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BSU Volleyball

#1 · August 14, 2022, 12:18 pm

Attended the scrimmage yesterday and took the following notes:

Missing - We will really miss Dannielle Boss as setter. I was happy with the two setters that played, which included Ashley Hayden (Jr.) and a new freshman. But Boss was a really good setter and leader of the team.

Also, Alyssa Wissinger did not return for her RS Sr season. I am pretty sure she graduated, but must have decided to leave after her graduation.

Allie O'harra due to graduation will be hard to replace, mostly due to her leadership.

Makala Hanson, BYU transfer in last year, will not play this year.

Jolei Akima, DS will not return. She played a lot last year.

Additions and Strengths

The most dominate player from last year returns with Paige Bartch as the Op. All I can say is "look out" if you are trying to return her kills.

We also got a really good Montana freshman, 6'3 out side hitter in Kristen Van Kirk. She might not crack the starting line up, but we won't lose anything when she comes in.

We have three recent add ons, Reagan Casey, Dana Branavets, and player number 15, which is so new, the coaches couldn't remember her name. She is a MB, grad transfer from E. Ore U. and I think her name is Jet Taylor. These players are going to really compete for playing time. Each one looked like they belonged on the court.

One last thing to note, five players are 6'3 or over. Both setters are tall at 5'11 and 6', which helps with the blocks.

There is still a lot of work to do in two weeks. The timing and defensive positions need to be worked out better. But there is a lot to be excited about.

#2 · August 15, 2022, 1:23 pm

Wissinger transferred to Florida International Univ. (F.I.U.)

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FYGH7SrUUAANmLp?format=jpg&name=small

And here is a link to the FIU team roster for 2022 which lists her as well.

https://fiusports.com/sports/womens-volleyball/roster

#3 · August 15, 2022, 7:06 pm

That is very interesting. I talked to her several times and she seemed very happy to be here, and she played quite a bit last year. But we have a big team this year and she might not have thought she would get the playing time. Or, she found a graduate program that was more to her liking at FIU. Good for her if that works for her. But she was fun to watch here.

Also, it looks like Akima transferred to Cal Poly. I heard she was initially a walk on. Not sure if they ever put her on scholarship. But she is definitely on the Cal Poly roster now.

https://gopoly.com/sports/womens-volleyball/roster/jolei-akima/7942

#4 · August 16, 2022, 3:42 pm

I'm sure you are much more knowledgeable about Boise State Volleyball than I ever will be. I've never followed that particular sport at Boise State.

But I think that your guess that Wissinger was a graduate and she was looking for a school with a graduate school program that suited her is probably right on the mark. I just saw that you were wondering about her so I thought I'd "surf" the net and see what I could find on her and pass it along.

BSUBass77 has reacted to this post.

#5 · August 17, 2022, 11:14 am

Quote from Bronco7454 on August 16, 2022, 3:42 pm

I'm sure you are much more knowledgeable about Boise State Volleyball than I ever will be. I've never followed that particular sport at Boise State.

But I think that your guess that Wissinger was a graduate and she was looking for a school with a graduate school program that suited her is probably right on the mark. I just saw that you were wondering about her so I thought I'd "surf" the net and see what I could find on her and pass it along.

I would have never thought about going to VB games. But about nine years ago, I got a sports pass for soft ball. It was cheap. I figured I would go to several other sports events. I got hooked on VB really fast. The players are very athletic and it is a much better spectator sport than I thought years ago. Try to go to one game just to see what it is like. You might be surprised.

#6 · August 17, 2022, 3:00 pm

One more thing, Paige Bartch was just named MW Preseason Player of the Year. Well that is a no-brainer. BSU is predicted to finish 3rd, which I think is one spot too low. But we have an inexperienced Setter, which might take some time to get the timing down for the hitters. So maybe 3rd is a good place to be to start the season.

#7 · September 7, 2022, 3:40 pm

An update on the Volleyball games so far. The team beat St. Mary's twice. I saw the second game. BSU's most dominate player (Paige Bartch) was out due to a rolled ankle. However, BSU won both matches. BSU looked really tired against US Long Beach and lost after winning the first set. But they came back and beat Notre Dame the next day 3 sets to 1. I couldn't watch the game, but the stat sheet was filled out nicely for the Broncos.

They flew back and took Sunday off, then went to Pocatello (3.4 hr bus ride) for the in-state match up. The Bengals looked really motivated and made each set as close as possible. They had the stands full on Labor Day and really gave the taller and more athletic Broncos a much tougher match than I expected. The last two points of the last match were challenged by BSU and were overturned, which gave the Broncos the victory.

Next is the Boise Classic Tournament. Starting on Friday at 10am. That won will give the team another test of endurance with three matches in 28 hours. I will be there.

#8 · September 9, 2022, 5:27 pm

I watched some of the first match today for Boise State and watched all of the 1st set of the 2nd match today (and now into the 2nd set). I'm curious about what I read about scholarships for d1 volleyball. I noticed that the Boise State volleyball team has 16 players yet this is what I found online about d1 scholarships for volleyball:

"Division 1 volleyball teams can offer a maximum of 12 full-ride scholarships. Because D1 volleyball is classified as a headcount sport, every scholarship the coach gives out must be a full ride."

So does that mean that 4 of the current 16 members of the Boise State Volleyball team are walk-ons? While the other 12 are all on full-ride scholarships. That's how I read the above quote.

P.S. It's interesting to note that d1 Softball is also limited to a total of 12 scholarships yet they can split those scholarships however they see fit. For instance there are currently 26 players scheduled to be on the 2023 Boise State softball team and I don't think many of them are walk-ons.