先贴出来,有时间再慢慢看.不过很明显,TOM这家伙又跑回沙滩去了,真是少见的两栖动物.看来郎平还是有的等...
McPeak has high praise for Tom
Team makes it through Friday without a loss
By Mike Scarr / AVP.com
HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. -- Holly McPeak has seen her share of players during her years on the professional volleyball circuit.
With a career that began in 1987, McPeak can claim Misty May-Treanor, Elaine Youngs, Nancy Reno, Karolyn Kirby, Jennifer Boss and Nicole Branagh as partners. There are many others.
But she has high praise for her current courtmate, Logan Tom.
"I've played with everybody, and in my opinion, she is going to be the best player in the world," McPeak said. "I know that is something she expects because she has played indoors and she was one of the best players in the world, but her skills are exceptional."
The two played a pair of tournaments last season but are essentially beginning fresh this season. Tom suffered an abdominal tear last year and then spent the winter playing international ball in Spain.
Tom returned a mere eight days before this year's season opener in Miami, where the team placed 13th. They improved to a seventh-place finish in Dallas, and Tom sees the progress that will lead to better things.
She's not quite ready to be called best player in the world, though.
"Obviously it feels good. It is nice when your partner has confidence in you but I don't think of it that way," Tom said. "For me, I have to look at it that there is so much to improve on that it is hard to look at the positives and not get down on yourself. Every day there is a list of things to improve on. I guess for me it is a good and bad thing. I have to put all my hours in and give my sweat and tears."
McPeak and Tom won both of their matches Friday, the first time this season they haven't been relegated to the contender's bracket in the first day of the main draw. McPeak said it is a matter of gaining confidence with each other's style and sticking to their roles.
"Volleyball is a game of rhythm and momentum and moving well together as a team and we were not doing that," McPeak said. "She came back late from Spain and we didn't have a lot of time to prepare. She was in the indoor rhythm and I was in the beach rhythm and together we were not doing well."
But she sees skills that will carry the four-time All America at Stanford beyond her AVP Rookie of the Year award last season.
"She can play behind the blocker; she can play as a blocker. She bombs her jump serve, she serves well. She is very offensive. She doesn't have any weaknesses," McPeak said. "The only thing she lacks is experience and time in the sand, but once she gets that, watch out."
No love: Fans of every sport love the underdog, and volleyball is no different. In the third game of a first-round match Friday, the crowd was firmly behind the Vincent Robbins and Jason Wight duo. And why not? The Thursday qualifiers were giving the No. 2 seeded team of Stein Metzger and Mike Lambert all they could handle.
After a series of points went against them and the cheers got louder, Lambert drilled a winner down the line and there was barely a response. He turned to take the ball for his serve and sarcastically turned to the crowd for some enthusiasm but was greeted with a smattering of applause.
Robbins and Wight ultimately prevailed.
Name change: This city is well known for one sport, and, despite a running dispute with Santa Cruz, Calif., Huntington Beach holds firm to its nick name of Surf City, U.S.A. But with the AVP in town, some players have another idea.
"It is Surf City, U.S.A., but when we're in town it is Volleyball City, U.S.A. People love it and people come from all over (Los Angeles) to watch it," Kerri Walsh said. "Huntington is a great beach, a great California beach, people are volleyball savvy and it is the perfect spot for an AVP event."
Tough loss: Dave Jensen and Mike Placek locked into the game of the day in the opener of their second-round match against John Mayer and Matt Prosser.
After trading set points, Placek and Jensen seemed to have the game in hand at 27-26, but Placek hit long as Mayer and Prosser sided out. After dropping a point, it was Jensen's turn to hit long, and they lost 29-27. Jensen and Placek then lost the second game, 21-16, to fall into the contender's bracket and will face Albert Hannemann and Ed Ratledge on Saturday.
Mike Scarr is a senior reporter for AVP.com.
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