Revisiting Volleyball’s Big Weekend

Last season, the Gopher Volleyball team was ranked #6 in the pre-season by the AVCA. They failed with those high expectations, losing their first four matches, including dropping a five game match to the unheralded Kansas Jayhawks. Coach Hebert stated before the season began that the 2004 team would not repeat last year’s stumble out of the starting gates. He was right.

Minnesota opened the season in the prestigious NACWAA tournament, and invitation tournament that usually includes four teams in the top 15. In the opening game, the Gophers defeated the #11 Colorado State Rams in four games, 23-30, 30-24, 30-22, 30-27 behind 24 kills from Erin Martin and 23 digs from Paul Gentil. Additionally, Paula steered the team to big leads behind her amazing serve, chalking up 4 aces, along with sending the Ram serve receive into chaos.

The opening-day victory gave the Gophers a match-up in the final with the top-ranked Women of Troy from the University of Southern California, the same team that dispatched Minnesota in last year’s final four. USC came into the match on an NCAA-record 48 match winning streak, during that span, they had only been taken to 5 games once. Minnesota nearly shocked the volleyball world, as they were narrowly defeated 30-25, 30-32, 30-26, 28-30, 12-15. The Gophers stayed together after their second-best hitter, Trisha Bratford, went down with injury during the middle of game four. Erin Martin led the way with 28 kills, but the surprise of the match may have been the performance of sophomore setter Kelly Bowman. Bowman record 17 kills while hitting .355, had 40 assists and 18 digs, good for the coveted triple-double. Paula Gentil recorded a NACWAA record 37 digs, while dominating USC with her serve, similar to the first match of the weekend.

While no loss is good, and there is a good chance Minnesota could’ve beaten USC with a healthy Bratford, the results of last weekend were a statement to the other teams in the Big Ten and the nation that the Gophers are a team that won’t only be fighting for a Big Ten Championship, but for a National Championship. The added dynamic of Paula Gentil’s serve coupled with the potential of Kelly Bowman in the 6-2 system have given Minnesota enough tools to possibly overcome the loss of Cassie Busse to graduation. The Gophers were offensively sound going against USC’s massive block that includes two All-Americans in 6’6 Emily Adams and 6’5 Bibiana Candelas, they won’t see that much size or talent on any other team on the schedule this season.

This weekend, Minnesota heads to Wyoming where they’ll take on Idaho State, UT-San Antonio and Wyoming in the Gillette Classic. It will be a nice tune-up before the team hosts the Diet Coke Classic at the Sports Pavilion. The Classic features a national-finalist from last season, Florida, along with top 25 teams in Kansas State and Northern Iowa. There is a ticket giveaway for this tournament, look for fliers that are good for free tickets at Mariucci Arena.

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