This post probably won't end well for me but I think we (and the SEC Network announcers) need to relax on this missed serves commentary. The math works like this - Stanford for example was siding out in the high 60% range against Louisville - a top 5 team. That includes in system and out of system passing - it's an average for the match. Morrison has said repeatedly he wants the team to serve hard. That's why. If we serve the teams he wants to be competing with at the end of the year balls that they 3 pass, it will look much worse than the UH match in the first two sets (if that's possible.) Assume Elite 8 teams in a perfect pass situation will side out in the 70s or 80s - basically close to a missed serve in terms of expected value.
Now, the frustrating thing is that we are both missing a lot of serves and also serving 3 balls in a lot of cases like in the UH and TCU matches. But the only way through that current reality is to keep eyes on the long term prize and learn to serve tough and reduce the misses. I think Morrison has said that he would like a 10% error rate. So we have to relax and trust the coaches to work with the team to build their serving up over time. If they back off now, we will be in a shooting gallery come tournament time.
Also, the UH match particularly, was an example of a bunch of young players in a new coaches system playing a team of kids, most of whom in normal times, would have already been playing professionally. That starting roster was mostly grad transfers that came to UH after the success in the last two seasons with a coach that has had four years to build his systems and a culture to handle that level of change. Our hope has to be that our girls will be on a steep learning curve with the staff we have and that setbacks like those two losses will lead to growth and improvement this season.
Now, the frustrating thing is that we are both missing a lot of serves and also serving 3 balls in a lot of cases like in the UH and TCU matches. But the only way through that current reality is to keep eyes on the long term prize and learn to serve tough and reduce the misses. I think Morrison has said that he would like a 10% error rate. So we have to relax and trust the coaches to work with the team to build their serving up over time. If they back off now, we will be in a shooting gallery come tournament time.
Also, the UH match particularly, was an example of a bunch of young players in a new coaches system playing a team of kids, most of whom in normal times, would have already been playing professionally. That starting roster was mostly grad transfers that came to UH after the success in the last two seasons with a coach that has had four years to build his systems and a culture to handle that level of change. Our hope has to be that our girls will be on a steep learning curve with the staff we have and that setbacks like those two losses will lead to growth and improvement this season.
