Gopher Volleyball 2022 Season

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ClassOf98Gopher said:
My complaint toward people who incessantly whine about recruiting is that those people seem to forget that their are only 12 scholarships to be split among a roster of about 15 on an average year… meaning the Gophers are always going to deal with some partial scholarships. All the higher-end recruits are of course going to expect full scholarships.

So, based on previous and upcoming recruiting classes (remember offers are accepted by some really high-end players in 8th-9th grade), some recruiting years the Gophers are just going to have to bring in some partial scholarship-type players (maybe even a zero scholarship player or two).
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Volleyball scholarships are on a headcount basis. There are no partial scholarships. So, only 12 players have scholarships. The remaining players are considered walk-ons.
 

Gopher68 said:
Volleyball scholarships are on a headcount basis. There are no partial scholarships. So, only 12 players have scholarships. The remaining players are considered walk-
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Gopher68 said:
Volleyball scholarships are on a headcount basis. There are no partial scholarships. So, only 12 players have scholarships. The remaining players are considered walk-ons.
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Recruiting/scholarship rules apply equally to every team. Like I said before, recruit better, win more.
 

erickjohnson11 said:
Recruiting/scholarship rules apply equally to every team. Like I said before, recruit better, win more.
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Gopher68’s point does not diminish my point by too much, if we do not have any scholarships to give, and Michigan/Purdue/Ohio State/Louisville/Kentucky does, those players are not coming here. The scholarship limit system infuses a level of parity into NCAA volleyball.

Finally, there are players and their parents that may prefer to reside in Madison or Lincoln as compared to the more dense, urban campus environment ofMinneapolis.

I just think so many Gopher fans seem to want it all. They have all these expectations that are not super grounded in the reality of the situation.
 

ClassOf98Gopher said:
Gopher68’s point does not diminish my point by too much, if we do not have any scholarships to give, and Michigan/Purdue/Ohio State/Louisville/Kentucky does, those players are not coming here. The scholarship limit system infuses a level of parity into NCAA volleyball.

Finally, there are players and their parents that may prefer to reside in Madison or Lincoln as compared to the more dense, urban campus environment ofMinneapolis.

I just think so many Gopher fans seem to want it all. They have all these expectations that are not super grounded in the reality of the situation.
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Yes, I do expect us to win more. You may not win all of the time with that attitude, but, you surely won't win more without it. Also, to address your scholarship point, what about the years we have more scholarships than the other schools we're competing again? That's an advantage for us. Again, unless someone is cheating, the scholarship/recruiting rules apply the same to all schools. If Hugh is as good as I/we hoped he'd be, we'll win national championships. So far, he hasn't done it and that is a great disappointment.
 

The concern in my mind has been the sparse roster. As I recall the Gophers were down to 13 roster players in spring 2021 and in fall 2021 it was 15, of whom only 8 normally played in games. Except for some cameo appearances, Crowl, Wolf, Glenn,Gray, Landfair (injury), MeMenimen, Rubright spectated at games in uniform. It seemed in previous years there were larger rosters with subtanstive performances from non-starters. I lack knowledge of recruitment wars & VB tactics, but the smaller rosters seem to stand out to even casual obervers. Gophers opponents seem to have much deeper bench strength. It's amazing MN has won as much as they have since 2018.
 


ClassOf98Gopher said:
Gopher68’s point does not diminish my point by too much, if we do not have any scholarships to give, and Michigan/Purdue/Ohio State/Louisville/Kentucky does, those players are not coming here. The scholarship limit system infuses a level of parity into NCAA volleyball.

Finally, there are players and their parents that may prefer to reside in Madison or Lincoln as compared to the more dense, urban campus environment ofMinneapolis.

I just think so many Gopher fans seem to want it all. They have all these expectations that are not super grounded in the reality of the situation.
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Lol, if you were talking about Champaign or Iowa City I would say yes but Wisconsin's and Nebraska's campuses are just as urban as Dinkytown.
 

maroonfive said:
Lol, if you were talking about Champaign or Iowa City I would say yes but Wisconsin's and Nebraska's campuses are just as urban as Dinkytown.
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I love Minneapolis/St. Paul; I really do. I consider myself 100% Minnesotan. But that Murderapolis reputation can dissuade people and families - not all of course, but some. It sucks; but it’s true.
 

In football you have "Helmet" schools (OH State, AL, MI, GA, etc.) and in basketball you have "Blue Chip" programs (Duke, KY, NC State, MI State, etc.). I would consider our volleyball team to have that status in the volleyball world. While I'll never even hope for men's football or basketball to achieve that status. That being said, I've grown more impatient and wonder why haven't we won an NCAA title yet? Even KY got one last year, and they came out of nowhere recently. I guess I'm NOW expecting more out of Hugh and the program, as we actually have national recognition and status in volleyball. (I have the same attitude towards our underachieving men's hockey team)
 

GopherJack said:
In football you have "Helmet" schools (OH State, AL, MI, GA, etc.) and in basketball you have "Blue Chip" programs (Duke, KY, NC State, MI State, etc.). I would consider our volleyball team to have that status in the volleyball world. While I'll never even hope for men's football or basketball to achieve that status. That being said, I've grown more impatient and wonder why haven't we won an NCAA title yet? Even KY got one last year, and they came out of nowhere recently. I guess I'm NOW expecting more out of Hugh and the program, as we actually have national recognition and status in volleyball. (I have the same attitude towards our underachieving men's hockey team)
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Actually, I broadly agree with the framework of the GopherJack view. I think we are, since Hugh arrived, in that group of the top 10 volleyball programs in the country.

If that basic framework L is true, by doing the simple math, that would suggest a national title for our beloved Gophers could be reasonably expected once every 10 years or so… so long as the Gophers stay firmly in that upper echelon of volleyball programs.

But, and it is a big “but”, if one of the other elite 9 programs in the nation bring in a real game changer, a Kathryn Plummer type player, well that is going to mess the 1/10 odds that I just stated and make them less than 1 out of 10 years for our Gophers. I believe that is what happened to us in 2016 when a national championship was taken from us by Plummer’s Stanford when it was our turn. Tough break for us; but whatcha gonna do? Gotta accept things is my view.
 



ClassOf98Gopher said:
Actually, I broadly agree with the framework of the GopherJack view. I think we are, since Hugh arrived, in that group of the top 10 volleyball programs in the country.

If that basic framework L is true, by doing the simple math, that would suggest a national title for our beloved Gophers could be reasonably expected once every 10 years or so… so long as the Gophers stay firmly in that upper echelon of volleyball programs.

But, and it is a big “but”, if one of the other elite 9 programs in the nation bring in a real game changer, a Kathryn Plummer type player, well that is going to mess the 1/10 odds that I just stated and make them less than 1 out of 10 years for our Gophers. I believe that is what happened to us in 2016 when a national championship was taken from us by Plummer’s Stanford when it was our turn. Tough break for us; but whatcha gonna do? Gotta accept things is my view.
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Samedy wasn't Plummer exactly (who is?), but Plummer had an outstanding team behind her. Samedy was fantastic enough to carry a team a long way; however, she lacked strong enough team support to help her to a natl' title. Gophers IMO have fallen behind in overall roster depth and bench support.
 

It would be wonderful to win a national championship, but it is not the most important thing to me. The reason is that it takes a lot of luck (schedules, draws, etc.) and not having injuries to key players (e.g., Landfair). You also need your recruits to develop to their potential quickly and you need other players to suddenly catch fire, which is hard to predict. I want to see a program that is a powerhouse every year, is a strong contender for the Big Ten title, and is one of the top ranked programs. 'You build it, they will come.' The recruitment game also has changed with the transfer portal. I think the Gophers need to pick up an outstanding player(s) in the transfer portal. Maybe, an impact player(s) will see an opening with Samedy leaving and want to play in the best conference with a contending team.
 

ClassOf98Gopher said:
I love Minneapolis/St. Paul; I really do. I consider myself 100% Minnesotan. But that Murderapolis reputation can dissuade people and families - not all of course, but some. It sucks; but it’s true.
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Lol, you are one of those and we will leave it at that. Like I said, Madison and Lincoln are just as urban as Dinkytown.

Go Gophers !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 




jham13 said:
Way-too-early Power 10 rankings for the 2022 college volleyball season | NCAA.com
www.ncaa.com

Way-too-early Power 10 rankings for the 2022 college volleyball season

The 2021 season just wrapped up with Wisconsin taking home its first title. Here is a first look at a way too early Power 10 rankings for next volleyball season.
www.ncaa.com www.ncaa.com
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Looks like some experts are predicting the Gophers nicely continue as an elite level volleyball program for at least another year. Yippee! I obviously agree and see it that same way.

But the critics of optimists like me certainly have an argument that it sure would be easier to remain in this top group of volleyball programs if Landfair is playing at 100 percent and if not… uh oh. That’s at least the Hugh McCutchen naysayers’ best argument.
 

One of the icons of volleyball coaches, Russ Rose, has retired. His PSU teams were some of the all time best. It will be different to not see him on the bench in 2022.
 

Gopher68 said:
One of the icons of volleyball coaches, Russ Rose, has retired. His PSU teams were some of the all time best. It will be different to not see him on the bench in 2022.
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gopsusports.com

Legendary Women’s Volleyball Coach Russ Rose Announces Retirement

Penn State women's volleyball head coach Russ Rose announced his retirement today after 43 years leading the Nittany Lions. Rose retires from his post as the winningest coach in NCAA Division I women's volleyball history with 1,330 victories in his illustrious career.
gopsusports.com gopsusports.com

A "Woodenesque" career.

Rose guided the Nittany Lions to seven NCAA titles, including four-straight championships, and 17 Big Ten crowns. He has been at the helm of all 41 of Penn State's NCAA Tournament appearances, making the Nittany Lions the only team in NCAA history to appear in all 41 tournaments. Under his tutelage, Rose's student-athletes have earned 112 AVCA All-America honors, four AVCA National Players of the Year, 14 Big Ten Conference Players of the Year, 221 Academic All-Big Ten selections and 19 CoSIDA Academic All-America laurels
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RUSS ROSE CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
  • Led Penn State to seven NCAA national championships (1999, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014), second-most of any program
  • Guided the Nittany Lions to 25 conference championships (17 Big Ten, 8 Atlantic 10)
  • Ranks first in NCAA Division I history with 1,330 career wins
  • One of five NCAA Division I coaches and one of 11 coaches across all three NCAA Divisions with 1,000 wins
  • Went 1,330-229 (.853) in 43 seasons as PSU's head coach, which ranks seventh in NCAA Division I history for win percentage
  • Propelled Penn State to an appearance in all 41 NCAA Tournaments, the only school to appear in all 41 tourneys
  • Guided the Nittany Lions to 10 championship match appearances and 13 national semifinal berths
  • Won every NCAA Tournament first round game played
  • Owns 106 NCAA Division I Tournament victories, the most of any coach
  • Only two programs (Nebraska, Stanford) have more NCAA Tournament wins than Rose
  • Never posted less than 21 wins in a season during his career (does not include 2021 COVID season in which only 16 matches were played)
  • Posted at least 30 wins in 28 seasons
  • Ranked in 503 consecutive AVCA polls, dating back to the final poll in 1989
  • Guided team to 97 weeks as No. 1 ranked team in AVCA polls
  • Tutored eight Olympians (12 appearances), including 2020 gold medalists Haleigh Washington and Micha Hancock
  • Produced four AVCA National Players of the Year, four AVCA National Freshmen of the Year and 112 AVCA All-Americans
  • Registered at least one AVCA All-American in 41 of 43 seasons as a head coach
  • Had four Honda Volleyball Award winners and one Honda-Broderick Cup winner (Megan Hodge, 2009)
  • Mentored two Big Ten Female Athletes of the Year, 21 Big Ten Players of the Year (14 Players of the Year, 5 Defensive Players of the Year, 2 Setters of the Year), 13 Big Ten Freshmen of the Year and 100 All-Big Ten honorees
  • Guided eight Atlantic 10 Players of the Year and four Atlantic 10 Rookies of the Year
  • Had five CoSIDA Academic All-Americans of the Year and two NCAA Elite 90 award winners
  • Had 221 Academic All-Big Ten selections and 19 CoSIDA Academic All-American selections
  • Guided the Nittany Lions to 109 consecutive match wins, the fourth-longest streak in NCAA Division I history and second-longest by a women's team
  • Led Penn State to 111-straight set wins in 2009
  • Recorded 17 undefeated home seasons
  • Won 94 consecutive home matches from Sept. 1, 2006-Dec. 11, 2010, the longest streak in NCAA Division I history
  • Named AVCA National Coach of the Year five times (1997, 1998, 2007, 2008, 2013) and AVCA Regional Coach of the Year 11 times
  • Selected a conference Coach of the Year 22 times (16 Big Ten, 6 Atlantic 10)
  • In seven seasons in the Atlantic 10, Penn State never lost a conference match
  • Penn State was ranked in every final AVCA poll since 1988
  • Guided as head coach of the United States men's volleyball team to a bronze medal at the 1985 Maccabiah Games and the women's volleyball team to a silver medal in the 1981 Maccabiah Games
  • Inducted into the AVCA Hall of Fame in 2007
  • Named one of USA Volleyball's All-Time Great Coaches in 2005
  • Had 33 student-athletes go on to professional careers
  • Received the 2013 Honorary Penn State Alumni Award
  • Honored with his own ice cream flavor, Russ "digs" Roseberry, at Penn State's Berkey Creamery in 2014
  • Won the 1974 National Association for Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) national championship as a player at George Williams College
  • Was an assistant coach for George Williams on the NAIA men's volleyball national championship team in 1997
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ClassOf98Gopher said:
I just think so many Gopher fans seem to want it all. They have all these expectations that are not super grounded in the reality of the situation.
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This sums things up pretty well.

I've seen many posters on here and Volleytalk complain that the Gopher roster isn't deep enough. Yet there are only 12(?) scholarships available each season for a roster that is often 16 to 18 players. Let's see....ideally you'd like to have a backup for each position....so that makes a roster need of 4 outside hitters, 4 middle blockers, 2 opposites, 2 liberos, 2 setters, maybe 1 extra defensive specialist to sub for an OH or OPP that doesn't play back row..... That's already over 12. So I guess it stands to reason that some people are complaining that the Gophers need better walk-ons? And there's no volleyball program that is immune to "misses" when it comes to recruiting.
 

erickjohnson11 said:
The advantage he had was Minnesota VB was the equivalent of a Notre Dame, Georgia, Oklahoma, etc. in football. Where Wisconsin was equivalent to a Missouri, UCLA or Oklahoma State, maybe. That means he should get better recruits. Also, the state of Minnesota has produced many more high level volleyball players than the state of Wisconsin has. Another advantage. As well, players not panning out is also a function of recruiting. It happens to all programs, but, less so to the more successful ones. He could've had Hilley too, but, chose others at her position in the previous class. Bad recruiting strategy? Well, Wisconsin won a national title before we did. To me, that should not be acceptable. We gotta be tired of being satisfied with "2nd Place" and quit making excuses.
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How is where the players come from relevant at all? ALL of the better teams in the Big Ten recruit nationally. Do you know how many players starting on Wisconsin’s team this last season were from Wisconsin? Zero. Do you think John Cook panics if his recruiting class includes no players from Nebraska? How many starters in this year’s Final Four were from Minnesota? Just Hilley.

You lose all credibility too when you claimed Hugh could have had Hilley. As another poster pointed out, she wasn’t going to sit on the bench for years waiting for Seliger-Swenson to be done when she could start from day one at Wisconsin.

Wisconsin primarily won a national title before the Gophers because they were gifted an extra try at it with their incredible senior class that had already failed in the Final Four the 2 previous seasons. The Badgers returned all of their most crucial position players while teams like Texas and Kentucky had very key players opt to not return. And not to any great shock the team with the most experienced talent in the NCAA won it all. What might have happened if the Gophers could have had a 3rd go at it with Seliger-Swenson/Wilhite/Tapps(x2) and company? Keep in mind that hypothetical team would have also had a freshmen named Samedy.

I’m sure you will ignore all of this as it doesn’t fit your narrative.
 

I watched some of the Under Armour high school All-American volleyball match today. Okay, okay....I taped the match and only watched the parts where Wucherer and/or Booth were on the court. While I know it is only one match, my impressions were this:

Wucherer will most likely start for the Gophers. I counted about 13 kills for her. I can see why many are praising her game and, particularly, her offensive ability. She had some really beautifully placed kills. With some power too. She did shank quit a few on serve receive so I could see her having a DS at the beginning of her career. But she is joining the team this spring and could improve over the next 8 months. Plus, maybe she just had an off game.

Booth didn't look ready for a starting spot yet. The upside is there but I'd guess we will see Husemann and (Wolf/a transfer portal middle blocker) starting next season. To be fair though, I thought the setters in the game didn't particularly set the middles all that well. But again.....only a one match impression.

Disgustingly, Wrobel looks like a great OH pick up for the Badgers. Here's to hoping the setting and passing just isn't there next season for them. And the Gophers can take advantage.
 

GibsonSG said:
How is where the players come from relevant at all? ALL of the better teams in the Big Ten recruit nationally. Do you know how many players starting on Wisconsin’s team this last season were from Wisconsin? Zero. Do you think John Cook panics if his recruiting class includes no players from Nebraska? How many starters in this year’s Final Four were from Minnesota? Just Hilley.

You lose all credibility too when you claimed Hugh could have had Hilley. As another poster pointed out, she wasn’t going to sit on the bench for years waiting for Seliger-Swenson to be done when she could start from day one at Wisconsin.

Wisconsin primarily won a national title before the Gophers because they were gifted an extra try at it with their incredible senior class that had already failed in the Final Four the 2 previous seasons. The Badgers returned all of their most crucial position players while teams like Texas and Kentucky had very key players opt to not return. And not to any great shock the team with the most experienced talent in the NCAA won it all. What might have happened if the Gophers could have had a 3rd go at it with Seliger-Swenson/Wilhite/Tapps(x2) and company? Keep in mind that hypothetical team would have also had a freshmen named Samedy.

I’m sure you will ignore all of this as it doesn’t fit your narrative.
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Every team has positive and negative things happen to them on a year to year basis and over time. In your example, only counting the negative against Minnesota and the positive for Wisconsin is still just making excuses. As I said before, every team has the same opportunity to succeed or fail if they are following the rules; unless they cheating. I make no excuses for Hugh he is an excellent coach. However, Wisconsin won an NCAA title before we did and as a Gopher fan I find that unacceptable. No excuses, just win!
 

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erickjohnson11 said:
As I said before, every team has the same opportunity to succeed or fail if they are following the rules; unless they cheating… Wisconsin won an NCAA title before we did…
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I read this and it just seems bonkers to me. It reads to me like you are saying we are not successful unless we win a national title.

I see our volleyball program as an extraordinarily successful program, but I am just seeing things so differently than others on this message board as it relates to our volleyball program. It just seems to me like our volleyball program really has its act together and has been on a real roll or the past decade, if not two decades. Honestly, if only all of our other Gopher sports programs were operating as predictably well, year after year.
 

ClassOf98Gopher said:
“


I read this and it just seems bonkers to me. It reads to me like you are saying we are not successful unless we win a national title.

I see our volleyball program as an extraordinarily successful program, but I am just seeing things so differently than others on this message board as it relates to our volleyball program. It just seems to me like our volleyball program really has its act together and has been on a real roll or the past decade, if not two decades. Honestly, if only all of our other Gopher sports programs were operating as predictably well, year after year.
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I agree that the volleyball program is a highly successful program. How many Gopher teams finish nationally ranked year after year? How many finish in the top ten yearly? (The hockey teams should but are struggling.) Most universities would love to have a team(s) finish in the top ten yearly. The Gopher volleyball team finished ranked 7th! I think that is a great accomplishment given that they were without a super player who many people think would have made a huge impact. A national championship would be super but it takes a lot of luck in addition to great players and good coaching. It takes key players staying healthy, having the right schedule, and getting a good draw. I am happy to watch a team play great volleyball, compete for the championship in the toughest conference, and have a good shot in the tournament. I think a national championship will come and I will enjoy the volleyball in the mean time.
 


rowdaboat said:
Rubright transferring to Washington St
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I am sorta bummed about that. I get the transfer from her perspective - she likely wasn’t going to be a starter here. But I thought she brought flair to the volleyball team and to the campus at large.

Good luck to her.
 




KU Sports

In late August, following the Kansas volleyball program’s season-opening loss to Loyola Marymount at Purdue, Kansas coach Ray Bechard ran into setter Camryn Turner and her parents outside of the team hotel and had a brief conversation that proved to be prophetic. Turner, a freshman from Topeka...
www2.kusports.com www2.kusports.com

McGhie started the season as the KU setter and ended the season behind Camryn Turner:

It took Turner a few weeks to fully adjust to regular playing time. But after being sprinkled into the lineup in KU’s two-setter system with sophomore Elise McGhie, Turner became the go-to option as the Jayhawks shifted more to a one-setter approach.

Bechard said he still likes both options because of the lineup flexibility it provides Kansas elsewhere on the court. But going primarily with Turner down the stretch has been a big part of the run this team is currently experiencing.
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Season ticket renewal’s are out. Have until April 14 To get your orders in
 

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