Gopher Volleyball 2021 - Spring Season

Donate To GopherHole
Got em! In fairness to Penn State they are behind the curve due to Covid as to the number of matches they have played. Regardless Gopher ladies on the rise!
 

Samedy is awesome. Landfair is showing why she was a number 1 ranked recruit in the nation. Pittman is so steady and so all-around. Rollings has often been the giver of very powerful arm-swings.

But I gotta give super props to Shaffmaster. She is in the game for almost every play (along with Samedy)... distributing that ball to those that put it on the floor but also providing at times a strong right-side block. She has quarterbacked our team to some tough 5 set wins already, against Big Ten opponents, without pre-conference warmup... and she is a true-freshman!
 

Weren't at their complete best tonight, but picked it up big time in the 4th and 5th sets to pull it out.

Landfair showed why she was the top recruit in the nation. When she cuts it loose, it's really impressive. Hope for more of that as the season moves on.

Shaffmaster was fighting it all night and thr middles did next to nothing offensively. Passing broke down as well, especially in sets two and three.

With all that said, they know what it takes to win and got it done yet again.

Big roadie at the Huskers coming up.
 

I really like Shaffmaster. I think she'll be fantastic. Maybe not the best setter I've ever seen but she does some great things and is very helpful in the blocking game.
 

UpAndUnder43 said:
I really like Shaffmaster. I think she'll be fantastic. Maybe not the best setter I've ever seen but she does some great things and is very helpful in the blocking game.
Click to expand...
While Samedy is definitely the team's MVP thus far, Shaffmaster may be as crucial to their success. The bench seems very light on backup setters. Neither McMenimen (who appeared to be in street clothes) or Atherton (who could be hurt) are playing at all.
 


cemba99 said:
While Samedy is definitely the team's MVP thus far, Shaffmaster may be as crucial to their success. The bench seems very light on backup setters. Neither McMenimen (who appeared to be in street clothes) or Atherton (who could be hurt) are playing at all.
Click to expand...

Hugh has always run a 5-1, so I don’t expect to see backup setters in barring injury.
 

UpAndUnder43 said:
Hugh has always run a 5-1, so I don’t expect to see backup setters in barring injury.
Click to expand...

Not entirely true as Hugh at one point went with a 6-2 with Palmer/Tabberson at the beginning of his tenure here but besides that, you're right. He much prefers a 5-1, as most coaches do in an ideal world.

Shaffmaster brings alot of great things to the table, so I don't want to make it seem like I'm ragging on her at all (she's clearly the best option on the roster). That being said...
1) She HAS to set the middle more. It is not acceptable to set the middle only 4-5 times a set.
2) Her tempo to the outside hitters must get quicker. She leaves them hanging airborne and it stops all the momentum from Rollins/Landfair's approach at times and allows the opposing block to set up.
3) She's 6'3. Her blocking has got to improve.

Besides that, she has looked quite poised and I'm happy with the adjustments she continues to make. She's going to keep improving, that is forsure, and her defense right back is so much better than what I thought it'd be for a setter her height. Freshman setters have a steep learning curve... all things considered she's doing well!
 

GameDay said:
Not entirely true as Hugh at one point went with a 6-2 with Palmer/Tabberson at the beginning of his tenure here but besides that, you're right. He much prefers a 5-1, as most coaches do in an ideal world.

Shaffmaster brings alot of great things to the table, so I don't want to make it seem like I'm ragging on her at all (she's clearly the best option on the roster). That being said...
1) She HAS to set the middle more. It is not acceptable to set the middle only 4-5 times a set.
2) Her tempo to the outside hitters must get quicker. She leaves them hanging airborne and it stops all the momentum from Rollins/Landfair's approach at times and allows the opposing block to set up.
3) She's 6'3. Her blocking has got to improve.

Besides that, she has looked quite poised and I'm happy with the adjustments she continues to make. She's going to keep improving, that is forsure, and her defense right back is so much better than what I thought it'd be for a setter her height. Freshman setters have a steep learning curve... all things considered she's doing well!
Click to expand...

Sure. There are exceptions. Like he ran a 6-2 last season when the setter was out with concussions. But the vast majority of his tenure is a 5-1.

All fair criticisms of her but its a weird year and she has performed admirably I think she blocks fairly well for a setter. Her hands are there, which is all that matters
 

With the concerns about Shaffmaster, I think back to an interview Hugh did when Samantha Seliger-Swenson was a senior. He said when asked about what he thought about her first year that "well, she could set well." Shaffmaster is a better defender, blocker and attacker than SSS was as freshman. Not just because her her height. She'll likely never be as accurate or as fast, but she'll improve on her connections and will be an enormous asset to the program over the next few years.
 



They get in trouble when Shaffmaster has to receive the serve and the CC is forced to make the bump set to the pins. That set is slow and usually the attempted kill gets blocked.
 

Gophers with some fantastic defense in this first set. Also there's nothing I like better in all of gopher sports right now than seeing the other team make an overpass and Pittman driving it straight down at someone.
 

Wow! That has got to be about the best first set the Gophers have ever played against a quality opponent. Everything went so well.
 

Clearly a machine in the first set tonight. Missed most of it as I was flipping back and forth from the hockey game. Score indicates their play Second set not so well. NE making some nice saves to keep it alive. Look for the ladies to bounce back in the 3rd.
 



Gophers sneak out a thriller in the 3rd. Nice!
 

let'sbeclear said:
Wow! That has got to be about the best first set the Gophers have ever played against a quality opponent. Everything went so well.
Click to expand...

For the record, again, it ahoud be recorded that is what Shafffmastser adds is more than what she takes away.... and that from a huge SSS fan. SSS was exceptional, but so is Shaffmaster; in a different way. McCutchen knows how to get his setter position anchored down.
 

Tough battle but the Gophers top Nebraska 3-1. Both teams had players that are struggling tonight so it wasn't always good VB but sometimes you have to win ugly games and they won!
 


Samedy with 25 kills hitting .364. And PITTMAN with block after block!
Whew, what a fun match. Glad the rematch isn't until Sunday.
 

AND Shaffmaster with 4 kills in 12 attacks and 14 digs. Second most digs behind McGraw's 17. Terrific night for the freshman.
 

Bailed out by her height on the 23-23 set 4 point that was huge
 

So what does the team do all day Saturday in Nebraska? Allowed out of their rooms? Do homework etc.?
 


hailvarsity.com

Nebraska Cornhuskers Volleyball: Latest News & Video Content | Hail Varsity

Hail Varsity has you covered with the latest Husker Volleyball news and content! Find stories beyond the scoreboard from your favorite local experts!
hailvarsity.com hailvarsity.com

John Cook's summation was simple:

“[Samedy] did everything we thought she was going to do,” Cook said. “Our players didn’t make plays at the end of the game and Samedy did. That’s the difference in the match.”
Click to expand...
 

Cook conveniently left out the part of his hitter smashing the ball right into the hands of our block or into the forearms/chests of our defenders, all night.
 

It seemed like Nebraska's hitters (especially Sun) just tried to power through the Gopher block all night with mostly terrible results. Pittman simply owned the left side all night long with the block. I thought Shaffmaster's location with off a bit off with the left side tonight but her connection with Samedy is dynamite. Clearly, Steph likes hitting when Melani is setting her.

I thought the passing was pretty good for the most part and so was serve receive. Had a few rough moments, but overall it was good. I also haven't mentioned this in the past, but the team seems to be serving much more aggressively this year than in previous seasons, which is nice to see.

Oh, and I really like Lauren Stivrins. What a player!!!

In summation, always good to get a road win against a top-five opponent. Rest up and go for the sweep tomorrow.
 


Ignatius L Hoops said:
gophersports.com

Volleyball vs Nebraska on 2/19/2021 - Box Score - University of Minnesota Athletics

The official box score of Volleyball vs Nebraska on 2/19/2021
gophersports.com gophersports.com

Final Stats had:
Samedy with 27 kills hitting .379 and McGraw with 18 digs. Pittman tied a Gopher record with 14 blocks.

It was not a night for Gopher outside hitters: Wenaas hit .125, Landfair .074 and Rollins -.038.
Click to expand...
I agree with MRJ. Our outside hitters did poorly because I thought Shaffmaster's setting was off last night. Way too many dink shots because her sets were off, not high enough most of the time.
 

Plus, Shaffmaster still hasn't figured out where Pittman likes the ball on the short set for her middle power slam! She will though, takes time.
 

MplsGopher said:
Cook conveniently left out the part of his hitter smashing the ball right into the hands of our block or into the forearms/chests of our defenders, all night.
Click to expand...

Cook did mention it in the post game presser. When asked the reason for the loss that he would cover with his team he said "getting blocked 20 times is a good place to start; so is getting aced 9 times". He did seem somewhat annoyed that McGraw was able to go service runs "she shouldn't dominate us like that".


 



You must log in or register to reply here.



Top Bottom