Spring schedule

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(R)uffda!

(R)uffda!

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It'll involve some travel, if people want to watch.

๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฒ ๐—ฆ๐—ฝ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ฆ๐—ฐ๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ฑ๐˜‚๐—น๐—ฒ ๐Ÿ“…

The Gophers will take on multiple NCAA Tournament teams this spring, starting April 3 at Iowa State!

Details โฌ‡๏ธ

๐Ÿ”—: https://z.umn.edu/26Spring
 
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If I'm remembering correctly -

Hugh had entered the UNI Tournament once during his Gopher coaching years. It was held on practice courts somewhere on their campus. We entered the building and walked through 2 gyms adjacent to each other to get to the third gym where we played. There were two courts in that gym setup along side each other, with the tiniest bleachers between the courts. If lucky, these bleachers each held 4 adults comfortably.

Hugh never entered this tournament again...imagine that. It was the Spring when OH Kalei Mau was still on the roster before transferring to Arizona State. I believe DS/L Brittany Jack from Australia was on the roster too.

If anybody is planning on attending this Spring season, I sure hope UNI has figured out over time to hold it in a different venue. It was really a very very sad setup for Div 1 College Volleyball.
 

There are some names from 2014-2019 that ... take one back. Swider, Beckley, Alugbue, Buford, Eggert, McLean, Litzau, Nielsen, Kleinman, Zeimann, Sheehan, Rendahl, Dolonga, Calouri ...
 

Kalei Mau was one of those players who I wished saw playing time for us. Hugh was always looking and wanting those 6R pins...that could be the reason she never started as a Gopher. I do know her departure was shocking to this Gopher fan. While at Arizona State, she started at OH and had a very successfull volleyball career.
 
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I remember when Coach Hebert scheduled UNI to play games in Rochester. If I recall, it only lasted a couple of years. I saw them play at Century High School many years ago.
 



And now the Wisconsin match has been canceled. We're on a roll.

And the Gophers have a huge roster. That's a hell of a lot of injuries.
 

Milwaukee Journal:

Wisconsin volleyball has one less spring match on its 2026 schedule.

The Badgers will no longer face Minnesota on April 10 in a match that was supposed to be at the Sonnentag in Eau Claire as a โ€œprecaution for the teamโ€™s health and safety,โ€ UW announced on April 3.

The match will not be rescheduled, per both teamsโ€™ announcements.

Minnesota also vaguely described the cancellation as a matter of โ€œthe teamโ€™s health and safety.โ€ The cancellation is due to Minnesotaโ€™s lack of available players, a source told the Journal Sentinel.

UW later updated its press release to also say it's for Minnesota's health and safety.
 




What a fresh hell this is. Didn't we all suffer enough last season? This is just cruel.
 

Several fans on Volleytalk are saying "no worries". They feel people just shouldn't be all that concerned, it is only Spring. If this was the same case and it was the fall, then worry.

I say, really? When players with ACL tears come back to their sport, they usually are not the same physical athlete. Just look at Jordyn Poulter our setter on the USA team, as one example. Also, a player with back problems at least 3 years doesn't give me more hope either.

The count on healthy players, as of today, is: 2 MB's, 1 Pin, 2 Setters and 3 DS/L. Can't play volleyball with that situation, can you?
 
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MAYBE that's the count. Who knows if they are healthy. And if MW is having issues ... that's really bad news.
 

But this goes beyond worrying about the health of the athletes. It's just one more instance of fans being deprived of fully functional Gopher volleyball. I know that is far from the top concern of the program, but spring volleyball is something fans enjoy. And it's being taken away. When was the last time we actually had GOOD news? Something to be excited about? Sure wasn't the Larkin decommit.
 



A fan stated Crosson has an ankle sprain and she is in a boot. Gilk has not been dressing for practice. Olivia is unable to play at the net for medical reasons. I am just trying to repeat what others have already posted elsewhere.

So if you add those 3 players to the list of 3 ACL injuries and Wucherer with her back problems, that list of available players for the Spring Schedule is pretty accurate. This time of the year, for me anyway, has always been a joy to catch a glimpse of our new roster additions.

I for one, would love for our new Assistant Coach and Recruiting Coordinator, Nassar, to add a couple of experienced players to our roster in the upcoming portal. I would also like to add, at this time, the 2027 recruiting class consists of a backup setter and an OH, who happens to be our Assistant Coach Coleman's niece. Help in recruiting cannot come fast enough, for this fan.
 

This preceded Cook. How many seasons has it been since they didn't have at least one starter with a significant injury? At least as far back as Kylie Miller (2019).
 

(R)uffda! said:
This preceded Cook. How many seasons has it been since they didn't have at least one starter with a significant injury? At least as far back as Kylie Miller (2019).
Click to expand...
I am surprised there haven't been more injuries and I expect to see more injuries in the future. The athletes are pushing their bodies to the max and taking more risks. It is more important than ever to have great team depth.
 

I think it is worth discussing how the U views volleyball and other sports in this time of change.

There are signs that the U is willing to commit to a winner in volleyball, where it doesn't seem to show the same committment in other sports. They hired a big name coach, keep the budget high and posture themselves as giving a damn.

But even without the injuries, the spring season is always a missed opportunity. Nebraska and Wisconsin are usually trying to get on BTN, they keep stats, they promote the team.

Minnesota seems to be disappearing into weird cities in South Dakota, they're never on tv, they don't keep stats. We rely on somebody reporting back on their phone.

We find out that the spring matches are cancelled from our arch rivals. Does the U care about his fans? Does the U have a plan? If they're not giving a full 365 day a year committment to excellence, how do they expect to achieve it in the fall?
 

NateDawgUM said:
I think it is worth discussing how the U views volleyball and other sports in this time of change.

There are signs that the U is willing to commit to a winner in volleyball, where it doesn't seem to show the same committment in other sports. They hired a big name coach, keep the budget high and posture themselves as giving a damn.

But even without the injuries, the spring season is always a missed opportunity. Nebraska and Wisconsin are usually trying to get on BTN, they keep stats, they promote the team.

Minnesota seems to be disappearing into weird cities in South Dakota, they're never on tv, they don't keep stats. We rely on somebody reporting back on their phone.

We find out that the spring matches are cancelled from our arch rivals. Does the U care about his fans? Does the U have a plan? If they're not giving a full 365 day a year committment to excellence, how do they expect to achieve it in the fall?
Click to expand...

This spring was always going to be about getting healthy after the ACL epidemic in fall 2025.

If playing matches in spring jeopardizes health in the fall, cancel away.
 

Would have been fun to get our first look at Hoecke, Crosson & Kraft but hard to argue with be cautious. Maybe they could just have an open practice for us hard core rubes to watch.
 

Personally, I will be very very surprised, if all the known injured players, will be performing at the same level they were before their injuries. This appears to be a program waiting for up to 6 players to recuperate with high hopes in repeating last season beginning this fall.

How many times have I heard there shouldn't be more recruiting because that could mean too many players sitting on the bench and then leaving. I have always wondered, if these are friends and/or relatives that are always talking like this. I can see where this program is, with those type of feelings and I for one don't like it.

What would have been wrong for about 8 players performing this Spring WITH SOME of them being backup players? I think it is really sad for a so-called Elite Program to be in this situation and not able to have enough players to play Spring Volleyball. IMO the recruiting since KK left, has now shown it's ugly head....let's face it Gopher fans, there isn't any SUCCESSFUL RECRUITING happening.
 
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Jury is out on whether they can rebuild this program in terms of on-the-court performance. Verdict was in LONG AGO about whether they give a rip about their long-time fans (or even attracting new ones).

But I want to reiterate that I don't blame them for canceling matches if they are not healthy. I just wish to gawd we could catch a break. Nothing but crap news for so long ...
 

I was hoping to get a good review of the spring match yesterday in Iowa. Nothing in here or on Volleytalk. If anyone was there I have a few questions. Did Wucherer play? How did our freshmen look? Did anyone come up limping (please God nooรฒoo).
 

Itโ€™s shocking how Nebraska, Penn State and Wisconsin are able to have productive spring seasons with televised/streamed matchups and live stats.

At Minnesota you might have wait to hear what happened from the friend of a friend of the guy who unlocked the gym.

And we wonder why the program is falling off.
 

I hear Wucherer played and none of the three recovering from knee surgery did. That's all I have heard. And I don't even know if it is true.

I should just make something up. Like Bobbi punched Keegan. It would be worth just about as much.
 

It is an interesting question, however. Why has this program determined that their fans are, at best, a secondary priority? Or that we can be taken for granted? There must be a reason. Because there is no good reason why Minnesota should be ceding its relative reputation to Penn State and Wisconsin.
 

I agree that the lack of engagement with an obviously thirsty fan base is dissapointing. How would we go about trying to influence some change? Ideas anyone. Bueller, Bueller....
 

Sounds like Friday's spring match is being streamed on BTN+ so that's a good start.
 

Sitting at the Pav waiting for some volleyball. Totally stoked to see the progress since fall. Look for me on BTN+. Gray hair, wearing gold. That should narrow it down.
 

Sloppy set. 25-27.

Thanh eschews the timeouts.
 

Sloppy set. 25-27.

Thang eschews the timeouts.
 

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