Gopher Volleyball 2023 Season

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Penn State loses RR but it appears that program has not lost a beat.

Minnesota loses HM and the ship is barely afloat. IMO it pretty much started in 2020 with several transfers, but one specifically to WIsconsin. Again, that is strictly my opinion.

I am now reading that Awoleye is in the portal and two more names will be added. We all know Murr is one of them. My guess the third would be McGhie with Stella coming in.

There are also rumors flying that Minatee could be joining that portal in December. If that becomes true, maybe the Middle coaching needs addressing here at Minnesota. Just saying...

The question I want to see answered is...After this season, will KCook be able to retain all his 2025 commits? The corner needs to be turned at some point and this program has a ways to go to accomplish that.

Ohio State absolutely did not play well against us last week. I personally feel part of that was their players not performing and our serving/blocking game really picked up. The opposite is true about Illinois.....I am expecting them to come in here and give us a volleyball match that we will have to earn.
 

4EverAGopher said:
Penn State loses RR but it appears that program has not lost a beat.

Minnesota loses HM and the ship is barely afloat. IMO it pretty much started in 2020 with several transfers, but one specifically to WIsconsin. Again, that is strictly my opinion.

I am now reading that Awoleye is in the portal and two more names will be added. We all know Murr is one of them. My guess the third would be McGhie with Stella coming in.

There are also rumors flying that Minatee could be joining that portal in December. If that becomes true, maybe the Middle coaching needs addressing here at Minnesota. Just saying...

The question I want to see answered is...After this season, will KCook be able to retain all his 2025 commits? The corner needs to be turned at some point and this program has a ways to go to accomplish that.

Ohio State absolutely did not play well against us last week. I personally feel part of that was their players not performing and our serving/blocking game really picked up. The opposite is true about Illinois.....I am expecting them to come in here and give us a volleyball match that we will have to earn.
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Murr has completed her eligibility. She will be gone, but not to the portal. I have not seen that Phoebe is in the portal/transferring.

Penn State's situation is slightly different. Katie Schumacher-Cawley was an assistant to Russ for 4 years before being promoted to head coach. Assistant coach Toron was also on Russ's staff. So the transition to the new staff wasn't as drastic a shift as Minnesota's.

I agree that there are questions regarding Minnesota's future. There always will be.
 
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No chance in hell Awoleye can transfer for a third time in three years and be immediately eligible for a third time in three years.

2021 Georgia
2022 LMU
2023 Gophers



What, because she’s suddenly a Grad Tranfer? What a pathetic joke. That should only get you immediate eligibility if you were not only at your current school for a single year.
 

MplsGopher said:
No chance in hell Awoleye can transfer for a third time in three years and be immediately eligible for a third time in three years.

2021 Georgia
2022 LMU
2023 Gophers



What, because she’s suddenly a Grad Tranfer? What a pathetic joke. That should only get you immediate eligibility if you were not only at your current school for a single year.
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If you can predict what the NCAA will do, please give me your stock market tips!
 

IF that's true that she's transferring, then that has to be the reason (that she's getting an extra immediate eligibility waiver for graduating).

21 transfer must have still been before the new rule, when everything was still crazy with covid and NCAA was just granting any and all waiver requests that came across their desk. Then 22 transfer (to here) used the new one free transfer rule.

That entire grad transfer waiver should now be stripped out of the rule book altogether anyway. You should get one free transfer. Period. Your entire career. (Short of extraordinary circumstances.)
 





That’s a doable first two if they keep playing like they have.

Lose in regional. Same old
 





4EverAGopher said:
Actually, a really great draw and great opportunity for some winnable matches.
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Agree. The Big Ten and Wisconsin got screwed with Wisconsin, Penn St. and Purdue in the same quarter bracket. Also, only 5 Big Ten teams got in while three conferences, I think, had more teams.
 





To l
4EverAGopher said:
Penn State loses RR but it appears that program has not lost a beat.

Minnesota loses HM and the ship is barely afloat. IMO it pretty much started in 2020 with several transfers, but one specifically to WIsconsin. Again, that is strictly my opinion.

I am now reading that Awoleye is in the portal and two more names will be added. We all know Murr is one of them. My guess the third would be McGhie with Stella coming in.

There are also rumors flying that Minatee could be joining that portal in December. If that becomes true, maybe the Middle coaching needs addressing here at Minnesota. Just saying...

The question I want to see answered is...After this season, will KCook be able to retain all his 2025 commits? The corner needs to be turned at some point and this program has a ways to go to accomplish that.

Ohio State absolutely did not play well against us last week. I personally feel part of that was their players not performing and our serving/blocking game really picked up. The opposite is true about Illinois.....I am expecting them to come in here and give us a volleyball match that we will have to earnto lazy to look it up, but don’t think PSU did to well the first year after RR left
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Norah Sis their leading OH is back in the lineup. She averages 3.82 K/Set and their other OH Ava Martin 3.62. I am reading that both are pretty decent in digging the ball too.

Sis is a Junior and Martin a Sophomore. We did well in our match earlier this season holding Martin to a .182 hitting%. With Sis back, it will be a more difficult task.

Our blocking game has been improving all season. Let's hope we see it this weekend first with Utah State and then Creighton.
 

Thank you Grote and Murr for an outstanding season to add to your resumes.

I have absolutley no idea where this program is with scholarships. If it is possible, let the REBUILDING BEGIN!
 
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4EverAGopher said:
I have absolutley no idea where this program is with scholarships. If it is possible, let the REBUILDING BEGIN!
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Need one or two middles and two defensive specialists/liberos. Already have a setter coming in to compete with Shaffmaster.

I think a couple of back row players to sub out our OH's would already drastically improve this team....provided they pass better than our OH's, of course.
 

Ready to move on from Schaff, Landfair, and Wucherer.

This core of players has hit its ceiling.

Cook forcing them to play backrow is the icing on the cake.
 

MplsGopher said:
Ready to move on from Schaff, Landfair, and Wucherer.

This core of players has hit its ceiling.

Cook forcing them to play backrow is the icing on the cake.
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Three of the highest rated recruits coming out of high school in Gopher volleyball program history.

As for me, I am ready for Wucherer to elevate her game to reach her potential as a Gopher.
 

You're ready for players to play better?

Uh, yeah!


Wuch tries hard. I'd rather see hard AF swings that get roofed straight down, when she gets trap set by her setter than the weak ass lazy little flips at the ball that Landfair does.


I would settle for Schaff and Landfair transferring and keeping Wuch.
 

MplsGopher said:
You're ready for players to play better?

Uh, yeah!


Wuch tries hard. I'd rather see hard AF swings that get roofed straight down, when she gets trap set by her setter than the weak ass lazy little flips at the ball that Landfair does.


I would settle for Schaff and Landfair transferring and keeping Wuch.
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I feel bad for Landfair. I fear her leg injury permanently negatively effected her jumping explosiveness so that she will never be as explosive through her legs as she was as an 18-19 year old.

But maybe I am wrong?
 

I have no idea what you’re talking about there?

She has always looked like she has a 3” vertical to me here.

But she still gets up high enough because she is such a freak physical specimen.
 

I think it's a major mistake to wish a player of Landfair's caliber gone. Look at all the matches in her 3 plus years where she has led the Gophers with 15 kills or 20 kills or more and hit over .300. And not just against weak competition. I mean, Big Ten Player of the Year once! If a person believes Shaffmaster's setting to be the primary cause of Landfair's inconsistent offense (which many on the forums do), then why wouldn't you want to see how she performs with a different highly-regarded setter?

Also, I hope Shaffmaster stays for next year. Competition in the practice gym can only make a team better. That's what I always hear with Nebraska's stock-piling of talent. And you are better prepared for injuries and illness.

I just hope Cook isn't afraid to switch setters if one of them is struggling. Take a page from Nebraska's Cook. If I remember correctly, they rotated between Hames, Evans, and Orr a few years back before finally settling on Hames towards season's end.
 

Found this article on The Portal before and after COVID interesting....

coachingvb.com

On the Portal

The NCAA Transfer Portal is a big topic of discussion in college sports these days. Here are some of my own thoughts and observations.
coachingvb.com coachingvb.com
 

GibsonSG said:
I think it's a major mistake to wish a player of Landfair's caliber gone. Look at all the matches in her 3 plus years where she has led the Gophers with 15 kills or 20 kills or more and hit over .300. And not just against weak competition. I mean, Big Ten Player of the Year once! If a person believes Shaffmaster's setting to be the primary cause of Landfair's inconsistent offense (which many on the forums do), then why wouldn't you want to see how she performs with a different highly-regarded setter?

Also, I hope Shaffmaster stays for next year. Competition in the practice gym can only make a team better. That's what I always hear with Nebraska's stock-piling of talent. And you are better prepared for injuries and illness.

I just hope Cook isn't afraid to switch setters if one of them is struggling. Take a page from Nebraska's Cook. If I remember correctly, they rotated between Hames, Evans, and Orr a few years back before finally settling on Hames towards season's end.
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Personally I was more disappointed in individual performances with some of the players than this team as a whole. I have posted this before. Hugh said that not every ranked player will play to their ranking. Think we clearly witnessed that this season.

Very few pins will become very good 6R players. USA Larson is an exception and it sure took some time to achieve that as one of the best in the sport.
 

@GibsonSG yes she played much better offensively when she didn't have to worry about defense/serve receive.

Huge mistake to try to force that and/or let her do it per her desire, whichever was the case.
 

All I can guess is that Cook made his decisions over who plays back row and who doesn't by what he saw in practice every day. But it does seem odd that Cook never seemingly subbed Landfair out in the back row even once. Did he ever? I can't remember.

On another note, I see some gossip on Volleytalk has Crowl, Hanson, and Wucherer all transferring based on the almighty Twitter. Crowl would make sense as she seems stuck behind Grote and the team also has Schnichels. But Wucherer and Hanson BOTH leaving wouldn't make a lot of sense. One of them is a starter at OH next year. There doesn't seem to be much talk about Olivia Swenson coming in as an immediate starter either.

And to 4EverAGopher for mentioning Minatee further back - that's another senario like Wucherer/Hanson. The spot for the other starting middle is wide open next year for Minatee to step into. Cook will likely bring in a middle blocker transfer but there is no reason to assume this person will be a guaranteed 1st or 2nd Team All-American level player already.

I will say I wouldn't begrudge any player who committed to Hugh if they decide to transfer. And I commend the ones who stayed to get to know Cook and his staff and give this year a try. He must be a pretty likeable coach if none of his recruited players ever transferred out at Washington.
 

If there is anybody out there that can speak about KCook's coaching style while at Washington, I want to hear about it.

I completely understood Hugh's and before him Hebert's but I am so lost with KCook. Yes, he inherited this team and hence the confusion. However, the talent was there all around and just never came together as a team like it should have. There were bright moments but not consistent enough.

I see this Sarah Morton Libero in the portal that several are talking about is following some Gopher players. She played her entire Freshman year at Auburn. Also, she was on a roster with 3-4 other Liberos and is no longer listed on the Auburn Volleyball Roster. If anybody has information on this player, please feel free to talk about it.
 

Auburn is a joke just like SEC volleyball is.

Shouldn’t have been on the tourny. Took a spot away from another more deserving team.

That’s what I have to say about that.
 

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