It was tense at our house for a while, because it wasn’t as easy as Maureen expected (she never reads my blog), but the Gophers finished their regular season with a 4-set win at Maryland, 23-25, 25-23, 25-20, 25-18.
The relatively slow start, losing Set 1 and struggling to win Set 2, has multiple potential explanations:
- Maryland isn’t a great team (7 & 12 coming in), but they beat Wisconsin on their home court, and this was their final match of the season, so one could imagine the seniors were fired up.
- The Gophers have not been a good first-set team all year.
- The Gophers played and won a tough 4-set match at Penn State last night. Two matches 23 hours apart, in different states, isn’t easy, even against an inferior opponent.
I cannot provide much detail on SET-1, because I was trying to watch the end of the football game at the same time, which is even harder using BTN+, because you can’t just flip channels. But I think the score was close all the way, as was true of SET-2, and like Set 2, which the Gophers were lucky to win, could have gone either way.
SET-3 looked liked trouble when the Gophs fell behind 13-17, but then the Gophs went on an 11-2 run, to build a 24-19 lead. McGraw, and later Shaffmaster served a lot of those points, and Wenaas came on (she led the Gophs with 17 kills) strong.
But the set also featured an interesting tactic, which I don’t recall seeing from McCutcheon before. High-level volleyball teams almost always position their front-row setters on the right-side, to feed the power shoulders of their generally right-handed middle-hitters and right-handed left-side hitters. But as we know, the Gophers generate almost zero offense from their Middles.
So, in the middle of Set-3 (this might have happened earlier and I didn’t notice on BTN+) the Gophers moved Shaffmaster to a middle position, and their “Middles,” Myers and Husemann, to right-side hitters. This didn’t exactly turn Myers or Husemann into another Steph Samedy, but they did generate a little offense from the right-side. This tactic also allows a stronger outside block against opponents left-side hitters, which Myers took advantage of to record a team-leading 8 blocks.. And it worked, turning the tide of the match.
Whether it was the Gophers being tired or the Terrapins being pumped, the Gophers’s 11-2 run late in Set 3 burst the bubble. SET-4 was less about the Gophers playing great, and more about the Terrapins looking ragged and dispirited.
FINAL STANDINGS
The Gophers weekend sweep elevates them into a three-way tie for 3rd place (with Purdue and Ohio State) 2 games behind Wisconsin and 1 behind Nebraska. A respectable finish in the rugged Big Ten.
[Speaking of Purdue and Nebraska, within the last month, Nebraska lost to the Gophers in 3 sets, and to the Badgers (in 4 sets, I think); and the following weekend Purdue beat the Badgers in Madison and swept the Gophs at the PAV. So I was fairly sure that Purdue was the stronger team. And then tonight, the Huskers destroyed the Boilermakers in West Lafayette.]
NCAAs:
The brackets for the 2021 NCAA Volleyball Tournament will be announced Sunday night (7:30 p.m. Central) on ESPNU. Expect the Gophers to be a top-16 seed, which should mean they will host first & second round matches at the PAV.
PITTMAN MYSTERY SOLVED
Reader C.B. turned son-in-law M.C. on to GopherVBallRocks, and reviewing past postings, M.C. was intrigued by the question, What’s up with Pittman? Why is she practically the only senior in the Big Ten NOT taking advantage of her Covid-bonus year of eligibility? M.C. a better sleuth than I, found this report https://www.brainerddispatch.com/sports/volleyball/7162200-Volleyball-Pittman-hopes-her-life-is-an-inspirational-example-for-young-females
in an Aug issue of the Brainerd Dispatch. Pro-fishing, maybe?
Not pro-fishing, actually. I encourage you to read the whole article – but I know some of you lead busy lives, so here is a synopsis: Turns out, Regan wanted there to be more in her life than volleyball. Pittman is humble about her accomplishments (3 time All-American), but knows her resume is one reason people will listen to her, so she started the Stand Tall Volleyball Academy to teach her powerful, personal, message through volleyball. “I was bullied in middle school and high school, and I want to help other kids go through these moments. If volleyball doesn’t work for you because you’re not 6-5, find something else. Choir, whatever.”
Pittman’s skills camps and leadership clinics can be booked through her website Standtallvolleyball.com.