Post by skrapheap on Jul 21, 2020 15:37:02 GMT -6
The process which led to Purdue University Fort Wayne and Robert Morris joining the Horizon League, and some of the prospective effect of expansion on the quality of play in the Horizon League in men's basketball has been discussed on other threads.
What i want to discuss here is the prospects in the other HL sports that the Panthers participate in.
I will begin with Women's Volleyball. The Panthers had a great 2019 season, tying the program's D1 win total at 26. They got knocked out of the League Tournament final match. What will Purdue Fort Wayne and Robert Morris mean for the Panthers' prospects? With the delay in the start of play until October, it will be awhile before anybody weighs in in a forum i am likely to notice. I will be particularly interested in the pre-season polls, whenever they occur. The data available from last season suggests both the Mastadons and the Colonials could be competitive in HL volleyball.
Robert Morris had a strong season in 2019, finishing 25-5 overall, and winning the regular season title in the NEC with a record of 15-1. They were ousted in their NEC tournament opener by Central Connecticut State, the fourth seed. Their overall RPI rank at the season's end was 162, the top rank in their conference, just behind Cleveland State's ranking of 155, and ahead of Youngstown State (218) and IUPUI (230). The Colonials may take their lumps early, but with good luck on the health front, they have a possibility of making some noise in their first season in th league. The 2020 squad is quite experienced, with 10 of their 16 players being juniors or seniors. similar to what the Panthers had last year. The Colonials have some decent height on the roster, as half their players are at least 5'11" tall. Their stats from last fall show a solid team: they outhit their opponents .244 to .154 and averaged 2.8 blocks per set to 1.7 for their opponents. They had a strong service game: their ace totals and ratio of aces to errors compare favorably to the top teams in the Horizon League. The Colonials were 15-2 in three-set matches in 2019, 8-2 in four-set matches, and 2-2 in five-set matches.
Purdue Fort Wayne was 18-15 overall in 2019, but 11-5 in Summt League play. The Summit League was a much stronger conference than the NEC, top to bottom, based on the final RPI ratings. The NEC had several of the lowest RPI-ranked programs in D1. The Summit League had three teams which finished higher in RPI than the NEC's top team, Robert Morris. The Mastadons' RPI ranking was 183, which was would have placed them in third place in the NEC, it was good for fourth place in the Summit League. Where the Mastadons did their best work was at the net, where they averaged 2.2 blocks per set to 1.9 for their opponents. The Mastadons have a young roster, with only six upperclassmen of the 17 players. They have three seniors. I predict they will find the Horizon League rough going in their first season, but if their younger players rise to the challenge of HL play, they could have a nice inaugural season. Wright State had a tremendous 2019, and they had a number of young players develop into major contributors early on, resulting in an impressive 14 match winning streak through non-league play into league play.
In the time I have been a Panther volleyball fan, I'd have to say expansion was a positive force in raising the level of play. When Valparaiso joined the league, they were immediately one of the top teams in the league, and they played a number of memorable, close matches with the Panthers, in league and tourney play. Their departure was noticed. Northern Kentucky has rapidly become a regular contender in volleyball. They made the tournament final two years ago, and notably out-played the Panthers in the 2019 final. Even Youngstown State has made some noise in volleyball, where they have not done so in other HL sports.
The Horizon League was a two-bid conference in the NCAA, for the first time in at least 25 years. If the existing teams continue to get more competitive, they should pull the newcomers upward. This may not be the case in all HL sports, but I believe that it is true in volleyball.
I will add some comments about other sports that I know something about in future posts.
What i want to discuss here is the prospects in the other HL sports that the Panthers participate in.
I will begin with Women's Volleyball. The Panthers had a great 2019 season, tying the program's D1 win total at 26. They got knocked out of the League Tournament final match. What will Purdue Fort Wayne and Robert Morris mean for the Panthers' prospects? With the delay in the start of play until October, it will be awhile before anybody weighs in in a forum i am likely to notice. I will be particularly interested in the pre-season polls, whenever they occur. The data available from last season suggests both the Mastadons and the Colonials could be competitive in HL volleyball.
Robert Morris had a strong season in 2019, finishing 25-5 overall, and winning the regular season title in the NEC with a record of 15-1. They were ousted in their NEC tournament opener by Central Connecticut State, the fourth seed. Their overall RPI rank at the season's end was 162, the top rank in their conference, just behind Cleveland State's ranking of 155, and ahead of Youngstown State (218) and IUPUI (230). The Colonials may take their lumps early, but with good luck on the health front, they have a possibility of making some noise in their first season in th league. The 2020 squad is quite experienced, with 10 of their 16 players being juniors or seniors. similar to what the Panthers had last year. The Colonials have some decent height on the roster, as half their players are at least 5'11" tall. Their stats from last fall show a solid team: they outhit their opponents .244 to .154 and averaged 2.8 blocks per set to 1.7 for their opponents. They had a strong service game: their ace totals and ratio of aces to errors compare favorably to the top teams in the Horizon League. The Colonials were 15-2 in three-set matches in 2019, 8-2 in four-set matches, and 2-2 in five-set matches.
Purdue Fort Wayne was 18-15 overall in 2019, but 11-5 in Summt League play. The Summit League was a much stronger conference than the NEC, top to bottom, based on the final RPI ratings. The NEC had several of the lowest RPI-ranked programs in D1. The Summit League had three teams which finished higher in RPI than the NEC's top team, Robert Morris. The Mastadons' RPI ranking was 183, which was would have placed them in third place in the NEC, it was good for fourth place in the Summit League. Where the Mastadons did their best work was at the net, where they averaged 2.2 blocks per set to 1.9 for their opponents. The Mastadons have a young roster, with only six upperclassmen of the 17 players. They have three seniors. I predict they will find the Horizon League rough going in their first season, but if their younger players rise to the challenge of HL play, they could have a nice inaugural season. Wright State had a tremendous 2019, and they had a number of young players develop into major contributors early on, resulting in an impressive 14 match winning streak through non-league play into league play.
In the time I have been a Panther volleyball fan, I'd have to say expansion was a positive force in raising the level of play. When Valparaiso joined the league, they were immediately one of the top teams in the league, and they played a number of memorable, close matches with the Panthers, in league and tourney play. Their departure was noticed. Northern Kentucky has rapidly become a regular contender in volleyball. They made the tournament final two years ago, and notably out-played the Panthers in the 2019 final. Even Youngstown State has made some noise in volleyball, where they have not done so in other HL sports.
The Horizon League was a two-bid conference in the NCAA, for the first time in at least 25 years. If the existing teams continue to get more competitive, they should pull the newcomers upward. This may not be the case in all HL sports, but I believe that it is true in volleyball.
I will add some comments about other sports that I know something about in future posts.