Saturday night wasn’t supposed to be about Lindsey Taatjes.
After all, Minnesota’s volleyball team was playing Big Ten rival Ohio State in a rematch of whom the conference named, its two best players.
But somebody must have forgotten to tell Taatjes that Big Ten player of the year Stacey Gordon and Big Ten defensive player of the year Paula Gentil were supposed to be the main attractions.
So, instead of quietly taking a back seat to the Gordon-and-Gentil show, Taatjes used Saturday to broadcast her emergence as a top option on offense and become the most valuable player of the Minneapolis regional.
Gordon and Gentil didn’t disappoint – Gentil led both squads with 38 digs and three aces, and Gordon finished with a career-high 44 kills – but even the Gophers’ libero said Taatjes deserved the award.
“(Gordon) carried their team, and Lindsey, at times, carried ours,” Gentil said. “You could say that Lindsey has more gifts because she can set, which is something Gordon can’t.