NCAA Second Round: Gophers v. Blue Jays (12-2-23)

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Disappointing to get swept and give up leads. It was great that they fought hard all the way. They were a much better team at the end of the season than the first half.
 

Seemed like a poor first contact more often than not on Creighton's serves. Then an out-of-system offense where all the Gophers could muster was a weak easily-defended tip or roll shot. Also, longer rallies where the Gophers would never get a single good attack and Creighton would win the point.

Creighton was definitely beatable if the Gophers could have just cut down on their mistakes. At least they kept fighting up until the end. Passing, especially on serve receive, needs major improvement for next year.
 

After an extremely poor showing by this Gopher team against Creighton, if you DON'T WANT TO PLAY FOR MINNESOTA THAN PLEASE DO US ALL A FAVOR AND TRANSFER!
 


This sums up the disappointment and apathy towards this season. Five posts in a second round tournament thread.
 

Barf.

That was the Gophers team we knew eventually would rear its ugly head again and be the exit from the tournament.
 


You know, it's ok to lose to a good team in the NCAA tournament when you're having a transition year.

Creighton was great in serve receive, and this year's Gophers don't have the offense to beat a team like Creighton when they're passing well.

I think I've said many times that while I like Shaffmaster's all around game, but after 4 years of inconsistent ball placement on setting leading to tip-apalooza, this program needs a change.

If she chooses to come back next year, I wouldn't mind seeing a modified 6-2 where Shaffmaster plays RS in the front row and sets in the back. Get Stella Swenson into the game without putting all the pressure on her.

KCook has already put together a top 5 recruiting class and was very successful plugging holes with the transfer portal. This team had warts, but they regrouped and made it to the second round...that's worth something.
 



NateDawgUM said:
leading to tip-apalooza,.
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As someone who knows very little about the game, it seems to me that when it comes to tips, some are offensive tips (where you're tipping in order to win the point) and some are defensive tips (where you're tipping because it's the least worst option). My impression has been the Gophers' tips have been more of the defensive kind.
 

let'sbeclear said:
As someone who knows very little about the game, it seems to me that when it comes to tips, some are offensive tips (where you're tipping in order to win the point) and some are defensive tips (where you're tipping because it's the least worst option). My impression has been the Gophers' tips have been more of the defensive kind.
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Creighton was driving the ball hard and deep or straight down to the floor, as far as I could tell (a poor ESPN+ connection). I later turned to other matches & saw aggressive players elevating quick-twitch-style and driving the ball pretty viciously. MN's hitting seemed tame by comparison. I don't blame Cook for this. He put together a pretty good team considering what he had, but he'll need a more dynamic roster upcoming.
 

@NateDawgUM

Sure, but the Creighton game was a complete and total reversion to how they were playing in the middle of the year. OH defense/serve receive went right back into the toilet. Set placement terrible, as you said.

We knew that team would eventually come back.

I'm glad they turned the corner at the end of the year and salvaged getting into the tourney.


Now it's time for Schaff and hopefully Landfair to transfer. I wish them well
 

One of my biggest questions about this game was our Head Coach and why his lack of decisions to make a change (large or small). All season we saw a coach willing to quickly make changes to a lineup to try and get a spark or two going. Look at the Indiana match when he pulled Wucherer not too far into the match and replaced her with Hanson.

We absolutely saw no significant changes in this match. The one thing I did notice was at the very end of the match Wucherer was serving and actually did a very good job of it...more than likely a result of us running out of subs or close to it, at that point.

If KCook has addressed his lack of making changes in this match, please post it.....I for one would love to read or watch it. IMO it was frustrating watching a team just go through the motions. They came out flat and tentative and played like that for two sets.
 



Another maddening thing: they actually had some really nice middle connections!!!!!!

Including one actually in the middle!!!!



SO YEAH, let's definitely only do that like 3 times in the whole match!!!
 

@4EverAGopher think it's as simple as being afraid of his "star" OH's transferring if he wouldn't let them both play 6rot. and pretend like they're going to play high-level professional somewhere.

Let alone make the national team :sneaky:
 

One thing I noticed too is how Shaff would start out a match so many times settind the middle and then pretty much go away from it the rest of the match. She has been the starter for four years and I just absolutely do not see the progress in her game. Fans keep saying because of the passing. Well, I feel it could be part of it, but she has had the starting setter position with CC, Kilkelly, Barnes, Murr and a little of Z, which IMO has held her own. She just isn't a consistent setter, why?

IDK if this is a coaching issue or not, but it was unbelievable that these two OH's became pretty much non existent positive factors in so many matches this season. Maybe they are injured or where, but we absolutely did not see the best of either of them this season. So the question remains, why?
 

4EverAGopher said:
One of my biggest questions about this game was our Head Coach and why his lack of decisions to make a change (large or small). All season we saw a coach willing to quickly make changes to a lineup to try and get a spark or two going. Look at the Indiana match when he pulled Wucherer not too far into the match and replaced her with Hanson.

We absolutely saw no significant changes in this match. The one thing I did notice was at the very end of the match Wucherer was serving and actually did a very good job of it...more than likely a result of us running out of subs or close to it, at that point.

If KCook has addressed his lack of making changes in this match, please post it.....I for one would love to read or watch it. IMO it was frustrating watching a team just go through the motions. They came out flat and tentative and played like that for two sets.
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TBF, KCook made way more changes than Hugh!
 

4EverAGopher said:
Maybe they are injured or where, but we absolutely did not see the best of either of them this season.
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Did anyone else notice that in the early warmups before the Purdue match at the Pav, Taylor Landfair was wearing a brace around her midsection? When they came out for the second part of the warmups, it was off.
 

It might’ve just been a heating pad.

Didn’t she sprain/tear her oblique last year or the year before? Something like that
 

In the transfer portal, we lost an All-Big Ten first team selection and a solid player, who didn't make the All-Big 12 team. We gained an All-Big Ten first team player and an All-Big ten second team player.

With two All-Big Ten first team players and two second team players, one would think that the team would have been a Top 25 Team. I think at least one other player was capable of being an all Big Ten selection. Inconsistency hurt the team.
 

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