We were looking forward to a pair of matches between two of the very best teams in the country, and the BTN announcer kept insisting that’s what we were watching, but that wasn’t quite what we saw, with both teams missing their starting setters, the Gophs’ Shaffmaster & the Badgers Hilley.
We saw a competitive match between two pretty good teams, but anyone who has ever played competitive volleyball knows that your setter is the most important player on the team – and the hardest to replace. The Gophers were also missing starting libero McGraw, and middle Katie Myers who shares one starting middle position with Rubright (who did play), so, in a sense, our Gophs were missing 2.5 starters.
My first thought was that the Gophers might have a slight edge in a starting-setterless match, in that I think Hilley, a proven star, is probably better than our freshman Shaffmaster, at least at this point in time. And also because the Gophers played with Bailey McMenimen at setter for much of last season (2019), and the Badgers’s setter was less experienced.
But this was offset by the fact that McMenimen, a gutsy player playing her heart out, is too short to block, forcing the Gophers into a 6-2 scheme with McMenimen sharing the setting with grad-student transfer Hunter Atherton, seeing almost her first action in Maroon & Gold. Whereas the Badgers were able to stay with the 5-1 system their team is accustomed to. Also, we’ve won previously with Kilkelly filling in for McGraw and Wenaas back-filling for Kilkelly.
1st SET: Wisconsin’s advantages were obvious in the opening set. The Gophers, with unfamiliar players and unfamiliar serve-receive positions, allowed 5 Wisconsin aces, and the serves they did dig up were rarely passed where our setters wanted them. And as a result the Gophers hitting percentage was pathetic. Wisconsin led 5-2, 10-4, 11-7, and 17-10 before winning 25-14. With 1 kill, Samedy was almost invisible, and I don’t remember Rubright even touching the ball.
2nd SET: And when the Badgers opened an 8-3 lead in the 2nd, I had visions of a 3-set sweep. But led by left side hitters Landfair and Rollins (easier for McMenimen and Atherton to find), and 3 consecutive aces by Kilkelly, the Gophers came back to take a 12-10 lead. Landfair stayed hot, McMenimen served the Gophs’ 4th ace of the set, and the Gophs enjoyed leads of 18-14 & 22-18. The Badgers closed the deficit to 24-22 on spectacular play by libero Lauren Barnes (a former Gopher) but the Gophers hung on to win 25-22.
3rd SET: The pattern of dominance by the better serving team continued, but with the advantage swinging back to Wisconsin. There was one particularly ugly sequence in which the Badgers were dropping short, soft serves that the Gophers couldn’t handle. I felt McMenimen set a little better than in the first set, but she seemed to be positioned too deep to cover dinks, accounting for multiple easy Badger points. Wisconsin led 7-3, 12-5, & 20-8 before winning 25-15.
4th SET: The best set of the night. The Gophers came out with Wenaas at libero and Kilkelly back at her familiar D.S. role, and gave us hope by taking leads of 6-3 & 11-8, much of it on Landfair’s shoulders, with help from Pittman. Wisconsin came back to lead 17-14, but the Gophers tied it at 19-19. The Badgers led 23-20, but again the Gophs tied it again at 23-23. But a service error by Rollins and a Badger kill gave Wisconsin the match.
ENCOURAGING SIGNS: Down 2.5 starters, the Gophers were competitive vs the #1 team in the country, winning one set and coming within a couple of points of winning two sets. Pittman went toe-to-toe with the best middle in college v-ball, and held her own. And Landfair served notice that any team that focuses on shutting down Samedy will pay the price.
A win by the Gophers would have propelled them into first place in the Big Ten, and possible a #1 national ranking. And I would have thought re-scheduling the re-match at Wisconsin not so important. But with tonight’s loss, I’m really hoping this match can be rescheduled before the end of the regular season. Be great to see these two teams at full strength, and a great tune-up for both teams heading into the NCAAs.
UP NEXT
The Gophers travel to Northwestern (who we should beat) for matches on Friday at 4:00, on BTN, and Saturday at 6:00, on BTN+. And, interestingly, Wisconsin travels to Penn State. Penn State is having an off year, by Penn State standards, and Wisconsin seems the better team. But Penn State is always tough at home, and if Hilley is not back in the line-up, Wisconsin could have their hands full. (The Badgers also have two matches to make up against Nebraska.)