Wisconsin's Kelly Sheffield was asked when he would actually set a consistent lineup and stick with it. The Badgers have had six different lineups through six different games, and some have worked better than others. Now that Texas A&M and Texas are on deck next, is this the moment we see a settled-in lineup? Sheffield said, "That isn't a goal right now."
According to Sheffield, volleyball schedules allow for experimentation and development more than most sports. His reasoning is genius. He started his press conference with a joke that he's part of the only sport where you can go 0-2 and move up in the rankings, and go 2-0 and move down. Which is exactly what happened with the Badgers the last two weeks.
The Badgers lost to Pitt and Stanford and moved from No. 6 to No. 5 in the Nation. But then beat Florida and Auburn and went from No. 5 to No. 6. Why? Well, just how the competition has gone and how things have played out so far. Yet, it also showcases a different reality that Sheffield says is important to lineup experimentation.
Sheffield told reporters, "Some of it has been health-related, but some of it has been the coach's decision." There is a real strategy in it, saying the goals of coaches are not the same as the goals for fans early in the season. Sheffield then explained that Texas is doing a similar thing right now, experimenting with a goal of development and end of season success.
"I'm sure there's a lot of criticism [of some of the things they're doing]...Which is interesting when you're being critical of a coach who's won more National Championships than any other active coach. He knows what he's doing." Sheffield continued, "We are fortunate to be in a sport with the regular season the way it is, to test some things out."
Texas is a good case-study for trying to unlock a new level FOR the end of the season
Related: Kelly Sheffield says Audrey Flanagan is among Wisconsin's best in 3 key areas
He said that Texas is testing the top-spin jump serve right now and it's having mixed success, but if it clicks, they will unlock a whole new element to their service attack. It could be costing them right now, but ultimately would be huge if it works down the stretch.
That's the opportunity that volleyball affords a coach. He's testing lineups and players for Wisconsin, which will ultimately help the Badgers when the NCAA Tournament comes around. "You're legitimately trying, against elite competition, to find some things."
If you have a team capable of winning everything, the only way to actually do that is to use the start of the season against elite competition to dig in and work out the details. By the end of the season, the Badgers will be better for it and can win because of it.
It's secretly genius, mildly frustrating for the fans, but with a team that's this young and this inexperienced, the only way to get to the end-of-season goals is to experiment now. That's the theory from Sheffield, and it's backed by what other elite head coaches are also doing.
Add us as a preferred source on Google