In this issue
From
Coach Hebert:
You would have been
proud of the Gophers’
effort in Columbus last Saturday. Our players were still stinging from the
three game loss to Ohio State at the Pavilion in October. They put together one
of their finest efforts of the season to thoroughly defeat the Buckeyes
3-0. We used a three-pronged strategy. First, we served aggressively to
make it difficult for them to run their supersonic slide, and for Marisa Main
to zing the second contact into open areas of our court. Second, our left side
blockers were much better at blocking and channeling the slide when they DID
set it. And third, our block was all over Main when she tried to dump the ball.
We held OSU to an .017 hitting efficiency and forced them into 33 hitting
errors. It was indeed a convincing performance by Minnesota.
Despite losing in three
games to Penn State, our players were much more determined and competitive
against the Nittany Lions than they were earlier this season at the Pav. We did
a lot of things well and were tuned into the game plan most of the evening. Our
goal was to hit shots that would deflect high off the block. To their credit,
our hitters kept trying to hit this shot. But we kept missing, piling up
hitting errors in the process. But it is so much more gratifying to see our
players try to do the right thing and miss, rather than watching them blast
into the block without a tactical purpose. I believe that the confidence gained
on Friday night against Penn State paved the way for our performance against
OSU on Saturday.
Well, it is now
officially crunch time. Both Illinois and Purdue will come to town this weekend
hoping to enhance their chances to be selected to the NCAA Tourney field (in
Illinois’ case as a bubble team), and to improve their seed (in Purdue’s case).
Both teams will be playing with tremendous motivation.
But so will the
Gophers.
If we manage to win
both matches I believe our chance to host a first round NCAA Tourney weekend
are promising. Two victories would improve our RPI to somewhere
between 14-18 (my estimate...nothing official) and put us in a position to
be granted a top 16 seed. Usually, the top 16 seeds get first crack at hosting
in the first round. There are exceptions, of course. Last year, for
example, we were sent to Yale even though we were a top four seed. If this
happens again to a top seed, it might open up opportunities for a 17-20 seed to
host in the first round. In any case, I believe we are in the
running for the right to host! There is a lot to play for this weekend!
And finally, there are
a few other reasons to come out to the Pav to support the Gophers. Our three
seniors--Paula Gentil, Jess Byrnes, and Athena Mallakis--all deserve a
meaningful sendoff. And Paula is close to breaking the NCAA all-time dig
record, an event that could occur this weekend. It would be wonderful if she
could share this amazing accomplishment with a large home crowd.
I hope to see all of you this weekend. Thanks for everything. And GO GOPHERS!
Head Coach
Minnesota Volleyball
From John Oravis:
Hello Golddiggers!
Well, the 2005 regular season is really winding down. It doesn’t
seem all that long ago that the Golddiggers were hosting the First Practice
event and dinner, and then watching the rejuvenated Varsity-Alum match back in
August -- at least to me it doesn’t!
This weekend the Gophers
will be home against Illinois and Purdue and finish the Big Ten portion of
their 2005 season. With big wins over Wisconsin at home and Ohio State on
the road, our Gophers are looking to continue their winning
ways as they head into a potential bid to the NCAA
tournament. After the Purdue match on Saturday it’s
also time for us to honor and thank our three seniors down on the court
and then to hear from them at our post-match reception. Thanks so much
Jessica, Paula and Athena! We hope that all Golddiggers and friends will be
there for all of the action down on the court both nights and up in the Sports
Pavilion Club Room on Saturday night.
On Sunday November
27th the volleyball team -- surrounded by many Golddigger booster club members, we
hope -- will gather for the NCAA post-season tournament announcement and
telecast.
Thanks again for all of
your memberships and your continued support throughout the 2005
season. Be sure to come out and watch the matches and the
NCAA post-season telecast this weekend! Go Gophers!
John Oravis, President, Golddiggers
In this case, Meet the Newest Gophers. The program has announced two recruits for 2006, Rachelle Hagerty (Defiance, Ohio) and Christine Tan (Palm Harbor, Florida). Welcome Rachelle and Christine! News release follows.
http://www.gophersports.com/sportsNews/press_release.asp?news_id=11521&sport_id=wvoll
Photos which follow are
from www.articferret.us .
![[image]](11-23-05_files/image004.jpg)
Hagerty
![[image]](11-23-05_files/image006.jpg)
Tan
NCAA Tournament Selections
The big day is this Sunday November 27th. There will be a get-together, open to the public, and free of admission, in the Williams Arena Clubroom starting at 1:30 PM. The announcement of the tournament field will be on ESPN News sometime between 1:30 and 2:30 PM. We can only hope ESPN gives it the time it deserves and keeps the suspense to a minimum.
Please contact Kari at 612.626.1064 or stern022@umn.edu to RSVP. Reserve your spot today!
Chalk Talks
The last “Chalk Talk” will be held before the Purdue match this Saturday. These talks have been open only to Golddiggers members, and are held from 5:30 PM until about 6:15 PM in the Williams Arena Media Room (2nd floor, next to the elevator). If you want to learn more about how the coaches develop their strategy, what the players are going to be doing out on the court, and why they’re going to be doing it, this is the place to be! This is also your chance to ask all sorts of volleyball-related questions.
Post Match Reception
The last regular season reception will be this Saturday following the Purdue match. This is the biggest reception of the year, and will be more of a dinner/potluck than the usual assortment of “great snacks.” Plus, the seniors will no doubt be asked to address the gathering. Don’t miss it!
Golddiggers Apparel/Gophers
Team Photo
Golddiggers apparel is available for orders. Information can be obtained at the reception this Saturday if you have not seen the flyer.
The team photo will also be on sale this weekend. This photo -- a (smaller!) replica of the large poster on the Pavilion’s east wall -- is suitable for framing, autographs, or as a lasting memento from this season. They should be available both in the Pavilion before the matches and on Saturday night at the reception.
Promotions
Friday night’s match is Parent Recognition Night, which includes a “Trading Cards Giveaway,” and post-match autographs. Saturday night will be Senior Recognition Night with a “Senior Posters Giveaway.”
Fundraising
The Golddiggers are actively assisting in fundraising for the team room and locker room renovations. Please check out the information below. See “Donation Opportunities” or “Donate to Gopher Volleyball” at the Golddiggers website. You can also contact former Gophers assistant coach Vivian Langley, now a member of the Golden Gopher Fund Team at lang0052@umn.edu or at 612.624.6107 for more information.
http://www.golddigger-boosters.org/donations/Donation%20Drive.pdf
*PDF
John Oravis, in his greeting above, mentions how hard it is to believe this season is winding down. Anybody else having a hard time believing Jess Byrnes, Paula Gentil and Athena Mallakis are already seniors? Anybody else wondering why Cassie Busse didn’t play this year? Or Lindsey Berg? Or Gretchen Dahl for that matter?
OK. Maybe it’s just me.
But I can’t help but remember the heartbreak of that loss at Northern Iowa to end the disappointing 2001 season. The Gophers were losing an All-American middle and a setter who should have been All-American at least twice. Was there really any reason to be overly optimistic heading into 2002?
Some of us travelled out to Malibu (we weren’t exactly dragged, kicking and screaming) early that Spring to watch the team in a tournament there. It was not pretty. The Gophers were pretty much roughed up by the opposition and Coach Hebert tried to sit on an invisible chair at one point, with predictable results. Still, you could see a new intensity on defense and these kids were battling. Athena was also there, gingerly climbing the stairs in the stands following her second surgery on her knee. I remember her father mentioning that she had chosen Minnesota because they thought the program was on the verge of winning a Big10 title -- and making its mark nationally. George proved to be remarkably prescient.
I, for one, will never forget the Pepperdine match to open the NACWAA that late summer at the Pavilion. The Waves had been one of the teams thumping the Gophers in Malibu. They -- and almost everyone else in the volleyball community -- thought it would be more of the same. There was much discussion about how the Gophers did not even belong in such a prestigious tournament with Pepperdine, Stanford and Northern Iowa.
And what happens? Paula Gentil makes a spectacular debut, flying all over the court, digging blast after blast. Jess Byrnes subs in for the injured Maggie Freiborg early in game one and more than holds her own under extremely difficult circumstances. The team is jump-serving up a storm, playing inspired defense, and Lindsey Vander Well is directing the surprisingly effective offense with a cool confidence. The Gophers overwhelm Pepperdine and are extremely competitive against the Logan Tom/Ogonna Nnamani-led Cardinal in the final.
The rest -- as they say too often but I will say nevertheless -- is history. A Big10 title, two-straight appearances in the NCAA Finals, including last year’s championship match. And although it has all gone by in a blur, three players are crystal clear in our memories now and -- no doubt -- in the years to come: Jess, Paula and Athena, this year’s senior class.
We thank them for their outstanding efforts, for their unwavering class, and for the joy they allowed us all to share.
And it’s not over yet.
Go Gophers!
The Gophers current conference statistical rankings, heading into this weekend’s matches against Illinois and Purdue are:
| Team hitting % | 6th | (.200) | |
| Opponent hitting % | 2nd | (.168) | |
| Assists per game | 4th | (14.75) | |
| Opponent assists per game | 3rd | (13.35) | |
| Kills per game | 5th | (15.65) | |
| Opponent kills per game | 2nd | (14.32) | |
| Blocks per game | 3rd | (2.98) | |
| Opponent blocks per game | 6th | (2.56) | |
| Aces per game | 2nd | (1.40) | |
| Opponent aces per game | 2nd | (0.89) | |
| Digs per game | 2nd | (16.62) | |
| Opponent digs per game | 7th | (16.49) |
Paula Gentil continues to lead the conference in digs per game (5.97) and is second in aces per game (0.37). The senior libero is now 56 digs away from becoming the all-time NCAA digs leader.
Who is Paula trailing in aces per game? None other than Malama Peniata, who leads the entire conference at 0.40.
Meredith Nelson is tenth in blocks per game (1.16). Jessy Jones is right behind Meredith at 1.15 per game.
Friday November 25 7:00 PM
Illinois
The Illini are making a late charge for an NCAA berth. Although the odds are against them, their win last Wednesday at home over Purdue will certainly help and this match against the Gophers could make or break their season. They defeated Indiana, 3-0, last Friday night.
Illinois is hitting .190 as a team and their opponents .243. They are last in the conference in digs per game and aces allowed. They are 6-12 in the Big10 and 15-14 overall. Their current Pablo ranking is #53.
Rachel VanMeter now has an incredible 1,641 attacks for the Illini. Just for comparison’s sake, Sarah Florian leads the Gophers with 670 and the team total for Illinois is 4,100. VanMeter has 626 kills and is hitting .230 on the season.
Lizzie Bazzetta is now setting for the Illini, with Steph Obermeier moving to DS. Other starters include Vicki Brown, Meghan Macdonald, Rasa Virsilaite, Rachel Henderson and Beth Vrdsky (libero).
The key would seem obvious: let VanMeter do her thing (within reason!), but keep the rest of the Illini under control. The Gophers won 3-1 in Champaign in the first meeting between the teams.
http://fightingillini.collegesports.com/sports/w-volley/ill-w-volley-body.html (website)
http://fightingillini.collegesports.com/sports/w-volley/mtt/ill-w-volley-mtt.html (roster)
http://fightingillini.collegesports.com/sports/w-volley/spec-rel/ill-w-volley-CumulativeStats.html (stats)
Saturday November 26 7:00 PM
Purdue
The Boilermakers lost yet another 5-game match last week (to Illinois), their fifth in this Big10 season. Purdue, like Illinois, also has extra incentive in this match, since a top-16 seed in the NCAAs may ride on it. They defeated the Hoosiers on Saturday night, also 3-0.
Purdue is hitting .227 as a team and their opponents only .188. They are third in the conference in aces (they are also third in aces allowed) and are sixth in digs per game. The Boilermakers are 11-7 in the conference and 22-7 overall. Their current Pablo ranking is #19.
Renata Dargan is averaging 12.28 assists per game, while also hitting .332. Stephanie Lynch is hitting .345 and is fourth in the conference in blocks per game. Other starters include Elizabeth Jacques, Danita Merlau, Marie Franke, Samantha Mader, and Anne Mastandrea (libero). Mastandrea’s 4.69 digs per game is good for seventh place in the conference.
In the first meeting, Purdue gave the Gophers fits with their serve. After losing the first game decisively, the Boilermakers stormed back to win the next three. They are a feisty team and will battle on defense.
http://purduesports.collegesports.com/sports/w-volley/pur-w-volley-body.html (website)
http://purduesports.collegesports.com/sports/w-volley/mtt/pur-w-volley-mtt.html (roster)
http://purduesports.collegesports.com/sports/w-volley/spec-rel/pur-w-volley-CumulativeStats.html (stats)
The CSTV/AVCA Division I Coaches Top 25 Poll was released 11/21/2005. The link to the complete rankings follows, but the top 10 were: 1--Nebraska, 2--Penn State, 3--Washington, 4--Florida, 5--Stanford, 6--Arizona, 7--Notre Dame, 8--Hawai’i, 9--Louisville, and 10--Missouri. The Gophers are at #17 this week, up from #19. In addition, Wisconsin is at #14, Ohio State is at #19 and Purdue is at #22.
http://www.avca.org/collegiate/dipoll/dipoll11-21-05.asp
Two other rankings we have been following come from the RichKern.com site, the first creatively named the RichKern.com Volleyball Poll. This is a poll compiled from rankings by fans around the country. The Gophers are #13 in this poll.
The second is the Pablo ranking system, based on an algorithm developed by a fan of the sport, and it is calculated solely on match results. You can read more about it in the FAQ at the RichKern.com site. The actual rankings link and the FAQ link are below. If nothing else, it’s an interesting alternative to the polls. The Gophers are also ranked #13 there.
http://www.richkern.com/vb/rankings/PabloFAQ.asp
For statistical leaders -- individuals and teams -- check out the following link (updates are slow, but do come):
http://www.ncaasports.com/volleyball/womens/stats/stats
The NCAA tournament field will be chosen Sunday November 27. Many conference tournaments were held this past weekend, including the showdown in the Big East between Notre Dame and Louisville (the Irish won, at Louisville, in five). These are the automatic qualifiers, as of today: