(Analysis/Opinion) Volleyball needs season to take last year’s shape right about now

Jim Swing
Sports Editor
ANALYSIS/OPINION
Commonwealth Times’ Sports Twitter

Right now, James Finley might be hoping this season starts to take form much like the last one.

In 2010, the VCU volleyball head coach employed his aggressive out-of-conference scheduling technique by putting his team up against some of the toughest teams in the nation, and maybe taking things just a little too far in hopes of receiving an at-large bid.

The schedule featured matches against six ranked opponents away or on a neutral court, something at which the basketball team wouldn’t bother turning their heads.

At first, it didn’t work out so well, to say the least.

The Rams started the season a dreadful 2-14 in non-conference play, and although he may not admit it, something tells me Finley had to taste at least some bit of regret.

Or maybe not. Maybe he was a genius.

He was a genius because all of that non-conference play against the major conference schools; all that did was prepare his team for a run through the CAA schedule.

VCU finished 9-5 in conference, including a five-game winning streak throughout the month of October that helped it squeeze into the CAA Tournament, completing a total season turnaround.

In fact, Finley liked it so much, he came right back to the same philosophy when he sat down to do this year’s schedule.

Granted, this season’s non-conference slate isn’t as difficult as the beast he created last year, but it’s still difficult. No mid-major school plans a match at a previous national quarterfinalist like Purdue and doesn’t label its schedule as difficult.

The results haven’t been as bad as last season, even thought you could raise the question, how could they be?

But it also hasn’t been pretty by any means.

VCU has gone 5-9 out-of-conference so far as it heads into the bulk of the CAA schedule.

Wins have been few and far between for the Rams who have gone on losing streaks of four and most recently, six games.

But for a mid-major volleyball program, the reality is that the only games that truly matter are in the conference.

The odds of receiving an at-large bid are rare and usually non-existent for a mid-major school.

Perhaps that’s why Finley refers to the non-conference calendar as “the preseason, ” meaning the season before the real season. The season that helps you prepare for what really counts.

Finley said it best before the 2011 campaign even began.

“The preseason is building a foundation for the conference,” he said. “Then conference is building the final foundation for the championships.”

And with the CAA’s newly expanded six-team conference tournament, Mr. Opportunity is knocking at VCU’s doorstep once again, this time with an even easier offer.

The question remains as to whether the Rams will answer. They did it last season, so why not one more time?

Finley knows it can happen, he’s just waiting to watch it take shape just like a year ago.

And if it does, he’ll look like a genius yet again.

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Photos by: Kyle LaFerriere