Gophers Set to Take on USC

Minnesota vs. USC, we’ve all seen this before right? The two teams squared off in last season’s national semifinal, and played again early this season in the NACWAA Invitational. Fear not, Gopher fans, although Minnesota lost both times to the Women of Troy, there is no reason to think that tonight will not be different. First of all, this isn’t the USC team that dispatched Minnesota from the Final Four last year. Many seniors from last year’s undefeated team have departed and the Women of Troy have been closer to the rest of the pack this season.

When Minnesota lost to USC in five games earlier this season, the Gophers were dominating the Trojans until Trisha Bratford went down with an injury. USC rallied to take the match and the NACWAA title. Since then, Minnesota has perfected the 6-2 system, which has highlighted the impressive athleticism of Kelly Bowman and Lindsey Taatjes, culminating with their amazing performances in last weekend’s regional finals. USC has had a strange season. They haven’t played a whole lot of matches; sitting at only 23-5 (Minnesota is 32-4). They dropped out of a tournament on the east coast because of a hurricane that turned out to be nothing more than a dreary rainstorm by the time it hit the tournament site. Another strange performance by USC this season was their shocking loss to Washington State to end the regular season. WSU is coached by Brian Heffernan, who is in his first year with the Cougars after a long stint as assistant coach at Minnesota under Mike Hebert. WSU is in a major rebuilding mode and finished the season with only a 5-26 record. Rarely have elite teams such as USC ever lost to a team such as Washington State.

Minnesota fans should be especially interested in how Keao Burdine plays tonight. Burdine leads USC in kills from her left-side hitting position, however, she had a rather pedestrian .245 hitting percentage during the regular season. However, during the NCAAs, Keao seems to take on a different form. She was the MVP of the last two Final Fours, a feat that can’t go unnoticed. The Trojans feature their two giant trees in the middle in 6’5 Bibiana Candelas and 6’6 Emily Adams. Adams was named First Team All-American yesterday along with Burdine.

The x-factors of the match for USC are right-side hitter Stacie Venski and libero Debora Seilhamer. If both players are on their game, it could be tough for the Gophers to get going. Minnesota will need to employ the same balanced team match that beat the Buckeyes in order to beat the Trojans. Trisha Bratford and Erin Martin need to hit hard and efficient from the outside, while Kelly Bowman and Lindsey Taatjes need to continue their success while hitting, setting and playing back-row defense. The one thing that you can count on is that Paula Gentil will be excellent. Last season, the experience of making the Final Four might’ve been enough for Minnesota, this time around, the Gophers want the National Title. USC stands in the way, but can their desire for a third-straight title match Minnesota’s desire to win one for the school and the Midwest?

Tonight’s match starts around 9:30 CST but will not be televised until tomorrow (Friday) at 2 pm on ESPN2. The match can be heard live on WGMT 1220 AM or on gophersports.com.