Kennesaw Review

9-23-2007

I was asked in the comments as to what I thought about Kennesaw Mountain and if they can hang with the big dogs, so to speak! For better or worse this is my opinion.

I think opponents should try and score a lot of points while the setter Kaylee McGrew is front row. When right side Mariah Booth gets on the front she and Lauren Hutchinson put up a big block and have the ability to shut down most hitters on the high school level. I think this will definitely work in their favor against Northview as the Titan outsides are not very tall and will have a tough time hitting through or around that big block.

However the game is and always will be about ball control. Kennesaw Mountain will have to get better in this area to compete at the highest levels. I do believe they will make the final four and perhaps the finals in the 5-AAAAA State Tournament.

I also think that someone other than Lauren Hutchinson will have to put balls away for them to beat the best. Most of the top teams in the state have big solid middles and they will make life tough for the UGA bound middle hitter. If outsides Meghan Weller and Sami Lane step up and play well they will be able to compete very well with the best in the state. Another option for the Mustangs is to find a way to let senior middle Kristen White use her power. She has a great arm but is sometimes hand cuffed in the middle. Find a way to let her take a full swing and she could punish some opponents.

The two biggest opponents for them in 5AAAAA will be Pope and Northview. They match up well with Pope and the similar styles of play will help them there. Both teams serve fairly safe, run most of their offense out of the middle, and play pretty scrappy defense. Against Northview it is a different story. Northview serves aggressively and runs a very balanced offense. If they are serving well and Kennesaw is having trouble in serve receive then it could be a long night. If Kennesaw can push thru and force Northview to make mistakes then the match could go there way. Well I guess that is about all I have to say. That is purely my opinion and I reckon I will see how right or wrong I am come tourney time. Have a great week everybody.