In this issue
How
‘bout them Gophers! What a clutch performance by the team this past weekend. We
got over the hump against a very good
As
I told the team in the locker room after the Purdue match, this was one of the
most gratifying wins during my time at
We
decided to move Brook Dieter back to the left side. It turned out to be a great
decision because Brook transformed herself into the player that you all watched
earlier in the season. She set personal records in kills on both nights (23 vs.
Anyway,
the two wins move us into a tie for third place with four matches to play. We
can’t win the Big Ten title. But we can surely qualify for the NCAA Tournament.
I will begin to feel comfortable if we can win at least two more matches. This
would put us at 17-13, and this would probably be enough to get us in. But hey,
two more wins will not come easy. Remember, we lost to this weekend’s opponents
(
As
it turns out, this will be the most important weekend of the season. It will
likely determine whether or not we get an NCAA bid. I want to encourage all of
you to come out to the Pavilion to support the team. They feed off of your
energy. So we’ll see you on Friday night! Don’t forget to bring some friends.
These matches will be all out volleyball warfare!
From
Coach Hebert:
Head Coach
From Larry
Mickelson:
Hard to believe that we are coming up on the final
regular season home stand of the year. I
am already lamenting the opportunity to see the Gophers in action and not being
able to see my Golddigger friends for a while.
BUT ENOUGH OF THE WHINING!!! This promises to be a great weekend for
volleyball. The Gophers have been
playing better and seeing some positive results. This weekend’s matches are key for them and
their efforts to make the NCAA tournament.
I hope we see huge crowds at the Pavilion this weekend to cheer on our
team. To be honest, I have been a little
disappointed in the attendance this year and I am hoping for packed houses both
nights.
In addition to the big matches, this is a big weekend
for the players as they honor their parents on Friday evening. It will be an emotional evening, I’m sure,
for parents and players.
And as emotional as Friday may be, it won’t hold a
candle to Saturday evening as we honor our seniors Jessy Jones and Kelly
Roysland. It has been fun to watch Kelly
play this year and I am glad she has had the opportunity. However, I feel the night will belong to
Jessy Jones. It seems like only
yesterday she came bounding onto the court against Stacy Gordon and
I almost hate senior night. It reminds us that we will have few
opportunities to cheer on our seniors, that we may not get to see them in live
action again. And I hope that Jessy
leaves us with the same impression that she treated us to that December night
four years ago.
In the meantime, save your voices. You will need them this weekend!
Point U!
Larry Mickelson, President, Golddiggers
Jess Jones (WHO? JESS JONES!)
Note: Photo courtesy of the
University of Minnesota (although we didn’t actually ask for permission).
Seems just like yesterday you were put into the
line-up in the regional final against Ohio State and were blocking Stacy
Gordon. Has the time gone that quickly
for you?
Unbelievably
fast, I am having a really hard time still grasping the fact that this time
next year I will be watching the game from the audience. It is incredibly hard
for me to except and everyday it gets even harder. Just filling this
questionnaire out thinking it is going out for my senior night is ridiculously
hard for me to do. My senior night is going to be a very hard thing for me to
go through and I just can’t believe it is already here. You are going to see a
very emotional Jessy Jones on Saturday for the reception.
What has been the best part of your time with the
Gophers?
Becoming
the person I am today. Being a part of this team is not just about volleyball,
statistics, wins and losses…it’s about growing and learning. Making some of the
best friendships that will last a lifetime is something I will always be
thankful for.
When you came into the program as a freshman, were
there any particular players who helped you get acclimated to the college game?
Jessica
Byrnes and Meredith Nelson! I love them so much!
What was harder – the college game itself or adapting
to college life with volleyball?
Adapting
to college life with volleyball. It’s weird to all a sudden to be in charge of
your own life! Going to class, working out, eating well, studying…Its crazy
everything becomes your fault when things go wrong, there is no one else to
blame it on. You have to take responsibility for your own actions.
Which team have you enjoyed playing the most? The least?
I love
playing anyone is going to compete and play with heart. I don’t enjoy playing
teams that looks as if they are going through the motions because they are not
playing for each other. They play as if it is a job and college volleyball is
so far from that.
How do you want Gopher fans to remember you as a
player?
I want
them to remember me as someone who was fun to watch, had a crazy passion for
the game, and who did whatever she could to help her team win the match.
I want my
teammates to remember be as someone who always tried to lighten the mood in the
practice gym and who loved them so much and still does.
Why
the change in hair color this year?
Oh...ok.
For the summer my
"theme" was change. I needed to change my attitude and
get back to what I
believed in before I was in college. I believed that I
could do anything and
the more I grew and matured the more I put limits on
myself. The truth is I
STILL can do ANYTHING, anyone can achieve anything
they want if they put
their mind to it. Back to the hair thing...It is
always something I said
I wanted to do and I was sick of saying I was going
to do it. I seized my
someday!
You seem to be the “go to” player for Mike during our
receptions. How do you like public
speaking?
Ehhhh…its
ok. When it comes to volleyball I can talk for hours and it does not bother me
that much, but if I have to go up in front of a bunch of strangers then I will
be really, really nervous and talk too fast. If I have confidence in my
knowledge of the material I will be speaking about then I am ok. I am no Meredith
because she is just much more professional than me, I am too much of a
goofball.
What are your plans for the future?
My
volleyball days are not over. I will try playing professionally overseas and I
really think I am going to enjoy this experience. After the season ends I will
be coaching and continue training but I am also going to give my body and break
and let it heal from pretty much 16 years of getting beat up! My sister is
pregnant again, so I also will wait until the baby is born to go overseas.
My
passion for volleyball is too large to just leave it behind and “move on”
because that would lead to me having an empty feeling inside. I will keep
coaching, possibly at the collegiate level as a recruiter. Going along with the
coaching, I want to be a high school
teacher and eventually an athletic director.
I guess I
have some sort of direction in my life, but I change my mind A LOT!
Now for the fun stuff!
If I didn’t play volleyball I would… Be playing
basketball
When I need to relax I… listen
to John Mayer, Rascal Flatts, or Colbie Caillat. I also just go find one of my
roommates and start talking and laughter is bound to happen!
My favorite food is… gumbo
and grilled cheese!
The movie I could watch again and again is... too many, 300, Hook, Love Actually, Any Disney movie
If I could go anywhere in the world for vacation I
would go to... if I was not with my family I would go home. But if they
were with me then…
What people don’t know about me is… I take a great deal of pride in being a good friend. I
want to be that friend that I would appreciate. I think getting a phone call at
2:00am starting with, “I didn’t know whom to call, but I thought of you” is
probably the best gift anyone could ever get. I love making those unexpected
gestures and making people feel special.
Reception
We will be holding a Golddigger
reception after the Northwestern match on Saturday night. This will be the final regularly scheduled
reception of the year and we will take the opportunity to recognize our two
seniors – Jessy Jones and Kelly Roysland.
As this is usually one of the larger receptions of the year DuAnn is
looking for extra angels this week to help with the reception. If you are
willing/able to help please let DuAnn know on Friday or by e-mailing us.
Also, remember that non-Golddigger guests are always welcome but we do need to collect $2/guest to satisfy NCAA requirements. If you are bringing a number of guests to the reception please let DuAnn or I know so we can be prepared.
+ + +
Bus Trip to
Unfortunately, the bus trip to
+ + +
Chalk Talk Scheduled
for this Saturday, November 17th!!!
The final Chalk Talk featuring Associate Head Coach Scott Swanson will be
held this Saturday in the Williams Arena Media Room:
Saturday,
November 17th Prior to the
Northwestern match 5:30-6:15 PM
This is a 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
+ + +
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.
From Betty Cipperly:
I've been asked the question many times - "how
did you guys become so interested in volleyball?" Well folks, some
of the time that's a polite way of asking "how come someone as old as you
follows volleyball so intensely!"" Well look around at the
games. I'm sure you'll see that our "senior section" is well
represented - and by that I mean anyone over 50. Age is not a pre-requisite
for loving this game. That's the beautiful part of it - you play at a
young age and watch and enjoy at an old age! (Although my husband played
well into his 60's) but I can testify that the old bones sure hurt him for the
following 3 days! Larry started playing the game in the early 70's, then
went on to coaching (first our sons and then our granddaughters in JO
programs). He was also a referee for the State High School League for
numerous years. (All the time playing the game himself). Unfortunately
the era I came from did not have female sports so if you were athletic at all -
you were a cheerleader. And not today’s "dancing
darlings" but the kind that know the game and really yell at
the games (you were always hoarse the next day). I was one of these kind
of cheerleaders all through high school. When we yelled "Hold that
line and hit'em hard!” we knew we were on defense at at football game - not
offense!! I so much envy the gals of today to have the opportunities they
have. I have always encouraged my Granddaughters to take advantage of
every opportunity they have to excel at whatever sport they wish to pursue -
and luckily it's been volleyball! It's wonderful to see the pride of the
parents whose daughters are playing in the program and also to see the
enthusiasm of the young people who attend matches and embrace this great
sport. But don't ever forget that we "seniors" also love this
sport and are the backbone of every good program. So I encourage all you seniors
to stand proud and loud and volunteer anyway you can to promote and encourage
growth in the wonderful world of volleyball!!
|
School (First-Place Votes) |
2007 Record |
Last Week |
|
|
1 |
|
24-2 |
1 |
|
2 |
|
23-1 |
2 |
|
3 |
|
20-3 |
3 |
|
4 |
Stanford |
24-2 |
5 |
|
5 |
|
23-2 |
4 |
|
6 |
|
20-6 |
7 |
|
7 |
|
24-1 |
8 |
|
8 |
|
21-4 |
6 |
|
9 |
|
22-3 |
11 |
|
10 |
UCLA |
17-8 |
9 |
|
11 |
|
21-5 |
10 |
|
12 |
|
20-7 |
12 |
|
13 |
|
24-4 |
13 |
|
14 |
|
18-9 |
20 |
|
15 |
|
23-4 |
15 |
|
16 |
|
28-1 |
16 |
|
17 |
|
19-5 |
18 |
|
18 |
|
19-7 |
19 |
|
19 |
Cal Poly |