The Strib didn’t cover it, and as yet there is no coverage (besides announcing it would take place) on the Gopher VB Website, but yesterday, the Gophers held an open-to-the public, intra-squad scrimmage at the PAV. The Goph’s non-conference season starts Friday in Ft. Worth; these early games don’t count toward their Big Ten record, but they will count very much toward the national rankings which influence seeding for the NCAA Tournament, so wins and losses are important. That leaves the intra-squad scrimmage the best opportunity for would-be starters, who want to real starters, to show the fans what they can do.
I got there with the help of Wife Maureen, Daughter Phoebe and a borrowed wheel chair. But uncertain that I would be able to attend, I reached out to GOPHERVBALLROCKS readers for help with the coverage, and reader R.A. volunteered. So let’s start with RA’s take:
Knees: Very happy that neither CC McGraw nor Jenna Wenaas sported knee braces again. Only Naya Gros had one on her left leg. Let’s hope for good health.
Impressed: Julia Hanson had easily the best elevation on her kill shots. I noticed this during warmups and she continued to impress. Jenna Wenaas was the only other player to impress me with elevation. Carter Booth had some nice kills and blocks, but without getting high off the court. Technique.
Melani Shaffmaster surprised me with the drop on her serves. The first of the match looked like it went straight down (not possible, physics) for an ace, as did a couple others. Ironically, her only service error was a ball that dropped too early into the net. Oops!
Noteworthy: Jenna Wenaas tossed the ball so high on serves, she actually had to wait twice before she started her leap. She got one strong ace, though it didn’t seem to make an appreciable difference most of the time.
Pleased: Carter Booth made some strong plays on kills and blocks, though she wasn’t regularly a factor. Hard to know if she could have done better with more sets and passes.
Melani Shaffmaster’s set to Taylor Landfair, a nonfactor early, became very effective halfway thru second set. Taylor was able to place her shots to open court better.
Mixed: Taylor didn’t do much the first half of the match, plus had trouble in the back row — listless? — but both improved after that.
Lauren Crowl had a couple nice kills on accurate placements, but lacked power on most of her shots. She dinked and dunked more often.
Concerns: Rachel Kilkelly struggled with receives and passes in the back row, then became adequate. She won’t get much lineup pressure from Skylar Gray, who was weak on receive/pass, plus being out of position.
Befuddled: All three setters seemed to pass balls too low to the net. Melani and Taylor klicked at the end and Miranda Wucherer was better than Elise McGhie, though neither looked like a backup this first outing of the season.
Didn’t Play: Chloe Ng and McKenna Wucherer wasn’t there.
JOHN’s TAKE:
Thanks, R.A.
My regular seats are in row 14, which I like a lot – fairly close to the court but with a slightly elevated view. Yesterday, in my borrowed wheel chair, I was court-side. The big difference: the size of our impressive Gopher athletes! I’m not small; I was 6-5 when I played water polo for the Gophers (6-3 these days), but I am not accustomed to being close to young women as tall or taller than I am.
My BIGGEST SURPRISE was the absence of Freshman Outside Hitter McKenna Wucherer, the nation’s #1 recruit. As R.A. notes, she was not in attendance. Immediately, my thoughts went uh-oh, will she not be playing for the Gophers? Has she transferred? Dropped out of school? Become seriously injured? But after taking a deep breath, I doubt it’s anything that serious. If she had a minor injury, she would have been there in street clothes. Best Guess: She tested positive for covid, and will be back soon. IF ANYONE KNOWS, OR HEARS ANYTHING, PLEASE SHARE IT WITH GOPHERVBALLROCKS.
My impression, from watching McKenna play with the Gophs during the Spring-Exhibition Season, is that McKenna is every bit the talent one would expect from the nation’s #1 recruit – i.e., she’s Landfair & Wenaas, almost-can’t-miss, good. I’m not sure where she fits into this already-loaded line-up, but despite her absence yesterday, I suspect she will be contributing this ’22 GOPHER squad. Likely sooner than later.
A second incoming freshman even more-certain to make an impact is 6-7 Carter Booth. I had Booth with at least 7 kills in 3 sets, including at least 2 off of quick-sets. Sure, it was only an inter-squad scrimmage, but Booth has the size, and I think the potential, to be the best Gopher-Middle ever, even better than Regan Pittman or the Tapp Sisters! You’re gonna love this girl.
And as noted by R.A., Prior Lake’s Julia Hanson is a third, talented, incoming freshman worthy of attention. She looks small standing next to Landfair, but she’s 6-3, she’s got hops, she’s got finess, and she was the #1 player in Minnesota’s class of ’22. As I said about McKenna Wucherer, I’m not sure where Hanson fits into this line-up, but she’s a player.
And while we’re talking freshmen, we can’t forget red-shirt freshman Lauren Crowl. Crowl, the only lefty on the squad, is a natural for right-side hitter, and will certainly get the opportunity to contribute. Last night she demonstrated a broad tool-kit including multiple power-kills, short and long dinks, one nifty kill from the left-side, an ace, and at least one block. Crowl is not going to make us forget Steph Samedy anytime soon, but I think she’ll be okay. (And if she isn’t, there are other options.)
SO WHERE DOES THAT LEAVE US?
Setter/Libero/DS: Melanie Shaffmaster, CC McGraw, and Rachael Kilkelly are returning as our setter, libero, and DS, respectively. Baring injury, these 3 should be at least as good as last year, and with another year of experience, a little better. How much better is critical, especially for Shaffmaster. If Shaffmaster is only a little better, this is likely another Sweet Sixteen Team. But if Shaffmaster is a lot better, this is likely a Final Four Team.
And if that happens, it will be because Shaffmaster has pushed herself; she will not be pushed by backup transfers Elsie McGhie (from Kansas) or Miranda Wucherer (from Northern Kentucky). If Shaffmaster gets injured, expect to see the Gophers go to a 6-2, with McGhie and Wucherer sharing the setting.
Middles: Middles were the ’21 Gophers main weakness, and it didn’t help that it was the Badgers main strength. But Dana Rettke doesn’t play for the Badgers anymore. The Badgers Anna Smrek is back, and she’s good, but the Gophers Carter Booth is going to be better. They’re both 6-7, and Smrek has a year’s experience over Booth, but I am already convinced that Booth is the superior athlete and will eventually dominate Smrek. (Maybe as soon as Sept 25 at the Pav.)
The Gophers will play 2 Middles. It is likely that Booth and red-shirt senior Ellie Husemann will be the starters. But Grad-transfer Naya Gros (Michigan State) and Sophomore transfer Arica Davis (Ohio State) are both talented Middles with Big Ten experience, ready and able to step in if Booth or Husemann struggle. Gros showed me more last night than Davis did.
Outside Hitters: The Gophers will play 3 Outside Hitters, 2 on the left-side and one on the right-side. Currently, they have 2 proven stars, Landfair & Wenaas, and 3 potential stars, McKenna Wucherer (missing last night), Lauren Crowl (a natural right-side hitter), and Julia Hanson. An embarrassment of riches. Assuming they are healthy, Landfair & Wenaas will be in the line-up every night; meaning only one of the other 3 are going to play.
Landfair & Wenaas have been left-side hitters, and Crowl is a natural right-side hitter, so that seems the obvious choice. But Wucherer and Hanson are really good. Surprisingly, Wenaas shows up on the roster as “Outside/Opposite” (i.e., right-side), the only such reference on the roster, so apparently somebody sees Wenaas playing right-side.
Even more surprising, to me at least, was the second set last night, when Landfair played right-side – and dominated. I had her with 7 right-side kills in the 2nd set. Seven kills! In one set! That’s dominance that Steph Samedy would be proud of. Maybe Landfair will end up at right-side.
Crowl won’t be competing with Wenaas or Landfair for playing time; she will compete with Wucherer and Hanson. If either of those two can prove to Coach McCutcheon that they can play left-side so well that they have to be in the line-up, it will be at the expense of Crowl, with Wucherer or Hanson moving to right-side. Or maybe it will be Crowl who proves she belongs in the line-up. Either way, we’re going to have great outside hitting.
The Gophers have a grueling non-conference schedule, and then the tough-match-every-night Big Ten. But if Shaffmaster can stay healthy, and if Booth can quickly adjust to the demands of play at this level, this is going to e a very good team!