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| Dennis Hohenshelt |
The Wahoo Central Chat Room with Dennis Hohenshelt
Second-year Virginia volleyball head coach Dennis Hohenshelt chats live Wednesday, Oct. 16 at 11 a.m.
The Cavaliers host ACC rivals North Carolina and NC State Oct. 18-19 at Memorial Gymnasium. Both matches are set for 7 p.m. starts.
Submit your questions now. Questions will not appear until the chat starts. Remember Coach Hohenshelt cannot answer questions regarding the recruitment of prospective student-athletes.
Become a follower of Virginia Volleyball on Twitter at @UVaVolleyball.
Follow Wahoo Central by selecting the tab located on the top navigation bar on VirginiaSports.com.
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Wahoo Central Moderator: Welcome to the Wahoo Central Chat Room with Dennis Hohenshelt, let’s get started |
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| Charles (Charlottesville): North Carolina looks to be putting together a great season so far. What will it take to knock off the Heels on Friday night? |
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Dennis Hohenshelt: UNC is playing very solid volleyball – we are going to have to be sharp, we need to win the serve/pass battle and keep them out of system |
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| Jenn (Charlottesville): What advice do you have for kids interested in playing volleyball? |
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Dennis Hohenshelt: My suggestion is that younger players play as many sports as they can and not focus on just one thing – we are looking for great athletes who can play volleyball not just volleyball players |
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| Mike – Richmond: Toughest ACC venue to play in? |
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Dennis Hohenshelt: That is a tough one as each venue is pretty different – I think FSU is very tough because they always have good crowds who come out and support them – My favorite place so far has been Carmichael at UNC just because of the history there |
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| Mitch (Fluvanna): Now that we are about half way thru the season, how do you feel about the way your first year players are playing? How have they improved and what do they need to do to keep getting better? |
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Dennis Hohenshelt: Mitch – I have been pleased with the effort and attitude the first years have come in with – ACC play is at a completely different level and they now have to adjust to playing against bigger and more experienced players – they are also into the grind of the season so they need to push a little harder in practice each and every day |
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| Charlottesville: Been really impressed with the changes. There’s a rotation where you’re giving up consecutive points in a row in several games like 8 straight points at the end of set 4 against Syracuse. Are you working on anything to close the gap before UNC and NC state this weekend? |
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Dennis Hohenshelt: Thanks for noticing – we have gotten caught in one rotation especially and we understand that – it is something we look at – we have tried to run some different things but did not have a lot of success with it this weekend – the most confusing part is that it involves two of our better attackers – we are trying to clean up our passing and fix those rotations we have been struggling in |
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| Sims – Charlottesville: What’s the focus so far for the season? It appears that our serving has gotten tougher this season, but not so much on the blocking.. |
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Dennis Hohenshelt: Sims – I think our serving has improved but can still get better and needs to stay tough for us to win matches – as a staff we all know blocking needs to get better and we spend a good deal of time on it – we really focus on things week by week and try to identify those things we did not do well on the weekend, unfortunately blocking seems to be a weekly thing |
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| Susan (Richmond): Coach, can you talk about Emily Rottman and what she means to the team as a veteran leader? Is it hard for her to be the only senior or is it a role that she has embraced? |
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Dennis Hohenshelt: Susan – Emily is a great player and a lot of our success this year has been because of the things she has done as a passer and defender – I wouldn’t trade her for anyone – I would like her to be a little more vocal with the team – but overall she has been a great leader and comes into the gym everyday and trains hard – I don’t think being the only senior effects her at all, she looks as this is her team |
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| Tom, Fort Worth, Texas: Is UVa volleyball planning any pre-season games/tournaments in Texas over the next few years? A Texas Fan. |
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Dennis Hohenshelt: Tom – we were just discussing this the other day and it is our plan to get to Texas in the next year or two |
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| Matt (Charlottesville): In most of the team’s losses this year, they’ve come out strong and taken the first set from the competition. What are you working on to keep that consistency and level throughout the match? |
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Dennis Hohenshelt: Matt – I have tried everything I can think of – from praising, to yelling, to ignoring – nothing has seemed to work so we will try to find something – what we need for the players to figure out is how to carry that momentum forward as we have been very solid to open matches |
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| UVAirish (Granger): Any plans for air conditioning in the gym? |
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Dennis Hohenshelt: No – we like the heat and I think it is a great atmosphere to train in – we are always looking at ways to improve Mem and the administration has been very supportive with any suggestions that we have thrown out there |
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| Jodie (Orange): What are your favorite sports at UVA to support when you get some time away from volleyball? |
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Dennis Hohenshelt: I am really a sports fanatic and like anything – I think it is important for all of the sports to get out and support one another as much as we can – I am a big college football guy but because of the schedule I have not been able to get to many games – I am also a big lacrosse fan and think it is a fascinating sport to watch |
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Wahoo Central Moderator: We have time for one more question today. |
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| Greg (Charlottesville): What’s up with all the Hawaiian shirts? |
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Dennis Hohenshelt: I just have a really nice collection of them and have been collecting them over the years – my former boss at Penn State wore them for pre-season and I liked it so I just continued the tradition – I have some great Elvis Hawaiian shirts I have not even broken out yet – I think if it is as hot as Hawaii in Mem Gym, I might as well wear the right shirts |
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Wahoo Central Moderator: That’s all the time we have today, thanks everyone for your questions and see you at Mem Gym this weekend! |
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