The USA Girl’s U19 Team, coached by Keegan Cook, and featuring incoming Gopher Freshmen Jordan Taylor and Kelly Kinney, fell just short of winning the World’s Championship, earlier this month, to a strong Bulgarian Squad. Recorded matches were (are) available (free) on YouTube, and curious to see how Taylor and Kinney would fare against the best in the world, I watched some of the Pool Play, and all of the Semi-finals and Gold Medal Match.
During Pool Play, Coach Cook made sure that all twelve players on the U.S. Roster saw action, and in various combinations, so it was tough, only watching some of it, to know who the best players were. Taylor looked good – but not as good as another Middle, Penn State recruit Gabby Nichols. Kinney played all six rotations when she played, hitting mostly at Opposite. And looked okay.
The U.S. lost a 5-setter to Poland in Pool Play, but, presumably using their strongest lineup, swept the Poles 25-14, 25-18, and 25-19, in the Medal Round Semis. Taylor and Nichols played the entire match. They’re Middles, so of course they were replaced by the Libero when in the back row – but both served, the Libero never did. (A hint that Cook trusts Taylor’s serve.) I thought Nichols out-performed Taylor, but Taylor played well, with at least 5 kills and at least 4 blocks in the 3-set match. I was impressed.
Taylor and Nichols played most of the Gold Medal Match as well. Taylor scored a block and a kill to earn 2 of the USA’s first 3 points, and then served 3 points to give the US an early 6-2 lead. (I think Taylor probably served more points in these two matches than anyone on the US Team; nary an ace that I recall, but no lollipops either.) The teams mostly traded sideouts from there to a 25-21 first-set victory for the US.
Things went sour for the US in Set 2, a 16-25 loss, and in Set 3, a 17-25 loss. Coach Cook tried various substitutions (see below), but couldn’t stop the bleeding, especially the poor serve-receive. (Or was it great Bulgarian serving?) I felt that Taylor had played well through 3 sets, but had again been out-performed by Nichols. But Cook apparently felt differently, because to start Set 4, he benched Nichols and used the USA’s third Middle, Pittsburgh recruit Abbey Emch (who played well) keeping Taylor in the lineup. It helped, but not enough, and the US lost a tough 27-29 Set 4. For the 4-set match, I had Taylor with at least 7 kills and at least 4 blocks. That’s a total of at least 12 kills and at least 8 blocks, in 7 sets, against the best U19 girls in the world.
Kinney was less impressive. She did not play at all in the sweep over Poland, nor in the winning Set 1 versus Bulgaria. Kinney was subbed in when we fell behind in Sets 2 & 3; she didn’t make things worse, but she wasn’t the solution either. Kinney started Set 4, was subbed out for a while, then subbed back in, eventually committing a hitting error at 27-27. Overall, Kinney played about one and a half of the four sets. I only credited her with one kill, and I know she had more than one error. I felt like Cook was subbing Kinney in more for her serve-receive than for her hitting.
Kinney was reportedly a higher-ranked recruit than Taylor, and maybe we will come to love Kinney. But I think that Taylor will help the Gophers more this upcoming season than Kinney will.
EXCITING EXPOSITION
The Gopher’s 2025 Season (official) Opener is against a strong Texas A & M team in Sioux Falls on August 25. But D1 teams are allowed one exhibition before that, and this year’s FREE Exhibition Match at the PAV, 3:00 pm on Sat, Aug 16, might be the most fun exhibition we’ve ever seen, as the Gophs’ opponent will be a team of Gopher Alumni. Which Alumni you ask?
Nobody much, only: * Five-time All-American, Two-time Big Ten Player of the Year, and current member of the U.S. National Team, Steph Samedy. * All-American and National Player of the Year, Sarah Wilhite. * Three-time All-American and former member of the U.S. National Team, Tori Dixon. * Two-time All-American and former member of the U.S. National Team, Hannah Tapp. * Two-Time All-American and Big Ten Player of the Year, Daly Santana. * Four-time All-American, Lexi Hart.
* All-American, Katherine Harms. Plus Dali Rosado, Rachel Kilkelly, Ellie Husemann and, at Setter: Elise McGhie.
An impressive lineup. My guess is that the 2025 Gophs will have an advantage at setter, and another advantage in that they’ve been practicing together,. ut they will have their hands full with this Alumni Squad.
HANSON & WOOKER PRESEASON ALL BIG TEN
This sounds like Wooker is 100% healthy. I sure hope so.
NEBRASKA SOLD OUT
The Cornhuskers November 8th visit to the PAV sold out almost immediately. (See GopherVBallRocks Reader Rick Allen if you want a pair of nosebleed seats.)
2026 RECRUITS
The Gophers have received early (non-binding?) commitments from two Minnesota Girls headed into their senior year of H.S.: * Elena Hoecke, a 6-3 Middle from Maple Grove, & * Madeline Kraft, a libero, from Eagan.
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