There is a saying that without experience you cannot truly have knowledge. That saying held true for the Minnesota volleyball program in regards to experiencing the Final Four until the 2003 season. Before the 2003 season, the Golden Gophers had made four trips as a program to NCAA Regionals, and come away empty-handed each time. However, that changed in Long Beach (Calif.) last year when Minnesota defeated Pepperdine and Washington to advance to the program's first Final Four.
Returning from that team are 11 letterwinners and six seniors hungry to continue to learn from their experiences. The last two years, those experiences have added up to a Big Ten title (in 2002), a Final Four appearance, 32 Big Ten wins (the most of any team in the conference) and an overall record of 58-17.
"I think we will have a great deal of mental toughness this season," said head coach Mike Hebert. "We have six seniors on this team. Those seniors have been through a lot as a group. The last two years they have won a Big Ten title and advanced to the Final Four. The process of both years is also a big factor in the experiences they have had. The Big Ten title in 2002 was too simple at times and we were not prepared for the stress of the Arizona match in the NCAA Regionals. I believe the lack of stressful situations that year was part of the reason for that loss. Last year that was totally reversed. Nobody fell to us easily. We slipped out of the top-25 early in the season and battled back. I think those two different years prepared these seniors for everything. They are prepared for everything. I like that experience. I think it is one of our assets as a team."
Part of what made Minnesota a battle-tested team in 2003 were the early struggles. The Golden Gophers fought through a 0-4 start to the season, and a 0-2 Big Ten start to finish the regular season 22-10. Minnesota also finished tied for second in the Big Ten at 15-5. The Golden Gophers entered the NCAA Tournament as the No. 4 seed in the Pacific Region and the No. 13 national seed, and made it to the Final Four.
The berth in the Final Four completed a preseason goal that the Golden Gophers kept an eye on throughout all the adversity during the season. Throughout that process, Minnesota became the lowest seeded team to advance to a Final Four in NCAA Tournament history and the first regional No. 4 seed to do so. The interesting part of the season is that Minnesota entered the year with its highest preseason ranking in school history at No. 6 and ended it at No. 4, which was its highest final ranking.
Gone from this year's squad is one of the main reasons for the Golden Gophers' successful late season run, Cassie Busse. Busse, who was a First Team All-American last year, graduated after a run which saw her claim NCAA Pacific Regional MVP honors and Final Four All-Tournament team honors. Because of the fact that the Golden Gophers leaned on Busse heavily during tough times last year, Hebert says this will have to be a different team in which contributions will have to consistently come from everyone throughout the season.
"Last year's team was predicated on the success of Cassie (Busse)," said Hebert. "She did so many things for us. We could make a mistake and she could erase it. This year we will be much more reliant on every piece of the puzzle. We have to function well together every night. I don't think we have an eraser this year. We have two left sides who are capable of having big nights, but they still need to prove they can to do it on a consistent basis. We enter the season with great ball control (defense and passing), which is a great strength to have. Our setting is also one of our primary strengths, along with our defense. Those are three pretty good areas to have as your strengths."
Defensive players and setters are something Minnesota has in abundance heading into the 2004 campaign. Highlighting the group of defensive players is two-time All- American libero and two-time Big Ten defensive player of the year Paula Gentil. Gentil is joined by a pair of defensive specialists in senior Lisa Reinhart and sophomore Marci Peniata. Together this group forms one of the strongest defensive trios in the nation heading into 2004.
"The three amigos (Marci Peniata, Lisa Reinhart and Paula Gentil) on defense are one of the backbones and significant strengths of our teams," said Hebert. "The past years before Paula got here we were more offensive minded. Both Lisa and Paula have instigated a defensive personality that the team has adopted. This spring they played great defense. The one thing about defensive effort is it never slumps and is always there."
One of the aspects that is immensely improved by good defense is ball control. That has helped Minnesota succeed at a high level the past two seasons. Along with a strong core of defensive players, Minnesota has a surplus of talented setters. So much so that the Golden Gophers played a 6-2 offense in the spring with both Kelly Bowman and Lindsey Taatjes on the floor. Part of what has made the setters so great is a strong tradition at Minnesota. The Golden Gophers have had a setter named to one of the Big Ten All- Conference teams in the last five seasons, and have seen one of their setters named Big Ten All-Conference in 11 different seasons. Taatjes has carried on that tradition by earning Big Ten All-Conference honors the last two seasons. Sophomore setter Kelly Bowman is a talented setter who entered her freshman season as the No. 4 rated high school player in the nation.
"One of the thoughts I have heading into the season is you want to have your best volleyball players in the lineup," said Hebert. "Lindsey (Taatjes) and Kelly (Bowman) both fall into that category, and the 6-2 system we might use reflects the reality that they both need to be on the floor together. We are thinking of playing the 6-2 and occasionally having a right-side player sub in for the setters depending on the situation. Last year, Cassie (Busse) gave us a talented all-around player on the right-side. I am not sure we have that this year. It makes sense to have Kelly and Lindsey on the floor at the same time to save some substitutions. Even though it might give us less of a block on the right side, there are some things that both players can do to make up for that."
Minnesota also returns two-thirds of the players that became the only trio in school history to record 400 kills or more in the season. Those two players are Trisha Bratford and Erin Martin. Bratford and Martin both stepped up their games last year down the stretch to help the Golden Gophers secure a berth in the Final Four. Martin had a career- high 28 kills against Pepperdine and was named to the Pacific Region All- Tournament team, while Bratford was a stabilizing force early in the season for Minnesota and came up with clutch points throughout the Golden Gophers run to the Final Four. Both seniors have proven they can come up with the big plays at the big moments. The final step in their development into great players is being able to come up with those big plays on a nightly basis.
"I remember early on in Tree and Erin's (Martin) careers we talked about how by the time they were seniors we should be able to rely on them as solid terminators from the left- side," said Hebert. "This is what we expect out of both of them this season. We are looking for both of them to take over on offense and have their best seasons."
"Clearly what I have learned from being in this position in the past is that a program can not become complacent," said Hebert. "If we do what we did last year and put forth the same effort then we will struggle. People are trying to catch us and overtake us after what we have done the past two years. In the offseason we talked a great deal about having to come to each practice and doing more then we did last year just to maintain status quo. That is the attitude heading into the season."
The six starters (including libero) that Minnesota returns from last year should help them carry over the positive success they have had the last two seasons. With just about every returning player on the roster having logged time last year and three talented new players (Jen Bowman, Jones and Jackson) added to the roster, Minnesota should have a lot of competition for playing time. The following is the Golden Gopher breakdown by positions.
Setter
For a second straight season, Minnesota has a deep and talented group of setters. There is so much talent that the Golden Gophers are seriously contemplating a shift to the 6-2 system to maximize the use of the Taatjes and Kelly Bowman's talents. Taatjes enters the season as one of the most underrated setters in the nation. In both of her seasons as a starting setter, Taatjes has made a Big Ten All-Conference team. The Golden Gophers are also 32-7 in conference play, with a Big Ten title and a Final Four in Taatjes' two years as a starting setter.
"Lindsey (Taatjes) has been a winner at every level she has played at," said Hebert. "She won three high school state championships and has been the setter the last two years in which our program has reached new heights. She has really improved as a floor general and is probably the best athlete to have played setter for us since I have been here. This year she might be utilized as an attacker along with Kelly (Bowman) in the 6-2 offense. In this offense one of the setters will play backrow, and one of them will occupy the right- side hitter spot that Cassie (Busse) filled last year. Kelly and Lindsey are both phenomenal volleyball players that we feel comfortable can handle this transition."
One of the unique situations that Hebert faces this season is that he has two top-notch setters on the same team. Bowman challenged Taatjes last season to continue to improve, knowing that there was another capable setter waiting on the bench to come if there were any struggles. This year the situation appears to be different as both players will get the chance to perform on the floor if Minnesota goes with a 6-2 offense. Last year Bowman was 1-1 as the starting setter. In her first career start at setter, Bowman had 64 assists and 10 digs. The 64 assists was the second-highest total in school history by a setter making their first career start.
"Kelly (Bowman) is a naturally gifted volleyball player who has a great feel for the game," said Hebert. "She is a very gifted setter who will get more chances this year to get on the floor and help us out. With the loss of Cassie (Busse) we would like to get our best volleyball players on the court as much as possible, and Kelly is definitely on that list." Minnesota will look to Marci Peniata or Jen Bowman to fill in at setter in a pinch. Bowman was the 2001 MAC Player of the Year at Northern Illinois as a setter, and Peniata has the skills to step in and run the offense at the position as well.
Outside Hitter
One of the overlooked keys to Minnesota's Final Four run in 2003 was the play of both Martin and Bratford in the NCAA Tournament. Both players teamed with Busse to come up with an array of clutch points that helped propel the Minnesota program to new heights. Now that Busse is gone, both Bratford and Martin will be leaned on even more to shoulder the offensive load for Minnesota. Martin became only the 15th player in school history to record 1,000 career kills as just a junior and led Minnesota in kills during the NCAA Tournament with 92 in five matches. Bratford was second on the team in double-figure kill matches in 2003 and finished second on the team in kills behind Busse.
"I am a big believer in seniors stepping up and having big seasons," said Hebert. "Both Erin and Tree been through a lot in their time with the program, and I believe both of them are primed and ready to deliver big seasons this year." Amanda Hokenson is another senior who is substituted in for Minnesota to provide a spark at the outside hitter spot. She has come up with some big plays for the Golden Gophers throughout her career and carries the experience of being one of six seniors on this Minnesota team.
Life without Busse begins at the opposite hitter spot, after she was a three- year mainstay at that spot for the Golden Gophers. Heading into the season, the Golden Gophers have variety of options that they are weighing for this position. It appears Kelly Bowman and Taatjes in the 6-2 offense seem to be the early choice heading into the 2004 campaign. If Minnesota wants to stay in a more traditional formation the opposite hitter spot might go to Jessica Byrnes or Athena Mallakis. One of the other wildcard possibilities could be freshman Dee Jackson, who is an athletic newcomer that can touch 10-6. Jen Bowman and Peniata could also see time at outside or opposite hitter at times this season.
"If we do not end up playing a 6-2, it is likely that Athena (Mallakis) or Jessica (Byrnes) would get a good look at filling the opposite hitter slot," said Hebert. "Both are talented athletes who could make the transition if the need arises. Another ex-factor would be Dee (Jackson). Dee is an incredibly athletically gifted player who has a lot of raw ability, but is still somewhat undeveloped skill wise. If she can develop and adequate skill set that would allow here to play at this level we would have to take a good look at her in that spot."
Middle Blocker
For the second straight season the Golden Gophers enter the year with question marks surrounding the middle blocker position. Minnesota has a mix at middle blocker that includes a junior, two sophomores and one freshman.
Jessica Byrnes brings the most experience of any of the middle blockers. Byrnes has played in every match for the Golden Gophers over the last two seasons. Last year she struggled in the early to middle portions of the season. However, Byrnes stepped up towards the end of the season and gave Minnesota a fourth-attacking threat they needed during the NCAA Tournament. This year the Golden Gophers will be looking to a more experienced Byrnes to be a more efficient attacker.
Meredith Nelson started all 37 matches as a freshman for Minnesota. In her first season with the Golden Gophers, Nelson had the fourth-highest single-season block total (168) in school history and the second-highest block assist total in school history (149). She also became the third Minnesota player in the last two years to be named to the Big Ten All- Freshman team. As the season progressed, Nelson became a more effective blocker. Heading into the 2004 season, Minnesota is looking to get more out of Nelson as an attacker.
"We have put a lot of time into improving our middle attack the last two seasons," said Hebert. "It was one of the areas we felt we needed to improve heading into last year and we would like to continue to get better at this position in 2004. The players have worked extremely hard at improving. I am hoping it is sort of a marination process. That we have not seen the results yet, but that all the time and shotmaking work will pay off and emerge this fall. We have constantly said .300 is the standard in terms of middle attack hitting percentage in the Big Ten and we would like to shoot for that this year."
Two more players that will also be in the mix for middle blocker are sophomore Athena Mallakis and freshman Jessy Jones. Mallakis stepped in and had eight blocks and eight kills in her first career start last year for Minnesota. She is a talented athlete who could see time at either middle blocker or opposite hitter throughout the course of the season. Jones was the top-ranked middle blocker among high school seniors this past year, and was ranked the No. 13 high school prospect in the nation. She is a polished middle blocker who could step right in for Minnesota this year. Unfortunately, Jones' progress has been impeded by a shoulder injury suffered last season.
"Jessy (Jones) is somewhat of a question mark after having shoulder surgery in mid-May," said Hebert. "That is a very tough injury to return from quickly. She is progressing nicely, but it is unknown what her status will be heading into the season. If Jessy comes back for us on time it gives us more depth at middle blocker and will allow us to possibly move one of other middle blockers over to the opposite hitter spot. Athena (Mallakis) is still slated to be a middle blocker, but may also play some opposite hitter."
Libero/Defensive Specialist
Throughout the last two seasons, Minnesota has put on a great demonstration of the success that a good defense can bring to a program. Throughout different sports there is a saying that defense never slumps, and that saying holds true for volleyball as well. At the forefront of the defense for Minnesota is junior libero Paula Gentil. The two-time All-American broke the Big Ten record for most digs in a season in 2003. For a second straight season, Gentil was so impressive that she was the only libero named to any of the AVCA All-American teams. After all the awards that have been showered upon her in her first two seasons she adds yet another wrinkle for Minnesota this season. Thanks to a new rule that allows liberos to serve, Gentil can finally show off a serve that is among the best on the Minnesota squad.
"Paula (Gentil) is one of the top if not the best defensive player in the nation," said Hebert. "She has helped create a defensive energy that has been contagious throughout our team the last two years. There is a feeling on the court that she can get to just about anything that is hit and that makes our other players put forth a similar effort on defense. As an individual and a team player she has been remarkable in what she has done for our team defense and ball control."
Marci Peniata and Lisa Reinhart are part of a group Hebert refers to as the "Three Amigos" on defense. Despite receiving less accolades then Gentil, their contributions have been equally important to the defensive foundation for Minnesota. Reinhart and Peniata made up a group of six Golden Gophers that had more than 200 digs on the season in 2003. Reinhart continued to improve as a junior last season, and Peniata proved to have defensive instincts beyond her years as a freshman.
"Lisa (Reinhart) and Marci (Peniata) are both extremely solid at what they do," said Hebert. "Paula, Marci and Lisa do such a great job as a defensive unit. They always seem to know where each other is and they feed of one another's good plays on defense. Those three are one of the best if not the best unit of defensive players in the nation."
Schedule
Minnesota joins two-time defending national champions USC in elite company as the only program to play in the NACWAA Tournament two times in the last three years. The Golden Gophers will once again start a week earlier than all but three teams in college volleyball, as they take on host Colorado State in the NACWAA Tournament on Aug. 27. Minnesota will either play two-time defending national champion USC or 2003 Regional Finalist Georgia Tech in the second match of the prestigious preseason tournament.
Minnesota will play in a pair of road tournaments in Wyoming (Wyoming, Idaho State and UT-San Antonio) on Sept. 3-4 and in North Carolina (North Carolina, Loyola Marymount and Rice) on Sept. 17-18. In between, that the Golden Gophers will host one of the most competitive tournaments in school history as 2003 Final Four participant Florida, Northern Iowa and 2003 Regional Semifinalist Kansas State visit the Sports Pavilion on Sept. 9-12 in the Diet Coke Classic. It marks the second straight year, that Minnesota will have a possible opportunity to play two Final Four teams from the previous season in non- conference play.
The Golden Gophers will start Big Ten play at home against Michigan State on Sept. 24. Minnesota's first road Big Ten match will take place on Oct. 1 at Ohio State. Minnesota will travel to take on Penn State on the road on Oct. 2, and host Wisconsin on Oct. 9. The Golden Gophers will travel to the Badgers on Oct. 30, and take on Penn State in a home match on Nov. 5. Minnesota also plays Illinois in Williams Arena on Oct. 16, and will travel to Champaign, Ill. to finish the Big Ten season on Nov. 26,
"I think the talk last year around the nation that the Big Ten was down was inaccurate," said Hebert. "Every night in the conference you have a chance of getting beat. From top- to-bottom it is a very competitive conference."
Over the last two years the Minnesota volleyball program has grown in leaps in bounds. The Golden Gophers claimed their first Big Ten title in 2002 and made their first Final Four in 2003. Now that Minnesota has established itself at the national level the key will be maintaining that lofty perch. With 11 returning players and six seniors going into the season, this looks like a group that is more then capable of successfully keeping itself in the national spotlight. There is a saying that without experience you cannot truly have knowledge. That saying held true for the Minnesota volleyball program in regards to experiencing the Final Four until the 2003 season. Before the 2003 season, the Golden Gophers had made four trips as a program to NCAA Regionals, and come away empty-handed each time. However, that changed in Long Beach (Calif.) last year when Minnesota defeated Pepperdine and Washington to advance to the program's first Final Four.
Returning from that team are 11 letterwinners and six seniors hungry to continue to learn from their experiences. The last two years, those experiences have added up to a Big Ten title (in 2002), a Final Four appearance, 32 Big Ten wins (the most of any team in the conference) and an overall record of 58-17.
"I think we will have a great deal of mental toughness this season," said head coach Mike Hebert. "We have six seniors on this team. Those seniors have been through a lot as a group. The last two years they have won a Big Ten title and advanced to the Final Four. The process of both years is also a big factor in the experiences they have had. The Big Ten title in 2002 was too simple at times and we were not prepared for the stress of the Arizona match in the NCAA Regionals. I believe the lack of stressful situations that year was part of the reason for that loss. Last year that was totally reversed. Nobody fell to us easily. We slipped out of the top-25 early in the season and battled back. I think those two different years prepared these seniors for everything. They are prepared for everything. I like that experience. I think it is one of our assets as a team."
Part of what made Minnesota a battle-tested team in 2003 were the early struggles. The Golden Gophers fought through a 0-4 start to the season, and a 0-2 Big Ten start to finish the regular season 22-10. Minnesota also finished tied for second in the Big Ten at 15-5. The Golden Gophers entered the NCAA Tournament as the No. 4 seed in the Pacific Region and the No. 13 national seed, and made it to the Final Four.
The berth in the Final Four completed a preseason goal that the Golden Gophers kept an eye on throughout all the adversity during the season. Throughout that process, Minnesota became the lowest seeded team to advance to a Final Four in NCAA Tournament history and the first regional No. 4 seed to do so. The interesting part of the season is that Minnesota entered the year with its highest preseason ranking in school history at No. 6 and ended it at No. 4, which was its highest final ranking.
Gone from this year's squad is one of the main reasons for the Golden Gophers' successful late season run, Cassie Busse. Busse, who was a First Team All-American last year, graduated after a run which saw her claim NCAA Pacific Regional MVP honors and Final Four All-Tournament team honors. Because of the fact that the Golden Gophers leaned on Busse heavily during tough times last year, Hebert says this will have to be a different team in which contributions will have to consistently come from everyone throughout the season.
"Last year's team was predicated on the success of Cassie (Busse)," said Hebert. "She did so many things for us. We could make a mistake and she could erase it. This year we will be much more reliant on every piece of the puzzle. We have to function well together every night. I don't think we have an eraser this year. We have two left sides who are capable of having big nights, but they still need to prove they can to do it on a consistent basis. We enter the season with great ball control (defense and passing), which is a great strength to have. Our setting is also one of our primary strengths, along with our defense. Those are three pretty good areas to have as your strengths."
Defensive players and setters are something Minnesota has in abundance heading into the 2004 campaign. Highlighting the group of defensive players is two-time All- American libero and two-time Big Ten defensive player of the year Paula Gentil. Gentil is joined by a pair of defensive specialists in senior Lisa Reinhart and sophomore Marci Peniata. Together this group forms one of the strongest defensive trios in the nation heading into 2004.
"The three amigos (Marci Peniata, Lisa Reinhart and Paula Gentil) on defense are one of the backbones and significant strengths of our teams," said Hebert. "The past years before Paula got here we were more offensive minded. Both Lisa and Paula have instigated a defensive personality that the team has adopted. This spring they played great defense. The one thing about defensive effort is it never slumps and is always there."
One of the aspects that is immensely improved by good defense is ball control. That has helped Minnesota succeed at a high level the past two seasons. Along with a strong core of defensive players, Minnesota has a surplus of talented setters. So much so that the Golden Gophers played a 6-2 offense in the spring with both Kelly Bowman and Lindsey Taatjes on the floor. Part of what has made the setters so great is a strong tradition at Minnesota. The Golden Gophers have had a setter named to one of the Big Ten All- Conference teams in the last five seasons, and have seen one of their setters named Big Ten All-Conference in 11 different seasons. Taatjes has carried on that tradition by earning Big Ten All-Conference honors the last two seasons. Sophomore setter Kelly Bowman is a talented setter who entered her freshman season as the No. 4 rated high school player in the nation.
"One of the thoughts I have heading into the season is you want to have your best volleyball players in the lineup," said Hebert. "Lindsey (Taatjes) and Kelly (Bowman) both fall into that category, and the 6-2 system we might use reflects the reality that they both need to be on the floor together. We are thinking of playing the 6-2 and occasionally having a right-side player sub in for the setters depending on the situation. Last year, Cassie (Busse) gave us a talented all-around player on the right-side. I am not sure we have that this year. It makes sense to have Kelly and Lindsey on the floor at the same time to save some substitutions. Even though it might give us less of a block on the right side, there are some things that both players can do to make up for that."
Minnesota also returns two-thirds of the players that became the only trio in school history to record 400 kills or more in the season. Those two players are Trisha Bratford and Erin Martin. Bratford and Martin both stepped up their games last year down the stretch to help the Golden Gophers secure a berth in the Final Four. Martin had a career- high 28 kills against Pepperdine and was named to the Pacific Region All- Tournament team, while Bratford was a stabilizing force early in the season for Minnesota and came up with clutch points throughout the Golden Gophers run to the Final Four. Both seniors have proven they can come up with the big plays at the big moments. The final step in their development into great players is being able to come up with those big plays on a nightly basis.
"I remember early on in Tree and Erin's (Martin) careers we talked about how by the time they were seniors we should be able to rely on them as solid terminators from the left- side," said Hebert. "This is what we expect out of both of them this season. We are looking for both of them to take over on offense and have their best seasons."
"Clearly what I have learned from being in this position in the past is that a program can not become complacent," said Hebert. "If we do what we did last year and put forth the same effort then we will struggle. People are trying to catch us and overtake us after what we have done the past two years. In the offseason we talked a great deal about having to come to each practice and doing more then we did last year just to maintain status quo. That is the attitude heading into the season."
The six starters (including libero) that Minnesota returns from last year should help them carry over the positive success they have had the last two seasons. With just about every returning player on the roster having logged time last year and three talented new players (Jen Bowman, Jones and Jackson) added to the roster, Minnesota should have a lot of competition for playing time. The following is the Golden Gopher breakdown by positions.
Setter
For a second straight season, Minnesota has a deep and talented group of setters. There is so much talent that the Golden Gophers are seriously contemplating a shift to the 6-2 system to maximize the use of the Taatjes and Kelly Bowman's talents. Taatjes enters the season as one of the most underrated setters in the nation. In both of her seasons as a starting setter, Taatjes has made a Big Ten All-Conference team. The Golden Gophers are also 32-7 in conference play, with a Big Ten title and a Final Four in Taatjes' two years as a starting setter.
"Lindsey (Taatjes) has been a winner at every level she has played at," said Hebert. "She won three high school state championships and has been the setter the last two years in which our program has reached new heights. She has really improved as a floor general and is probably the best athlete to have played setter for us since I have been here. This year she might be utilized as an attacker along with Kelly (Bowman) in the 6-2 offense. In this offense one of the setters will play backrow, and one of them will occupy the right- side hitter spot that Cassie (Busse) filled last year. Kelly and Lindsey are both phenomenal volleyball players that we feel comfortable can handle this transition."
One of the unique situations that Hebert faces this season is that he has two top-notch setters on the same team. Bowman challenged Taatjes last season to continue to improve, knowing that there was another capable setter waiting on the bench to come if there were any struggles. This year the situation appears to be different as both players will get the chance to perform on the floor if Minnesota goes with a 6-2 offense. Last year Bowman was 1-1 as the starting setter. In her first career start at setter, Bowman had 64 assists and 10 digs. The 64 assists was the second-highest total in school history by a setter making their first career start.
"Kelly (Bowman) is a naturally gifted volleyball player who has a great feel for the game," said Hebert. "She is a very gifted setter who will get more chances this year to get on the floor and help us out. With the loss of Cassie (Busse) we would like to get our best volleyball players on the court as much as possible, and Kelly is definitely on that list." Minnesota will look to Marci Peniata or Jen Bowman to fill in at setter in a pinch. Bowman was the 2001 MAC Player of the Year at Northern Illinois as a setter, and Peniata has the skills to step in and run the offense at the position as well.
Outside Hitter
One of the overlooked keys to Minnesota's Final Four run in 2003 was the play of both Martin and Bratford in the NCAA Tournament. Both players teamed with Busse to come up with an array of clutch points that helped propel the Minnesota program to new heights. Now that Busse is gone, both Bratford and Martin will be leaned on even more to shoulder the offensive load for Minnesota. Martin became only the 15th player in school history to record 1,000 career kills as just a junior and led Minnesota in kills during the NCAA Tournament with 92 in five matches. Bratford was second on the team in double-figure kill matches in 2003 and finished second on the team in kills behind Busse.
"I am a big believer in seniors stepping up and having big seasons," said Hebert. "Both Erin and Tree been through a lot in their time with the program, and I believe both of them are primed and ready to deliver big seasons this year." Amanda Hokenson is another senior who is substituted in for Minnesota to provide a spark at the outside hitter spot. She has come up with some big plays for the Golden Gophers throughout her career and carries the experience of being one of six seniors on this Minnesota team.
Life without Busse begins at the opposite hitter spot, after she was a three- year mainstay at that spot for the Golden Gophers. Heading into the season, the Golden Gophers have variety of options that they are weighing for this position. It appears Kelly Bowman and Taatjes in the 6-2 offense seem to be the early choice heading into the 2004 campaign. If Minnesota wants to stay in a more traditional formation the opposite hitter spot might go to Jessica Byrnes or Athena Mallakis. One of the other wildcard possibilities could be freshman Dee Jackson, who is an athletic newcomer that can touch 10-6. Jen Bowman and Peniata could also see time at outside or opposite hitter at times this season.
"If we do not end up playing a 6-2, it is likely that Athena (Mallakis) or Jessica (Byrnes) would get a good look at filling the opposite hitter slot," said Hebert. "Both are talented athletes who could make the transition if the need arises. Another ex-factor would be Dee (Jackson). Dee is an incredibly athletically gifted player who has a lot of raw ability, but is still somewhat undeveloped skill wise. If she can develop and adequate skill set that would allow here to play at this level we would have to take a good look at her in that spot."
Middle Blocker
For the second straight season the Golden Gophers enter the year with question marks surrounding the middle blocker position. Minnesota has a mix at middle blocker that includes a junior, two sophomores and one freshman.
Jessica Byrnes brings the most experience of any of the middle blockers. Byrnes has played in every match for the Golden Gophers over the last two seasons. Last year she struggled in the early to middle portions of the season. However, Byrnes stepped up towards the end of the season and gave Minnesota a fourth-attacking threat they needed during the NCAA Tournament. This year the Golden Gophers will be looking to a more experienced Byrnes to be a more efficient attacker.
Meredith Nelson started all 37 matches as a freshman for Minnesota. In her first season with the Golden Gophers, Nelson had the fourth-highest single-season block total (168) in school history and the second-highest block assist total in school history (149). She also became the third Minnesota player in the last two years to be named to the Big Ten All- Freshman team. As the season progressed, Nelson became a more effective blocker. Heading into the 2004 season, Minnesota is looking to get more out of Nelson as an attacker.
"We have put a lot of time into improving our middle attack the last two seasons," said Hebert. "It was one of the areas we felt we needed to improve heading into last year and we would like to continue to get better at this position in 2004. The players have worked extremely hard at improving. I am hoping it is sort of a marination process. That we have not seen the results yet, but that all the time and shotmaking work will pay off and emerge this fall. We have constantly said .300 is the standard in terms of middle attack hitting percentage in the Big Ten and we would like to shoot for that this year."
Two more players that will also be in the mix for middle blocker are sophomore Athena Mallakis and freshman Jessy Jones. Mallakis stepped in and had eight blocks and eight kills in her first career start last year for Minnesota. She is a talented athlete who could see time at either middle blocker or opposite hitter throughout the course of the season. Jones was the top-ranked middle blocker among high school seniors this past year, and was ranked the No. 13 high school prospect in the nation. She is a polished middle blocker who could step right in for Minnesota this year. Unfortunately, Jones' progress has been impeded by a shoulder injury suffered last season.
"Jessy (Jones) is somewhat of a question mark after having shoulder surgery in mid-May," said Hebert. "That is a very tough injury to return from quickly. She is progressing nicely, but it is unknown what her status will be heading into the season. If Jessy comes back for us on time it gives us more depth at middle blocker and will allow us to possibly move one of other middle blockers over to the opposite hitter spot. Athena (Mallakis) is still slated to be a middle blocker, but may also play some opposite hitter."
Libero/Defensive Specialist
Throughout the last two seasons, Minnesota has put on a great demonstration of the success that a good defense can bring to a program. Throughout different sports there is a saying that defense never slumps, and that saying holds true for volleyball as well. At the forefront of the defense for Minnesota is junior libero Paula Gentil. The two-time All-American broke the Big Ten record for most digs in a season in 2003. For a second straight season, Gentil was so impressive that she was the only libero named to any of the AVCA All-American teams. After all the awards that have been showered upon her in her first two seasons she adds yet another wrinkle for Minnesota this season. Thanks to a new rule that allows liberos to serve, Gentil can finally show off a serve that is among the best on the Minnesota squad.
"Paula (Gentil) is one of the top if not the best defensive player in the nation," said Hebert. "She has helped create a defensive energy that has been contagious throughout our team the last two years. There is a feeling on the court that she can get to just about anything that is hit and that makes our other players put forth a similar effort on defense. As an individual and a team player she has been remarkable in what she has done for our team defense and ball control."
Marci Peniata and Lisa Reinhart are part of a group Hebert refers to as the "Three Amigos" on defense. Despite receiving less accolades then Gentil, their contributions have been equally important to the defensive foundation for Minnesota. Reinhart and Peniata made up a group of six Golden Gophers that had more than 200 digs on the season in 2003. Reinhart continued to improve as a junior last season, and Peniata proved to have defensive instincts beyond her years as a freshman.
"Lisa (Reinhart) and Marci (Peniata) are both extremely solid at what they do," said Hebert. "Paula, Marci and Lisa do such a great job as a defensive unit. They always seem to know where each other is and they feed of one another's good plays on defense. Those three are one of the best if not the best unit of defensive players in the nation."
Schedule
Minnesota joins two-time defending national champions USC in elite company as the only program to play in the NACWAA Tournament two times in the last three years. The Golden Gophers will once again start a week earlier than all but three teams in college volleyball, as they take on host Colorado State in the NACWAA Tournament on Aug. 27. Minnesota will either play two-time defending national champion USC or 2003 Regional Finalist Georgia Tech in the second match of the prestigious preseason tournament.
Minnesota will play in a pair of road tournaments in Wyoming (Wyoming, Idaho State and UT-San Antonio) on Sept. 3-4 and in North Carolina (North Carolina, Loyola Marymount and Rice) on Sept. 17-18. In between, that the Golden Gophers will host one of the most competitive tournaments in school history as 2003 Final Four participant Florida, Northern Iowa and 2003 Regional Semifinalist Kansas State visit the Sports Pavilion on Sept. 9-12 in the Diet Coke Classic. It marks the second straight year, that Minnesota will have a possible opportunity to play two Final Four teams from the previous season in non- conference play.
The Golden Gophers will start Big Ten play at home against Michigan State on Sept. 24. Minnesota's first road Big Ten match will take place on Oct. 1 at Ohio State. Minnesota will travel to take on Penn State on the road on Oct. 2, and host Wisconsin on Oct. 9. The Golden Gophers will travel to the Badgers on Oct. 30, and take on Penn State in a home match on Nov. 5. Minnesota also plays Illinois in Williams Arena on Oct. 16, and will travel to Champaign, Ill. to finish the Big Ten season on Nov. 26,
"I think the talk last year around the nation that the Big Ten was down was inaccurate," said Hebert. "Every night in the conference you have a chance of getting beat. From top- to-bottom it is a very competitive conference."
Over the last two years the Minnesota volleyball program has grown in leaps in bounds. The Golden Gophers claimed their first Big Ten title in 2002 and made their first Final Four in 2003. Now that Minnesota has established itself at the national level the key will be maintaining that lofty perch. With 11 returning players and six seniors going into the season, this looks like a group that is more then capable of successfully keeping itself in the national spotlight.
