In this issue
From
Coach Hebert:
Greetings
to all of my Golddigger friends. It will be nice to return to the comfortable
confines of the Sports Pavilion!
We
just completed the toughest road trip in the conference and came back with a
split. We were satisfied with that. Not only are Ohio State and Penn State two
of the best teams in the Big Ten on an annual basis, but it is almost
impossible to get from one place to the other for back to back matches on
Friday and Saturday. The trip is rendered even more difficult when there is a
football game at either school. We arrived at Penn State on Saturday, for
example, and the only hotel space available for us were two meeting rooms…no
beds for rest, no private bathrooms, and nowhere to get away from things. The
only place to sit or lay down was on the floor of the meeting rooms. There were
no hotel rooms available because of a home football game that same weekend at
On
to Happy Valley! After a first game that saw PSU play flawlessly, the Gophers
settled in to play some very good volleyball. Russ Rose told me after the match
that it was the best they had played all season. They were very physical and
skilled. But our team hung tough and displayed a feistiness that will help us
in the long run.
The
Gophers are on track. A 12-4 overall record (5-1 in conference play) puts us
right about where I had hoped we would be at this point of the season. Our
passing continues to be erratic, although not nearly as bad as some think. We
actually out passed PSU 2.17 – 2.11 (for those of you who know what these
numbers mean). Our block and defense is at the top of the Big Ten statistically
(blocks plus digs). But our offense has struggled recently. We need to score
more points with kills, and we need to reduce hitting errors. Of course, these
same problems are on every team’s list…not just ours.
This
weekend will be exciting.
We’re
hoping Jessy Jones might be available this weekend
for at least partial duty.
Don’t
forget to stop by for our Chalk Talk before the
Head Coach
From Larry
Mickelson:
As I reflect upon the upcoming matches against
Here is what I came up with on what makes a great
rivalry:
-
Competitive
teams
-
Matches
mean something
-
Proximity
of schools
-
Passionate
fans
Competitive teams: A rivalry needs to have teams that
tend to be evenly matched. A team that
dominates over the other diminishes the excitement surrounding the event. Each team may have stretches where they are
more dominating but over all they should be rather even.
Matches mean something: While both teams may be
evenly matched if the winner of the match finishes 8th and the loser
finishes 9th, the match loses some luster. This can change, however, if one team is down
and has the opportunity to knock off the other from the top perch.
History: A rivalry takes time to build. “New” rivalries will pop up from time to time
but they can’t hold a candle to those rivalries which have tradition.
Proximity of the schools/teams: It helps a rivalry if fans from each team can
travel to the other location rather easily.
Having fans from the opposing team make the trip into your building and
vice-versa raises the excitement level of both players and fans.
Passionate fans: Not much fun can be had in a rivalry
if the fans don’t care. When the fans of
both teams make the effort to attend the big matches to cheer on their teams it
makes for a great atmosphere. It is
great to see the visiting fans come into your building and for your fans to
walk into the rival’s building. As long
as each fan base treats the other with respect, nothing is better.
Which is why the
That is what makes the WI/MN match such a “must see”
and why the excitement level is a bit higher than a match over, say,
So, rest your voice and lungs and have them ready for
Friday night!!!! See you at the Pav!!!
Point U!
Larry Mickelson, President, Golddiggers
Note: Photos courtesy of the
During the Michigan match you had to go in for Jess
Jones when she was injured. What is it
like having to go with such little notice?
As a player on the bench you are always
ready to go in and do whatever you can for the team. I have to know how to go
in and do what I can in whatever situation is thrown at me. There is no way to prepare for the feeling
you have when your best friend goes down and you have to ignore her and think
about how you can go in and help your teammates win the match. However, having the chance to prove that I am
capable in a time of need was something I was happy to embrace.
Describe your feelings/emotions before the start of
the Ohio State match? How did things
change throughout the match?
My mind set was definitely different
than normal in warm-ups. It’s a great
feeling knowing that you are going to be out there impacting the team. As the match went on I was able to get into a
rhythm which created more comfort and confidence. Its much easier playing for a whole game
rather than for a few points here and there.
During your first two years at Minnesota your primary
role has been to come in off the bench.
What do you do to stay ready for when you are called upon?
Its hard to stay one hundred percent
warm while on the bench but I do an occasional cheer and a jump to stay loose
;)
Earlier this year you played some at the right side
position. What was that like? Had you played that position before?
You don’t have as much ground to cover
so it was a nice break after coming from the middle where you are constantly
moving along the entire net. I really
enjoy both positions even though they are very different. I played some right side in high school so I
am pretty comfortable with it. There are
minor adjustments with the block and high ball sets that I had to review but
besides that it was pretty natural.
Katie V., Rachel, and you are all from the Illinois
area and arrived at MN the same time.
Did you know each other prior to coming to MN?
Me and Katie were on the same club team
since freshman year so yes, we definitely knew each other very well.. I met Rachel when I heard some girl from
fusion (her club team) was looking at Minnesota. Since I had already committed I went and
introduced myself to her. When she
committed we got to know each other much better but we had been playing each
other for a few years prior.
Can you describe what it was like when you were being
recruited? Not only by MN but by other
schools as well?
It is really the first major decision I
had ever made so I was pretty overwhelmed.
There were a lot of people who were giving me their opinions but when it
came down to it I wanted to go where it felt right for me. I loved talking to all the players and
coaches and getting to see University campuses.
But when it came down to making a decision that was a little more
stressful. Every different school had
great qualities but Minnesota had the most for me on the volleyball side and
the academic side. I really wanted to
stay Big Ten and Minnesota felt like a home away from home more than any other
place I visited.
What was it about MN that made you decide to play for
the Gophers?
See above
Your bio states you like to travel. What are the favorite places you have
traveled to thus far? Where/what do you
still want to see?
Last summer my dad and my sister and I
were able to go to Germany after the European tour. Our family is from their so it was great to
see where my heritage came from. Berlin
was one of my favorite cities. It has so
much history yet is very contemporary as well.
I also love Hawaii. I learned how
to surf last summer and I fell in love.
Other favorites are Florida, Colorado, Cabo,
and Italy. I am taking a class that goes
to Argentina over Christmas break which I am really looking forward to. I also would love to travel to South Africa
and New Zealand.
It appears you have a fan club that attends many of
the home matches. Who is in this fan
club?
My mom and my dad make it to almost
every game. But the fan club you are
probably referring to is my boyfriend and all of his crazy friends and teammates
from Minnesota State. They definitely
know how to make a statement! They
typically drive a long way to come support us too. They’re great…. They make their visits worth
while!
What are you studying in school? What do you hope to do after you graduate?
I’m getting a Business degree in
Marketing and plan to work in sports retail or real estate.
What has been the best part of your MN experience so
far?
Being able to be around these amazing
girls everyday…. I also loved the European tour.
Now for the easy stuff!
If I didn’t play volleyball I
would… Play
golf. They have the coolest tournaments
of any sport!
When I need to relax I… Clean…. I know its
kind of pathetic
My favorite food is… Mac and Cheese but
don’t tell Mike because it is definitely not zone friendly!!
The movie I could watch again and
again is… A
league of Their Own
If I could go anywhere in the world
for vacation I would go to… Because…
New Zealand. I’ve been told it’s the most beautiful place
on earth. Plus they speak English.
Merchandise
Merchandise which was ordered during the first go
around is now available and, hopefully, the second set of merchandise will be
available this weekend as well. See
Betty Cipperly to claim your order and make payment
if necessary.
Thanks to Betty for organizing the merchandise
program!!!!
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Reception
We will be holding a Golddigger reception after the
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Coats for Kids
There is a “Coats for Kids” promotion scheduled for
the
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Bus Trip to
Don’t forget about the road trip to
See JT to sign up.
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First Chalk Talk Scheduled for this
Friday, October 12th!!!
The always popular Chalk Talks featuring Associate Head Coach Scott Swanson are
tentatively scheduled for the Williams Arena Club Room on the following dates:
Friday,
October 12th Prior to the
Friday,
October 26th Prior to the
Saturday,
November 17th Prior to the
Northwestern match 5:30-6:15 PM
These are great opportunities to find out what the
team’s strategy will be for that night.
Very good stuff!
Please note:
You will need to enter thru the Daily Entrance area along
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Compliance
As we are fully into the
Big Ten season we as boosters need to remember our roles and responsibilities
concerning the NCAA compliance. No one
intends to break any rules set forth by the NCAA but we need to be aware of
them. Some rules are obvious – no giving
of cash, no gifts, etc. However, there
are other rules that aren’t as well known.
The Big Ten season is an ideal time for coaches to bring in recruits who
are considering choosing MN as their college.
These recruits come to MN on visits including matches. It is tempting to show them MN hospitality by
welcoming them to the campus, hope things are going well, and how nice it would
be to see them in the maroon and gold.
However, contact by booster club members with recruits is prohibited
which is why you will often times see coaches near a recruit. They are there to protect us from
ourselves. So, the best way to impress a
recruit is by showing up at matches, cheering loudly and positively for our
Gophers, attending and enjoying the receptions.
Show the recruits the enthusiastic support they will receive once they
make that wise decision to matriculate (how’s that for a college word!) at the
U of MN as well as play volleyball for the best program in the country!
In addition, JT Bruett (not our
JT) of the Compliance office is sending out compliance issues of which we need
to be aware. Here is this week’s topic:
Extra Benefits
The
NCAA defines an extra benefit as any special arrangement for a prospective or
current student-athlete or the student-athlete’s relatives or friends.
Examples
of extra benefits include, but are not limited to:
- Cash
- Gifts
- Monetary loans or cosigning of
loans
- A vehicle or use of a vehicle,
- Payment for or the arrangement
of transportation
- Free or reduced cost goods or
services,
- Free or reduced cost
housing.
Student-athletes who
receive any extra benefits are immediately ineligible for intercollegiate
competition, they must repay the entire amount of the benefit, and they often
must petition to the NCAA for reinstatement of their eligibility. In cases in
which boosters provide the extra benefit, the NCAA or institution often imposes
penalties related to disassociation of the booster from the athletic program.
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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.
Rank School (1st-Place Votes) Record
1
2 Stanford (8) 16-0
3 Penn State 14-2
4 UCLA 14-2
5 Florida 15-0
6 Southern
7
8
9 Wisconsin 14-1
10 California 12-4
11 Minnesota 12-4
12 Hawai’i 13-3
13 Duke 12-3
14
15
16
17
18 LSU 15-2
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
Others Receiving Votes and appearing
on two or more ballots:
Sacramento State 63; Pepperdine 52; BYU 38; Long Beach State 37; Wichita State
20; Iowa State 14;
Dropped out: BYU (23)
A quick
look at the AVCA’s top ten ranked teams (excluding the
Big10 schools):
Stanford – Stanford visited the state of
UCLA – UCLA had one match last weekend but
it was a big one as they hosted USC. The
match featured the #4 and #5 ranked teams which had implications on the
national and Pac 10 seasons. The Bruins
walked away with a 3-1 victory and bragging rights in the City of
USC – As mentioned above, the Trojans
visited UCLA last week and walked away with a 1-3 loss with dropped them to
14-2 overall and 3-2 in Pac 10 play.
Like their cross-town rivals, USC will host #19
Matches of note this week
We will try
to identify some of the top matches of the upcoming weekend. This is not an all inclusive list!
Pac 10 Thursday –
Friday –
Big 12 Saturday –
The 
standings as of Oct 09, 2007:
Conference Games Overall Games Institution W-L For Opp Pct W-L For Opp Pct ----------- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- WIS................. 6-0 18 3 1.000 14-1 44 8 .933 PSU................. 6-0 18 0 1.000 14-2 44 10 .875 MINN................ 5-1 15 5 .833 12-4 39 16 .750 MICH................ 3-3 11 11 .500 15-3 47 18 .833 IND................. 3-3 9 14 .500 12-6 36 30 .667 PUR................. 3-3 9 11 .500 10-7 33 29 .588 ILL................. 2-4 13 14 .333 10-6 41 23 .625 OSU................. 2-4 11 13 .333 8-7 31 22 .533 NU.................. 1-5 5 17 .167 10-7 33 25 .588 MSU................. 1-5 6 16 .167 10-8 35 28 .556 IOWA................ 1-5 6 17 .167 9-8 34 31 .529
2007
conference statistics are at: http://bigten.cstv.com/sports/w-volley/stats/2007-2008/confstat.html
Last week’s
results (home team in bold):
September 28 Illinois 3, Michigan
State 2
Penn State 3, Indiana 0
Iowa 3, Michigan 2
Wisconsin 3, Northwestern 1
Purdue 3, Ohio State 0
September 29 Illinois 3, Northwestern
0
Indiana 3, Ohio State 1
Wisconsin 3, Michigan State 1
Penn State 3, Purdue 0
September 30
October 3
October 5 Indiana 3, Illinois 2
Penn State 3, Iowa 0
Michigan 3, Michigan State 0
Minnesota 3, Ohio State 2
Wisconsin 3, Purdue 0
October 6