Our #14 ranked Gophers officially open their 2026 season tomorrow (Friday) with a match vs #12 Arizona State in Sioux Falls. Followed by a Saturday match vs #13 Creighton, also in Sioux Falls. Part of a 6-team “State Farm Showcase.” Friday’s match vs ASU will be on FOX9+, approximately at 8 pm, and Saturday’s match vs Creighton will be on FS1, approximately at 4 pm. But both matches follow earlier matches, so these times are approximate. Maureen and I will be attending in person.
The Gophers earlier played 2 exhibition matches, one vs #2 ranked Texas at Texas and another vs #27 ranked Iowa State at Ames. I was unable to travel to either match, and since they were “exhibitions,” there was no TV., because they were “exhibitions.” The Gophs apparently got pounded by the Longhorns in 4 sets. I haven’t seen a word about how the ISU match went. (If any readers have info about either of these exhibition matches, I’d be happy to post it.Â
I assume that Coach Cook would have played every healthy player, at least a little, in these exhibition matches. This weekend’s matches are non-conference, but they count – especially for NCAA seeding in December. So I assume both sides will be playing to win, meaning fewer substitutions. I don’t imagine that Coach Cook will be locked into a permanent rotation for the entire season this early, but he should have strong ideas by now, and I am very excited to see which directions he is leaning.
Stella is our Setter; end of discussion. But there will be significant competition at the other positions:
- 6 Outside Hitters for 3 positions, Gilk, The Wooker, Kinney, Acevedo, Crossen, and Olivia
- 4 Middles for 2 positions, Taylor, Minatee, Hoecke, and Blazkova;
- 4 Liberos for 2 (maybe 3) positions, Palabiyik, Garr, Thibault, and Kraft. Â
I listed them in the order I think they stand on the depth chart – but I expect to know more by Saturday Evening.