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 | Blowout & Upset of the Week! Posted by |
For the blowout of Session 1, there were a few good candidates. First, I would note the Mules in match 2 against the Bulldogs. Al's squad was completely overmatched, averaging 36 pts weaker per player, and resulting in a 3-set sweep, 40-total-point blowout. Their 36 ratings difference matched the highest difference from last season for the whole league. Doing just one point worse, the Bloodhounds ended up losing by 41 total points to the Red Pandas in match 1.
However, not be outdone, the Dust Devils (i.e. Baby Twisters) said, "Hold my Sprecher's" and went out and got blown out in a 3-set sweep by a combined 42 points, setting the bar for this season in their first match against the Manatees. Thus Mark & the Manatees have landed the first Blowout of the Week, and set the standard by which future blowouts will be measured in season 10.
On the other end, only three matches finished with upsets where the winner was 6 pts or worse in average player ratings vs. the opponent. The Mushrooms managed to get +6 on the Tomatoes in their WGM group match (3), only to get swept. The match comments noted some possible reasons why. Sadly, the Swamp Rats failed to get those before their own matches. Can you guess who suffered BOTH the other two bigger upsets?
In Match 3 vs. the Chihuahuas, the Rats were +8, and got swept, never getting more than 22 in a set. And that was the nightcap to a lousy weekend. In match 1, vs. the Panthers on the road, the Rats came to play and were +9 on average. They walked away with a 5-set loss, still having never beaten Kentucky in a 5-set match (now 0-5). They were outscored by a mere 1 point total in the match. Only 12 times last season did a team at +9 or more lose, and N'Orleans pulled it off in their first game this season.
The Upset of the Week is set at -9 for this season, -8 for a 3-set sweep, both by N'Orleans. May none of you beat those marks this season, though I'm sure Rob and Antioch are chomping at the bit to see if they can top N'Orleans in at least one thing this season. I have faith in the 'Fish! You got this, Rob!
Readers Comments
Love the Bill and Ted approach here, particularly with potential recruit Ted Logan available later in the season... 😎
Well done Kevin and thank you. This is a tour de force!
My takeway here is that, once again, Max's software is out to get Quincy. At the same time it sounds like the "on track to win 30 again" N'awleans still have 29 matches to win...
This looks like being a fun series - nice to see Columbia on the lucky side early on.
SPOILER ALERT for Session 2
In the Blowout of the Week, honorable mention goes to the Banana Beatdown of the Bloodhounds, a 3-set sweep by 35 combined points, and the Eagles aerial ace over the Gargoyles by 39 points. The clear winner though, was the Bulldogs, with their sweep over Ames in match 4, by a combined 41 pts. Congrats to Craig for the Blowout of the Week!
Our Blowout of the Season remains the Manatees' victory in Match 1, with a combined 42-pt margin.
For the Upset of the Week, two teams landed wins despite being 4-pt rating underdogs: Spokane on the road vs. the Gargoyles in 5 sets in match 4, and the Squirrels fending off the Winged Hogs at home in another 5-set thriller. Taking home the top honors though, the Mules were not to be outdone, scoring not just one but TWO -5 upsets! Of the two, beating the Peas on the road was impressive enough, though it took them 5 sets to do it. In the match 5 follow-up, Quincy took down the mighty Lumberjacks in a 3-set sweep, and didn't even need extra points to get there. Al's double at -5 earns the Upset(s) of the Week. Congrats to the Managerially-Challenged Mules Who Perpetually Need Luck to Win, and commisserations with those who planned well and didn't catch the breaks when needed.
Our Upsets of the Season are currently still holding from session 1, with the "any win" at -9 (Kentucky over New Orleans in 5 sets) and the 3-set sweep at -8 (Chihuahuas over the Swamp Rats).
Spoiler alert for Session 3: Another competitive session overall with some surprise wins and shifty managerial decisions! Exactly half the matches (24 of 48) resulted in 4 or 5-set matches, just like last session, and a far cry better than the meager 13 in the opener.
For our Blowout of the Week, we had a three-way tie, all at home in Match 8 (conference play). The Shrimps over Carlsbad, the Spikin' Sagueros over Albuquerque, and the Bloodhounds over T-Town. All three teams had at least one totally dominant set (8-25 being the best single set, by San Jose) and only one set was closer than 18-25 out of the 9 total sets. Without a clear winner, congrats to Vick, Amy & Eduard for the joint Blowout of the Week title.
Mark's 42-pt win in match 1 remains the mark to beat.
For the Upset of the Week, there were no upset 3-set sweeps this session. There were only 4 upsets at all. The Eagles' home loss to the Bullfrogs (+5) was the worst on a home court (match 7). On neutral court (match 9), the Shrimps came to play and the Anteaters didn't seem phased, shuffling away in a 4-set win despite being outgunned by 8 ranking points per player. Honorable mention also goes to the Twisters, whose aerial dominance over the Winged Hogs continued in their WGM Group despite being 6-pt underdogs. At least JT took it to extra points twice in their 5-set loss. David & Arlington take home the Upset of the Week for their 8-pt underdog victory in 4 sets.
Upsets of the Season remain at -9 by Kentucky for "any win" and at -8 by Santa Clara for a 3-set sweep.
Love this analysis, thanks Kevin! I was sad to not bring any upsets this week like last week.
The less the Bampire Vats appear in this column, the better.
SPOILER ALERT for obvious reasons. Also, Craig's query to be answered in a following post.
For the BLOWOUT OF THE WEEK there are a few honorable mentions before we name our winner. First, the woeful Mules got smacked down by Max, losing by a combined 27 points. At some point, this team has to start playing better, right? Saving them from being the blowout targets, three other teams upped their game as the tourney season kicks off in earnest. Second for honorable mention goes to CCT, as Steve's fruit/not fruit team won by 28 points combined TWICE this session, over both Ames and Manitowoc. Manitowoc also took one on the chin from the Hogs, dropping match 10 by a combined 30 points. When Lord Porker says he's coming for revenge, hide the women and children.
And with all that warm-up, our blowout winner this week was Mark and the Manatees! Merritt Island hosted their fellow aquatic mascot Swordfish for the Cup, and proceeded to blow them out of the water by a combined 33 points. SDS couldn't top 15 pts in any set. Congrats to Mark for the Blowout of the Week!
For the upset of the week, we find ourselves with a 3-way tie! In match 10, Amy and the Cacti were 7 ratings points under-flora against the Moose, and didn't let it stop them, winning in 5 sets despite being out scored by 3 total points for the match. Not to be outdone, Steve and the Tomatoes went to Pekin for a Salad Bowl, and also pulled off the road upset. Roger has cause to mark this down for multiple revenge matches. The Peas' 91 rating is the 2nd-highest of the season to date, and their reward for the effort was just a 4-set loss, not even making it to 5 sets. Steve's luck rolls on. And in the "Of course we saw this coming" department, the Chameleons won a tourney game as a 7-pt under-reptile, with Ames having to curse the matchup against one of Olmec's favorites. Phil rolls on in 4 sets. Future opponents are warned.
Definitely some fuel for the future match comments departments, though none managed to top the Blowout and Upset of the Season to date. Those remain the same from our Week 1 results, interestingly.
Final note: an "almost Upset of the Century" match happened without much fanfare. Matt and Kentucky weren't even trying in their Cup match against the Eagles. Alton, meanwhile, came to play. 57 to 87 in ratings. 30 points difference, which is tied for the 8th-highest difference so far this season. After winning the first two sets easily, the Eagles must have taken a nap, as the Panthers came back to win sets 3 & 4, and Alton only narrowly escaped set 5 with a 15-13 win. Two points difference in that final set and Kentucky would have pulled off the greatest upset in TMVL history, I believe. Instead, it's just a footnote in this post. "Almost" doesn't win you a crown.
Through the first four sessions, there have been 11 blowouts of 35 or more points. Mark and the 'Tees have the top mark at 42, and they have twice won Blowout of the Week. Only one other team has two blowouts in the current top 10, as Craigs 'Dogs hold the marks right below, at 41 (also held by Nashville) and 40. The next closest team with two top blowouts is San Jose, as they have 35 and 33 point wins to their name.
We'll have to see if Craig can up his game a notch more and at least tie the Top Mark at 42 points, or add a third top-10 blowout to seal the early voting for the aptly-named Blowout Kings Cup! (Trophy creation and trademark pending)
Love the analysis Kevin. When I saw my Columbia result I genuinely thought* "Cool, I might get to feature in the Blowout and Upset of the Week Column"
*Admittedly, it wasn't my first thought....
Love the SALAD BOWL.
Love the "under-flora"!
Thanks Kevin! This is a great feature!
Session 5 is in the record books! (Spoiler Alert)
The Blowout of the Week was a close competition, with Spokane topping the Gargoyles by 31 points in a 3-set sweep, and the Chameleons getting no love from the Spike Dome, as Amy and her uncuddly team similarly had a 31-point total win. They held Phil's team to just 9 points in set 3. The Chameleons were probably pulling needles out of uncomfortable places the entire bus ride home.
Not to be outdone though, the Trash Pandas came out from their rubbish bins in force this week! Eager for fish bones, they feasted in Match 15 as the Anglerfish mailed in a youth lineup. Kelsey showed no mercy, hammering the 'Fish for a combined 33-point victory and claiming the Blowout of the Week! Congrats to Kelsey.
For the Upset of the Week, we had six to pick from, and a very tight grouping at the top. Most interesting is that all five upsets went to five sets, and four of those finished with extra points in set 5! Exciting matches to watch, with undoubted shouts of joy and undoubted unmentionable phrases hurled at screens. For our 3-set sweep, we didn't have a true upset. Denali traveled to Albuquerque and was evenly matched at 77 ratings each. Despite that, the Wolves' blessed season continued, and they swept the 'Coons on the road. Kelsey used up all her luck over the 'Fish, it appears.
Without a true upset sweep this week, we turn to our 5-set showdowns, and look who appears again! Andy and Denali were 7-point under-lupines in the non-conference match against the Swamp Rats. Set 1 set the tone, with the Wolves' winning 28-26, and by the time set 5 came, the result was a foregone conclusion.
Doing one better though, we have a tie for the top upset! Both in Match 13, and featuring teams already mentioned this week. Amy and the Sagueros went to Dog Town, with Santa Clara 8-rating-point underdogs (literally for a change). Martyn rallied his canines, who are used to be under everything, and they came back to win both sets 4 and 5 in extra points for the upset. Meanwhile, across continent, Antioch hosted the Manatees. 8-point faves, at home, so of course Rob was due for more Olmec 'love.' As Mark's team hung close in set 5, Rob had to feel it coming. When the final ball landed and Merritt Island walked off 19-17 winners, the Fish Bowl began filling up with tears of the 'Fish Faithful. Congrats to Martyn & Mark for the Upsets of the Week (-8 ratings, 5-set wins).
That leaves our season-long standards at +42 points for Mark and the Manatees as the Blowout, Kentucky's -9 underdog win as the Upset of the Season, and Martyn's -8 Upset in week as the 3-set Upset Sweep to beat.
And as a shameless plug of self-pity, the Swamp Rats need help from someone like Tactical Genius Craig. There have been 9 upsets this season (thus far) where a team at 7 or more rating points worse has won. Three of those have come against N'Orleans. Clearly, we are doing something wrong.
I must admit to having similar thoughts Kevin. So far this season I've lost against Quincy despite being +5, Columbia twice (+4 and +7), and needed five sets to squeak home against Ames (+4) and Dallas (+9). I'd like to think it's all down to a combination of bad luck and Al, Steve, Colin and Craig being top class, but the Pekin faithful are starting to ask if the problem is really their Coach not being up to the job.
*SIGH*... Blowout of the week AND Upset of the week... but not the same match. These are not footnotes we want to be a part of.
I looked at the last points of the Antioch Merritt game. At 17-17 Antioch's 5th server served the ball out. Then on Merritt's serve it was a Pass 1 from the Receiver but the Setter made a good recovery with a Set 3 so only 1 blocker who only has a 1% chance of the block...
Session 6, and records are re-set! (Spoiler Alert)
Most sessions, if you win by a combined 37 points over the opponent, you'd have a strong chance at getting the blowout of the week. Both Portland (match 18 v Mendon) and Cincinnati (match 18 v Pekin) put up impressive showings to reach that number. And both were a distant second to our new Blowout of the Season! In the WGM Quarterfinals, the Tomatoes came out with a near-top line, 5 A players and just one C. Teutopolis, fearing the worst, sent out the C-squad, literally. Best players on the court were all C ratings. Columbia went on to dominate, winning by a combined 44 points and holding the Twisters to just 6 points in the third set. That tops our previous best of 42 total points!
Steve now holds the mark to beat: +44 pts in a 3-set sweep to match or beat the Blowout of the Season!
On the other side of this column, we also have a new high (low) mark set for Upset of the Season! Only four upsets this session total left us with a small pool. Alton were hard-done by the Mules in the WGM quarters, slightly favored (+1) only do drop 3 sets to 1. Ames was left with a total head-scratcher as they lost on the road at the Gargoyles while +3, though the real puzzle is how they lost 9-25 in set 4 while statistically slightly better. Magical luck for Derek.
Paul pulled a road upset at -5 for the Lumberjacks over the 'Coons, though 3 of the 4 sets went to extra points so Kelsey got her money's worth of effort. Kelsey also might have been saving up her Olmec Frequent Scorer Points for the Conference Quarterfinal matchup against Bryce and the Moose. Creeping under cover of darkness as the Trash Pandas like to do, they slunk (slinked?) into Mat-Su against the 11-point favorite Meese. Set 1 looked like a simply mishap as the Moose bounced back to win set 2 25-18. Then things fell apart in set 3, and a hard-fought set 4 finished 26-24 for the 'Coons and the upset was complete! At -11, we now have a new Upset of the Season (prior mark was -9). While the -8 3-set sweep still holds, congrats to Kelsey for the new upset, and commisserations with Bryce. This is not how any of us like to see our teams recapped.
Our new marks now stand at +44 (Columbia), -11 any upset (Albuquerque), and -8 for a 3-set upset sweep (Santa Clara).
For comparison's sake, these were last season's top marks:
Blowout of Season 9: +46, Antioch
Upset of Season 9: Manitowoc -12
Upset Sweep of Season 9: Manitowoc -10
Season 10 needs to step it up a notch if we're going to set new all-time marks!
Kevin, I think you need to revisit sessions 5 and 6.
We weren't mentioned.
Must be an oversight surely
Session 7 update! (SPOILER ALERTS)
For the Blowout of the Week, there were three strong candidates and an honorable mention. First, the mention. Columbia opened the TMVL Cup against Amy's Tucson squad, and Steve sent out the Cherry Tomato team as they had multiple playoff matches elsewhere. Tucson was 20-pt favorites. Then Columbia won the first set 25-23. No team last season even won one set when rated at 20 points or more worse than the opponent. Apparently, this angered the Cacti, who went on to beat down the Tomatoes in the next three sets by a combined 29 pts and would have been a top 3 beat down if we ignored set 1, which we don't do, so just the interesting mention on both sides.
And on the to top 3 blowouts! The 'Coons went climbing trees to face the Squirrels, and as anyone knows who has ever been hunting, a treed 'Coon is soon to be a hat. The Arboreal Rodents showed no mercy, keeping Kelsey's team under 20 in each set and winning by a combined 26. Then we had the opening TMVL Cup round where some teams try hard and others, well, don't. The BullyFrogs were a good example, sending out a solid line to the Kittens' XP-seeking squad. Matt's team only mustered 9-15-15 for their set points, and by the end of the third set seemed to be serving into the net on purpose just to get out of there. Not to be outdone for the week though, Alton faced off against their conference foe Gargoyles. Alton put a very respectable line out. Manitowoc focused their better line elsewhere and were never in this one. The Gargoyles led for all of two serves, while 3-2 in set 1 and at 2-1 in set 2. Then Alton took off, winning by a combined 42 pts (tied for 2nd highest this season!) highlighted by a 25-7 set 3 that included 7 and 6 pt runs. Congrats to James & Alton for the Blowout of the Week!
And because it's not a post without a mention of the Bulldogs, I would be remiss not to mention that Craig appears bored with the usual tactics to winning and is putting his genius to the test by seeing if he can win in very unusual ways. Match 21 vs. the Manatees is a prime example, as the 'Dogs were actually outscored by a total of 4 points while pulling off the 5-set road win, and needed extra points in sets 1 & 4 to claim the victory. The rest of the league is on notice that even outscoring Craig doesn't mean you can beat him.
For the Upset of the Week, all eyes were on the Tourneys. Somewhat surprisingly, we had no upset sweeps this week, even with 3 matches where the teams were evenly rated. So it all fell to the "any win" upset category for our excitement. In the WGM Semis, Quincy went to Columbia, and as 5-pt underMules were not to be stopped. They played even on points, yet the more-Bitey team claimed the critical ones in set 3 (winning 31-29) and set 5 (15-13) for the upset. One upset-point better, The BullyFrogs were hosting the 'Squatch in the conference semis. Spokane were rated 6 higher, and outscored Burlington over the match, yet couldn't land the final point. The 'Frogs rallied back in set five, facing three straight possible match points to lose, and croaked out the 17-15 set to win the match and leap to the finals.
Topping both those matches was the WGM Semi between the 'Squatch and the always-favored Hogs. After lousy luck in the prior match, Spokane again put out their top line, and Cinci responded with theirs, an impressive 98 home-rated average and 9 better than Jason's team. With the 'Squatch coming out firing and winning set one 25-16, the tone was set. Cinci rallied back to win set 2, then watched as they dropped the next two 25-23 each and were left once again just shy of the trophy, as they surely would have been 20-1 odds favorites over the Mules had they won. Congrats to Jason for the Upset of the Week, against the top team in the league in a playoff Semi to boot (or barefoot? Do Bigfeet wear shoes?)!
Season marks remain at +44 for the Blowout (Columbia), -8 for an upset sweep (Schenectady) & -11 for any upset (Albuquerque).
Nice to set a record with that -20 set. We also had a -19 point set against Nashville and I think were 21-17 up in the 4th set. I'd like to think it was tactical genius in both games but - actually I'll leave it at genius :-)
Yes, yes! Fame again at last 🥳
Nice to see normal service is resumed 💥
Session 8 Recaps (SPOILER ALERT)
Blowout of the Week. Non-conference games tend to produce some of our greater differences as teams prioritize wins versus XP, or have more pressing (I.e. tourney) matches still left to play. This session highlighted those differences, as we had three blowouts of 30-plus points. Starting with a +30 pt win, the Bananas focused their efforts on the SEC Tourney Final and sent out some guys in team jerseys, investigation is still underway to determine if they were ever on the BRB roster. St. Charles was unimpressed, and it was a quick and brutal beat down, as the 15-ratings-pt favorites made the bettors happy as they readily covered the spread.
In another Sellers-related matchup (spoiler, still more to come on Clan Sellers!), the Mules were playing in two finals, so the Manatees got whatever was left on the pine from those matches. Mark's normally gentle SeaCows roughed up the Mules, beating them by double-digits in all three sets, and finishing at +31 pts for the match.
And then there were the Bloodhounds, who must have smelled, er, blood or something. Do Gargoyles have blood? In any case, at +20 ratings pts better by average, Starkville was ready for this match. Manitowoc was not, and mustered just 7 pts in set 1 on way to getting blown out by a combined 36 pts. Congrats to Starkville for the Blowout of the Week!
For the Upset of the Week, we had some flashy number, some finals fury, a usual suspect in this column, and a new Upset of the Season!
Taking first (questionably) honorable mention is Craig and the Dallas Bulldogs. They laughed at C-Ball's +5 ratings scores en route to a 3-1 upset. Craig continues to hold the mark for most wins by an underdog this season.
Second mention goes to Roger and the Peas, who overcome a -3 player rating gap in the Salad Bowl II (the 2nd Serving) to edge out the Tomatoes in the Conference Final. At least Columbia kept it close, and Roger escaped in 5 sets.
Third (dis)honorable mention goes to Quincy (and there's still one more Sellers-related match to come)! In the WGM Final of all places, we have an upset for the 2nd consecutive season. Last season, the Hogs were +4 better and lost in a sweep. This season, the 'Squatch were +6 per man better, and also lost in a sweep! Both the Mules and 'Squatch made it through multiple road matches to reach the final, and Jason had to be cursing his fortune that he ended up with the home match for the final. Al and the Mules claim yet another trophy, and I'll have to start tracking Largest Cup Final Upsets to see if anyone previously topped a -6 when there was hardware on display.
And that brings us to the two matches that went into double-digit upsets! In match 25, non-conference, Amy and the Cacti traveled to Muletown. Al did not take it easy for this one, trotting out a 91 avg rating. Team Pokey brought a very respectable 80 themselves, yet the -11 ratings difference seemed like it would be too much to overcome. And then the points started coming down the wrong way, and because it's in this column, you know the outcome! Amy won in 5 sets at -11 to tie Kelsey's prior season-best mark of -11 for an upset win. And against Al to boot! There was undoubtedly much taunting in the Sellers household this past weekend.
And then Olmec remembered that John Holden has a team in TMVL. Because, well, it's John. And Olmec. Kentucky wasn't exactly trying to win, with a 72-rated team on the road in a non-conference match. John's 86 for the Bats, at home in the Bat Cave, seemed a strong side and bridge too far to let Matt pull any of his usual cat-tricks. But Olmec, oh Olmec. 5 sets later, John just had to have been shaking his head at what was, powerless to stop the oncoming rolling rock-face of doom. Last season, the greatest upset was -12. John's luck, when bad, laughs at such limits. Not only do Matt and the Panthers now own the Upset of the Season at -14, that may be the mark to beat for all TMVL history. I'm still going back through earlier seasons to be sure. For now anyway, congrats to Matt and commissionerations with He Who Does Not Want To Be Named in the Upset Blog Posts!
Our season marks: Blowout of the Season, +44 Columbia. Upset (any) of the Season: Kentucky (-14). Upset (sweep) of the Season: Santa Clara (-8).
Is this the 1st time a team shows up on both sides of the Blowout of the Week?
Admittedly, I prefer to win small oftenly and lose big rarely - compared to the alternatives.
I LOVE this thread each week, thank you Kevin!
Good (or not so good) to see the Mules in the article this week? It is Wednesday and this is the first time Mrs. Sellers and I have talked since Sunday, so...
I think the absolute Tour de Force in this post is this line:
And then Olmec remembered that John Holden has a team in TMVL
Yes, Olmec did...
And what about CB?
Craig continues to hold the mark for most wins by an underdog this season.
It is ALL ABOUT CB...
Surely getting mentioned as holding a record in a positive way here should bring more xp or ranking points? 🤔 😇
I'm also just wondering if a new post should be open each week. This is getting rather long to scroll down
Gotta admit I'm not a fan of this week's update. But that has nothing to do with Kevin, who has done good work as always.
I hear Matt's comments about finger fatigue having to scroll down, so we'll keep this update brief and (if there is any interest in the column returning) will do a new entry each session for next season.
In the Blowout of the Week, it's Tourney Time with all the 1 v 16 matchups and consolation Cup/Shield matches where one team cares way, way more than the other. We had four matches result in dominating sweeps as a result. In the Holyoke 16 matchups, Kentucky sent the Cubs to play against the Red Pandas (+15 rating better), and it did not go well. Nashville let them hang out for the first set, then doubled 'em up in the next two and went on to win by a combined 30 points. At the same time, the Gargoyles (clearly a mythical mascot) faced off against the 'Squatch (clearly not mythical at all, very real and I have a black and white grainy photo to prove it). Spokane was +18 ratings points better and it showed. Jason and the Real Tall (and very real) Hairy Men showed no mercy, winning by a combined 32. That final score tally was matched in the National Tourney as well, with the Bulldogs deciding they just didn't like the way this year's trophy looked. Dallas gave a big ol' 'meh' in the match against the Shrimps. Former Champ Vick appeared offended by the lack of effort. 75-43 total points later, the match was done. It was over by point 10 of the second set.
And to top all that, in the Shield first round, the Winged Hogs put out an almost-top lineup, rated at 90. The Chameleons sent... seven someones (63 rating). The +27 ratings difference was the largest of the session, and the result showed, with Phil's team mustering just 11 points in two sets. JT crusied to a final +35 pt differential for the Blowout of the Week! Congrats, James!
In the Upset of the Week, there was really only one candidate to consider. A few mentions before getting to the big one. First, we had a whopping 6 matches where the teams were evenly rated. Might be a record for one session. Happened to the Scarecrows twice, and of course since it's a tourney, they won them both in 5 sets. For actual upsets, the Bananas (-3) pulled not one, but two in the same session! Mike first toppled the Red Pandas in the Cup, with a 3-set sweep, and then went on to the Nat'l Tourney and repeated the feat against Denali. At least Andy got 5 sets out of it. And, of course, Craig and the 'Dogs also pulled a -3 upset, away at Columbia of all places, with the Tomatoes actually trying to win with a 91-rated team! While set 3 went to 29-27, it was not enough for Steve to avoid getting swept by Captain Upset (upset sweep of the week, along with Baton Rouge, at -3 for a 3-set sweep).
With the mandatory Craig mention out of the way, we can move on to our Session 9 champ. Conference play, match 29. The Squirrels were hoarding nuts (and top players) for use late in the session. The 'Squatch didn't play their entire top line, yet an 80 rating at home is very respectable, particularly when it's 13 pts higher than the visiting arboreal rodents. Apparently, 'Squatch look like trees and the Squirrels were right at home. While Spokane won the 2nd set by 11 pts, the Squirrels eked out the other three sets by a 4, 3, and 2 to pull the upset at -13, and despite being outscored by 2 points combined over the match. That marks the 2nd highest upset (behind only Kentucky's -14) of this season! Jason, who noted that he wasn't a fan of least session's update, has to feel even worse about this one. Congrats to Schenectady for the Upset of the Week!
Definitely an interest for it returning next season - this is normally the first place I look for the new posts.
Session 10 is in the record books (Spoiler Alerts, as always)! And it's tourney quarterfinals time, so lots of competitive matches for the top teams, and lots of scrambling to get the last XP in for the rest of us.
For the Blowout of the Week, we really didn't have a good one. The top mark of the season is at +44 by CCT, and our top mark for this week was +24. At least it got hit three times though! Match 34, conference play, saw road teams coming with decent lineups, yet not their top marks. They were met by slightly better home teams, and things just got away from the visitors. What is interesting is that both matches had identical scores in all three sets! Ames traveled to St. Charles and lost 15-25, 20-25, 16-25. All the way on the west coast, Santa Clara hosted Denali, and won by identical marks.
Meanwhile in the Shield Semis, all-everything JT was a noted favorite over Ames, and didn't leave it to chance. Ames got smacked down in three sets for the second time in the sesssion, against losing by a combined 24 total points. Congrats to James, Max & Martyn for the Blowouts of the Week!
And in the Upset of the Week... it also felt a bit anticlimactic based on the numbers alone. We didn't even have an upset sweep this session, so little interest was generated by the stats page... Until we look at the team involved, and then it gets very interesting indeed! First mention goes to the top Upset of the Week, with Paul and the Lumberjacks playing the Kennel Club in round 3 of the TMVL Cup. As everyone by now knows, Craig and the Dallas 'Dogs are a staple of this column. This session though, it appears that Craig's noted kindness and generosity were on display as he twice hosted "How to Pull an Upset" conferences, and used his own team as the practice squad. In Match 35, Dallas were rated 5 points better, and took the first set readily, coincidentally by 5 pts. Then the 'Jacks took set 2 in extra points, and started to roll. By set 4, Portland had mastered the teacher's lessons, and won by a clear 10 points to pull the Upset of the Week! Congrats to Team Treefellers!
Earlier in the session, Dallas was hosting Roger and the Peas for a similar training session. Roger's team proved to be a little harder to instruct. Perhaps playing on the road intimidated them a little more, as the Dog Pound is not an easy venue to invade. Despite winning in four sets as minus 3-rated under-legumes, they faltered in set 3 and the 'Dogs won by 9. Stealing both the 1st and 2nd sets in extra points (29-27, 26-24) and closing out the match in set 4 at 25-23, the Peas were actually outscored by 3 total points while winning the match. Congrats to Roger for the upset, and to Craig for his excellent instruction!
And a very special honorable mention is now in order. Last season, the whole season, only a few teams never pulled an upset. No one's luck was worse than Antioch's though. Rob's team didn't win a single match when they were rated +4 or worse over the opponent. So far this season, they've won exactly one match when not sizably favored, all the way back in session 1 in the WGM Group stages where there were multiple freshman at play. So Match 35, TMVL Cup Semis, against the Bananas, seemed like the nail in the tourney coffin. Baton Rouge already has a 5-pt upset of the 'Fish this season, and Mike just has a way of beating Rob that defies logical explanation. When set 1 was finished, it felt like 'same ol', same ol'' 25-18, Bananas. Even when the 'Fish rallied to take set 2 23-25, it felt like the inevitable was coming, and set' 3's 25-22 Bananas result had the crowd starting to check scores and phone feeds around the league to see what other interesting matches were still going. And then the 'Fish didn't flop. They played their best set yet against BRB this season, winning 25-19 and setting up set 5. As the match went down the wire, the crowd that stayed got their money's worth! A slugfest that went to extra points, with Antioch triumphing 16-14 to advance to the Cup semis, and Rob left shocked and dumbfounded on the bench as he couldn't believe what his team had just done. Congrats to Rob for the not-upset of the week, yet certainly the top Upset by the Fish in over two seasons! (We won't dwell on the next match, where they were again 2-pt deep dwelling under-Fish and got stomped by the 'Squatch in the Holyoke. Having one upset will need to be enough for now.)
Always grateful for a tactical lesson from the Bulldogs 🐩
(Spoiler Alert, as always) For our Blowout of the Week we had a tie for the top spot! Both in conference action, where we expect some lopsided scores as the season winds down and teams are in either Win At All Costs or XP At Any Cost mode. Or where some are simply in Scorched Earth mode. See: Hogs vs. Anyone. Match 39 and Cincinnati at home was a tough draw for the Squirrels. Still, they gave it a good go and brought an average 83 rated squad to challenge JT's 86. It was for naught, getting swept by a combined 25 points difference. That's the way the Big East has rolled lately.
Meanwhile, in the Big 8, we saw Ames "bring" a 68-rated team (I.e. mailed in) to face Roger, who rolled out an impressive 93-avg for his team. The 25 pt difference was the highest of the session, and it showed. Coincidentally, their three sets matched SS v CWH exactly, 21-25, 16-26, 13-25 to tie the also coincidentally 25-pt blowout in three sets to 25 points. Eat that Sesame Street, who never had a show brought to you by the Number 25! And congrats to Roger & James for the dual Blowout of the Week!
For the Upset of the Week, there were a few of note. We did have an upset sweep this week. N'Orleans on the road against the Twisters. C-Ball admittedly deserved better, +6 rated at home, and not even getting a set for XP. Took set 3 to extra points, yet couldn't hammer down the winner. Also of note was the Shield Semifinal between Spokane and Starkville. The 'Squatch were +5 on ratings, on neutral court, and as Jason noted haven't figured out how to win the 'Big One' yet. The Bloodhounds sniffed out the trail to victory and after taking the first set in extra points were relentless in tracking down the "W" to advance to the finals. Spokane left scratching their heads, and wherever else the ticks and lice bite, again.
We had two better though! Both coming in at -9 for the match, the Swordfish had a vegetable shishkabob on their, um, swords? Whatever you call it, it was effective and kept the Peas shell-shocked for the match, taking the first two sets. Pekin rallied and forced a set 5, where San Diego played above water and refused to go down, swimming away with the upset. And earlier in the session, in conference play, once again we have Dallas involved, though not exactly what Craig was hoping for. St. Charles came to Dogtown, and Craig dropped a 92-rated team on the court. While Max's 83 wasn't kibbles, it looked as if Dallas would have the advantage. Then they dropped set 1. After rallying and taking set 2, set 3 went 32-30 to Max. Dallas got angry and whooped 'em in set 4 14-25, only to let set 5 slip away by 5. Dallas outscored St. Charles for the match by 2 points overall, yet dropped the match overall to the co-Upset of the Week! Congrats to St.C & SanD!
One session to play. Will our season marks stand or fall? Columbia +44 for Blowout. Kentucky -14 for the Upset, and Santa Clara -8 for the Upset Sweep still hold for now.
I too LOVE this feature especially the fun quotes/phrases Kevin has!
Kevin also with a nod to Steve in the "one team lost but they had more points" contest (aka Dallas v St. Chucks).
My favorite Kevin comment is still:
And then Olmec remembered that John Holden has a team in TMVL