The Coaches Group Chat
Grab a drink and a seat at the table with hosts Matt Houlihan, Arielle Houlihan and Chad Gordon as we chat about the world of volleyball, coaching, business, and whatever else Arielle feels like!
The Coaches Group Chat
S2E5: Babies on Benches, Spring Tryouts, Moni Nikolov vs. Harper Murray
A transformative week in volleyball sees the introduction of the Baby on Benches Rule, allowing coaches to bring their babies onto benches during matches. We discuss the impact of this change, alongside John Cook's retirement, spring tryouts excitement, finishing with a discussion on volleyball superstars: Moni Nikolov vs. Harper Murray.
• Discussion of the Baby Bench Rule and its implications
• Insights on John Cook's retirement and coaching changes
• Recap of the experiences from recent spring tryouts
• Preview of key volleyball matches on the horizon
First of all, I'd like to thank my co-host my co-host for the longer cable. This is honestly massive. They didn't know how much this meant to me. I could cry right now, speaking of things that can make me cry benches and babies. There's your cold open right there.
Speaker 2:Welcome back to week five, season two of the Coaches Group Chat. I'm here with my co-hosts Matt and Chad. Hey guys, ecstatic to be here. That was a rousing, introductionousing introduction. I'm gonna introduce you as my co-host. Next time I have to introduce you, no, I'll be like oh, this is my co-host, chad you probably recognize him from this podcast leslie did it the other day. She said this is my co-host, ariel, and I looked at her. It was like don't you ever do that?
Speaker 1:again like three episodes once you chill. I looked at leslie.
Speaker 3:It was like don't you ever do that again. We've done like three episodes. Why don't you chill? I looked at Leslie. I was like are you about to do an ad read during this like seven and under basketball game.
Speaker 2:It was so funny. I was like oh my gosh.
Speaker 3:We got a busy week this week. We do have a busy week.
Speaker 2:Can I take us through our docket? Sure, you don't want me to.
Speaker 3:No, we got. I mean, let's all be real, you're not the docket gal, you're the float in the wind. Do you ever feel like a plastic bag? Girl, I'm a plastic bag Riff a little bit later.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, when in time to riff.
Speaker 2:I'm the cold open girl.
Speaker 1:That's the itemized receipt, kind of guy yeah.
Speaker 3:Exactly, exactly. Big news week. We got a big news week in the volleyball world, first one. We're going to give a special shout out to the babies on benches rule. There are babies and there are benches. Chad, can you lay out this, lay out the landscape? I want Chad's perspective.
Speaker 2:Is this going to be a bad episode?
Speaker 1:Big baby guy over here. First of all, I'd like to thank my co-host my co-host for the longer cable. This is honestly massive. First of all, I'd like to thank my co-host my co-host for the longer cable. This is honestly massive. They didn't know how much this meant to me. I could cry right now. Speaking of things that can make me cry benches and babies there's your cold open right there. Basically, benches were a no baby zone. And now benches are for babies. You do have to get a free waiver, free something, it's free waiver.
Speaker 2:Free something, it's a waiver. It's free. Though it's a free waiver, you don't have to pay for it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's what free historically means. And now you can have babies wherever you want them. So put them on benches. Absolutely I don't know. Safe sport there it is, you're welcome, you can have babies wherever you want them, phrasing Babies for everyone. So basically, babies were getting kicked off benches and it was kind of not cool. And now the USA Volleyball is trying to be a little bit cooler.
Speaker 2:But not AAU.
Speaker 1:No, historically again, AAU is less cool, but they're thinking about being cooler.
Speaker 2:Bobby's eyes are so big.
Speaker 1:We're working on this right now, but hey, points for Spraw for going first.
Speaker 2:Yes, I agree with that.
Speaker 3:Shout out to Spraw.
Speaker 2:Shout out to Spraw.
Speaker 3:Love that. I mean. That was honestly the best version of what we could have asked for.
Speaker 1:I feel like I hit all the key factors.
Speaker 2:If I would have said exactly what you said, matt would have been like this is ridiculous. We're not using that at all.
Speaker 1:No, that's perfect, and that's why matt and I are not married deeper dive you can if that was too cursory of an overview for
Speaker 2:you in more depth on a competing podcast that we aren't co-hosting okay, so the more in-depth version of all of that will be talked about on tomorrow's episode of Redefined.
Speaker 3:Anywhere you find your podcast, just like this podcast in the same place.
Speaker 2:But just on a different click.
Speaker 3:Redefined, not the coaches group chat.
Speaker 1:It's like this one, but Chad hit the majority of the points.
Speaker 2:It's like this one, but something else.
Speaker 3:That was the first news of uh of the week, and then we're very happy about it oh yeah ecstatic on the awesome switch.
Speaker 2:I've been crying, reading messages for yeah for I got a call.
Speaker 3:I got a call from spraw the day. The day it went, it went live and I and I ignored the call. I didn't realize it was his number. I don't know if it changed or if I just didn't have it saved, so I just ignored it. And he texted me and being like this is John Sparrow Call me. I was like, yes, sir, and yeah, he just gave a quick rundown. He gave a huge shout out to Steve Bishop.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:Steve Bishop, who's his new COO, kind of spearheaded it and made it happen with the insurance companies. So it was very, very cool to see that actually go from some videos being made about it and showcasing the issues, and now it's been switched.
Speaker 2:I also got a text from Rafa, who was at Florida Fest this weekend playing with the lobos and he said he said that, uh, he saw a bunch of babies and kids on benches this weekend and that it was really cool to watch that it's an epidemic.
Speaker 1:Guys, they're everywhere.
Speaker 3:Babies for everyone they're sprouting Babies for everybody.
Speaker 1:And they are overrunning these tournaments. What?
Speaker 3:once was a no-baby zone is now a baby zone. We love that. The other big volleyball news of the week John Cook's retirement, and man, oh man, it was a bang, bang, bang of news conferences John retiring, his replacement being hired, her replacement being hired, and the dominoes just fell.
Speaker 2:Incredible work by the PR teams that spearheaded the movement and how it was announced, and the jaw-dropping news flashes yeah, I felt like I was.
Speaker 3:I felt like I got whiplash. I was like oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh yeah, it was back to back some crazy stuff.
Speaker 2:Even the coaches group chat went off about it right, I was, I was delayed oh, you were delayed. You're playing. Yeah, yeah, um, john cook retiring danny going to nebraska from louisville uh dan menske getting louisville and then, uh, I don't know where assistants are at right now.
Speaker 2:I think that that's where the movement's going to maybe be happening of, like, who's getting those first, second, third assistance positions? Um, yeah, but there was a tell sign of John retiring, though, with Jordan announcing a couple of days before that she was not going to be there. Um, and then, yeah, it was just pretty uh the.
Speaker 3:I just want to talk about the timing of it, cause I I just loved the timing of. Obviously it was orchestrated right. Everything went so quickly but between both Louisville and Nebraska then being coordinated kind of together. Also, on terms of the, when they announced it they waited till right after the portal closed. Now, obviously, when your coach leaves, all those players automatically get an additional 30 days of, like, open portal for them.
Speaker 3:But in terms of timing it's it just gives each of those schools and each of those new head coaches a little bit of time to be able to go in and talk to their team, communicate, make sure they're all on the same page, talk about the upcoming stuff that they've got. And most schools have probably already closed their general recruitment of the portal and so they're playing a little bit more catch up. So they bought themselves some time with that in terms of the actual mechanics of when they announced things. So I was just it just was such a one, two, three punch, uh of like, really, in my eyes, effective planning. Um, I don't know, chad, would you what were your thoughts when you got out of your beach game?
Speaker 1:saw the group chat blow up and we're looking at everything yeah, I think, especially as I like watch stuff unfold over like the next 24 hours, it was just seamless right, and you know I think it it couldn't have gone any smoother, you know. Then you have cook's press conference. Meske had his earlier today. Um, yeah, I don't know. I mean, you're talking about someone who was there for 25 years and then just kind of the timing just hits them and you know he talked about all that stuff and you know it was pretty emotional, like it was.
Speaker 2:It was really cool it was a really nice conference yeah, cooks.
Speaker 1:Cooks been such a high impact individual in his role, like you know, not even like like the coaching stuff, but just like what nebraska volleyball you has done for the sport even in the last couple of years. It's just massive. Um, but yeah, I mean I loved.
Speaker 1:I think it was the. She was the name Troy, the AD for Nebraska. It was like, uh, you know Danny has done such a amazing job at at Louisville and you know it's amazing that you know she was a Husker and is coming back. But it was like she was the right person, like even if she had never been to Nebraska and like all that, like just the job that she had done, that was grounds to hire her immediately for this job and I was like, oh, that's a really nice way to put it and very true and obviously, like Dan Maskella, do a great job at Louisville.
Speaker 1:Obviously, you know, is a former Nebraska guy as well. Um, but then, yeah, I thought it was as smooth as could be. I love that he leaves the uh cabinet cupboard whatever stocked. Yes, I think that's a cool thing. I think it's a great opportunity for louisville where are we going with the cabinet here? Yeah, the, the cupboard is not bare. Uh, I love, I love. It's a good time for Louisville to kind of turn it over, and I think it's a great time for Nebraska to keep it running. Agreed, all right, candy break.
Speaker 2:Bobby throw some candy at us. I got Lucky Charms.
Speaker 3:These actually look kind of good. I'll take those.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:Can I have my red meat and talk about spring trouts, my steak and potatoes? Sure Great, we had spring trouts and I was juiced. Bobby was there. Bobby was there for her time slot. It was the day after her birthday, so I appreciate her showing up. She did not come for the full 9 am to 3 pm, but she did arrive for her time slot.
Speaker 2:And you made it to more than I did.
Speaker 3:Yeah, 3 pm, but she did arrive for her time slot and you made it to more than I did. Yeah, we had a great showing and it just felt like we were how many kids? 130 tried out, and then we had 90 returning travel team guys, so 270 for what?
Speaker 2:for just 14 and under 14 yeah.
Speaker 3:So it was, uh, number one, great, showing the coaching staff that we had there was on point. We had just people who are in their element with tryouts. Number one. So you got matt frankenstein, who's like a sales recruiting wizard. Same thing aaron dadu and kyle chamberlain.
Speaker 3:They just they know they get it they just get it they, they know how to play the game and we just had a great group of people that were there and doing everything they could to make it the best possible experience. And then I felt just so prepped because I spent I don't coach at stanford, so now I have all this time right now in the spring, and I was just grinding the past two weeks on every automation you could possibly think of. For the second, we were done with tryouts. All the emails went out, all the links were up for sign up. Immediately. Once you signed up, you got the information on how to order your uniforms and get them sent to your door. You got text reminders on signing up for all the extra stuff. You got free program. All these things are just going out. And I was just watching it on my computer this morning Just like an orchestra of all these messages being sent and also club dudes coming in, and I was like we're killing it right now.
Speaker 1:We are just crushing it.
Speaker 3:We have cracked the code on tryouts. Can I share also just one very cute moment from Spring Trouts? Yes, please, all right. So it was the RSI boys' first tryout. So Daniel and Ann were there, kellen and Eli were there. Oh, they're both, aha.
Speaker 1:They're both, so we knew.
Speaker 3:Eli was coming, yep, but Daniel said that Kellen wasn't going to be allowed to try out yet and that he needed to. He's still young right Like he's freaking eight years old. So finally they got there at the tryout, I think the day before. Kellen really wanted to do it, really wanted to try, and they gave him the go-ahead. So they both came in, they got their beta-based shirts on and I'm watching Daniel's story in the week leading up and Eli is in training camp mode. He is working on his footwork on the walk over to school. They're doing arm swing stuff with a tennis ball. They're working on set. They've got this ball out from the front yard. They're working on their setting and I'm just like like this is incredible. I'm watching one of my best friends children get ready to come through uh, through our program, uh, and it's like the the moment of watching cam costy this weekend play. I had the same feeling and thought when I watched him coming to the gym the first time at west valley that john's your best friend too.
Speaker 3:That's so nice love john, love john. Great friend, not my best friend, that's fine, but I remember the clear as day cameron coming into the gym and having that kind of same feeling of, oh, this is a little kid that's gonna be in this club hopefully for a long time, um and so having the versailles boys there was super cute and obviously we just love daniel and ann. But watching parents go through their first tryout moment, daniel stayed on the opposite court away so awesome, probably the move and I'm looking at him and he's like I want to go over there.
Speaker 3:He's like I I get it. He did a little post about it today. He's like I get it, like I really want to go over there and like try and help him, but I'm, I'm staying over here, I'm staying, I'm letting them do their thing.
Speaker 3:The direct quote was I ain't no LeBron James, there ain't going to be no nepotism on selecting my kids. If they suck, they suck, don't pick them. And sure enough, eli made our 12-2s team, which is our 12-11s combo. Kellen made our training group, so he made the local training group, didn't make a travel team but did make that local program. So it was super fun to see them all kind of have that family moment. So just a good wholesome spring tryout for.
Speaker 1:Bay-to-Bay. Everybody knows. If you want to go D1, you start 12-2s, exactly 12-2s is the absolute starting point, for sure.
Speaker 3:But yeah, we went to the Stanford versus UCI game Both of them Both of them UCI in control but I think we spent more time during that game watching the BYU versus Hawaii match at BYU.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we kind of did yes that's true.
Speaker 3:I think we can all agree that was the matchup of the week, match of the week and my early season pick for match of the year.
Speaker 2:The five-setter was 24, 22, 23, 21. Yeah, something wild.
Speaker 3:It was definitely. We were in bonus time, that was for sure.
Speaker 2:Jackson.
Speaker 3:What was your Jackson? What was Jackson and Chad over there? What were your thoughts on the, the BYU?
Speaker 1:Hawaii match. Do you want? You want me to go first, or Jackson's? He's just on in the food. Yeah, I'll be honest, jax, I thought Keone hit that tape ace to go up like 1716.
Speaker 2:And then he went for like a walk off.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I like grab, lazy, I was like he's got it, it's happening, yeah. And then I mean lazy, I was like he's got it's happening, yeah. And then I mean, yeah, tattoos the next one not close, but what a bummer. Super, super worth it. And yeah, of course it doesn't shake out their way. Um, you know that's, it was a great, a great showing by byu. Obviously they are much improved with him out there. Um, and I thought also just a a good, a good early couple of wins by Hawaii, a little bit younger team.
Speaker 1:On the road. Obviously, Hawaii plays at sea level, BYU not at sea level. And to go into that crowd and get those two wins, I thought was Well, this is a new, this is an update.
Speaker 3:Anything to add?
Speaker 2:Aw.
Speaker 3:The thing that I did love in that match Did you watch any of the BYU? Did you get to listen to the BYU TV broadcast?
Speaker 1:No, I didn't go back and watch it.
Speaker 2:I've never seen that before the back dump.
Speaker 3:Well, I actually love BYU's announcers.
Speaker 2:So do I. They get some flack.
Speaker 1:They do a great job, probably the best they do a great job. They're educated, they're educated.
Speaker 2:They're homers. They are not the best. Concordia Kid is absolutely 1000% the best announcer out there right now. I love what that guy's posting, but if I was watching it for real which I don't maybe I'd get sick of it after a while or just turn it off, but it is so funny.
Speaker 3:No, it is. It's very funny, and he's got free reign to do it at Concordia as well, which I love.
Speaker 3:But the BYU announcers are just, they're pro. In my eyes, the flag that they get is that they're homers and even as listening to them, as someone that is a non-BYU fan per se, I don't get that vibe from them at all. I think they bring really good energy to both sides of the action, but going back and watching some of it and seeing and hearing just the crowd reactions Smith was popping, the field house was popping, for sure, and that was great to see. I think you've got. Even being in Maples this week with Stanford having Heno there, having number two UCI there, it was one of the most filled Maples Pavilion matches I have seen in a non-playoff setting.
Speaker 3:All I'm saying it was a great crowd. It looked like a just kind of across the board. I've been seeing some pretty good crowds thus far early on. I'm interested to see like actual numbers. So if anyone wants to actually do that work and and see what the attendances have been thus far on average, would love to know, uh, but yeah, the uh whether it's the social media effects of what's going on and just more people out here playing that there's definitely I wonder if long beach numbers are up Long Beach.
Speaker 3:Numbers have been pretty high for a few years.
Speaker 2:Long Beach numbers are pretty good in general, but I got to think that the yeah, that the Nikolaev boost is there. I would think so.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I would agree. I was looking at, I saw the numbers. There's a guy who does the breakdown of AAU registrations each month and we are already 200 teams over what we were at last year for aau in terms of teams competing. So there's, you know, we're looking at like a 10 to 15 increase in just the number of teams. So you're looking the same amount in terms of participation. So volleyball as a participation, those numbers are just continuously going up and to the right. So you're having, you're going to have, more and more fans that are coming to these games.
Speaker 3:I was watching some CSUN versus George Mason and Mason had a pretty good crowd in terms of what I saw from them also. So just seeing different areas of the country kind of find their niche. When Long Beach went out to Lewis, lewis was sold out. That was packed. So it's been fun to see just the amount of actual in-person engagement there has been and I don't know, it could be social media, it could be just the general participation in terms of those numbers. But it's definitely an effect that I think we're going to see at the end of the year that will will show in the actual numbers of how many people were watching games yeah, I mean, I think it's a tandem kind of thing right, and I know we've had the conversation on here before about the superstar thing.
Speaker 1:You have all these kids playing and they get onto their phones and as they're scrolling through stuff, it's not. Hey, this seems playing like a really structured defense and blocking scheme or whatever it's like. Oh my God, did you see what Nikolov did? Did you see what Heno did?
Speaker 2:The last play of the second set, the ball he yachts to end the second set.
Speaker 3:Set point, second set yeah, it was hitting lines, kip boomed the ball, yeah right.
Speaker 1:And you have all these kids that are into the sport now, and now it's much more visible than it has been. It's much more easy, uh, I think, to watch high level matches. Um, and that process is simple with with YouTube and all the stuff that's getting uploaded there. Like man, like I I think I was on the fence about the superstar thing and I'm just like what are we like? Why? Why would you not lean into this?
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I don't even think men's volleyball has a superstar. I don't think women's volleyball really has one yet either.
Speaker 1:Nikolov is terrible. Men's volleyball has the superstar.
Speaker 3:Right now, men's volleyball has a bigger superstar than women's volleyball and my ass, nikolov, is for sure a superstar that is a actually crazy statement why Nikolov is great, that's, there's no question.
Speaker 2:Nikolov is great, but the amount of kids and the amount of nil deals and that harper murray is doing and the kid from texas is doing, like that's not even close to nikolaev, is not close to that.
Speaker 3:What's your measurement, though, cause here's my measurement.
Speaker 2:Here's my measurement People outside of volleyball that say I know nothing about boys volleyball, except for I know about that kid from Nebraska or I know about that girl from wherever.
Speaker 3:I would argue that Nikolaev is more that person than any collegiate I agree, women's player I, I just I completely.
Speaker 1:Murray is getting more, is going to be more visible honestly I think it's because of the sport she plays in the area of the country that she plays it's boys volleyball.
Speaker 2:Nobody gives a shit. It's like no, that's why nikolov is such a no, I think he's, I think he's great, I think he's great, but I don't think people outside of the sport know him but it's. It's not apples, apples, right, like your point is like hey, harper's famous because she goes to nebraska has some off the court stuff, sure, but like it's also super visible and very popular, in the state and has a tiktok following, has a like, she has a following yeah, more people watch women's volleyball than men's.
Speaker 1:I get that, but I would say based on relative to the size of their respective audiences, right yes and talk to anybody about the men's volleyball season. They're going to say something about nikolov and then, like two or three paragraphs later, then heno like enters the chat, right yeah, because nikolov is an olympic player playing against.
Speaker 3:Uh, that's where I think you're missing the boat for me is nikolov. On an international scale is so far beyond harper mary. Oh, the international wobble community which we're thinking just better no, nikolov is also way more visible on the international market because of him being in the vnl, because of what he does on volleyballeyball World. That internationally Poland, italy, russia they know Nikolov. None of them know Harper Murray.
Speaker 2:I'm not talking about international fame.
Speaker 3:Oh, that's what I'm talking about. I'm talking about superstar on an international level.
Speaker 2:I'm talking about the United States.
Speaker 3:Then I would agree with you.
Speaker 2:If I became some big thing in Japan and still was nothing in the United States, became some like big thing in japan and still was nothing in the united states, it doesn't matter. Like then what, go move to japan like, go go whatever you prefer a volleyball player.
Speaker 2:I'm talking about growing a sport in the united states. Travis kelsey goes out to to the middle of nowhere and somewhere else and people don't know, but in the united states, absolute superstar, and it like that's what I'm talking about. I'm talking about growing a, but in the united states, absolute superstar and it like that's what I'm talking about. I'm talking about growing a sport in the united states and making like superstar in the united states to make the sport that much better sure I I can agree that in in that, nikola hasn't done anything in the united states yet to make him that level of a superstar.
Speaker 3:Disagree that. He's the. He is absolutely the closest thing men's volleyball has.
Speaker 2:Listen, I think that Nikolaev is the best thing that has happened to men's volleyball in a long time in having a good player here. That is that much better. That is somebody that kids want to take their phones out and watch and I think it's amazing. But I don't think that men's volleyball has the superstar yet.
Speaker 3:On the American soil, on an american frame of reference honestly, I think it's going to take more.
Speaker 2:it's going to take some like like is nikolov getting people to come and watch him that don't normally watch volleyball? Yes, you think so.
Speaker 3:Yes, I had three of my friends when he had his posts that went viral on ESPN that reposted. Yeah, I had three people non-volleyball people say is Long Beach State playing at Stanford this year? Because they know me and they know that I'm in volleyball and they asked is Nikolov coming?
Speaker 2:That's great, that's amazing. I don't think it's there yet to the extent that I'm talking about.
Speaker 3:But I agree, in order to grow for the United States, we need American stardom and someone that I think he's very Caitlin Clark-esque, in the sense that it's like oh, you are dominating everyone around you.
Speaker 2:That's a really tough thing to say on on like Caitlin Clark. Esque is like you've got to be doing, yeah.
Speaker 3:I just she was better than everyone in college, like by far. Yes, he's better than everyone in college by far, but no one watches.
Speaker 2:Yes, I understand, but also men's volleyball, but people would also say, nobody watches women's basketball. I get that too. I understand that too Up until four years ago. I just don't think that it's that level that I'm talking about, yet.
Speaker 3:No, of course it's not that level, but I'm using the best reference I can in terms of what we have seen in a collegiate setting.
Speaker 2:Yeah, there's no question that it's the best reference that we even could. There hasn't been anybody like the kid in the sport yet, so I'm all a fan of it. I just think that we need more than this and I would put money on the fact that he doesn't stay.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah, 100%, because exactly that he's internationally getting me on a much bigger playing field. He's gonna be paid way more internationally correct here. So yes, 100.
Speaker 2:that is where the two arguments overlap perfectly I also am not just looking for the caitlin clark of volleyball it can't be. I'm looking for the angel reese and the Kim Mulkey and the like, the the showsmanship part of this.
Speaker 3:And I think that's the closest thing to those for us right now would be wise.
Speaker 2:Sure, like yes, but it's not. That's not even close to what. What I'm talking about with what basketball did? I don't know if Caitlin Clark is Caitlin Clark specifically without the other players in women's basketball that did what they were doing Totally. I don't know if Caitlin Clark is Caitlin Clark specifically without the other players in women's basketball that did what they were doing Totally. So I mean, no one really watched women's basketball until until, all of a sudden, everybody's putting on a show and it's like yeah.
Speaker 3:And then there was an investment, specifically by mainstream media and saying that we're gonna, we're gonna prioritize this and then all of a sudden, boom, you have this generational talent.
Speaker 2:But we've also got leadership in our sport saying that they don't want superstars. So there's an issue with volleyball right now too.
Speaker 3:The last thing we got is our matchup of the week, which of course has Nikolaev in it. We've got number one, long Beach taking on number three, ucla, previously ranked number one, a national championship rematch and, probably the most we consider, the two top setters in the country facing off against one another chad. What's your, uh, what's your key storylines or things that you're looking forward to in this?
Speaker 1:match. I'd be interested to see how both units end up playing out of system, because these are both strong serving teams. Uh, I'm not sure the passing has been excellent from either squad. I think ucla has struggled off the net and it's a lot of running around long beach a little bit the same. Some younger passers out there, I don't know. It's a lot of big guys trying to slow you down out of system. I'd be interested. I think in system, both these guys are going to be able to score. Both teams are going to be able to score. In a problem, once you get outside of 10, 12, 15 feet, middles aren't involved and you're playing slower. Who's doing less stupid shit Like can you just be clean, make good decisions consistently over and over and over, and I think that team's probably going to win this one?
Speaker 2:Which team is that?
Speaker 3:Yeah, what's your prediction? Where are we playing? I believe.
Speaker 1:Friday's at Long Beach, and then do they go up to Pauly after that.
Speaker 3:I am not positive. So let's just go with Friday. It's at Long Beach, you going with the home team there?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'll put my money on Long Beach, sure, Ariel what's your?
Speaker 3:Any different storylines or different takeaways that you're looking for in this matchup?
Speaker 2:I've watched Long Beach. I haven't watched UCLA enough yet I like UCLA as a whole better.
Speaker 3:But as a whole roster yeah whole roster.
Speaker 2:I like UCLA better. I think their pins are.
Speaker 3:I like their pins more, but Nikolaev is Rama Robinson, edo, I don't know how people like I don't you're playing against Nikola Robinson.
Speaker 2:I don't know how people like I don't you're playing against Nikola. I put so much weight on that like so I don't know. I don't know how people respond to different things, so I'm just kind of like yeah.
Speaker 1:And. I think I go Long Beach and you know you don't, didn't go. It was this Ohio State or whatever UCLA played recently that Big Ten challenge, yeah, they played. I think I'd go Long Beach and Ido didn't go. It was his Ohio State or whatever UCLA played recently.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that Big Ten Challenge.
Speaker 1:Yeah, they played I don't know his name David Deckard. Oh, Dockett too. Cool, cool, cool. Is the name we're looking for on the right? Is it the lefty? Maybe he's that number 19 guy, Okay, who had 11 kills, 6 errors and 21 attempts for 238 efficiency. Is that who you were thinking of?
Speaker 3:No, I was thinking they were going to move Rahm out of the right and put Sean Kelly in, or do something like that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, sean Kelly made an appearance to pass a little bit in one of these matches. I thought to steady him out. That might have been honestly. That might have been the other week, I don't know.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's all blurring together, week five. Week five. We're just yeah.
Speaker 2:I'm lost.
Speaker 3:We're just out here. We're out here spitballing.
Speaker 2:Okay, well, all right.
Speaker 3:Well, that's the conclusion of our.
Speaker 2:Do we have a cold open?
Speaker 3:Week five docket.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:There's something there Babies benches yeah.