Match 20: Gophers host Ohio State (11-29-24)

Donate To GopherHole

Ignatius L Hoops said:

Buckeyes Battle Seventh-Ranked Badgers in Madison, Fall in Five Sets - Ohio State

The Ohio State women's volleyball team (14-15, 7-12 B1G) fell to No. 7 Wisconsin (22-6, 16-3 B1G) in five sets (23-25, 14-25, 25-21, 26-24, 12-15) on Wednesd...
ohiostatebuckeyes.com
Click to expand...
Nice Star Tribune article on Melani Shaffmaster. After all the recent transfers from the program, her loyalty is greatly appreciated!

Gophers volleyball standout reaches final Big Ten match

After committing to the Gophers in the eighth grade, Melani Shaffmaster stayed through a coaching change. Fans will remember her as a strong setter. She hopes they remember her loyalty, too.
www.startribune.com
 


They could've won that second set if not for a couple of errors late. That's what is so frustrating, they know that they can dominate anyone, but they just keep allowing these minor errors to keep piling up.
 

They seriously worked them over in sets 1, 3, and 4. Set 2 was just weird. Nice to send the seniors out with a win.
 




I was surprised how poorly Emily Londot looked tonight. Her hitting was off all night and she struggled in the back row. She's normally a dynamite player and tonight she just didn't have it.
 





Gophers finish the season tied for 6th or 5th if this was the old Big Ten. There were times this season when it looked like they wouldn't finish that high. But, they came together as a team and improved through the season. It was frustrating to watch them at times but heartwarming to see their accomplishments. Good luck in the NCAA Gophers.
 

WayOfTheGopher said:
That's usually what happens when your All-American setter is gone. We'll probably be experiencing the thing once Shaffmaster is gone as well.
Click to expand...
As much as I like Mel, if Stella isn't an elite (better) setter, this program is in deep trouble.
 

(R)uffda! said:
As much as I like Mel, if Stella isn't an elite (better) setter, this program is in deep trouble.
Click to expand...
I don't think that the Gophers necessarily need a better setter than Mel if they can make big improvements in other areas; e.g., receiving, digging, and passing. We may not need Stella to be a superstar next year because we might be able to pick up a good, experienced setter via the transfer portal. There are probably good setters around who are well aware that Mel is done and they would love the opportunity to play with a strong team. We need to replace Grote and might get lucky to find someone like her again in the portal, and we need some returning players to really up their games next year like Hanson has. If the Gophers can make a nice run in the NCAA tournament, it will help with recruitment and/or the transfer portal.
 



walleye said:
I don't think that the Gophers necessarily need a better setter than Mel if they can make big improvements in other areas; e.g., receiving, digging, and passing. We may not need Stella to be a superstar next year because we might be able to pick up a good, experienced setter via the transfer portal. There are probably good setters around who are well aware that Mel is done and they would love the opportunity to play with a strong team. We need to replace Grote and might get lucky to find someone like her again in the portal, and we need some returning players to really up their games next year like Hanson has. If the Gophers can make a nice run in the NCAA tournament, it will help with recruitment and/or the transfer portal.
Click to expand...
Sure, but it's a much easier path to the top 10 if Stella is great. Otherwise they are left needing an opposite, better passing and a middle attack. And a healthy Wucherer. That's a much bigger ask.
 

Is it not fair to expect that some of the players already on the roster will improve? Hanson only hit .108 and .177 her first two years. Now look at the numbers she puts up. Should we write off Schnichels at opposite because she hasn't taken us by storm already?

Whether you agree with the recruit rankings or not, there are a lot of 4 star and 5 star players still on this roster next year. I think the collective whole improving would be better than pinning your hopes on Stella being a magician with the ball from day one.
 

Again, a great setter is more likely to turn inexperienced hitters into competent ones. If Stella is so-so, the program is in even deeper trouble than it is now.
 

How many programs always have one 5 star "setter of the year" type setter after another? You don't think that might be unrealistic?

Even elite setters will struggle to lead teams to Final Fours if the passing, block, etc. have critical enough issues.
 

GibsonSG said:
How many programs always have one 5 star "setter of the year" type setter after another? You don't think that might be unrealistic?

Even elite setters will struggle to lead teams to Final Fours if the passing, block, etc. have critical enough issues.
Click to expand...
I don't follow.

1) Mel isn't a 5-star setter
2) The quickest route to top 10 status is with an elite setter.
3) Some programs are top 10 without an elite setter because of the talent constantly coming in.
4) Where do you think Minnesota has been since SSS?

I guess I don't understand why this is even in dispute. Just seems obvious.

It is not unthinkable that Minnesora would have been better THIS year with Stella. That's not a knock on Mel. She's good. She's not great. Stella may be.
 

(R)uffda! said:
I don't follow.

1) Mel isn't a 5-star setter
2) The quickest route to top 10 status is with an elite setter.
3) Some programs are top 10 without an elite setter because of the talent constantly coming in.
4) Where do you think Minnesota has been since SSS?

I guess I don't understand why this is even in dispute. Just seems obvious.

It is not unthinkable that Minnesora would have been better THIS year with Stella. That's not a knock on Mel. She's good. She's not great. Stella may be.
Click to expand...
No, you're not following.

My point was that your post is akin to football fans saying, "If only we had a 5 star quarterback, then we'd be great!" Okay, sure. But one elite player doesn't make a team, obviously. I'm asserting that not even an elite setter like Seliger-Swenson could make this current team a likely championship contender. The Shaffmaster pitchfork crowd doesn't appear to concern themselves as much with passing. The Gophers have had one of the worst passing teams in the top 25 all season. It's significant, too. Did you watch the Final Four last year? Nebraska & Wisconsin had potent middle offenses. Their passing went to sh!t against the Texas serve. Suddenly no middle attack - fewer sets, fewer kills, poor hitting percentages by the middles. Now imagine if they had passed like that all season. How would their championship hopes have looked? (And, no, I'm not saying Shaffmaster takes zero fault for lack of a middle offense either - it's definitely not a strength.)

With your multiple "program in deep trouble" comments, it sound like you think anything less than Final Fours and Championship runs is failure. I don't think your expectations are grounded in reality. Have you forgotten what university you are following? The U didn't give a sh!t about football for decades. Men's basketball is an eternal dumpster fire. We are lucky if there's NIL to be competitive with the other top volleyball programs. Have some perspective.

Cook has to put together a complete cohesive team with player development. If you're going to bank all your hopes on one player - a setter - being some program savior every 4 years, you should probably be prepared to be disappointed. It probably won't be that easy.
 

That's not even close to what I said. I said OUR BEST CHANCE to be great is if Stella is great. No guarantee. Simple belief.

My expectations are not championships or final 4s, although the ultimate goal is of course that. My expectation/hope is a return to top 10 status.

Nothing you have said or are saying changes my point: The Gophers best shot at that is if Stella is great. And if she's not great? Good luck.
 

As for U of M athletics, you may be right that we really can't expect more than a scrappy team who will battle even the best, but will never be at that level. Like Purdue, Creighton, Penn State (not sure what direction that program is going without their boatload of transfers) and some others. In short, top 15-25. It's sad considering where the program was but far from unprecedented. Just look at UCLA, Long Beach, Hawaii, Florida, USC, probably Penn State after this year. It happens. For various reasons.

Lastly, please don't lump me in with the anti-Mel rabble. She is a quality setter with many different skills. Just because I don't think she's an elite setter does not mean I'm carrying a pitchfork.
 

You must log in or register to reply here.



Top Bottom