowly to the other team
5. Injury/cramp

As for the line judges.....that is one of my biggest pet peeves. You really nailed it on the chasing of the ball. Make the daggone call first. I really think the referees pre match should go over the responsibilities and positioning on the court for the line judges. Kind of like the tutorial that the OVR refs do with the line judges. One of the most missed calls in a match at the high school level are touches off the block and that is one of the things the line judge should be watching for!

Ok I'll jump off my soap box too....actually its a 32 inch jump box. (plyometrics for life) haha

[iknow]

While on the topic of officials, it is very clear that the game has passed most of them by! There are some good ones, but for the most part, you can just shake your head, laugh and hope that the better team wins...no matter who you are rooting for. As for line judges, LOL! Can you imagine having students call fair/foul in baseball/softball games? Just get rid of them and make the officials be better. If they are not sure of a call, re-serve...don't award points on not knowing.

Now that I am through with that... The top three have not been challenged...SE continues to beat lower level teams and Huntington (by my sources) is a train wreck right now. I still think ZT will knock off a top tier team and Piketon and PV can look towards their meetings.

Continued good health to all athletes...we have a long way to go!

[Xtoxxviii]

The Big Three Roll Tonight
The U over ZT in 3
Adena over PV in 3
Westfall over Southeastern in 4
HHS over Piketon in 3

PV scored a total of 7 pts vs Adena
1, 4, 2

That speaks volumes about the caliber of defense Adena plays.
The most overlooked aspect of volleyball!

[RonVonHagen]

Week one in the SVC ends as expected, Interesting that SE took a set off the Westfall.

I agree with you X that defensive is overlooked and Adena plays stellar defense but usually scores like that aren't about defense but more so being able to pass a free ball by the team that wins. I wasn't at the match but I'm going to go out on a limb and say PV wasn't cranking the ball at Adena's defense. They probably weren't even generating any kind of offense at Adena at all. My guess it was poor serve receive giving the Warriors a boat load of "free balls". Give Adena credit though... they were probably extremely efficient with those free balls and putting them away with very few errors.

Ok, I just checked out some the stats on MaxPreps and it bears out what I suspected... Adena had 20 aces, and a paltry 16 digs (compare vs Huntington a 3 setter too but 76 digs in that match). Zero blocks which tells me there were very few swings by the Bearcats. Finally Adena had 40 kills on 58 attempts with 0 ----that's right ZERO hitting errors! Thats what we call in the biz being EFFICIENT... Bottom line, Adena is good PV not so much.

Next week in the SVC (Thursday)....things about to get real

[iknow]

Great review of the Adena-PV for not being there! That is knowing the game. Would love to hear a review of the Westfall-SE game. Where is SE right now? They seem to be a team on the rise, but not sure if they can knock off one of the big three. Huntington seemed to pull it all together, regardless of the opponent, and really play like a TEAM. They will need to continue that if they have any hope of pulling off any upsets like they did last year. Westfall is nowhere near as healthy/functional as we expect them to be, but they are still the team to beat as reigning champs. Adena seems to be clicking right now, despite reports of unexpected rotations. Ultimately, as I stated previously, my favorite to win the league is still Unioto, but there are many hurdles to clear.

Tomorrow will help define a couple of the aforementioned teams...see you at the court!