Point U!(betcha)
Newsletter
of the University of Minnesota Golddiggers Booster Club
Volume
2006 Issue 9
November
27, 2006
Following this past weekend’s impressive win over Purdue (3-0) and expected win over Indiana (3-0), our 9th-ranked Golden Gophers completed their Big10 season at 17-3 (23-7) overall, good for sole possession of second place in the conference. The triumphant Gophers returned home for the NCAA Tournament selections broadcast and were rewarded for their stellar season with a #8 seed and a sub-regional.
Oh, wait. Cancel that bit about the sub-regional. That would be in the parallel universe where Gopher volleyball is treated fairly and things just generally make more sense. See the Coach’s Corner, Point U!(betcha), Upcoming Match Previews and Tournament Talk below for more on what happened in our universe.
Highlights of this issue include another Travels with JT report and some words from our seniors, who, sad to say, have played their last match in the Pavilion.
Point U!
In this issue
From
Coach Hebert:
Well Gopher
faithful, it is always wise to worry only about those things over which you
have control. It has become obvious that we have no control over decisions made
by the NCAA volleyball committee. So … it’s off to Albany! And we will roll
into town looking for two wins.
In our team meeting
right after the pairings were announced I made the following points to the
players:
- It is an honor to be seeded 8th in the NCAA
Tournament
- Especially for a team that lost its way out
of the poll altogether for three weeks in September
- Climbing all the way from out of the poll
to a regular season-ending 9th place is a monumental achievement
- This is a special team, one of the best in
my eleven seasons at Minnesota
We have much to be
thankful for.
I just received word
that three Gophers
have been named to the All-Big Ten Team (Malama Peniata, Meredith Nelson and
Kelly Bowman), and that Peniata was named Defensive Player of the Year. Jessy
Jones was named as Honorable Mention.
Should we survive our
match with Siena College, we have learned that St. John’s University (should
they defeat Albany) would be a difficult opponent. They are one of the Division
I programs that decided to build their program using the “international
athlete” route. Their starting lineup features a former Chinese Junior National
Team player, a player from Poland, and another from Brazil. They look very good
on video and we will be challenged to compete with them. Their 30-4 record is
no fluke. Remember the Louisville team that beat us 3-1? St. John’s beat them
3-0 in a thumping. We will have to be at our best!
This is where
playing in a tough conference like the Big Ten becomes an advantage in
the playoffs. Our kids are used to the pressure of big matches. I can tell you
without hesitation that we will be prepared and we will play with confidence.
Nothing can be as difficult as playing in front of the hostile thousands in
Madison, right?
Thanks for all of your
support this season. I hope we are talking about a trip to Florida at this time
next week.
Head Coach
Minnesota Volleyball
From John Oravis:
Hello Golddiggers!
Congratulations to the Gopher coaches and players on their selection for the 2006 NCAA volleyball tournament this past Sunday!
Thanks to everyone -- fans, friends and boosters -- who attended the NCAA selection telecast reception in the Williams Arena Club Room. We had a large, enthusiastic crowd for the event.
Minnesota was seeded #2 in the Gainesville Regional, and received the #8 overall seed in the tournament. Unfortunately, we were not selected to host the first and second rounds here in Minneapolis. That unexpected news was a bit of a surprise and a disappointment to most of us. Geography and a few saved travel bucks trump large, knowledgeable and enthusiastic volleyball crowds, or so it seems.
Now the Gophers will head to Albany, New York for the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament. Be sure to follow them in person or on the internet broadcast.
If any of you are planning to travel to Albany, NY and/or Gainesville, Florida, then please contact the Gopher ticket office (612-624-8080 or 1-800-U-GOPHER) as soon as possible. Information on the Gainesville Regional will be available this week as well. If you are interested in possibly traveling to the Regionals, please call the ticket office and your name will be put on a list and if the Gophers advance, you will be contacted to confirm.
Thanks again to everyone for all of your great support this season.
To the team: Congratulations, good luck and good hitting in New York!
Go Gophers! Point U!
John Oravis, President, Golddiggers
Gophers on
All-Big10 Team
The 2006 All-Big10 Team:
|
Player |
Year |
Position |
School |
Notes |
|
Katie Bruzdzinski |
JR |
OH |
Michigan |
1 |
|
Ashley Schatzle |
JR |
OH |
Michigan State |
1 |
|
Kelly Bowman |
SR |
O |
Minnesota |
2 |
|
MEREDITH NELSON |
SR |
MH |
Minnesota |
2 |
|
Malama Peniata |
SR |
L |
Minnesota |
1 |
|
Marisa Main |
SR |
S |
Ohio State |
3 |
|
DANIELLE MEYER |
JR |
OH/MH |
Ohio State |
2 |
|
NICOLE FAWCETT |
SO |
OH |
Penn State |
2 |
|
Christa Harmotto |
SO |
MH |
Penn State |
2 |
|
MEGAN HODGE |
FR |
OH |
Penn State |
1 |
|
Stephanie Lynch |
SO |
MH |
Purdue |
1 |
|
Brittney Dolgner |
FR |
OH |
Wisconsin |
1 |
|
Taylor Reineke |
JR |
MH |
Wisconsin |
2 |
|
Jackie Simpson |
JR |
S |
Wisconsin |
1 |
Unanimous selection in ALL CAPS
Notes column refers to number of
years on All-Big10 Team
The honorable mention players were Vicki Brown, JR, MH, Illinois; Katie Johnson,
JR, OH, Michigan State; Jessy Jones,
JR., MH, Minnesota; Melissa Walbridge, JR, MH, Penn State; and Samantha Mader,
JR, OH, Purdue.
The All-Freshman team was Vanessa King, MH, Michigan State; Kate Nobilio, L,
Northwestern; Anna Szerszen, OH, Ohio State; Alisha Glass, S, Penn State; Megan
Hodge, OH, Penn State; Brittney Dolgner, OH, Wisconsin.
The PLAYER OF THE YEAR was Megan Hodge of Penn State.
The DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR was Malama
Peniata of Minnesota.
The FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR was also Megan Hodge of Penn State. This is the first
time in Big10 history that a freshman has won the award.
The COACH OF THE YEAR (as selected by the coaches) was Pete Waite of Wisconsin.
The COACH OF THE YEAR (as selected by the Media) was Russ Rose of Penn State.
The COACH OF THE YEAR
(as selected by Point
U!(betcha)) was Mike Hebert of Minnesota. We only wish we had
such an award. Great job, Coach (and coaches)!
Little did we know that the Tournament Rumpus would be led by Gopher fans. Although this space has rarely, if ever, been used to give voice to editorial rants, the time has come.
So let us just say: What the heck!? Whew. We feel better already.
Our top five gripes about the brackets:
ü Minnesota -- which had earned the right to host -- is sent on the road for rounds 1 and 2, for the third straight year.
ü Penn State is rewarded for their #3 overall seed by being sent to Seattle -- placed in the region with a team (Washington) who is given a #6 seed, but could have easily been #4 or #3. The Lions, therefore, have gained no advantage by being the region’s #1 team.
ü Conveniently enough, this also allows UCLA and USC to receive the #4 and #5 overall seeds and play in the regional with the lowest seeded host (#12 Hawaii). Theoretically, this means they have a much better chance to advance than does PSU. One of them, anyhow.
ü Florida and Texas, seeded #9 and #7 respectively, and already hosting regionals, are nonetheless given sub-regionals. Florida, as a matter of fact, is arguably seeded lower than they should be just to make this possible. This also means that Minnesota’s higher seed is all but meaningless.
ü History appears to play no part in the decision-making. You would hope that “bad breaks” in the bracket would even out in the long run. The reality is that the same teams keep catching the bad breaks. Unfortunately, Minnesota is one of them.
Minnesota’s reward for a #8 seed? Pack your bags for rounds 1 and 2 and potentially face an under-seeded Florida in round 3 on the Gator’s home court. How is this even remotely fair?
Does any of this really matter? It probably matters least to the players and coaching staffs of the teams involved. They have more important things with which to concern themselves than the logistics of the tournament. But it is our contention that it matters a great deal for the future of Division I volleyball. It gives the impression to fans that their support is not even a secondary factor in the decision-making and it cheapens the tournament itself. With such blatant manipulation of seeds and hosts, how can they claim the tournament crowns a champion fairly, a true champion?
Something needs to change and soon. It is our belief that the sport is losing fans, something it can ill afford.
We believe -- although we may be mistaken -- that volleyball needs fans to be successful. At the very least, fans need to be a part of the equation.
In the mean time, Go Gophers!
Believe it or not, the Gophers are headed to upstate New York -- Albany, to be specific -- for rounds one and two of the NCAA Tournament.
Siena THURSDAY November 30th, 5:00pm (CT)
The Saints were 15-3 (22-12 overall) in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference this past season, runners-up to conference champion Fairfield. Siena, however, beat Fairfield in five games in the conference tournament to earn the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
The Saints
Siena lost non-conference matches to Arizona (0-3), San Francisco (0-3), and Kentucky (0-3). Kentucky is the only other NCAA Tournament team they faced this year. Burgandy McCurty, frosh opposite/middle, led the team offensively, hitting .381 for the season. McCurty was also the MAAC “Rookie of the Year.” In addition, senior outside hitter Christie Gustafson was named to the All-MAAC 1st Team and sophomore setter April London to the 2nd Team.
Head coach Garvey Pierre: “As far as our chances for beating Minnesota, it’s the NCAA Tournament; we will win if we come out and play Siena volleyball.” Point U!(betcha): Perhaps he meant they will win if they come out and play Siena?
Albany/St. John’s FRIDAY December 1st, 6:00pm
(CT)
The other first round match will feature the Albany Great
Danes (19-12) and the St. John’s Red Storm (30-4).
Albany was the America
East champion -- regular season and conference tournament. They came back from
an 0-2 deficit to defeat UMBC in their tournament’s championship match. They
have lost to NCAA Tournament teams UNI (1-3) and Purdue (0-3) this year, as
well as losing this past weekend to UCSB (1-3) and LBSU (0-3). Blair Buchanan
has been the AEC Player of the Year and Setter of the Year for three straight
years.
Assistant Coach M.J. Engstrom is a native of St. Paul and played for the Gophers in 1978, as well as graduating from the University of Minnesota.
The Great
Danes
St. John’s is one of volleyball’s big success stories this year. They won their first ever Big East title, cracked the Top 25 for the first time ever (#24 on 11/13/06) and posted a 30-win season. Unfortunately for the Red Storm, they were upset by Notre Dame (1-3) in their conference tournament -- their only conference loss of the year. They have wins over NCAA Tournament teams Louisville (3-0) and Notre Dame (3-0), as well as losses to USC (0-3), LSU (0-3) and Florida (0-3). Their roster has an international flavor, with four players from overseas. They also have two players from Hawaii, including Big East Libero of the Year Kathleen Yee.
Yee
Should the Gophers win both of these matches -- and why not? -- then it’s on to Gainesville, Florida! Keep your eyes peeled for crocodiles and rabid football fans.
The CSTV/AVCA Division I Coaches Top 25 Poll #13 was released 11/27/2006. The link to the complete rankings follows, but the top 10 were: 1--Nebraska, 2--Stanford, 3--Washington, 4--UCLA, 5--Penn State, 6--USC, 7--Florida, 8--Texas, 9--the Gophers! and #10--Wisconsin. Ohio State is #18 and Purdue is #23 in this latest poll.
The Gophers are still at #9 in the RichKern.com Volleyball Poll.
Kern
Poll (subscription required)
Finally, the Gophers are still at a robust #7 in the Pablo rankings.
Pablo
Ranking (subscription required)
Final conference standings from around the country:
|
Big 12 |
W/L |
Overall |
|
Pac10 |
W/L |
Overall |
|
SEC |
W/L |
Overall |
|
|
Nebraska |
19-1 |
27-1 |
|
Stanford |
16-2 |
25-3 |
|
Florida |
19-1 |
28-2 |
|
|
Oklahoma |
17-3 |
26-5 |
|
UCLA |
15-3 |
29-3 |
|
LSU |
16-4 |
26-5 |
|
|
Texas |
16-4 |
21-6 |
|
Washington |
15-3 |
25-4 |
|
Alabama |
12-8 |
17-12 |
|
|
Colorado |
12-8 |
16-11 |
|
USC |