Author: jktrpp

We are a mere 3 weeks (plus a couple of days) from the start of the season. On Saturday, Aug 20, our currently 7^th ranked Gophers are holding an open-to-the public, intra-squad scrimmage at the PAV (I think it will be free). I will likely not be able to attend due to my (hopefully) temporary disability*; it would be great if a GOPHER V-BALL ROCKS READER would attend and write it up for us.

• My story about this, not really a volleyball story, is available under the “JOHN WHO?” tab.

And 6 days later, the Gophs open their non-conference season at the Big 12 Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas, where they will play # 10 Ranked Baylor on Aug 26^th, TCU on the 27^th,, and #5 ranked Texas, in Austin, on the 31^st. (As of now, it does not appear that any of these matches will be televised.)

Then the Gophs will be back at the PAV for matches against:

• #15 ranked Florida on Sept 4;
• #24 ranked Oregon on Sept 9;
• #21 ranked Stanford on Sept 10;
• Pepperdine on Sept 15; and
• #23 ranked Washington St. on Sept 17.

And then the Big 10 Season starting at #6 ranked Purdue on Sept 23, and back home to host #1 ranked Wisconsin at the Pav on Sept 25. (I think this is the match where we kick some Sconnie butt.)

That’s right, 8 of our first 10 opponents are ranked in the top 25, nationally, 4 in the top 10! We should learn a lot about this team between Aug 26 and Sept 25. I think you’re going to love this team.

Reader M.C. notes that prospective junior setter (for Wayzata) Stella Swenson, the 2021 Gatorade Player of the Year, one of the top national recruits in the class of 2024, and the sister of Samantha Selliger-Swenson, has announced her verbal commitment to play for the Gophers. I reported last fall that Stella was, though only a sophomore at the time, was the obvious stand-out performer at the 2021 State H.S. Tournament.

Related thoughts: * There is no reference to the above on the Official Gopher website — because it is a verbal commitment. (I don’t think Stella can legally sign a written commitment until the conclusion of her junior year, i.e., next November.) * Stella has a twin sister (I am not remembering her name) who was a very good 6′-3” left-side hitter for the State Champion Trojans. I am curious if she will also become a Gopher. * Under normal circumstances, current Gopher Setter Melanie Shaffmaster would have 2 years of eligibility remaining, i.e., 2022 & 2023, creating an opportunity for Stella to “walk-in” to the starting role as a freshman — as Samantha did. BUT, due to COVID, Shaffmaster actually has 3 years of eligibility remaining, and could easily still be setting for the Gophs in 2024. I will be interested to see how that plays out.

As part of the Strib’s celebration of the 50th anniversary of Title IX, they selected the 50 greatest Minnesota H.S. girl athletes – based solely on their H.S. accomplishments. (Lindsey Whalen, for example, does not make the list.)

In addition to obvious choices like Janet Karvonen, Paige Bueckers and Natalie Darwitz, the list includes 5 volleyball players: Annie Adamczak (who, in 1981-2 led Moose Lake to State Championships in volleyball, basketball and softball), Sydney Hilley (a major reason for the Badgers recent success), Kennedi Orr, our beloved Samantha Seliger-Swenson, and 2010-2013 Gopher star Ashley Wittman.

I couldn’t argue with any of these names, but I could add some: definitely Chaska’s Amanda Rome, and probably Fosston’s Kelly Roysland (better known for basketball) and Eden Prairie’s Sarah Willhite.

Reader D.S. notes that former Gopher Adanna Rollins, who left the Gophs for Penn State, has now left Penn State to play her final year for Kentucky.

John: Rollins is a decent player, but I don’t think we’ll miss her this year, with the overload of talent at Left-Side. But let’s wish her success at Kentucky.

Reader G.H. looks forward to an interesting pre-season,  and congratulations Coach McCutcheon for lining up all the quality teams to play at the PAV. Enhanced ticket revenue for sure.

Reader R.A brings my attention to the fact that the Gophs recently added another transfer setter, Miranda Wucherer, a graduate transfer from Northern Kentucky (one season of collegiate eligibility remaining). Wucherer made the All-Horizon League First Team as a junior in 2020-21, ranking fifth in the nation in triple doubles (kills, assists, digs).

If the name sounds familiar, that’s because Miranda is the older sister of incoming Gophers freshman Mckenna Wucherer (the number 1 recruit in the country). R.A. wonders why? Is Miranda coming for the academics? She’s here to compete with Shaffmaster for starting setter?  Are we going to a 6-2? My guess is she wants to play with her sister. I also suspect she will compete with Elise McGhee, our junior-setter-transfer from Kansas, for the role of back-up setter.

NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

As has been consistently true in the McCutcheon Era, the Gophers will be playing a rugged pre-BigTen schedule: This rugged schedule can result in a lower early-season, national rating than a cream-puff schedule might, but it helps prepare the Gophs to compete in the toughest conference in the country. And reflects a commitment to being competitive at the national level.

Four wins and four losses in these 8 matches would indicate that the 2022 Gophers are a strong team. Six & two would suggest they might be a Final Four Team.

AUG 26    BAYLOR  (at TCU)

AUG 27    TCU   (at TCU)

AUG 31   TEXAS  (at Texas)

SEP 4    FLORIDA @ The PAV

SEP 9    OREGON @ The PAV

SEP 10   STANFORD @ The PAV

SEP 15   PEPPERDINE @ The PAV

SEP 17    WASHINGTON STATE @ The PAV

Game times and television networks are still to be determined. Information on tickets will be available at a later date.

Today’s (5/22) Strib features a lengthy, front-page, Jeff Day article about our favorite team, mostly about Coach McCutcheon’s focus on the mental aspect of the game.

Anyone who follows any sport knows that mental strength and mental attitude are hugely important to success, especially at higher levels. A high school athlete might be able to dominate on sheer physical superiority; but eventually, successful athletes find themselves competing against athletes just as big and just as athletic as they are, at which point mental strength and attitude become critical.

I recently posted my thoughts re the differences between Varsity and “Club” Sports, mentioning that Varsity Coaches are paid a lot more, and that Varsity Athletes are generally on scholarship. But I glossed over the implications for coaching the “mental game.”

I’ve long known the importance of the mental aspect of sports, but when I was coaching the Gopher Men’s and Women’s Club Water Polo Teams, I rarely had time to address it. I had a full-time job outside of WPolo; coaching was a “side-hustle” at best (really, just a “hobby”) and the athletes were truly students-first. I “had” (i.e., worked with) my athletes about 6 hours a week (in season); so individual and team skill-development were pretty much my sole focus. Even conditioning was left largely to the students, and except for confidence-building, the occasional pep-talk, or some sort of crisis, I had little time to address the “mental game.”

(I wasn’t a big pep-talker, I probably should have done more of it, but I gave a few. One example was when my City Of Lakes (Mpls) 16-U VBallers lost the first set to a suburban team I thought we should beat. Between sets, I pointed out, to my diverse, somewhat ragged team, that not only was everyone of our opponents blonde, they had matching ponytails and even matching hair-ties. “Are we,” I demanded, “going to lose to a team with matching hair-ties?” We did not.)

Obviously, there is a lot more to helping athletes with mental preparation than the occasional Win-One-For-The-Gipper speech. And Gopher Varsity Coach McCutcheon has his athletes 20 hours a week, including during a lengthy off-season. Strib-writer Day does a nice job of capturing McCutcheon’s approach to the “mental game,” which is clearly an important element of his success, including related quotes from some of the incoming freshmen.

As much as I am thrilled by any and all VBall coverage by our local media, it doesn’t seem as though Day, a “junior” reporter, actually knows much about VBall. And I doubt we would have seen today’s story if the Wild or the Wolves were still alive in the playoffs – but that’s how journalism works.

(I don’t think I’ve shared the story of how I got involved in Water Polo: During the summer before I started college, I worked with this guy already at the U, who offered to show me around, including an introduction to the Sports Editor of the MN Daily. I had brief dreams of interviewing Lou Hudson and Carl Eller, but with zero journalism experience I was assigned to write a story about the Water Polo Team. I had never even heard of Water Polo – so my story had the same mouth-gaping feel as Days’ VBall story in today’s Strib. The Daily, in 1965, had higher standards than the 2022 Strib, so I had to rewrite it 3 times. At which point I decided that playing Water Polo looked more interesting than writing about it.)

GLENN ENTERS PORTAL

Reader D.S. calls our attention to Natalie Glenn entering the transfer portal. I previously described Glenn as a talented athlete, but one who I ranked #5 on the depth chart for one of two left-side hitter positions. So hardly a surprise. We wish Glenn well as she pursues a VBall career somewhere else.

Our Gophers just recently added another transfer, fifth year senior Nava Gros, from Michigan State. A four-year starter for the Spartans taking advantage of her covid-bonus year to play for the Gophs. Gros averaged 1.8 kills and 1.2 blocks per set over a career 386 sets, leading the Spartans in blocks all 4 years, and in kills this past season, finishing fifth in the Big Ten in total blocks, including 11 matches with five-or-more blocks. In 2019, Gros was a member of an all-Big Ten team competing in Japan. Gros will compete with returning starter Ellie Husemann, transfer (from Ohio St.) Arica Davis, and incoming freshman Carter Booth, for playing-time at Middle (I’m betting Booth #1 and Husemann #2 as the leading candidates, but we’ll see.)

BOYS HS VB VOTED DOWN AGAIN

Reader G.N. calls our attention to the fact that, for (at least) the 3^rd year in row, the governing body of the MN State High School League has voted down Boys Volleyball as a sanctioned sport – this time by the narrowest of margins: 31 in favor, 17 against. (32-16 would have been the necessary two-thirds majority.)

My thoughts:

• Minnesota is a VBall hotbed, and, reportedly, 36 other states have sanctioned Boys HS Volleyball – so this is just stupid.
• Regardless of what people say publically, the opposition is based entirely on “Title IX,” the federal rule that requires high schools to provide “equal sports opportunities” for boys and girls. MN has Girls HS Volleyball, of course, but the girls don’t have Football, which is a lot to offset in terms of funding & numbers of participants.
• I continue to consider “Title IX” a good thing. Both my daughters played varsity sports, and granddaughter Leah will be out for the Washburn Volleyball Team in the fall. But even great ideas can have negative implications.
• But it’s not like we don’t have Boys HS Volleyball anyway. The Strib reports there are 55 “Club Teams” currently competing — with a State Tournament and everything. It just isn’t MN State High School League sanctioned. Sanctioning would lead to even more teams, and certainly more media coverage (both good things), and the boys could earn “varsity letters.”
• If you ever read the “John Who?” button on this blog, you know that I coached Boys H.S. Club Water Polo for 10 years, Girls (age-grouped) Volleyball for 10 years, Gopher Mens Club Water Polo for 9 years, and Gopher Womens Club Water Polo for 7 years – including Big Ten Tournaments.

At the collegiate level, there are two significant differences between Varsity and Club Sports: Club Coaches get paid a negligible “stipend” which is a fraction of the salaries paid to Varsity Coaches (but guess what, ”minor-sport coaches like McCutcheon don’t make half of what I was making at my “day-job);” and more importantly, scholarships! Most Gopher Women Volleyball players are on scholarships, none of the Mens Club players get scholarships. But in high school, we’re just talking about a “letter.”

Reader R.A. calls our attention to the fact that incoming freshman Mckenna Wucherer, who I insist Coach McCutcheon has to find a place in the lineup for (despite the fact that her natural position is Left-Side Hitter and we’ve already got two good ones), was just named to the 21U National Training Team.

There is one “match” left in the Spring season, but that’s in Indianola, IA. I won’t be there and neither will the Strib, so it will be like a tree falling in the forest. (If any reader does get down to Indianola, please report back.) But I saw enough during these first 3 scrimmages to have some opinions. I firmly believe that (baring injuries or illnesses or late transfers), the 2022 Gophers will be a powerhouse, a talented team with the size, experience and depth to compete for the BigTen and even the National Championships. Here are my thoughts about the roster, who plays and where, and who watches from the bench:

The Gophs will surely play a 5-1, meaning 5 hitters and one setter, plus a libero and likely a defensive specialist (a DS), so 8 players in any given set. The 2020 recruiting class (rated #1 in the country) of Landfair, Wenaas and Shaffmaster will fill certainly fill 3 of those spots. (Wenaas and Shaffmaster are listed as Juniors, and Landfair as a redshirt Soph, since she missed last season due to injury, but keep in mind that Wenaas and Shaffmaster potentially have 3 more years of eligibility, and Landfair 4 more, because the 2020 season, played in the Spring of ’21, doesn’t count!)

Taylor Landfair, a 6-5 Left-side hitter out of Plainfield, Ill, was the #1 2020 recruit in the country. And when she is on her game, it is easy to see why. Besides the height, she has a great vertical, and is capable of going over the top of blocks. She made first-string All Big Ten in her freshman year, and has National Player of the Year potential. Challenges: She’s a decent passer, but at 6-5, not a great digger. And she missed last season with an injury – which raises questions about her durability.

Jenna Wenaas, a 6-1 Left-side hitter out of Frisco Texas, was the #3 2020 recruit in the country. She doesn’t have the abnormal height that Landfair enjoys, but she is a powerful hitter. And she’s a libero–quality digger, an obvious 6-rotation player. Challenges: Other than she’s not 6-5, I honestly can’t think of any weaknesses.

Melani Shaffmaster, a 6-3 Setter (that’s not a typo, she’s a 6-3 setter) out of New Castle Ind, was approximately the #10 ,2020 recruit in the country. She has the unusual combination of the height and strength of a hitter – and the soft, sweet, hands of a top-level setter.. And this is Shaffmaster’s team. This will be her 3^rd year running the team, and in addition to great setting, she needs to be the leader. My preference would be for Shaffmaster to take better advantage of her height by attacking the second touch with increased frequency – turning our 5-1 into a 6-1. It doesn’t have to work every time to keep the defense off-balance. Challenges: She’s not the quickest setter in the BigTen — and she’s not going to be. But Shaffmaster was better her sophomore year than she was her freshman year, and I expect her to be even better this year

And last but not least among the locked-in starters, CC McGraw, a 5-9, 5^th year senior Libero out of Prior Lake. McGraw was good as a freshman and has gotten better every year. The coordination between the setter and the hitters is understood to be important, but the coordination between the setter and the libero is at least as important because the libero is the alternate setter, and the two have to be on the same page. McGraw played with a different setter each of her first 3 seasons; but now this will be her third straight season with Shaffmaster, and I expect greatness. Challenges: Like Landfair, there are questions about McGraw’s durability.

The fifth, almost certain, starter is Rachel Kilkelly, a 5-9, 4^th year senior DS out of Shakopee. If Coach McCutcheon employs a DS, which he likely will, it will be Kilkelly. When it comes to receiving and digging, the drop-off from McGraw to Kilkelly is minimal. Challenges: It might just be experience and opportunity, but in the past, when Kilkelly has filled in as libero,  she has struggled in her role as the alternate setter.

The sixth most likely starter is Carter Booth, a 6-7, true freshman Middle from Denver (earlier from a Twin City suburb – I forget which one). Height is helpful if one has the athleticism to use it, and Booth does. True, I’ve only seen her play against inferior opponents, but I am convinced that Booth has the potential to be a major force in BigTen Volleyball. Challenges: Booth is not, at this stage of her career, much of a passer. But she won’t be receiving any serves, and her passing should get better with time.

The seventh most likely starter is Ellie Husemann, a 6-3, 4^th year senior Middle out of Eagan. Husemann won a State Championship at Eagan, has been competitive throughout her Gopher career, has gotten better every year, emerged as a starting Middle mid-season last year, and was dominate against South Dakota and NDSU in the first two Spring Matches. Challenges: Good but not great, Husemann has not, in her first 3 seasons with the Gophs, been an every-set, season-long starter — instead having to compete with other Middles for playing time. And that will likely continue; Husemann will be pushed (see below).

And the eighth most likely starter is Lauren Crowl, a 6-4, redshirt freshman from Eagan. Crowl adds a lot to the Gopher lineup. Taller and stronger than Samedy, Crowl is the only player on the roster listed as an “Opposite.” The left-handed (always an advantage for an Opposite) Crowl was obviously recruited (3 or 4 years ago) to take over when Samedy’s eligibility expired following the 2020 season. But then the 2020 season got pushed into the Spring of 2021, and participation in it didn’t count, Samedy came back for a 5^th year, repeating as BigTen Player of the Year – forcing Crowl to redshirt. But now she’s ready to be our starting Opposite. Challenges: So why do I rate Crowl as the eighth most likely starter? 1) Though Crowl potentially has the height and power to hit from the back-row (as Samedy routinely did), this big, strong athlete has not yet demonstrated the passing skills required to play back-row, so Kilkelly would be subbing for Crowl rather than Landfair; 2) Though Crowl was “crushing” the ball against South Dakota and NDSU, she wasn’t getting many kills; they don’t seem to keep stats for these Spring scrimmages, but I think Crowl’s hitting percentage might have been a negative number.

Thus far, I’ve given you 8 starters: two left-side hitters, a setter, a libero, a DS, and two middles. End of conversation? No way! The Gopher roster includes at least 3 other athletes who are simply too good to spend the season on the bench:

McKenna Wurcherer, a 6-1, pure freshman, left-side hitter from Brookfield Wis, is the #1 rated recruit in the class of 2022. Seeing her in these Spring scrimmages convinces me that she was not over-rated — and #1 rated recruits don’t ride the bench! Wurcherer looks a lot like another Wenaas, similar height, similar athleticism and, like Wenaas, she has all the tools, with no obvious weaknesses. Wenaas spent her freshman year playing DS, and occasionally subbing for Landfair or Rollins, but Wenaas was at least involved. (And she knew she was better than Rollins; and Rollins knew it too.)

But Wenaas and Landfair have, potentially, 3 and 4 years of eligibility left; Wurcherer is not going to ride the Gopher bench for 3 years. So how does Wurcherer crack an already loaded lineup? The most obvious choice would be an injury. Landfair missed the whole last season with an abdominal pull; my sense (I don’t have stats for this) is that athletes with a history of injuries are more likely to get re-injured (e.g., Buxton). No reason to think Wenaas gets injured – but she’s human. The other likely candidate would be McGraw, also with a history of health problems.  If McGraw goes down, Kilkelly becomes the Libero and Wurcherer likely becomes the DS. Landfair, Wenaas, McGraw and Kilkelly are all veterans, and we might see a temporary drop-off if one of these solid veterans is injured and replaced by Wurcherer. But not for long.

The other option would be if somebody struggles, unrelated to an injury. I can’t imagine Wenaas, McGraw or Kilkelly playing poorly while healthy, and Landfair’s up-side is over the moon, so I don’t see her getting benched for Wurcherer either. But there is an unproven freshman in my projected lineup. (Two, counting Booth, but Wurcherer will not be playing Middle.) I’m talking, of course, about Crowl. I could see Wurcherer playing ahead of even a healthy Crowl, if Crowl struggles. Wurcherer could become our Opposite, or, more likely, Coach McCutcheon could play 3 left-side hitters, with Landfair, Wenaas and Wurcherer sharing the right-side duties. (Similar to how he used Lohman and the Tapp sisters in 2016.) I’m not hoping for an injury, and I want Crowl to become a star; but one way or another, I expect to see Wurcherer playing important minutes in 2022.

Another newcomer with a chance to crack the lineup would be Arica Davis, a 5-11, sophomore, Middle, transfer. At 5-11, Davis seems too short for Middle, but in her freshman year at Ohio State, she led the Buckeyes, a Sweet-Sixteen team, in blocks. Davis is a talented athlete; I’m projecting Husemann and Booth as the starting Middles, but Davis didn’t ditch a staring role on a Sweet-Sixteen team to ride the bench for an Elite Eight team.

One more player I fell in love with during the recent Spring scrimmages, is Julia Hanson, a 6-1 Left-side, pure freshman from Prior Lake. Hanson comes in with a lower rating from the national recruiting geniuses than Landfair, Wenaas and Wurcherer (two #1s and a #3), but she was the 2021 Star Tribune Metro Player of the Year, and  the MVP of a National 17U team at a European tournament. As GOPHERVBALLROCKS reader E.F. would say, “She ain’t chopped liver.” I guess Hanson sits #4 on the current depth chart at left-side, and maybe #2 at Opposite(?), but Hanson is an excellent volleyball player, likely to find her way into the lineup at some point.

Elise McGhee, a 5-10, junior, Setter transferred in from Kansas  (McGhee was the Jayhawks starting setter as a freshman and at the beginning of her sophomore season, but finished last season as the back-up), will be our back-up Setter. We expect Shaffmaster to be on the floor for every point in every set in every match. But if and when Shaffmaster can’t play, for what ever reason, McGhee will become the most important player on the team.

Skylar Gray, a 5-10, sophomore, Libero/DS, from Maple Grove, is officially #3 on the depth chart behind McGraw and Kilkelly. And she might be in the lineup next year, when we certainly won’t have McGraw; or maybe Kilkelly either, And Gray has a nasty serve, which could help. But if McGraw or Kilkelly miss sets this year, Gray will have competition for playing time from Wurcherer and maybe Hanson.

Natalie Glenn, a 5-10, sophomore, Left-side from Southlake Texas, is a very talented athlete. But, in my analysis, she sits at #5 on the left-side depth chart. Glenn is left-handed, making Opposite a more natural position than left-side hitter, and prior to these recent scrimmages, I expected her to compete to be the Opposite. But there was no hint of this against South Dakota, NDSU or St. Thomas – so I guess that’s not going to happen. Last year, Glenn excited the fans with her high-risk/high-reward jump-serve, and I thought that if she could improve her ace-to-error ratio, that might be the key for her to contribute. But in the 3 scrimmages, playing 3^rd string left-side, she never even attempted a power serve, so I guess that’s not going to happen either. Glenn is clearly a talented athlete, but I’m having a hard time imagining her future as a Gopher.

Anna Wolf, a 6-4, sophomore Middle from River Falls, seems to be #4 on the depth chart behind Booth, Husemann, and Davis, and I haven’t seen anything from her to suggest that will change. Wolf will get the opportunity to change this only if 2 of the 3 ahead of her are unable to perform at the same time.

The Gophers finished the in-state portion of their Spring season (they play Kansas State next week in Indianola, IA) with an unblemished record, 12 sets played and 12 sets won. St. Thomas, prepping for their 2^nd season of D1 VBall, were clearly undermanned against a Gopher Team that I believe will be ranked in the Top Ten Nationally when the first poll comes out in August.

Blog Readers and Geezer Vballers J.B. & L.J. were with me at the Pav, as were granddaughters (and surely future VB stars) Peaches and Curly. The girls were particularly interested in the Gopher hairstyles, and the Geezers in the differences between Gopher & Geezer VBall. (#1 The Gophs move their feet; #2 The Gophs are “in-system” most of the time.)

Since last week’s match vs NDSU, I’ve been going back and forth a bit with Reader R.A. (who I don’t know), who was at the match in Lakeville. R.A. is a loyal reader who shares my passion for GopherVBall, and we mostly agree on the new squad,  We disagree on redshirt freshman Lauren Crowl (R.A. likes her better than I do) and true freshman McKenna Wucherer (R.A. likes her less than I do).

So my main interest tonight was Crowl and Wucherer, and the related question of who will play the Opposite position for next fall’s squad. I conceded in last week’s blog that Crowl is the clear favorite; she’s the only athlete on the roster listed as “Opposite,” and she was clearly recruited as Samedy’s replacement. And when the season starts for real in late August, Crowl may well be on the floor as the Opposite.

But the Gophers revealed another option against the Tommies. Crowl played Opposite for 1 & ½ sets, but for 2 & ½ sets, the Gophers played with a Setter, 2 Middles, 3 left-side hitters (Wenaas, Landfair and Wucherer) and no real Opposite. In each pass through the front line, each left-side would hit left-side twice, and right-side once. This could be brushed off as silliness in a scrimmage vs a weaker team – except for two things:

1. I believe that Wenaas, Landfair, Wucherer, plus Husemann and Booth are our 5 strongest front-row players; and  
2. It is similar to the system Coach McCutcheon employed before he had Samedy. The 2016 Gophers did not have a great Opposite, but they did have 3 strong Middles; Hannah & Paige Tapp & Molly Lohman, so McCutcheon used a Setter, 3 Middles, 2 left-side hitters and no real Opposite. And the 2016 Gophs went to the Final Four.

I’m not ready to say that the 2022 Gophers will run with Wenaas, Landfair, Wucherer and no real Opposite – but it could happen.