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Gopher Spotlight: Mckenna Wucherer - University of Minnesota Athletics
Get to know junior outside Mckenna Wucherer
Wucherer talks off-season, goals, relationships and off the court
Mckenna Wucherer is a junior from Brookfield, Wis. She made the All-Big Ten Freshman team in 2022 and is a two-time AVCA All-North Region honorable mention. She finished second on Minnesota in kills per set last year as an outside hitter.
GS: When was the first time you remember playing volleyball?
MW: I remember I was like six or seven. We were at my aunt's house and [sisters] Miranda and Abby were playing in the driveway. My dad said Randy had club volleyball tryouts coming up, and I wanted to do it too. I wasn't in any other sports at the time besides t-ball, so I thought if she could do it and my mom used to play, why couldn't I?
GS: Did you play any other sports growing up?
MW: When we were super young, all of us did gymnastics. I was too tall at a certain point, so I stopped that. I used to love soccer, so I played that a bit when I was little. When I was a junior in high school, I did track (high jump) and made it to state.Wucherer playing for Team USA in the summer of 2023GS: When did you know you were advanced for you age at volleyball?
MW: I would say when I played on the 12 1's team for Milwaukee Sting. I played middle at the time, actually. We were at AAU nationals in the final four, and I just noticed there were a lot of college teams there. I was only 10 years old, and I was an All-American there. My 14's year, when I was 12, we won five tournaments in-a-row. Every tournament it felt like there were a ton of coaches there. I kind of knew then it could go somewhere.
GS: When did you start to think about playing volleyball in college?
MW: Probably when I was in sixth or seventh grade. I got my first college letter and my dad hid it under the couch because I was so young. One day, I was playing in the living room and a ball rolled under the couch and I saw a letter there with my name on it. I asked Randy about it, and then we talked to dad. It all kind of went from there.
GS: You obviously have a special relationship with your sisters, especially with your oldest sister, Randy (Miranda). Can you talk about that and how much of an impact she's had on your life?
MW: I love both of my sisters so much. With Randy, her and I have always been very close. I went to her with everything. She'd help me with homework, volleyball, any life advice. It was a great connection we've always had from a super young age. We just had a natural bond that best friends have. We never got to play together until we played at Minnesota last year. The connection we have has gotten even stronger since she came to Minnesota in 2022. Being in college together has been so special to share this experience with her.
GS: How did you feel when you found out she was going to be graduate transferring in for her fifth year in 2022?
MW: I was so happy. My dad wasn't even going to tell me at first. Once I heard she had been in contact with the coaches, I knew it was a possibility. I took her commitment pictures and got so excited. My dad loved it as well because he could come see both of us in one place.
GS: Back to your own recruitment, do you remember the first time you heard from Minnesota?
MW: [Former Gophers assistant coach] Matt Houk was from the Milwaukee area, and his dad coached my club team with the Milwaukee Sting. Whenever I'd come around, it seemed like his dad was wearing a Minnesota volleyball shirt. I was like 'wow that's cool.' He would always talk to me about the program and how it is a legendary program. That just kind of started the connection. Every time I visited or learned about the program, it just felt like home. I just felt like I could see myself in Minnesota.Mckenna and her dad, Greg WuchererGS: When you were being recruited, did you take a lot of visits or did you kind of narrow it down early?
MW: I basically had three schools I was considering in Minnesota, Florida and Wisconsin. Wisconsin was the home school and I liked Florida as well.
GS: What eventually led you to the decision to choose Minnesota?
MW: Minnesota just felt like home. It has great academics and great athletics. I knew [former head coach] Hugh [McCutcheon] had the USA Volleyball connection and the USA Team. That's what I want to do when I'm older. [Current head coach] Keegan [Cook] has those connections now, so I'm very fortunate to have been coached by both. I also liked how it was a good distance from home, not too close and not too far. I just felt way more at home at Minnesota. I used to hear all the time in high school, 'why didn't you go to Wisconsin?' It got annoying for sure.
GS: You obviously had a tremendously successful high school career. What was your best memory from that time in your life?
MW: My senior year was the first time Brookfield Central had ever made it to the state tournament. My coach my senior year, Tiffany [Voge], she brought the best out of me as a player. My first three years, we had a stacked team but would go like 32-5 and lose in sectionals. As a senior, though, we just had such a good connection. We made the second round of state, which was so much fun. There were six of us seniors who were really good together and it was a special moment. I remember the student sections at state were insane, there were too many people there.
GS: Did any of the opposing students give you a hard time during games?
MW: I heard a bunch of 'USA, USA' and 'overrated' chants. It honestly made me laugh. One of the opposing students sent me a DM on Instagram saying 'take it easy on us tomorrow, miss USA.' Against River Falls, I had like 33 kills and they kept chanting that I was overrated. It was hilarious.
GS: What was the most kills you've ever had in a high school match?
MW: I had 39 kills one time against Germantown. It was a back-and-forth five set match. With them being our rival, that was a ton of fun. I don't even think about the number during the games, I'm just doing whatever I can to help the team win.
GS: So high school ended in December and in January of 2022, you were enrolled at Minnesota. How was the transition during that time?
MW: I think I had a week of time after graduating high school at moving into Minnesota. It was crazy how fast time moved. I was at USA, and then the state tournament, and realizing I was never putting on a Brookfield Central jersey again. I just knew it was time to be the person I wanted to be when I was watching volleyball on TV growing up. I'm very happy I came in the spring, because I would have been very overwhelmed with everything I had to learn if I had come in the fall.Wucherer became a six-rotation player in 2023 after playing just front row in 2022GS: Two weeks into your freshman fall camp, you hurt your foot and had to sit out the first couple weeks of the season. What was that time like for you?
MW: I've never been hurt before, so that was super hard for me. At first I thought it was nothing, but after playing on it for two days I knew I had to say something. I'd never been hurt before and had always played through the pain, so I'd never had to miss games. You're so excited to play in your first college match, and then hearing you can't play for awhile hurts.
GS: Who were some of the people that really helped you get through that time?
MW: [Associate athletic trainer] Ronni [Beatty-Kollasch], and [sports performance coach] Sara Wiley helped me a ton as well as my sister [Randy]. The coaches would always just remind me how excited they were to get me back and put you in the lineup. Knowing that was really reassuring and helped me mentally get through the injury. My teammates all had my back as well, even when I made mistakes.
GS: What was it like playing in your first collegiate volleyball match?
MW: I was super nervous because it was my first game, and they had all been playing together for a couple weeks. I just wanted to get in the flow and help the team. Once I got on the court, the nerves went away and I was ready to go. The fans were super helpful with their encouragement and support. When I first heard the 'kill, Mckenna Wucherer,' it was so surreal. It gave me goosebumps.
GS: Your freshman year, the team made the NCAA Tournament and made it to the Sweet 16. What was it like playing on that stage for the first time?
MW: I just remembered thinking it was so cool seeing that NCAA patch on our jerseys, knowing we're one of the top 64 teams in the country playing for a national title. Once we played at Texas against Ohio State, that's when the pressure really hit. It was the highest level of volleyball I've played in my career. Minnesota makes the tournament basically every single year and it was an honor to be a part of that.
GS: Former head coach Hugh McCutcheon announced he was retiring from Minnesota at the end of 2022 in October of that year. After that, what were you feeling at that point in time?
MW: It hit me hard after that Ohio State match, I was emotional. That was the last match I'll ever play with Hugh. The connection we built over that last five years is real and I was sad to see him go. I remember that [senior women's administrator] Julie Manning and [athletic director] Mark Coyle let us know we would be in good hands and that they would bring in a great coach to succeed him. I just wanted to wait it out. I had been committed to the program for four years, and I just needed to wait and see what happened.
GS: What do you remember about the day you heard Keegan was going to be the head coach?
MW: I was sleeping in after the season ended. It was like 10:30 a.m. and my phone was blowing up, people were blowing me up to get on the Zoom call with the team. That's how we found out. I knew he had USA experience and had taken Washington to the Final Four and multiple deep NCAA Tournament runs. He has all the connections, and he knows what he's doing. I knew I needed to stay because he's been super successful with his teams and developing his athletes. I was very happy.
GS: Talk about the improvements you and the staff have been able to make in your game this year?
MW: We met over winter break last year and he asked me if I'm ready to be a six-rotation player, because that was his plan for me. Once we got in the gym, I was receiving reps right away. I'd get so frustrated because I was making mistakes and I thought I wasn't going to be that if I made too many mistakes. But he always showed so much confidence in me no matter what, which was reassuring. He always tells me to 'go for it' no matter what. Take a big swing and don't rely on tips. I just feel like I got better all-around this year and I know I'm going to take another step this year. I know this staff has my back and they trust me to go for it in the big moments.
GS: Since the end of 2023, there have of course been changes. How do you feel going into this winter knowing that you have a great core group coming back?
MW: I'm super excited. Obviously, it's hard to lose teammates that you've had good relationships with and really value. Moving forward, we're the people who are here and Keegan is really happy with this group that are bought in to Minnesota. When you see someone leave, you get nervous and are thinking 'is anyone else going to leave?' We don't want people to leave, it just hurts. But someone like Melani [Shaffmaster], I think it's really cool that she also committed in eighth grade and stayed here through it all. I think that's super cool. She's such a role model of mine. If she's going to stay here, and she's been super successful in her career, then I just felt great about it. I'm just super happy that I get to play with these girls every day and get to work with one of the coaching staff in the country. Volleyball doesn't last forever, but I know the relationships I have here will. A lot of it for me is just that changing my whole life around is very difficult for me. Once I was committed to Minnesota, I was all in. I don't see myself in any other jersey or with anyone else. I get to have a great education, a great volleyball team and I have great relationships. I love everything I get to do every day as a Gopher.
GS: What excites you most about heading into 2024?
MW: I think it's just being the underdogs. We didn't have as good of a year last year as we wanted to. We all look at it as it was still a successful season even though the rest of the country doesn't look at it like that. We went through a ton of transition, still had a winning season and still made the NCAA Tournament Round of 32. We still finished high in the Big Ten and took down the No. 5 team in the country. We look at this season as another opportunity to grow and get better. We want to show everyone who Minnesota volleyball can be, and we talk about that all the time. We still have all the same goals of being a Big Ten and national title contending team.
GS: Now that you're going to be an upperclassman, how do you hope to help grow as a leader this year to help the team?
MW: I feel like I really started to find my voice at the end of last season. [Former libero] Kylie Murr helped me with that, as she was never afraid to say what was on her mind. We have huge pieces like Mel and Lydia [Grote] as they bring excellent communication and energy every day. This year, I feel like I have a new gear to show up to. I want to keep growing and have an even bigger role this year. Not just taking big swings in big moments but making big plays on defense too. This is the year I want to take the next step and be relied on even more than in the past.Wucherer collects a kill in the NCAA Tournament against Creighton in 2023GS: How do you hope to help the newcomers this year?
MW: I am already getting to know [freshman setter] Stella [Swenson] and Olivia [Swenson] and have a really good connection with them. Two people that really helped me in the past were CC [McGraw] and Kylie [Murr] and I hope to do the same for them. I want to be a person that people can trust and that they can come to with any questions. We have a really great team chemistry and I hope we can go into the season with that.
GS: How excited are you to play at Fiserv Forum in your hometown of Milwaukee to begin next year?
MW: I am so excited. We haven't played in Milwaukee in college yet. Being in that kind of atmosphere is huge for women's sports. On top of that, being back in my hometown with my family and friends being able to come, it's just something I'm really looking forward to. I also really hope [current Milwaukee Bucks] Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard come too. I might cry if I see them.
GS: What's a message you have for Gopher fans going into 2024?
MW: Minnesota volleyball is a legendary program and always will be. We're all bought in to the team and the coaching staff. We're all here for the same goals and can do great things this year. Don't count us out.
Rapid Fire:
Off the Court Activities: Go to sporting events, puzzles, workout, hang with family.
Favorite Food: Tacos and BLT's
Fun Fact: I did high jump in high school and won my sectional.
Hidden Talent: I am very fast at completing puzzles, and I'm great at Fortnite
Favorite Sport to Watch: Baseball
Favorite Pro Sports Teams: Bucks, Brewers, Packers
Favorite Vacation Spot: Disney World
TV Shows: Dance Moms and Vampire Diaries
Biggest Inspirations: Dad, Mom, Abby and Miranda