Above image was taken by indoor drone footage at a recent TMVL match. It is believed to be the actual lineup sheet submitted by a manager for a match, before it was taken off the child and turned in to the scorer's table at match time.  I'll let you decide which team it was (see below for details).

Blowouts, Upsets, and More is back after a two-weekend hiatus!  A combination of Midwest US weather at its best, family illness, unexpected work 'features' taking up early morning and evening times, and some wrinkles to the TMVL schedule not meshing with mine all contributed to not being able to get in the time and attention that such momentous happenings in TMVL required.  Did we get beat down by the circumstances?  Yes, yes we did.  Did we get back up again because that's what Upsets are made of?  Absolutely!  For those that missed us, welcome back!  For those that didn't, you're probably not reading this anyway.  Go do something cool to appear in the column next weekend.

Recapping the last three sessions, and all the goodness within!

Starting with Blowouts, I'm really starting to fear we're not going to top the current marks.  Three sessions and nobody cracked the top 3 for the season.  Still, there were a few matches worth mention.  In Match 18, Manitowoc traveled to Arlington.  Not sure what the Anteaters have against Gargoyles (who don't eat ants), yet whatever it is came out strong in this one.  David's Vermilingua (look it up) cruised to a 3-set sweep, winning by a combined 35 points.  The following session saw two more notable matches.  Match 21, non-conference, Portland and one of the top T7's traveled to Teutopolis.  C-Ball threw out a strong home lineup, while the lumberjacks sent a few guys in flannel and wielding nothing stronger than a Swiss Army knife.  'Jacks fell in straight sets by a combined 39 points.  T-Town is quietly having a Top 10 Team season, and probably hoping no one points it out and starts sending top lines their way.  Hi, Mike!  And for the top Blowout / SmackDown of the week, we feature another SEC team at home in Match 21 (non-conf) against column-favorite Craig and the Bulldogs.  Antioch came out prepared for a dog fight.  The 'Dogs came out for walkies in the parkies, complete with little shoes on the puppies' feet because the floor was too cold.  The 'Fish can't show mercy, because they have none.  Set 2 tells the story, as Antioch blew out Dallas before the 'Dogs could even crack double-digits on the scoreboard.  Antioch wins it easy, by a combined 40 points.

While nobody came close to our +48 (Nashville) and +49 (Portland) currently leading the league, there's plenty of non-conference matches to go.  We live in eternal hope of others' misfortunes here in the BUM Report.

Upsets of the Week kept things busy though, with a new high mark and two more upset sweeps!  Going by overall upset power (marked by greater difference in comparative team average player ratings on the match reports), we start in Match 21 (non-conf) with San Diego at Alton.  While the overall team strengths (71 v 73) and difference (only a -2 upset) were not particularly notable, the final tally was.  Not just an upset.  An Upset Sweep befell James' Bald Birdies.  25-23, 25-23, 25-21.  Only the third upset sweep of the season, and settling in at spot #3 if anyone else wants to unseat the Swordfish for end of season glory (at least in this column).

Meanwhile, there were far greater upsets brewing, including a new season record (and possibly league?). Stay with us. We'll get there.  Before we do though, we stick with a firm upset involving Olmec's whipping boy, John H.  Some weeks, Olmec taketh away in grand fashion.  Other weeks, Olmec builds up (just to take away later, of course).  This week?  Olmec was in a giving mood.  We stay in Match 21 (non-conf) as the Bats rolled out a mediocre line for them (rated 66) against Mat-Su's 73-rated home squad.  The Moose weren't all-in, yet definitely were not just giving this one away.  Olmec cared not for half-hearted home court defenses!  Bryce's Meeses managed to win one set (26-24, set 2), yet dropped the others in increasingly worse fashion (22-25, 20-25, 19-25) as they suffered a -7 upset at home.  That would've been third best this season... before three others were played that outdid them!

Match 18 (non-conf). Denali at Nashville.  The Wolf Pups (avg 69 rating) trotted way southeast to the warmer climes of Music City, and found a waiting Panda Pack geared for kung fu-style combat (avg 80 rating).  Roy appeared set for a comfortable home victory, until the first match got rolling.  Andy's feral ones took the first two sets before Roy knew what hit them.  The Pandas rallied well in sets 3 & 4, yet couldn't come all the way back, falling 15-13 in set 5.  With results like this, Phil continues to wonder, "Why are the Wolves angry?"  Denali ties their own mark of -11 upset for third-best of the season so far, and the only team with two upsets of -10 or higher!

Of course, Olmec gives and takes away.  Why are the Wolves angry, Phil?  Match 19.  Tourney Quarterfinals.  Answer to the trivia question: Who is the last #1 Conference Tourney seed to lose in the first round vs. the #8 seed.  Yep, Denali.  In the other three conferences, we had two sweeps and a 3-1 win for the #1 seeds.  In the Pac 8, Denali put out the best overall lineup (rated 88 avg) in the whole conference.  Albuquerque sent out a mid-line team rated at 75 on average.  13-ratings-points down.  Andy didn't even see the truck coming before it hit him.  Set 1, and the Trash Pandas stormed away with a 25-19 win.  The Wolves did slightly better in set 2, only losing 22-25.  Set three would surely turn it around, right?  Nope, Kelsey just toyed with The Pack, letting them close it to 23-24 before slamming down the final point to not just win... not just pull a #8 v #1 upset... but to set the season-high bar for Upset Sweep with a 3-0 sets win at -13.  Congrats to Kelsey and the Raccoons!

And topping even that match, once again Bryce suffered an unworldly series of match results where, with the game on the line in set 5, he suffered mis-serves, mis-hits, and opponents' hitting way above expected rates.  Who is this mystery team that just pulled off the Upset of the Season (to date)?  None other than Matt and the Swordfish!  Match 14.  Conference play.  San Diego at Mat-Su.  The Swordfish sent a lineup rated at 71.  On the road in Pac 8 play?  Not so good.  Mat-Su put out an 87 at home.  That's a solid team in any conference, and within 3 points of the best away lineups we've seen so far this season (best currently 90 by Portland & Pekin).  Hard to nit-pick about what Bryce could have done differently when Olmec decides which way the wind will blow.  Set 1 seemed to go exactly as planned.  13-25, Mat-Su.  Read that again, and wonder in amazed awe at how a team that got nearly doubled-up in the opener came back to win.  Set 2, and despite multiple match points, Mat-Su couldn't put it away, and San Diego won 30-28.  Anomolies happen.  Back to domination in set 3, surely, had to be the thinking for both teams.  Then set 3 also went to an extra point, with the 'Fish winning 26-24!  What?  Set 4 seemed to right the ship, as the Moose won 25-18, San Diego never threatening in the set.  And then, after trading points up to switching sides in set 5, the hooves fell off Mat-Su's rally.  A comedy of errors and what the what? moments led to a 15-11 final set win for Matt, setting not only the current mark for this season at a -16 Upset, yet also a three-season high over season 10 (-14) and 9 (-12)!  Three seasons in the making for this one, folks, and we still have 5 sessions to go!

Congrats to Matt for the Upset of the (three) Week! and Upset of the Season (so far)!

And in a new section of the "More" part of Blowouts, Upsets, and More, we have a new item, prompted by a comment on the home page comment (complaining) wall by everyone's favorite unnamed instigator.  By the way, has anyone seen Al lately?  Oh.  Hi, Al!  Good to see you!  Just saying "hi" and not at all related to the prior sentence.

The chosen image for the column this week was originally meant to highlight a Blowout of the Week, which any parent can surely relate to from experience.  Instead, it seemed very fitting to include here for our new feature.  It is Yet To Be Named, so please include comments about what you think it should be called!  The Poo Poo Platter Special?  That Which Smelleth Not of Roses?  The Opposite of Trying?  Dueling Postmen ('cause they both mailed it in)?  Duo Deuce Drops?  Surely many of you are far more creative than me and can give this a sound naming.  The intent is simply: which match featured not just one manager clearly not trying to win and only throwing out a Bottom 7 lineup or the whole youth team looking for 3-sets of XP (because they don't expect to even win one set), yet BOTH managers dropping a deuce on the court with what they sent out.  Here's the official first nominee and the setting the very, very low bar for everyone else to try to clear:

Match 15. Non-conf.  Shenectady at Portland.  Brian's Arboreal Rodents have put out some impressive road numbers previously.  84 in an away conference match.  81 in an away non-conf match!  Portland?  They've put out the actual league-best lines we've seen so far.  Top home lineup (96, twice), away lineup (90, tied by Pekin), and Neutral lineup (92).  They have averaged 86 in Non-Conf home matches.  All told, this match had 80-something v 80-something and could have been the top Non-Conf of the week, easily.  Instead, here's what we got:   Squirrels. 59.  @  'Jacks.  57.

Teams have put up sub-60 lines this season.  Session 1 gets a pass as teams are starting out and some rest the starters for fit.  Since session 1?  Away teams have averaged a sub-60 twice per session.  At home?  Only 4 times, all season.  How many matches have featured a sub-60 both home & away, or both neutral?  You guessed it.  One.  This one.  Conspiracy?  Collusion?  Coincidence?  You be the judge.  The final result was... who cares?  The combined 116 average ratings is the absolute lowest this season.  Not even teams throwing matches on purpose in session 1, before CP'ing anyone, featured a lower combined average rating.  Congrats (maybe? or Condolences?) to Schnectady and Portland for the Stinkiest Sets of the Season (so far)!

Don't disappoint me, Olmecians!  Surely there is a great name for this anti-award out there awaiting post in the comments below!