In this issue

Announcements

Get To Know The Gophers

Upcoming Match Previews

National Rankings

National Update

Big Ten Update

Lot’s O’ Links

Contact Us

Coach’s Corner

Dear Golddiggers:’

First of all I want to extend a HUGE thank you to all the Golddiggers who made the weekend trek to Wisconsin and Northwestern. I can tell you that you made a difference in both matches. It was inspiring to hear the Gopher faithful in Madison. Despite their overwhelming advantage (5,600 fans and a loud band), we could feel your support at critical stages of the match. And at Northwestern you blew the home folks away. Job well done!

What a weekend for the team! The win over the Badgers was one of the most intensely competitive environments I have ever been a part of. It seemed as though every single point was a war. And the Gophers stood firm. I can still see Katie and Lauren soaring for that huge stuff block against Gabrielson for match point. What a way to end it. And then there was the silence from the home crowd as the Gophers raced to their locker room. Some moments are just special.

It was equally gratifying to watch the team take care of business on Saturday night against the Wildcats. On an evening when the team could have played with a touch of complacency, or could have claimed to be fatigued after the marathon the night before, the Gophers were crisp and dominated Northwestern in a manner not seen in years. Every roster player (except the injured Pam Luiz) got into the match and performed with skill and confidence. It was fun to catch a glimpse of the future.

Speaking of the future, how about the 2009 recruiting class!!! You are going to really like next year’s team.

Well, it’s back to the practice gym. We must ready ourselves to take on Michigan and Ohio State. Nothing is easy at this point of the season and both of these opponents are revved up to beat us. But I know our kids are motivated too. We want to finish our season with a head of steam as we prepare for the NCAA Tournament.

Be sure to come to the Pavilion on Friday and Sunday for our final regular season matches.

Go Gophers!

From Coach Hebert:

Head Coach – Minnesota Volleyball

From the Golddiggers’ President

From Larry Mickelson:

I’m still recovering from the trip we took to Wisconsin and Northwestern! I’ve pretty much caught up on my rest but am still pumped up from a great weekend! For those unable to join us this weekend the Wisconsin match was both excruciating and exhilarating. Sets three and four featured 18 tie scores with 9 and 7 lead changes respectively. Set five had 12 ties and 3 lead changes. With our beloved Gophers down two sets to one and down 23-20 things looked grim. Minnesota was out of subs and Kyla Roehrig took to the service line. Kyla did well in her turn in the back row and had two crucial digs as Minnesota responded with a 31-29 win. Things looked good in set five as Minnesota had two match points at 14-12 but Wisconsin fought back and actually had another match point of their own before Gibby and Katie V. put an end to the Wisconsin nonsense and provided a Minnesota win with a combination block. My voice has yet to recover from the match but every time I speak and hear my own raspy voice I think back to the Wisconsin match and just smile.

There were 23 Gopher fans who made the trip and we were joined by approx. another 40 or so fans who made the trip to watch the following day. I believe for many it was their first volleyball match and they truly enjoyed the experience. Hopefully, they will join us again this weekend.

I hope you are planning on attending this final regular season weekend. On Friday, we will honor the parents of the players. On Sunday we will take the opportunity to recognize and honor our four seniors – Rachel Hartmann, Kyla Roerhig, Kelly Schmidt, and Katie Vatterrodt. Hard to believe that they have been with us for four years!

We will also be having a get together on Sunday, November 30^th, for the tournament selection show. More details to follow including the time and place. But I hope you will be able to join us as we find out where and when the Gophers open the tournament and who their opponent will be. Hopefully, the NCAA tournament committee will reward the team and allow Minnesota to host the first and second rounds of the tournament. I am not yet ready to stop watching the team play!

Rest up and be ready to cheer the Gophers to two victories this weekend!

See you at the PAV!

Point U!

Larry Mickelson, President, Golddiggers

Announcements

CHALK TALKS

Scott Swanson will be holding “Chalk Talks” before the following matches. This is a great opportunity to understand more about the game and how the Gophers plan to attack and defend the upcoming opponents! Chalk Talks are held from 5:30 – 6:15 in the Williams Arena Media Room (located one floor down from the Club Room). To attend, enter the Daily Entrance on the University Ave side of the Pav and head down the Williams Arena concourse. Be prepared to show your ticket but do not get rid of it as you will need it to return to the Pav.

Final Chalk Talk!

Friday, November 21 (Michigan)

+ + +

MEMBERSHIP PACKETS

If you have not yet received your packet please see JT or Larry.

+ + +

RECEPTIONS

Post-match receptions will be held on the following dates and after the following matches. They will be held in the Pav Club Room:

Sunday, November 23 – Ohio State

+ + +

TOURNAMENT SELECTION PARTY

The U will be hosting a tournament selection party on Sunday, November 30^th. The selection show is being shown on ESPNU at 9:00. We will let you know the place when we get the details. Hope you can join us!

+++

BOARD OF DIRECTOR OPENINGS

We still have four openings for your board of directors. Board members meet 4-5 times a year and help shape the direction of the Club. The Board also helps coordinate and host the year end banquet. It is a great opportunity to get more involved with the Club and talk even more about Gopher volleyball! If you are interested in finding out more, please see a board member – Larry Mickelson, JT, DuAnn Thompson, Sharon and Dave Manninen, Hamlin Sjoberg, Lon Ortner, or Betty Cipperly.

+ + +

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.

Get To Know The Gophers!

I was unable to open Jessica’s reply earlier this year which is why it did not appear with the other freshmen… Larry

Jessica Granquist

1. You had originally committed to Florida State and then changed your mind and decided on Minnesota. What made you change your mind?

Yes I did originally commit to FSU but what changed my mind was I connected better with more of the girls here at the University of Minnesota. Mainly Hailey Cowles she helped me a lot through the process and Kelly Schmidt provided me with a lot of information and was very friendly with me. I really liked the warm feeling everyone gave me when about I was here and the U of M.

2. In high school you played outside hitter and libero in JO volleyball. Was there an adjustment period to only playing defense? Has playing the OH position helped you as a defensive player and, if so, how?

Yes I was an outside hitter in high school and libero in JO, and I absolutely loved the break and difference in the two positions. I did have an adjustment period, it was my sophomore year in JO’s my coach randomly decided to put me as libero one game. I fell in love with the position and the demands that followed. I feel like play OH did and does help me as a defensive player in a way that I know how tricky players can be and you always have to be ready for anything and everything.

3. How has the first six weeks or so of college ball gone vs. your expectations?

It has been a challenge so far the adjustment to role play and the pace of the ball has intensified extremely. Also the demands from the coach’s are a lot more then I have ever been around. With all the challenges it brings excitement to try to prove to myself and my teammates that I am here for a reason and I want to help them win. The expectations were high and since I have been here I have been handed the greatest opportunity and it is very exciting.

4. When did you start playing volleyball? What drew you to the sport? Did you play any other sports growing up and, if so, what influenced you to focus on volleyball?

I’ve been around volleyball ever since I was born my mom coached at Totino Grace. I actually started playing volleyball when I was in 6^th grade. What drew me to the sport of volleyball was the difference from different sports, it wasn’t like other ones. I played soccer since I was very little too, I used to want to be Mia Ham but I had too many knee injuries to continue playing. So volleyball was a perfect fit.

5. Have you decided on a field of study at MN? If so, what is it?

I still have no clue what I want to study here at MN, I do have a lot of interests in different areas and I am in the process of trying to pick and choose my favorites.

6. What is/are your favorite:

a. Food: All kinds of fruit and I love chocolate.

b. Song: That is a tough one I would have to answer with saying I love music in general from all different styles.

c. TV show: I do not watch TV that much so I don’t have an answer for that either.

d. Restaurant: My favorite restaurant is Applebee’s.

The Seniors!

Katie Vatterrodt

1. Four years! What will you remember most about your four seasons at Minnesota?

I will remember the moments where all of the hard work we put into practices, workouts and creating a solid team paid off. The most recent examples were this past weekend against Wisconsin and Northwestern. We have been working all season long to develop an ‘on the road’ mentality and I think this weekend was a great example of hard work paying off.

2. What have been your favorite non-volleyball memories during your time at Minnesota?

There are not many moments without volleyball. Almost all of my favorite moments either happened on the court or with my teammates. One year, I went on Spring Break to Florida and visited Christine Tan. I met up with a group of some of my really good friends that don’t play volleyball, and spent the rest of the time on the beach with them. It was a great week with friends and without volleyball.

3. What is your field of study?

I am a Recreation Resource Management major with two minors: 1) Spanish 2) Environmental Science, Policy and Management. In other words, I have been studying Environmental Sciences and how people interact with the environment.

4. What are your plans for after school?

No plans are set yet, but my hope is to continue to play volleyball for awhile before going back to graduate school for a more in depth Environmental Science degree. I plan to work for a corporation that needs help assessing their environmental impacts.

Kyla Roehrig

5. Four years! What will you remember most about your four seasons at Minnesota?

This is a hard one!! Haha I would have to say playing home games. It’s just so exciting to play in front of our fans. No matter what day it is they are there ready to cheer. It’s just a great atmosphere to play in and we are so lucky to have great supporters. Also these fans have made Minnesota my home. They have reached out and supported me through my 4 years here and I really appreciate that. I love Minnesota!

6. What have been your favorite non-volleyball memories during your time at Minnesota?

A favorite memory is all the friends I have made. I have met the most amazing people here at Minnesota. The friendship that I have made will grow with my through my years and I will always feel that Minnesota is a home for me.

7. What is your field of study?

I am majoring in Business Marketing and Human Resource Development

8. What are your plans for after school?

Ha I’m not sure….I would like to do something with volleyball being a Director of Volleyball Operations (Nao’s Job) has been a dream job for me and I would really like to pursue in that direction.

Rachel Hartmann

1. Four years! What will you remember most about your four seasons at Minnesota?

Wow, there are so many memories. I will remember most the relationships I have had with players, coaches, boosters, fans, and anyone else who I have met while I have been here. I will also remember the great matches that I have gotten to be apart of like our win over Florida my sophomore year and our close match against Nebraska the next night. One of my favorite memories will be the feeling I get when I run out of the locker room at home matches and hearing my name announced in the Pavilion. I think that is the one thing every incoming freshman looks forward to and every graduating senior doesn’t want to let go of, and I am going to miss that.

2. What have been your favorite non-volleyball memories during your time at Minnesota?

I will for sure remember all of the friendships I have made with both my teammates and people I have met outside of volleyball. Strangely, a lot of my favorite memories happened in the winter like when I went ice fishing for the first time and dropped my cell phone down the hole, and when our team met up with the girls basketball team for a snowball fight at Coffman my freshmen year. My favorite non-volleyball memory was when a bunch of us would go four hours north to a cabin and take a break from practice and lifting to relax a little. We would go on boats, fish, swim, and just sit around!

3. What is your field of study?

I am in the Inter-College Program, through Carlson School of Management and Construction Management.

4. What are your plans for after school?

I would love to keep playing volleyball as long as I can. I also plan on finding a job either here or in the Chicago area. My family is hoping I make it back to Chicago! I am looking at a few construction companies to either work on the business and marketing side or to become a project manager. I also plan on spending a lot of time with my newborn godson and my niece, ill be teaching her some volleyball pretty soon!

Kelly Schmidt

1. Four years! What will you remember most about your four seasons at Minnesota ?
I will remember how hard my first preseason was for sure! It was definitely a shock coming from hs to college. I'll also never forget serving the ball slightly too deep at a pass and serve at Northwestern and hitting Dave Boos in the "sensitive" region my freshman year on one
of the first road trips... thought I was getting kicked off the team right on the spot! On a more serious note, I will remember many memorable moments in the locker room and on road trips. I'll especially remember my European tour right before my sophomore year and the Puerto Rico tour my junior year. We got so close as a team and I really had a chance to grow as a player as well. I will always look back on the game against Florida to get to the
elite eight in 2006 and smile, and when we beat cal at home and beat Wisconsin AT WISCONSIN this year. Most of all I am going to remember how Minnesota volleyball has changed me and made me into the person I am today.

2. What have been your favorite non-volleyball memories during your time at Minnesota ?
Homework, tests, and going through security lines every other week....just kidding... just kidding. I will remember all the great people I was able to meet through this program; people who have influenced me and that I have been able to influence as well. I'll remember Mike talking to a homeless man and basically no pants on in Europe, Mike telling all his funny stories at different Big Ten locations, living with great/crazy roommates through the years, Laura's jokes, Ashley's laugh, watching the freshman sing every year, singing and dancing in the locker room like no one is watching... and watching others do this too!, volunteering at places around the community, getting to know Minneapolis, and so much more!

3. What is your field of study?
Marketing

4. What are your plans for after school?
I would love to work at an advertising agency in Minneapolis or
Chicago... But I don't have any specific job lined up yet. If you know
anyone CALL OR EMAIL ME! ;) please!

Upcoming Match Previews

Michigan

Coach: Mark Rosen (10^th season)

Record: 22-6 overall; 10-6 Big Ten

First meeting: Michigan wins 3-0 (25-21, 25-21, 25-21)

The Wolverines are tough at home (7-1 in the Big Ten) and under .500 on the road (3-5) although two of their road losses were back to back five set affairs to Illinois and Purdue. Their earlier three set sweep over the Gophers shows they can be very good so the Gophers will need to be ready to play on Friday night.

The Wolverines rely on 5’10” sophomore setter Lexi Zimmerman to run the offense and she does it very well. Zimmerman was an AVCA All American honorable mention as a freshman and was named to the Big Ten All –Freshman team. This year she is second in the Big Ten in assists per set at 11.57, trailing only Alisha Glass of Penn State. She must also be accounted for along the net as she is averaging almost 1.50 kills per set. Zimmerman had 7 kills in the first MI/MN match.

Zimmerman’s primary options are #18, junior 6’0” OH Juliana Paz and #2, 6’1” senior MB, Beth Karpiak. Paz leads the team in kills with 325 but is only hitting at a .218 clip. In the first MI/MN match Paz recorded 16 kills in three sets. Paz will get her swings and MN will need to figure out a way to block her or funnel her shots to the Tan along the back row.

Karpiak has been an anchor for Michigan for the past two years. Second on the team in kills with 303, Karpiak leads the team in hitting percentage at .355 and is sixth in the Big Ten in this category. She leads the team in total blocks (83) and solo blocks (16). MN did a good job on Karpiak in the first match as Karpiak had 10 kills but was held to a .185 hitting percentage.

A third option for Michigan is #8, 6’0” freshman OH Alex Hunt. As many freshmen tend to do, Hunt can run hot and cold. Hunt recorded only 8 kills in a victory last week against Ohio State. But she also had 20 kills against Wisconsin two weeks ago and 15 kills against Michigan State last week. Definitely a player who must require attention.

A defensive player MN will need to account for is Karlee Bruck (#6), a 6’3” red-shirt freshman MB. She is second on the team in blocks, trailing only Karpiak.

In the first Michigan match Minnesota had problems with serve receive as Michigan rang up six aces against only eight service errors. In addition, several service receptions led to overpasses. Minnesota will need to tighten up their serve receive. Improving their serve receiving will allow Minnesota to vary their offense – in the first match Brook Dieter had 19 of Minnesota’s 36 kills; Gibbemeyer was second with six. Minnesota was also out-dug in the match 51-43. Again, better passing will allow Rachel Hartmann to distribute the ball better and keep the Wolverines off balance in their defense.

Interesting note: St. Michael-Albertville setter, Catherine Yager, has committed to Michigan for the 2009 season.

Ohio State

Coach – Geoff Carlston (1^st season)

Record: 11-17 overall; 2-14 Big Ten

First meeting: Minnesota wins 3-0 (25-18, 26-24, 25-21)

It has been a long season for the Buckeyes. The season didn’t start poorly for Ohio State, they had a 9-3 non-conference record. Two of their losses were a five setter to currently undefeated Wichita State and to USC, both on the opponents’ home court. However, the Big Ten season has been rough with their only wins coming against Northwestern.

The Buckeyes are led offensively by Katie Dull (#16), a 5’10” sophomore OH, and Kristen Dozier (#12), a 6’2” MB. Each has over 100 kills more than the next leading Buckeye. Dull is averaging 3.86 kills per set while Dozier averages 2.76. In the first match, Dull registered 20 kills against the Gophers on 46 swings.

Setting the ball for Ohio State is Betsy Hone (#13), a 5’11” sophomore.

While the match should go in Minnesota’s favor Ohio State played Minnesota tough the first time around. As with the Michigan match, Minnesota’s offense was heavily tilted towards Dieter who had 16 kills in the match. One of the big factors in the first match was Minnesota’s 12.5 blocks vs. Ohio State’s 4. OSU also hurt themselves with an additional 14 unforced hitting errors.

Interesting note: Susan Halverson from Apple Valley is a defensive specialist for the Buckeyes.

National Rankings

Week of November 17, 2008

Rank	School (First-Place Votes)	Total Points	2008 Record	Last Week
1	Penn State (60)	1500	28-0	1
2	Stanford	1425	22-3	2
3	Nebraska	1376	25-1	3
4	Texas	1308	21-3	4
5	Washington	1277	21-4	5
6	Hawai'i	1170	23-3	6
7	California	1137	20-5	7
8	Oregon	1073	21-6	8
9	UCLA	971	18-8	9
10	Southern California	936	16-8	10
11	Wichita State	911	28-0	11
12	Minnesota	773	22-6	15
13	Kansas State	742	22-6	14
14	Florida	724	21-3	12
15	Colorado State	643	22-3	16
16	Illinois	592	20-7	17
17	San Diego	576	20-4	13
18	Purdue	441	21-7	18
19	Kentucky	403	25-4	22
20	Michigan	360	22-6	19
21	Saint Louis	295	24-4	20
22	Utah	228	20-5	23
23	Long Beach State	172	23-4	25
24	Pepperdine	134	19-5	24
25	San Francisco	108	21-6	NR

Others Receiving Votes and appearing on two or more ballots: New Mexico State 70; Santa Clara 51; St. Mary's (Ca.) 27; Tulane 22; Cincinnati 13; Iowa State 7; North Carolina 7; Florida International 4

National Update

A quick look at the AVCA’s top ten ranked teams (excluding the Big10 schools):

Penn State – The Nittany Lions set a NCAA record with victory over Illinois as they recorded their 53^rd straight victory and followed it up with a victory over Purdue the following night. The machine that is PSU has yet to lose a set although Illinois did score 23 points in the opening set.

Stanford – Since losing to Cal in mid-October, the Cardinal has run off 7 straight wins, including a 3-0 win over Cal in the rematch, and established themselves once again as the team to beat in the Pac-10. Stanford finishes the regular season with a pair of home matches this weekend against USC and UCLA before heading to Oregon to face Oregon and Oregon State.

Nebraska – The Big 12 championship could be the Huskers if they are able to beat the Texas Longhorns in Austin, TX on Wednesday. A victory would give Nebraska a two match lead with two matches to play. The Cornhuskers close the season hosting Texas Tech and traveling to Baylor.

Texas – The biggest match of the season for the Longhorns on Wednesday as they host #3 Nebraska. Not only will a share of the Big 12 lead be on the line, it may be more important for the Longhorns to win this match to prove they can beat Nebraska. A win could also give Texas, a regional host this year, a top four seed in the NCAA tournament. After the Nebraska match, Texas faces Kansas, Missouri, and Colorado.

Washington – Washington continues to beat up on the Pac 10 competition. With the exception of Stanford, that is, against whom they are 0-2. The Huskies close the season with Washington State and hosting Arizona and Arizona State.

Hawaii – The Wahine ended up sharing the conference title with New Mexico State with whom they split the season series. They will be the number two seed as they host this week’s Western Athletic Conference tournament. A third Hawaii/New Mexico State match looms. Interesting that while Hawaii is ranked in the top 10 NMSU is still outside the top 25.

California – The Golden Bears continue to struggle losing 4 of their last 6 matches. Their only two wins in that stretch were against the bottom two teams in the Pac-10, Washington State and Arizona State. Cal closes with home matches against USC and UCLA and away matches vs. Oregon and Oregon State.

Oregon – Oregon split last weekend, beating Washington State and losing to Washington. The Ducks travel south this weekend to face Arizona and Arizona State before closing the season at home against Stanford and Cal.

UCLA – The Bruins are 8-7 in conference play, behind USC in the conference standings, all their conference wins are against teams below them in the standings, have only one “significant” win (against Hawaii in the season’s opening weekend),and lost to USC earlier this year. Yet are ranked #9 and ahead of USC. The current ranking of the UCLA as #9 in the country could be one reason the AVCA poll is so highly criticized. UCLA travels to the Bay to face Stanford and Cal before ending the season at home against non-conference foe Pepperdine and conference foe USC. Can UCLA finish the conference at 8-10, a real possibility, and still remain in the top ten? We’ll see.

USC – USC has been playing well of late, recording wins over Cal and Oregon. However, those wins still represent the only significant wins USC has this season. They will end the season with three straight road matches against Cal, Stanford, and UCLA.

Big10 Update

The standings:

2008 Big Ten Conference

Conference Games Overall Games

Institution W-L For Opp Pct W-L For Opp Pct

----------- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Penn State.......... 16-0 48 0 1.000 28-0 84 0 1.000

Minnesota........... 12-4 38 20 .750 22-6 72 29 .786

Illinois............ 11-5 39 21 .688 20-7 68 34 .741

Michigan............ 10-6 37 21 .625 22-6 73 25 .786

Purdue.............. 10-6 31 29 .625 21-7 66 39 .750

Wisconsin........... 7-9 30 31 .438 17-11 63 42 .607

Michigan State...... 6-10 24 38 .375 14-13 52 50 .519

Indiana............. 6-10 26 39 .375 14-14 52 55 .500

Iowa................ 6-10 22 37 .375 14-14 48 53 .500

Ohio State.......... 2-14 13 44 .125 11-17 43 55 .393

Northwestern........ 2-14 16 44 .125 8-19 40 63 .296

2008 conference statistics are at: http://bigten.cstv.com/sports/w-volley/stats/2008-2009/confstat.html

Big Ten News

Illinois

After a tough five set loss to Minnesota, the Illini had the task of trying to bounce back against the Penn State machine. They almost pulled off a set win against PSU by scoring 23 points in the opening set. In fact, Illinois led at one point 19-15. But PSU did to Illinois as they have done against everyone else this year – swept the Illini in 3. Illinois bounced back the following night with a 3 set sweep of their own against Indiana.

Next up for Illinois is a mid-week match against travel partner Purdue and a weekend match vs. Michigan State. The Illini are only a match behind MN in the conference standings so every match is important. Illinois closes the season on the road at Wisconsin and Northwestern.

http://fightingillini.cstv.com/sports/w-volley/ill-w-volley-body.html (website)

http://fightingillini.cstv.com/sports/w-volley/mtt/ill-w-volley-mtt.html (roster)

http://fightingillini.cstv.com/sports/w-volley/stats/2007-2008/teamcume.html (stats)

Indiana

The Hoosiers had a tough weekend task by traveling to Purdue and Illinois. Friday night’s match vs. Purdue was a tough five set loss. Saturday saw a 3 set sweep by Illinois and the Hoosiers dropped to 6-10 in the conference and 14-14 overall.

Indiana has a slim chance to make the NCAA tournament but it may require winning the final four matches of the season. That task begins at home this weekend vs. Wisconsin and Penn State. The Hoosiers close the season against Michigan and Ohio State.

http://iuhoosiers.cstv.com/sports/w-volley/ind-w-volley-body.html (website)

http://iuhoosiers.cstv.com/sports/w-volley/ind-w-volley-body.html (roster)

http://iuhoosiers.cstv.com/sports/w-volley/ind-w-volley-body.html (stats)

Iowa

Iowa beat Northwestern in a tough 5 set match on Friday night despite being outscored, out dug, and out hit. Much of the damage was done in set 3 when the Hawkeyes lost 11-25. The Hawkeyes then traveled to Wisconsin where the Badgers swept the Hawkeyes.

Like Indiana, Iowa has slim NCAA tournament hopes and probably needs to win out to have a shot at a berth. The road is tough as they face Ohio State and Michigan this week and Minnesota the following week before ending the regular season at Michigan State. They do have home court in three of the final four matches, however.

http://hawkeyesports.cstv.com/sports/w-volley/iowa-w-volley-body.html (website)

http://hawkeyesports.cstv.com/sports/w-volley/iowa-w-volley-body.html (roster)

http://hawkeyesports.cstv.com/sports/w-volley/iowa-w-volley-body.html (stats)

Michigan

See above.

http://www.mgoblue.com/volleyball/page.aspx?id=12148 (website)

http://www.mgoblue.com/volleyball/page.aspx?id=137754 (roster)

http://www.mgoblue.com/volleyball/page.aspx?id=99564 (stats)

Michigan State

The Spartans split this weekend losing to in-state rival Michigan and beating Ohio State. Both matches went four sets.

Like Indiana and Iowa, Michigan State still has slim hopes of an NCAA tournament berth. MSU has a much tougher road, however, as they travel to Purdue and Illinois. The Spartans close the season by hosting Iowa and Minnesota.

http://msuspartans.cstv.com/sports/w-volley/msu-w-volley-body.html (website)

http://msuspartans.cstv.com/sports/w-volley/mtt/msu-w-volley-mtt.html (roster)

http://msuspartans.cstv.com/sports/w-volley/stats/2007-2008/teamcume.html (stats)

Northwestern

A tough weekend for the Wildcats as they lost a five set match to Iowa, 15-13, in which they led in sets 2-1. Northwestern led many of the statistical categories but just couldn’t close the deal. Minnesota came in the following night, took control early, and swept Northwestern.

Northwestern probably has the toughest finishing stretch of any team in the conference. They travel to Penn State and Indiana this weekend and then close the season at home against Illinois and Purdue.

http://nusports.cstv.com/sports/w-volley/nw-w-volley-body.html (website)

http://nusports.cstv.com/sports/w-volley/nw-w-volley-body.html (roster)

http://nusports.cstv.com/sports/w-volley/stats/2007-2008/teamstat.html (stats)

Ohio State

See above.

http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/SportSelect.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=17300&KEY=&SPID=10410&SPSID=89326 (website) http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/SportSelect.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=17300&KEY=&SPID=10410&SPSID=89323 (roster)

http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/SportSelect.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=17300&KEY=&SPID=10410&SPSID=89325 (stats)

Penn State

Penn State set an NCAA record on Friday when they beat Illinois and recorded their 53^rd straight victory and extended that winning streak to 54 the following night against Purdue. With the victories Penn State has clinched at least a share of the conference title.

Penn State will, in all probability, clinch the Big Ten title on Friday when they host Northwestern and then Wisconsin on Saturday. They close the season with Ohio State and Michigan.

http://gopsusports.cstv.com/sports/w-volley/psu-w-volley-body.html (website)

http://gopsusports.cstv.com/sports/w-volley/mtt/psu-w-volley-mtt.html (roster)

http://gopsusports.cstv.com/sports/w-volley/stats/2007-2008/teamcume.html (stats)

Purdue

Purdue had an all out battle on Friday has they squeaked by Indiana in a five set match. Any chance of beating Penn State was most likely eliminated by that tough match and they were swept by PSU on Saturday.

Purdue still has an outside chance at second place but they need to beat Illinois on Wednesday and follow up with a victory over Michigan State on the weekend. The Boilermakers close the season with matches at Wisconsin and Northwestern.

http://purduesports.cstv.com/sports/w-volley/pur-w-volley-frame.html (website)

http://purduesports.cstv.com/sports/w-volley/pur-w-volley-frame.html (roster)

http://purduesports.cstv.com/sports/w-volley/pur-w-volley-frame.html (stats)

Wisconsin

The Badgers had a heart-breaking loss against Minnesota on Friday. They held a 2-1 sets lead and a 23-20 lead in set 4. But they couldn’t hold the lead, as well, as a match point in set 5, falling to Minnesota 19-17 in set 5. They bounced back on Sunday by sweeping Iowa and avenging an opening conference loss to Iowa.

Wisconsin is still battling for an NCAA tournament spot but it won’t be easy. The Badgers travel to Penn State and Indiana this weekend before wrapping up the regular season by hosting Illinois and Purdue. A 3-1 record may be required to gain a berth.