R.A. WRITES: Thx for heads-up on HS tourney. Agree Booth was great, still needs to connect better with Shaffmaster, but she will certainly be a star. I noticed (and worried) about Wooker’s absence during warmups. Crowl settled in well after first shot into parking lot (kidding), nerves I suspected.
GOPHERS TAKE CARE OF MICHIGAN
The Wolverines put up minimal resistance when we swept them in Ann Arbor a month ago, but they played us tougher tonight at the Pav. We got the sweep, 25-21, 25-20, 25-22, but as the scores indicate, the Gophers had to work for each set.
In Set 1, the Gophs trailed 9-12 before a 10-2 run put them ahead 19-14, and they traded side-outs from there. In Set 2, the Gophs took a 13-7 lead before Michigan went on a 4-9 run to pull within 17-16 before the Gophers took charge. In Set 3, Michigan started strong, the Gophers pulled even at 7-7, then Michigan 8-11 and 11-14 before a 5-point run (with Kilkelly serving ) put the Gophs ahead for good.
The Gopher swept Michigan despite missing two players I think of as starters:
- Naya Gross was benched mid-match in last week’s loss at Wisconsin, and replaced by Erica Davis who played well, and the switch carried over into this evening’s match. Davis, who has an explosive vertical played okay (I had her with 3 kills and 1 block) but not great. I didn’t see what Gros did to get benched in Madison, and obviously I am not at practice, but Gros seems to me a stronger Middle than Davis.
- And Wooker spent tonight on the bench in sweats, obviously unavailable for some reason. She was replaced by Lauren Crowl (Crowl is an Opposite, so this switch moved Wenaas to Left-side). Crowl and Wenaas were also okay, I had them with 4 kills and 1 block each. When I saw Wooker in sweats/not warming up, I thought we might see Julie Hanson instead of Crowl, but it was Crowl. I wonder if Hanson is red-shirting. (Crowl already used her red-shirt.)
Fortunately, Landfair, Booth and McGraw were enough to beat Michigan with okay-matches from Davis, Crowl and Wenaas. Landfair, had 21 kills, Booth had 11 kills and 4 blocks, and McGraw had 14 digs, a couple of them spectacular. For the record, I wasn’t counting, but Michigan saved about a dozen balls that looked like certain points.
Not long ago, Booth’s kills were coming exclusively off quicks (and opponents over-passes), but Booth tallied 4 slides this evening. And yet even with 11 kills, the timing between Shaffmaster and Booth is still a work-in-progress; I couldn’t tell if the problem was with Shaffmaster, Booth, or both. If they ever get their timing down, Booth is going to put up some big numbers one day soon. And if Booth sticks around, Booth is going to become a major star.
And speaking of “sticking around,” a Reader told me this evening that we have already seen fallout from Coach McCutcheon decision to move on. I forget her name, but the Gophers had received a commitment from the #1 Libero in the Class of ’23 – but now she says she’s going to Nebraska! McGraw is out of eligibility at season’s end, and I don’t think we have another high-quality Libero on this roster. Certainly not Kilkelly, who I thought had a hard time receiving serve again tonight. I’m guessing our best option will be to scour “The Portal.”
NEXT UP: Ilinois at Ilinois, Sunday 1:00, BTN+. I caught a lot of Ilinois’ loss to Wisconsin on Wed. Ilinois is a strong blocking team (as are the Gophs, so that should be interesting), but they don’t hit as well as the Gophers. But they are a very aggressive serving team, and receiving serve can be our Achilles’ Heel.
(I don’t always post it, but from time to time various Readers have commented on the physical attractiveness of certain players; these readers might want to watch Illinois Opposite, #9, Kayla Burbage.)
H. S. TOURNEY TIME
The Minnesota Girls High School Volleyball Tournament, one of the most fun sporting events of the year is upon us – with 32 teams, 8 each in 4 classes (based on size) descending on the Xcel Center. One admission is good for all-day, two matches at a time, and you can watch both. (You might get a sore neck.)
Naturally, the overall quality of play is stronger in Class AAAA than among the smaller schools. But by the time teams reach the State Tournament, and especially in the semis and championship rounds, there is strong play in every division. Wayzata, featuring the Gopher-bound Swenson Twins, and winners over #3-rated Champlin Park in the Region Finals, are the favorites, but there will be plenty of exciting matches.
The schedule;
AAAA: Quarterfinals Wed afternoon, Semifinals Thursday morning, Championship Saturday evening
AAA : Quarterfinals Wed evening, Semifinals Friday morning, Championship Saturday evening
AA: Quarterfinals Thursday afternoon, Semifinals Friday evening, Championship Saturday afternoon
A: Quarterfinals Thursday evening, Semifinals Friday afternoon, Championship Saturday afternoon
If you spot a geezer with a crutch, that’s me; stop by and say hello.