Reader R.A. writes: Not only is it predictable that the sets will go to Samedy, her shots are predictable. Hard and straight. She got 30 kills because she’s so strong, but teams know exactly where to place their blockers. Whereas Landfair’s skilled cross-court shots were often unreturnable. Also, ALL our hitters too often dumped soft shots over the net. while Michigan shot howitzers at us Of course, weak first passes to Shaffmaster was often a factor behind uncertain sets that resulted in dumping soft shots to Michigan.
[John: I think R.A. is a little too hard on Samedy; it’s not her fault that she’s our only real threat most of the time – 30 kills through strong double blocks impresses me. I agree that Landfair was unstoppable Friday night – that might change when she plays full matches. I also agree that the Gophers dump soft shots too often. My philosophy, as a player, a coach, and a fan, is that hitters are supposed to hit — hit a good set, and hit a bad set. But the Gopher hitters seem overly worried about making mistakes. Maybe that’s McCutcheon’s coaching, or maybe they’ve grown up playing on teams that fed them perfect passes every time.]
R.A. continues: Regan was my favorite player. When I have tried to see what she’s doing in lieu of another year here, all I see are volleyball camps she runs, with an emphasis on confidence-building (it seems). Great for these girls, but I’d like to see her do this after another year with MN. Anyone else with info?