There are easily 3 teams that could upset NDA (Ryle, St. Henry, Cooper). All 3 teams have a lot of talent but haven't shown it all season. As we all know now, even the best team in the country (Mercy) has off nights. It wouldn't surprise me in the least bit if another team knocked them from their pedestal.

There are easily 3 teams that could upset NDA (Ryle, St. Henry, Cooper). All 3 teams have a lot of talent but haven't shown it all season. As we all know now, even the best team in the country (Mercy) has off nights. It wouldn't surprise me in the least bit if another team knocked them from their pedestal.

 

 

 

Will not happen in my opinion. I have watched all those teams play this year, except for cooper, and NDA is in a different league when they play. Especially when they played St. Henry, NDA dominated them, like not at one point in that match did St. Henry have any momentum. Now, I know St. Henry, Ryle, Cooper, and other teams are good, but no where near NDA. Even if somehow, one of those team catches NDA on a really off night (like NDA is blindfolded or something), NDA is the type of team that has the talent and coaching to settle down and take control of the match.

I've seen/heard these 2 ideas talked about and posted before . .

 

1. Stop taking both District winners to Regionals and instead take both Regional winners to State. Have State over 2 weekends, or have Regional winners host 1st round matches against runners-up during week like Soccer does.

 

2. Have 16 Regional winners plus 6 at large bids - 24 teams. Everyone knows where those other 6 teams should come from.

 

Stop running volleyball like it's basketball. Soccer and Softball do it differently.

 

I like the throwing around of ideas even if it won't make a difference to the KHSAA.

 

In your first scenario, I simply do not have enough knowledge of who is in each other's districts. I will say this, back in 2004??(really not sure of the year but in the early to mid 2000's) or so, Beechwood and NDA played in the finals of district and then met again the Region 9 final, which NDA won. So if only the top team from that district had gone to Region then Beechwood wouldn't have gone and they ended up coming 2nd in Region.

 

In the second...how would 24 teams work? Would the bracket work or do you need either 16 teams or 32 teams, I am asking because I don't know, I have tried to write a 24 team bracket out and can't get it to work. I love the at-large bid idea...who would pick them and all of that muddies the water but it is a great conversation point.

 

My number one idea is 16 Regions, top two teams advance. The top 4 Regions are seeded to be in opposite ends of the brackets and the rest is blind draw (Right now it would be NDA Region, Mercy Region, Assumption/SHA Region and Tates Creek Region as top 4). Seeds would be based on either in season coaches polls (which would make those matter more and that is kind of scary given the voting that was done early in the year) and/or wins/losses against the field. Region champ, plays a Region runner up in the first round at the Region Champs home court to narrow the field to 16 and those 16 play the State Weekend as they do now.

 

I am sure this is flawed but if I could wave my magic wand and make it happen, I would. Anyone else have ideas?

There are easily 3 teams that could upset NDA (Ryle, St. Henry, Cooper). All 3 teams have a lot of talent but haven't shown it all season. As we all know now, even the best team in the country (Mercy) has off nights. It wouldn't surprise me in the least bit if another team knocked them from their pedestal.

 

The only way NDA loses to one of these teams is if NDA beats itself with hitting, service and reception errors and that just won't happen with this team. They are careful with the ball and hit with power when necessary. They go through the middle so much with Thelen and Salkowski and the 'junk' plays with Hentz, the hitting percentages are very high compared to the last few seasons. If NDA keeps this up, they won't lose in the Region.

 

I know everyone was banking on NDA being down this year with the graduation of all the 'big names' but individual, selfish players are no match for a team of hard working athletes who respect each other and the coaching staff and who also happen to be very high level volleyball players. In my opinion, this year's NDA team would annihilate the 2013 NDA team 10 out of 10 times they play.