We Have Internet! Running Diaries - Ramapo/Elms.

Finally got internet up here, apparently I'm not intelligent enough to figure out how to connect to their internet here at MIT, let alone actually attend the institution. Props to the assistant coach/random ball shagger for helping!

Nazareth/Emmanuel just finished, was closer than I expected, but Nazareth came through. I wrote in a notepad file, I will post it tonight.

SET 1: (Ramapo Score - Elms Score)

0-0 Elms does a loud cheer in Spanish. Entertaining to watch the lone American Kleckner try to fit in on that.

0-1 Andujar dump on 2 gives Elms the early lead. They have two big guns in Velez/Bravo, but rarely go to them on the first play.

5-1 Timeout Elms. Ramapo fires off a run to push Elms back. Elms' serve receive, which has been its saving grace during its recent hotstreak, seems a bit shaky. Probably nerves being on the big stage, but I wouldn't count them out yet.

6-1 Ace by Donahue. Ramapo is booming.

8-2 A net violation by Ramapo breaks the run, but DeLeon misses the serve to give the ball back to Ramapo. A sloppy volley ensues on the next play, with a waffled overpass giving Ramapo the point.

9-4 Block by Elms. Hopefully this will help them calm down... you can see they're a bit nervous. Bravo isn't on the court, possibly as he's seen as a defensive liability... still, with the weak passing, it makes you wonder if he wouldn't be a good bailout option.

11-5 Nice spurt by Ramapo to get the ball back, but Velez just hit the best line shot I've ever seen in Division III. Holy crap.

14-5 Hitting error by Velez followed by a Ramapo kill gives them the 9 point lead... Elms has got to calm down if they want to make a push for this set.

17-6 Ace by Ramapo/block on Bravo keeps the bleeding going. The passing is non-existent on Elms' side.

18-7 Sideout by Elms, but a slide by Donahue gets the ball back.

19-7 Timeout by Elms. Bravo mishits a roll into the net. This team is a shell of what it was last weekend at NECC's... I am optimistic that they can pick it up, but I wonder if Ramapo will give them any ground for a comeback this set.

22-8 Missed serve by Ivan. They've got to make Ramapo earn their points!

24-10 Nice kill by Velez, but Elsasser tools the block. Ramapo is siding out incredibly well.

24-12 Kill by Kleckner followed by a setting error by Sierra gives Elms just a bit of momentum.

26-13 Great tool by Donahue. He just makes good decisions, swings high and off hands as good as anyone in Division III.

28-14 Waffle by Donahue lands for the kill. Elms seems to have put Bravo on the opposite for blocking purposes, but it may actually be hurting them, as I personally feel they play their best ball with him on the outside.

30-15 Hitting error by Cruz gives Ramapo the game. Just by watching I am confident that Elms hit in the negatives. If they don't move Bravo to the outside for bailouts, or clean up the passing, this could be a quick three setter...

SET 2.

1-1 Hitting error by Donahue, then serving error by Andujar.

1-2 PHENOMENAL x by Elms gets picked up after an incredibly lucky bounce off the curved ceiling, but DeLeon gets a second chance and puts it away. Starting to look like the Elms I know.

2-3 Kill by Donahue followed by a tool by Cruz.

4-4 Net violation by Bravo ties it up.

4-5 Bravo hits a cross shot from the outside to take the lead. Elms has seemed to shake off the jitters and began passing. This one is going to be close...

6-7 DeLeon blasts his second kill in a row. Not normally one of their heavy hitters, if he can continue to produce consistently it will give them an unexpected boost.

6-8 DeLeon with another kill!

8-9 DeLeon blocked/hit the next out of bounds... uh oh.

9-9 Kill by Cruz ties it up.

11-10 Velez blasts a line-shot, followed by Elsasser (13, apparently there are two) hitting one of his own from the right side.

11-13 Two straight blocks by Elms gives them the two point advantage.

11-14 HUGGEEEE block by Sebastian/Bravo gives them 3 in a row. Ramapo is loud, but the crowd seems louder, and the masses seem to like Elms.

13-17 Another block on the outside by Sebastian/Bravo! Crowd goes nuts.

15-17 Great backrow attack by Donahue/hitting error by Sebastian brings Ramapo within two.

16-17 Failed x attempt by Bravo.

16-18 Great hit by DeLeon to break the run.

22-23 Lost internet briefly :( play's been going back and forth. Hitting error by Kleckner.

22-24 Kill by DeLeon off the x gives Elms a 2 point lead.

22-25 great volley, Carrasco gets a huge dig off Donahue and Velez puts it away.

22-26 Velez goes OT on the outside to give Elms a 4 point lead.

23-26 Elsasser (13) crushes a quick to sideout.

24-26 DeLeon overpasses, McNeill puts it down.

25-26 Setter stepped under the net for Elms.

25-28 Timeout Ramapo. Velez gets 2 MONSTER swings dug, player on ground for Elms digs 2 balls while laying on the ground, and Velez tools the block, at which point the crowd goes BESERK. The whole gym seems to be pro-Elms... which looks to be about 150 people from about 6-8 teams.

26-28 Huge kill by Kohler to silence the crowd.

26-29 Slide by Sebastian to give Elms its first set point.

27-29 Sebastian gets the block but grazes the net. Set point two for Elms coming up.

28-29 DeLeon overpasses it and Donahue swipes it right to get the point. Third set point for Elms.

28-30 Elsasser (16) serves a floater out to give the set to Elms. Brutal. It'll be interesting to see how Ramapo comes out. They seem to be hitting very conservative at the pins... Sierra is putting the ball almost at the ten foot line to give his hitters space, but I wonder if it's truly beneficial to give them that much room.

SET 3:

2-1 Nice start by Ramapo, but DeLeon sideouts on a cross shot to stop the run.

3-1 Great serve by Andujar, but the libero comes up with a BEAUTIFUL pass, and Donahue puts it away on the rightside.

6-1 Serve Receive getting a bit sloppy for Elms, Donahue on a nice run.

7-1 Timeout Elms after Castillo blasts a crosscourt shot. Even when Elms gets the pass, it seems like the chemistry with Andujar and the hitters isn't where it was last set. Bravo's been out this whole run.

8-4 Two missed serves and a hitting error by Ramapo lets Elms back in it.

9-4 Great backrow attack by Donahue. He's got one of the best in the country for D-III.

12-4 Velez gets blocked, then Backlund gets back-to-back aces. He's one of the few serving specialists in D-III that I actually feel serves his purpose well...

12-5 Just jinxed him. Missed serve into the net gives Elms the ball back.

12-6 Block by Velez and Sebastian. Bravo back in the front row, could lead to a run.

13-6 Hitting error by Bravo off a broken play.

13-7 GREAT pass by Carrasco leads to a crosscourt rightside kill by Velez.

16-7 Hitting error by DeLeon on back to back plays. Timeout Elms. Their discouragement with their play is apparent, and they certainly look more similar to the team we watched in the first set. A good pass to get Bravo a decent look could stop the bleeding...

16-8 Nice pass leads to quick kill by Sebastian.

17-8 Missed serve by Sebastian. Elms can't afford mistakes like that...

18-8 Block by Ramapo. Not appreciating them stealing our YOU SHALL NOT PASS chant.

19-9 Ace followed by a missed serve. Andujar back to serve... he needs a big run here.

19-10 ... and gets the ace off the tape!

20-10 Donahue tools DeLeon off the slide for the point. He's been showing his versatility all match, hitting from every spot on the court.

21-10 Castillo with the cross court kill. Freshman for Ramapo, great vert, nice shoulder... if they could get him to glide a bit more instead of jumping straight up he could become a VERY strong player over the next few years.

22-15 Back-to-back kills by Velez. Elms showing some life...

23-15 Quick by Kohler to sideout.

23-16 Lift by a Ramapo player after 2 pancakes in the same play... Yikes.

24-17 Point Elms... but another pancake by Ramapo, they're not letting anything hit.

25-17 Sierra wins a joust against Cruz for the point.

26-17 Donahue tools Andujar for the point. Elms is using a lineup where he hits a couple rotations... which I just don't understand.

27-17 Hitting error by Andujar. Scary moment when Donahue seems to land on Andujar's foot, coming up limping. Timeout Elms, and he seems to be walking it off.

28-17 Roof by Donahue on Andujar. Guess he's fine.

28-18 Nice cross-court shot by DeLeon to get the ball back. I just realized I haven't been writing much about Bravo... he's on the sideline. They can't afford to keep him out for long stretches like that. It seems like he hasn't taken many swings.

30-18 Ace Ramapo to end the set. Crowd is starting to disburse, most likely to check out the Stevens/EMU game. If Velez/Bravo don't catch fire, this could end quickly...

SET 4:

0-1 Ace by Andujar to start the game.

1-1 ... Followed by an error. Wish he missed that much against us...

2-1 Bravo with the error. Why is he starting in the 2?

2-2 Quick by Cruz ties it up. Bravo's in the backrow now... And they're keeping him in. I suppose that's acceptable as I realize they want to get Velez to the front.

6-3 Ramapo picks up a few clutch digs to make a nice run.

7-4 Donahue with another backrow attack. I'd be interested to know what his hitting percentage running the pipe, sometimes I think he hits that better than he does frontrow.

8-6 Velez to the back, and Bravo to the front... they finally put them opposite again. This seems to have been their best lineup when they play us, I never understood why they don't do it from the start.

9-8 Kill by Sebastian - Elms' middles have come a LONG way since the beginning of the season, which is probably a big reason they've come on strong to finish the season.

11-9 Elms gets two soft blocks on Donahue... only to let the cover put it over and let the ball hit the ground. They cannot let that fall.

11-11 A rightside kill by Bravo where he seemed to never come down followed by a block ties it up.

11-12 hitting error by Elsasser (13) gives Elms the lead!

11-13 Castillo goes to hit the pipe and takes it back in his face - ouch.

12-14 Kleckner with a nice cross-court kill to sideout.

13-14 Castillo with a nice tool on the outside.

14-14 Velez under the net to tie it up...

14-15 After a long volley, Sebastian puts the quick down to give Elms the lead. Nice that they're getting production from the role players, that will be key if they want to go to 5.

16-15 Castillo tools the triple block, and Elms calls timeout. Hard to say if either team has the momentum, both are making big plays.

19-15 Velez hits out on the x. Jesus goes under the net saving a ball. DeLeon hits one out. They're starting to give looks to the refs. Not a good way to come out of a timeout.

21-16 Donahue down the line for the kill. Not sure if Elms can make up the difference with the way Ramapo is siding out.

22-16 Ace by Ramapo, and Elms' frustration is evident. They call timeout.

23-19 BRUTAL no call on a lift, good thing Cruz puts it down because the crowd would have erupted.

25-19 Hitting error by Velez/Ace by Ramapo. Elms cannot let balls drop - the aces aren't even being touched.

26-20 Nice slide by Donahue.

27-20 Hit long out of bounds by Cruz. Elms disagrees. You can feel each point hanging over their head for the next 2 plays (sound familiar?

27-22 GREAT dig by Cruz leads to a tool by Velez.

28-23 Missed served by Elsasser (13). Elms needs to run...

28-24 Sierra above the plain on a dump, backrow attack violation.

28-25 Timeout Ramapo. Velez jumps early for the flat 4, but has such a nice arm that he still gets the tool on pure strength.

29-25 Castillo with the clutch kill on the outside. I don't believe he started this match - I wonder if they'll keep him playing the remainder of the tournament.

30-25 Hitting error by Kleckner. They fought hard, but Ramapo was simply more consistent. It's a shame Elms got the 14 seed - if they could have gotten the nervousness out of their system against a weaker opponent they may have been able to claw back. Oh well, that's the craziness of the tournament.

Although I was originally thinking of doing a journal for the third game, but I want to watch both matches, and as their in different gyms I gotta shut it down. I will post tonight with more recaps/thoughts on the day. Wish us luck!