It was expected that
Duquesne would be a tough test for the Flyers as they continue adjusting and experimenting with their lineup. The Flyers were not up to the task and Duquesne won the match in four sets.
The Flyers lost sets 1 and 3 and their hitting stats were alarming. In set 1 they hit .024 and in set 3 they hit .057. They won set 2 hitting .270. In set four the Flyers had two more kills than Duquesne but Duquesne out hit the Flyers .250 to .173 to win a close set 4. What did Matt think of the Flyer's loss last weekend?
"Overall it was not a very good performance from our team. Our serve receive was not as strong as previous matches, and the set locations/connections were not as crisp. Their offense was not running at a fast pace (like VCU or
Xavier of old), but they often tried to push the tempo a bit faster to the OH. I don't think their tempo had an impact on the match. I believe our shot selection, ball control, and lack of blocking presence (closing the block) caused us some problems".
Fans who watched the match said that sets to the outside hitters were low. If the other team is setting low fast sets to the outside hitters you hope to make this difficult by serving tough and forcing bad/mediocre passes.
"There were times where we put them in difficult situations, but did not capitalize with our transition offense. Other times, they passed well enough to run their offense and I thought our front line (block) was not as solid".
This weekend the Flyers face a possible tough test today with
George Washington which is 6-2 in conference play. The Flyers will then face GMU on Saturday evening.
"GWU has some really tough float servers, as well as a MH who is hitting quick sets at a high percentage. If we serve in a way to disrupt their weaker passers, and form the team defense, I think we will have good success. GMU is a really good blocking team with some nice athletes. They are a team that can struggle with ball control but they have some really nice players".
Matt had previously mentioned that the team was having trouble stringing together multiple points which means that they are getting side outs but having trouble getting points while serving. I mentioned that this requires tough serving to start with and Matt replied:
"Most importantly, it is not solely the server who is responsible. We certainly want to disrupt the other team with our serve, but our team defense in each rotation needs to understand what the other team is wanting to do, and play solid TEAM defense. If there is a breakdown in there (weaker serve, missed blocking assignment, back court defender not ready) that can open up holes. We work on serving to specific areas of the court with pace, understanding what offense the opponent is hoping to run, and being in a position to make plays".
There are only two weeks of play left after this weekend. Hopefully the Flyers can begin building some momentum prior to the A10 tournament.