Alternate Histories

Nassim Taleb has written several important books, the well-known bestseller "The Black Swan" and lesser-known "Fooled by Randomness."  He emphasizes the concept of "alternate histories" in the latter, that is, the multiple possible futures that exist in any situation. Player skill, illness, and injury and especially fluctuations in performance can produce alternate histories.

Players may think of how to approach a future opponent while coaches take a broader approach including multiple potential pitfalls that can impede the successful pathway.  Therefore, the best coaches work tireless to identify how to implement strengths and cover up weaknesses.

Coaches work to shift both individual and collective skills of their team but especially to prevent weaknesses from being critical. For example, in post-season contest almost a decade ago, the eventual state champion played a virtual five player defense with the libero covering extra territory to overcome a localized weakness.

During an Olympic volleyball match today, the commentator opined, "If you serve too many lollipops you're gonna get licked !"

Local fans can rest assured that the coaching staff will do everything possible to continue an excellent process to produce the greatest probability of success. 

Here is the link to this season's schedule.