The reason for confidence re this weird 2021 Winter/Spring Season is a roster over-flowing with talent! Barring injuries or COVID-related issues, this should be the strongest roster yet in the storied history of Gopher Volleyball. Coach McCutcheon, another reason for optimism (McCutcheon coached the U.S. Men’s Team to a Gold Medal at the 2008 Olympics, and the U.S. Women’s Team to a Silver Medal at the 2012 Olympics, so he’s been around some pretty good players) commented on how exciting is has been to work with this team, “Athletes like this don’t come around very often.” Let’s examine this talent, position by position:
SETTERS: Junior McMenimen, who filled in so effectively last fall, is back, and should again provide viable options. Unfortunately, McMenimen is only 5-9 with a modest vertical. The Gophers proved last season that they can switch to a 6-2, where neither setter plays front row, eliminating the need to block, and still beat good teams. But McCutcheon clearly prefers the 5-1, so more likely the starting setter will be:
Incoming Freshman Melani Shaffmaster, a uniquely tall (6-3) setter whose size allows her to provide a blocking presence to go along with her passing prowess. Shaffmaster, out of Newcastle, Ind, was ranked (depending on which rating service you look at) as somewhere between the 6th and 9th best graduating high-schooler in the country. Plus she was an “early enrollee” at the “U” last winter, providing an extra few months of practice with Samedy, Pittman and the other Gopher hitters.
LIBEROS AND D.S.: Junior libero C.C. McGraw, First Team All-Big Ten, and Sophomore Defensive Specialist. Rachel Kilkelly, are both back, joined by incoming Freshman Cami Appiani, star of a Torrey Pines California team ranked first in California, and No. 2 nationally.
Appiani is reported to have a very high volleyball IQ and a powerful serve, so she could win a starting position as a freshman. And I thought Kilkelly, after a slow start last year, really came on late in the season, so the coveted libero position and the consolation job of Defensive Specialist could be attainable for any of these three fine athletes. But if I had to guess, I think McGraw will remain the libero, and Kilkelly the D.S., at least while Appiani gets accustomed to the Big Ten.
OPPOSITES (right-side): Steph Samedy, Second Team All-American, First Team All-Big Ten, and one of 17 seniors-to-be selected for U.S. National Team training in mid-March delete, will almost certainly be back for her senior year. And almost certainly be the starting Opposite.
Also a senior, last year’s JC-Transfer Airi Miyabe showed flashes of brilliance at Opposite when the Gophers were forced to play a 6-2. But if I am correct about the Gophers using a 5-1 in 2020, there won’t be much opportunity for Miyabe at Opposite (behind Samedy).
MIDDLES: Taylor Morgan (I loved Morgan, not only her offense but also her spirit, which will be hard to replace) is gone (eligibility exhausted). But First Team All-American Regan Pittman will be back for her “senior” year. (Actually, Pittman also graduated, but is taking graduate classes as she utilizes her final year of eligibility.)
The competition for the other Middle position is going to be intense. Candidates will include Sophomores Shea Rubright and Ellie Husemann, both of whom were on the floor for critical points (Rubright a bit more often, as I recall) last year; used almost exclusively as blockers (not given many opportunities to hit).
And graduate-transfer (two years of eligibility remaining) from Maryland, Katie Meyers, 6-2. The 62nd-ranked recruit coming out of high school, Meyers led the Terps in aces and blocks during her red-shirt freshman year, and last year (2019) ranked in the top five in the Big Ten in aces, blocks, and hitting percentage, and was named to the 2019 Collegiate National Team that competed internationally.
Plus the versatile Miyabe, though more naturally a outside hitter, might be too just good to keep out of the starting lineup, and end up at Middle. I’m guessing Meyers will be the other starting Middle, but it wouldn’t shock me if it’s Miyabe or Rubright.
LEFT-SIDE HITTERS: A coach I once knew used to say that a volleyball team was only as good as their left-side hitters. Fortunately, the 2020 Gophers will have incredible talent at this position. With both spots potentially up for grabs, the competition for the two starting Left-Side positions could be even more intense than that for Middle.
The powerful Alexis Hart (1,451 kills during her Gopher career, is gone (playing pro ball in Finland until Covid 19 struck). But Junior Adanna Rollins, a 6-rotation starter since her freshman year, is back, and presumably has the inside track for one of the two Left-Side positions, maybe even the 6-rotation position (in McCutcheon’s preferred system, the other Left-Side hitter usually plays only 3 rotations). But who knows?
There’s also Miyabe; wouldn’t be a shock to see her hitting Left-Side. And incoming Freshmen Taylor Landfair. Landfair, a 6-4 outside hitter from the Chicago Area, was the unanimous number 1 recruit in the country. And she too, was an “early enrollee” at the “U” last winter.
Plus another incoming 6-1 freshman, Jenna Wenaas. Wenaas, out of Texas, was the 5th or 6th best recruit in the country, is considered an exceptionally hard worker who gets better each year. (NOTE: This means that with Shaffmaster, Landfair & Wenaas, the Gophers have 3 of the top 10 incoming freshmen in the country. No other team has more than one of the top ten recruits).
So that’s at least 4 (Rollins, Miyabe, Landfair & Wenaas) talented athletes competing for 2 spots in the starting lineup. If I had to guess, it will be Rollins and Landfair. Though personally, I haven’t always been a big Rollins fan, Coach McCutcheon has shown a tendency of loyalty to players that have performed for him in the past (a tendency I won’t criticize), and Rollins deserves to start the season. And though I’ve never seen Landfair in person, I can’t see not starting the unanimous number 1 recruit in the country.
This 2021 (Winter/Spring) Gopher Team has not yet competed against other schools, and the Big 10 is loaded as always, so there could be some early season bugs to work out. But the talent is ridiculous, the coaching is excellent, and this year’s team even has depth. Like I said, I will be very disappointed if this team is not a serious contender for the Gophers’ first National Championship!