Point U!(betcha)
Newsletter
of the University of Minnesota Golddiggers Booster Club
Volume
2006 Issue 2
August
21, 2006
This will be a relatively abbreviated issue of Point U!(betcha). Not because we are lazy, mind you. We just want to plug the Alumni Match coming up this Saturday, August 26th, without bogging the Golddigger membership down in the quicksand of our usual journalistic excess. Golddiggers are busy people, after all, often focused on the weighty matters of Life, Death, and what’s for dinner. It’s important to choose just the right moment for our more substantial editions.
Highlights of this issue include information about the Alumni Match, the Big10 preseason poll and All-Conference selections, and a review of the nation’s top ten ranked teams.
Our next issue is scheduled for the week of September 11th, prior to the Northern Iowa match in Rochester (9/13) and the Diet Coke Classic that weekend. You have been warned: It could border on the Bunyanesque.*
Point U!
*Extra points for the
Minnesota-themed adjective.
In this issue
The Alumni (or Alumnae, for the sticklers) Match is this Saturday, August 26th, at 7pm. Admission is free, as is parking, thanks to the State Fair shuttles from University lots. Bear in mind, however, that parking will be more crowded than usual and fairgoers will be wearing some things you might wish you’d never seen.
Please
note correction from last issue: Alumni Match is Saturday, not Friday. The date
was correct, but the day was not. The person responsible for
this error has been dismissed.
There will also be a post-match reception, the first of the season, in the Pavilion Club Room. The post-match reception, oddly enough, will follow the match. Come meet the team, join us in conversation, and enjoy the treats.
The “Early Bird” membership renewal incentive has been extended through the reception. All early renewals will receive a copy of the 2005 season highlights on DVD. There’s still time to take advantage of this offer (renewal form link is below).
http://www.golddigger-boosters.org/2006/join_up/2006GolddiggerMembershipForm.pdf *PDF*
The always popular Chalk Talks with Associate Head Coach Dave Boos (unofficially known as “Hearing the Boos”) are on the schedule again this season. These talks are tentatively scheduled for the Williams Arena Club Room on the following dates:
Saturday, October 14th Prior to the Purdue match in Williams Arena, 5:30-6:15pm
Saturday, October 28th Prior to the Penn State match, 5:30-6:15pm
Saturday, November 11th Prior to the Northwestern match (8pm start), 6:30-7:15pm
Also, we would very much like to hear from YOU! Former Gophers, out-of-town members, Hollywood celebrities -- whomever -- please email us at the address below, let us know what you are up to, pass on suggestions or questions for the Point U!(betcha), or hammer the coaching staff for their time-out usage -- it’s up to you.
The coaching staff has also generously offered to answer questions submitted to them through this newsletter.
We look forward to all your input.
Remember when you first purchased that gleaming silver Porsche and absolutely could not wait to get the thing out of the garage and on to the road? Me neither. But we can all imagine what it would be like, right? And one has to think that similar feelings of impatience are prevalent in and around the 2006 Gophers just about now.
In the words of the late, great, Ray Charles, “Hit the road, Jack!” Sure, he went on to say, “and don’t you come back no more, no more, no more, no more,” which is hardly the sentiment we would wish to express in regards to our Gophers. Nor would we be so redundant. But hang in here with us; we do have a point to make.
As the team prepares for their first road trips of the 2006 season, it’s probably safe to say none of us would even dream of telling them to stay away. Oh, we suppose there could be a family spat where some ill-chosen words might be flung about, but that’s going to be the rare exception (and none of our business). Truth is, in spite of the fact they have not even left yet, we are already anxiously anticipating their return. An obvious reason, since we are all fans, would be that we want the opportunity to actually see them play. But another, less obvious, reason would be that we will know a heckuva lot more about the team than we do now.
When the Gophers open their “home” schedule (Wednesday September 13th versus Northern Iowa in Rochester), they will have six, very tough, road matches behind them. More important, the team should be well on their way toward discovering just how good they will be this year. Will the 5-1 be working well? Will Marci have seized the reins of the libero position? Will the middles be playing to their potential? Who will be the starting outside hitters? Who is the first DS off the bench? Will the fifth game losses of 2005 still be an ongoing bugaboo? Will “bugaboo” be a part of anyone’s vocabulary?
It should be an interesting road trip, with the competition potentially fierce. Furthermore, the level of that competition should rise as the road trips progress, culminating with the match against 2005 national runner-up Nebraska, in Lincoln, on September 10th.
We’d even be tempted to haul out that old crucible metaphor if it weren’t for the fact we’re not totally clear what a crucible exactly does or why it’s relevant. Let’s leave it at this: the Gophers will be severely tested, and there’s an extremely good chance the character of this 2006 team will have begun to emerge.
We wish them much success and the best of luck, and we look forward to their return. Jack.
Go Gophers!
The 2006 roster:
|
Number |
Player |
Position |
Height |
Year |
Hometown |
|
1 |
Kelly Bowman |
S/OH |
5-10 |
Senior |
Maple Grove, Minnesota |
|
14 |
Krista Chin |
DS/L |
5-7 |
Sophomore |
Wheeling, Illinois |
|
4 |
Meghan Cumpston |
OH |
6-1 |
Senior |
Red Bluff, California |
|
2 |
Kelly Fallon |
DS/L |
5-8 |
Sophomore |
Burlington, Wisconsin |
|
10 |
Rachelle Hagerty |
OH |
6-2 |
Freshman |
Defiance, Ohio |
|
8 |
Rachel Hartmann |
S |
5-11 |
Sophomore |
St. Charles, Illinois |
|
9 |
Doneila Jackson |
MB |
6-0 |
Sophomore |
Plant City, Florida |
|
11 |
Jessy Jones |
MB |
6-3 |
Junior |
Naperville, Illinois |
|
5 |
Meredith Nelson |
MB |
6-3 |
Senior |
St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin |
|
6 |
Malama Peniata |
L/OH/DS/S |
5-8 |
Senior |
Plymouth, Minnesota |
|
12 |
Kyla Roehrig |
OH |
6-4 |
Sophomore |
Papillion, Nebraska |
|
7 |
Kelly Schmidt |
MB/RS |
6-3 |
Sophomore |
Champaign, Illinois |
|
15 |
Christine Tan |
DS/L |
5-4 |
Freshman |
Palm Harbor, Florida |
|
16 |
Katie Vatterrodt |
OH |
6-2 |
Sophomore |
Bloomington, Illinois |
|
13 |
Michelle Wilber |
DS/L |
5-5 |
Sophomore |
Anoka, Minnesota |
Pictures of our newest Gophers (from gophersports.com), Krista, Rachelle and Christine:
Scheduled to play in this Saturday’s Alumni Match are Bethany (Baker) Albrecht, Jess Byrnes, Krista (Nevelle) Doyle, Karen (Staab) Gates, Erica Glaser, Deb (Bell) Hegerle, Kathy Kraemer, Michelle Miller, Gail (Spencer) Mooney, Karyn (Daline) Polland, Yvonne (Wichert) Van Oort, and Lori (Miller) Wierzal. Also on hand to lend their support will be Jean Boerboom, Monica (Lacis) Getchell, Stacy Godwin-Lemke, and Anita (Lacis) Randall.
The Gophers open the 2006 season on the road, participating in tournaments at Saint Louis (September 1-2) and Nebraska (September 8-10). These tournaments will match the Gophers against two teams from the Big12, and one each from the Atlantic 10, the SEC, the Big West and the Big East. More significant, there is not an “easy” match among the six.
Saint Louis (9/1 7pm)
http://slubillikens.cstv.com/sports/w-volley/stlo-w-volley-body.html
The host Billikens were 14-16 in 2005. They are coached by former Illinois assistant coach Anne Kordes, entering her third season. Offensively, they are led by 6’3” Tatyana Menshikova, an OH from Ivanovo, Russia. Tatyana collected 575 kills in 2005, as a junior.
What’s a Billiken? He’s a “chubby character with pixie ears, fat cheeks and an ear-to-ear grin.” It’s very complicated, so we direct you to a more in depth explanation at the link below. Enjoy?
http://slubillikens.cstv.com/trads/billiken.html
LSU (9/2 noon @ St. Louis)
http://www.lsusports.net/SportSelect.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=5200&KEY=&SPID=2165&SPSID=27816
The Tigers had a breakthrough season in 2005, going 21-8 for the year, including 11-5 in the SEC. They were also an NCAA tournament team (losing 0-3 to Texas in the first round). Their biggest win of 2005 was over then #8 Notre Dame, 3-2, on September 18th. They are coached by Fran Flory, now in her 9th year at the helm. This is a team which should not be overlooked.
Texas A&M (9/2 7pm @ St. Louis)
http://www.aggieathletics.com/index.php?SID=WVB
The Aggies are a perennial contender in the Big12, but are coming off a down year. They were 16-14 last year, 9-11 in the Big12. They will also be looking to replace 1st-Team All-American (AA) Laura Jones, as well as her 700 kills. Coached since 1993 by Laurie Corbelli, a 1984 Olympic silver medalist, the Aggies welcome a highly-regarded frosh class (the fourth best in the country, according to Volleyball magazine) to this 2006 edition. On paper, this looks to be the toughest match of the tournament for the Gophers.
Their freshmen class includes Sarah Ammerman (OH), Jenny Banse (MB/OH), and Mary Batis (OH/MB), rated the 49th, 46th and 47th top 2006 recruits, respectively, by PrepVolleyball.com. They join preseason All-Conference pick Christi Hahn (.325, 330 kills in 2005).
Cal Poly (9/8 5pm @ Lincoln)
http://www.gopoly.com/volleyball/womens/index.html
The Mustangs were 19-6 in 2005, 10-4 in the Big West. They have been picked to finish 2nd in the conference this year, behind Long Beach, in the preseason Big West coaches’ poll. They are coached by Jon Stevenson, in his 2nd year, following his program turnaround at St. Mary’s.
Of added local interest, Sarah Riviere, a junior MB/OH from LeSueur, Minnesota, plays for Cal Poly.
Louisville (9/9 TBA @ Lincoln)
http://uoflsports.cstv.com/sports/w-volley/lou-w-volley-body.html
The Cardinals enter the season ranked #12, following their 31-3 season of 2005, where they went 13-1 to tie for first place in the Big East and advanced to the NCAA round of 16 (losing 0-3 to Florida). That ranking may be a little high considering the departures of 2nd-Team AAs Lena Ustymenko (.335, 647 kills) and Jennifer Hoffman (.445, 336 kills), but there is no doubt this is one of the nation’s better volleyball programs.
Anastasia Yartseva Stewart (.384 in 2005) has been selected as the Big East Preseason Player of the Year and Samantha Dabbs (S) joins the team (rated as the 22nd top 2006 recruit by PrepVolleyball.com).
Louisville continues to field one of the more diverse teams in DI, with players from China, Russia, Uzbekistan, Slovakia and Latvia.
Nebraska (9/10 3pm)
http://www.huskersnside.com/SportSelect.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=100&SPID=23
The Huskers are ranked #1 in the country, in spite of the graduation of 1st-Team AA Melissa Elmer and 3rd-Team AA Jennifer Saleaumua. In addition, 2005 Player of the Year (and 1st-Team AA) Christina Houghtelling is out for the year following shoulder surgery this spring.
Nevertheless, they return 1st-Team AA Sarah Pavan and the terrific Jordan Larson. Rachel Holloway and Maggie Griffin are reportedly locked in a battle to set a 5-1 for the Huskers, while one of 2005’s setters, Dani Busboom, has been moved to libero.
Their freshmen class was ranked #10 by Volleyball magazine, with
Brooke Bartek and Kori Cooper ranked #13 and #12, respectively, by PrepVolleyball.com. In short, the #1 ranking may be a
little high, but this is a definite top six club, and the severest test for the
Gophers
so far this year.
The 2006 season opens for
many teams this weekend, with the AVCA
Showcase tournament in Madison, featuring host Wisconsin, Ohio, Texas and
Washington, perhaps the marquee even of the preseason. Point U!(betcha)
will be attending this tournament and will be filing a report for the next
issue of the newsletter (as well as submitting an expense report to the Golddiggers
board).
The preseason CSTV/AVCA Division I Coaches Top 25 Poll was released 8/8/2006. The link to the complete rankings follows, but the top 10 were: 1--Nebraska, 2--Penn State, 3--Washington, 4--Stanford, 5--Florida, 6--Santa Clara, 7--Hawai’i, 8--Texas, 9--Wisconsin, and 10--UCLA. The Gophers are at #22 in this poll. In addition, Purdue is #16 and Ohio State is #23.
http://www.avca.org/collegiate/06preseasonpoll.pdf
*PDF*
A brief preview of these top 10 teams follows, including their 2005 record. The rankings for 2006 recruits are according to PrepVolleyball.com’s top 50 list.
Nebraska (33-2, 19-1
Big12)
See the discussion about the Huskers above.
Penn State (31-3,
20-0 Big10)
The blasted Nittany Lions have compensated for the loss of Sam Tortorello and Kaleena Walters by recruiting the consensus top class in the nation: Megan Hodge (OH/MB), the 2005 Gatorade National High School Player of the Year, was the #1 recruit in the country according to PrepVolleyball.com. Alisha Glass (OH/S/RS), Blair Brown (MB), and Jessica Yanz (S) were #6, #7 and #23, respectively. These new Lions join Nicole Fawcett (2005 Freshman of the Year), Christa Harmotto, Katie Price, Melissa Walbridge, et al in blasted Happy Valley.
Blast it all!
Washington (32-1,
17-1 Pac10)
The defending champions have said goodbye to Sanja Tomasevic, Candace Lee, Darla Myhre and Brie Hagerty, but they still have 1st-team AA Courtney Thompson (also the Honda Broderick Player of the Year) and 3rd-team AA Crystal Morrison (also the 2005 Championship Most Outstanding Player). They have added top recruits Becky Perry (OH), ranked #15, and Shantell Durrant (MB), ranked #36, as well as Janine Sandell, the 2005 Big West Player of the Year, who transferred to the Huskies from UCSB.
Stanford (26-6, 14-4
Pac10)
The Cardinal was bounced from the NCAAs in the 2nd round in 2005. This had a lot to do with injuries to 3rd-Team AA setter Bryn Kehoe and potential AA Cynthia Barboza. If those two are back at near 100% form, Stanford could easily be the 2005 team to beat. Recruits Janet Okogbaa (OH), ranked #2, and Joanna Evans (S), ranked #29, add to the Cardinal depth which also includes 1st-Team AA Kristin Richards and 2nd-Team AA Foluke Akinradewo.
Florida (33-3, 15-1
SEC)
Without a doubt, the Gators will miss 1st-Team AA Jane Collymore, but they bring almost everyone else back, including 3rd-Team AA setter Angie McGinnis. Recruits Allison Cecchini (S) and Janine Williams (OH) were ranked #24 and #41, respectively.
Santa Clara (27-5,
12-2 West Coast)
The Broncos were one of two surprise teams (Tennessee being the other) in the 2005 Finals. They graduated 1st-Team AA Cassie Perret, but everyone else, including 3rd-Team AAs Anna Cmaylo (.356, 335 kills) and Crystal Matich (14.57 assists per game), plus recruit Nina Sevastopoulos (OH), ranked #28, is back. They are the WCC coaches’ unanimous pick to repeat as conference champions.
Hawai’i (27-7, 16-0
WAC)
The Rainbow Wahine need to replace 2nd-Team AA Victoria Prince, but still feature 3rd-Team AA Kanoe Kamana’o and a deep, deep bench. Freshmen Danielle Mafua (S), ranked #27, and Amber Kaufman (MB), ranked #25, add to that depth.
Texas (24-5, 17-3
Big12)
The Longhorns bring everyone back and remain the tallest team in the nation -- at least, that’s our guess. 2nd-Team AA Leticia Armstrong and 3rd-Team AA Brandy Magee only stand 6-1 and 6-2, respectively, but they are surrounded by 6-3 Jen Christian, 6-5 RuthAnn Feist, 6-5 Lauren Paolini and 6-3 Jennifer Todd. Then they added recruits Destinee Hooker (OH), ranked #8, and Ashley Engle (S/RS), ranked #3. Their heights? 6-4 and 6-3, respectively. Volleyball magazine ranks their freshman class #2 in the country.
Wisconsin (26-7, 15-5
Big10)
3rd-Team AA Sheila Shaw is no longer with the Badgers, but last year’s 2nd-place Big10 squad welcomes the #5-ranked freshman class, which includes Brittney Dolgner (OH), ranked #20, and Caity DuPont (OH), ranked #30. 2005 Ms. Minnesota Volleyball Nikki Klingsporn, ranked just outside the top fifty, is also joining the Wisconsin team. We will be discussing the Badgers in greater depth in an upcoming issue.
UCLA (20-11, 10-8
Pac10)
The Bruins, at first glance, appear to be overrated (as usual) at #10. However, they do bring pretty much their entire 2005 roster back and they have added Ali Daley, the 2005 Big West Freshman of the Year, who transferred from Long Beach State early this summer. They also have one of the best setters in the country in Nellie Spicer. We shall see if UCLA matches or exceeds expectations, or again falls short.
The 2006 Big10 Volleyball preseason poll and preseason All-Big10 team was released August 17th. The Gophers were picked to finish third, behind Penn State and Wisconsin. Kelly Bowman, Jessy Jones and Meredith Nelson were selected to the All-Big10 team.
2006 Big10 Preseason Poll
|
1 |
Penn State |
|
2 |
Wisconsin |
|
3 |
Gophers |
|
4 |
Ohio State |
|
5 |
Purdue |
|
6 |
Northwestern |
|
7 |
Michigan State |
|
8 |
Michigan |
|
9 |
Illinois |
|
10 |
Iowa |
|
11 |
Indiana |
