Thursday’s Take-Aways with Matt Houk

Thursday's Take-Aways with Matt Houk

Montana State head coach Matt Houk and the Bobcat volleyball team will take a much-needed day off on Friday to rest bodies after a full week of fall camp. MSU's first-year mentor took some time following Thursday's practice to give insight into this year's Bobcat squad and more.

1). After a week of practice what are some of the positives you see in the team?

This team is extremely connected, and that's one of the best qualities they have. The fifteen returning players have a very familial relationship with each other, and it shows up when we're out on the court. I think they, with open arms, have accepted the newcomers and have tried to get them up to speed and to that connectedness, quickly. It feels like we have a group out here that is operating in a very similar direction with each other. I think when you have a group that is functioning in that way it allows you to push them in a way that you can make them uncomfortable, and they're okay with that, and in fact they welcome that a little bit and they're okay being pushed in that direction. I think that's one of the best things we do right now, which is going to allow us to teach the way we want to teach, to push them from a competitive standpoint, and also make for a very competitive atmosphere to make our decisions very difficult. I like that the most about us right now.

2). What are some areas of development that need to take place over the next few weeks?

Today was really the first time we focused on defense and from an individual standpoint, technically we looked okay. But I thought collectively we were a little sloppy. The accuracy of our digs was often tight or wide, and we weren't giving ourselves enough chances to be able to set hittable balls in transition and get the swings we wanted too. That's the thing we noticed today that we'll have to come back from a day off and probably focus a little more on. The team's ability to transition is really a big deal, and if we're not digging accurately enough that's going to make it tough. Our outsides are going to be taking a lot of tough swings.

3). What can you tell us about the veterans as a group or as individuals?

We have an interesting veteran group. We have a group of seniors that are Covid athletes that are in their fifth year and then we have a regular group of seniors as well who are in their fourth year, so we've got this pretty strong maturity across that group that have seen a lot and been through a lot and been through some tough situations in their careers already and I think that's made them pretty resilient. They are doing great. They show up every day. They're leaders and good guides for the group. They use their voices when appropriate, but probably the best thing they do is lead by example. They're out there working hard. Their effort and energy are super high. I think we can also point out Jordan Radick, who sat out last spring, and she's back to healthy and out there and it's really good to have her mixed in with that group after missing her during the spring. For not training for a winter and spring, she's doing really quite well, so we're pleased that we get to see what that looks like.

4). Looking at practice today, you're starting to see glimpses of what the newcomers bring to the table. What are your thoughts on how they are progressing?

I want to say I'm pleasantly surprised, but I'm really not surprised as they are all pretty good volleyball players. The fact that it wasn't a class we recruited but that we inherited I'm really glad that they all wanted to stay through the change. We never got a chance to watch them in the recruiting process and our only view of them was through some video, so you never know what you're going to get. We're really, really pleased with where they're at, and again, I think it says a lot that they came in June and got involved in summer school and working out with Ryan (MSU strength and conditioning coach). From a physical standpoint they can handle the load. From a technical standpoint they have some things they need to make more efficient. All of them are very bright kids and they're open to change. So far, the learning curve hasn't been something crazy. They catch on to things pretty quick.

5). Final question – talk about anything on your mind – the state of FBS football – what's going to happen with volleyball being that you're a B1G Ten guy?

It's going to be hard to call it the B1G Ten. They're going to have to call it the Big 20, now. My guess is that they add two more and get to twenty. The state of the Power 5 institutions is interesting right now and in flux a lot. I'm looking at it from more of an entertainment standpoint and seeing how it's going to shake out. One thing that might be interesting is that we have this FBS/FCS thing in football, what if we had a similar breakout in Division I with other sports? They have their own championship in football, what if the rest of the schools that don't fall into the FBS status had their own, as well? I'm not saying that's how it should go; it'd be an interesting thing to look at in the sense that if you're a Montana State or a handful of other good mid-major schools you can have some great seasons but your chance of winning a national championship is quite low to none. You see schools like Kennesaw State - who's playing in our tournament - win 24 matches or whatever last year – great season – NCAA Tournament, but they're not going to win a national championship because you're going to draw a team like Texas in the first-round. The interesting part would be – like football – Montana State playing a Power 5 school, but when it comes time for playoffs, they playoff against other schools from their range where you have a chance to win a national championship. It's an interesting concept to even look at and it might even take away from the money dynamic. It's not right or wrong, just different. It's the Oakland A's and the New York Yankees.

Schedule

Players Mentioned

Jordan Radick

Footer

Upcoming Events