University of Minnesota Athletics
2002 Golden Gopher Volleyball Season Outlook
8/14/2002 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
| Head Coach Mike Hebert |
"I think the NACWAA State Farm Volleyball Classic is going to be good for the development of the team," said Hebert. "I like that we play such great teams right off the bat. I want this group to expect every time they go out on the court that they have to play to the highest level. The NACWAA State Farm Volleyball Classic will help get us off on the right foot in that respect."
The 2001 team finished the season 19-13 and was sixth in the Big Ten with a 10-10 record. The Golden Gophers advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, and were one point away from their third straight "Sweet Sixteen" appearance in a row, but suffered a tough five-game loss at the hands of Northern Iowa.
"We had a great team last year, but it had primary leaders and then it was a dropoff to the young inexperienced players," said Hebert. "This year's team will be more evenly developed. I am not sure if we will have anyone play to the level that Lindsey (Berg) and Stephanie (Hagen) did last year, but the advantage is these players are at the same level of development and they will go through that together."
Minnesota returns 11 letterwinners and three starters from last year's team. The Golden Gophers were also one of only four teams in the Big Ten to have two or more players named to the Preseason All-Big Ten Conference Team. Junior middle blocker Bethany Brafford (Mansfield, Ohio) and junior outside hitter Cassie Busse (Prior Lake, Minn.) were both picked to the preseason honor squad that was selected by the league coaches. They will have to help fill the void left by 2001 All-Big Ten players Lindsey Berg and Stephanie Hagen.
| Junior Bethany Brafford |
Another interesting change heading into the 2002 season is the addition of the libero position to collegiate women's volleyball. The libero is a player who can rotate with another player into the backrow without costing a team a substitution. The Golden Gophers recruited an outstanding libero for this season and also have three returnees capable of stepping into to that position.
"The addition of the libero is a big change to the game, because that player will be playing in the backrow 80 to 90 percent of the time. Last year we did not dig enough balls to get to the level we wanted to. The libero position fits right into helping us improve our defense and ball control. Right now we have four people who can do that well, and that should help us excel in those aspects of the game."
Minnesota returns three starters from last season and will have several positions up for grabs going into the 2002 season. Here is the Golden Gopher breakdown by position.
Setter
Minnesota looks to sophomore setter Lindsey Vander Well (Prinsburg, Minn.) as the starter going into the 2002 season. Vander Well was tutored behind Lindsey Berg, who was a four-year starter and three-time All Big Ten setter for the Golden Gophers. Vander Well was on the court last year for defensive situations, and filled in for Berg as the starting setter against Indiana in a match where she helped lead the Golden Gophers to five-game victory with 60 assists and six blocks.
"Lindsey (Vander Well) is a talented player who not many people know about heading into this year," said Hebert. "I have great confidence that she will be outstanding for us at the setter position this season."
| Sophomore Lindsey Vander Well |
The Golden Gophers have a very successful history of grooming young setters and having them play throughout their career, as evidenced by the presence of four Minnesota setters among the Big Ten career top 12 in assists. Vander Well appears to have the skills to be another on the long list of successful Golden Gopher setters.
Outsider Hitter
Minnesota returns its starting opposite and left-side hitters from last year in Busse and Trisha Bratford (Reseda, Calif.). Busse is a preseason All-Big Ten player who is the leading returnee on the team in kills with 306 last year and who was third on the team in blocks. Bratford was tied for third on the team in kills per game at 2.76 last year.
Busse and Lorenzen will play opposite hitter for the Golden Gophers. Busse is an outstanding athlete who has very good offensive abilities and provides Minnesota with a great block on the right side. Busse is one of the Golden Gophers' three experienced returnees heading into the 2002 season. Erin Lorenzen will also see time at the opposite hitter spot for Minnesota. Lorenzen is a lefty who has tremendous all-around skills.
"We have two very gifted players at the opposite hitter spot," said Hebert. "Between Cassie (Busse) starting and Erin (Lorenzen) coming in, we should have a very effective attacker at the opposite hitter position in any circumstance."
Minnesota has a young, but very talented group of players who are expected to start at the left side. Bratford and Erin Martin (Ames, Iowa) are both expected to be in the starting lineup for the Golden Gophers, while Amanda Cipperly (Andover, Minn.) is expected to be the first player off the bench. Bratford was tied for third on the team in kills per game, while Martin was fifth last year. Both players will be relied on to terminate more balls and cut down on their errors heading into the 2002 season. Cipperly is a very solid player who can play either position and come in for both players without the team missing a beat.
| Sophomore Trisha Bratford |
Middle Blocker
At middle blocker the Golden Gophers will be led Bethany Brafford who is a junior co-captain and was tabbed as a preseason All-Big Ten player. Maggie Freiborg (Prinsburg, Minn.) and Jessica Byrnes (Minnetonka, Minn.) will battle for the other starting middle blocker spot this season. Freshman Athena Mallakis (Simi Valley, Calif.) is another player who the Golden Gophers expect big things from at middle blocker, but she will probably be redshirted due to an ACL repair from surgery that she had in February.
Brafford was eighth in the Big Ten in blocks and had the second-highest hitting percentage in conference play in 2001. She is also the leading returnee in Big Ten play in hitting percentage, with a .362 clip last season. Freiborg got some experience for the Golden Gophers in her freshman season in 2001 and will battle for playing time with Byrnes who was an three-time All-Classic Lake Selection and was First-Team All Metro at Minnetonka High School.
"Middle blocker should be a very strong position for us heading into the season," said Hebert. "With the return of Bethany (Brafford), along with the development of Maggie (Freiborg) and Jessica (Byrnes), we are very excited about this group of middle blockers."
Defensive Specialist/Libero
With the new rules in volleyball in 2002, it is very important for a team to bring a skilled libero into the season. It should surprise no one then that the Golden Gophers are very excited at the prospect of having four different players who are very skilled at this position and defensive specialist. The leading candidate at starter for Minnesota is freshman Paula Gentil. The Golden Gophers also like Lisa Axel (Buffalo, Minn.), who is the team's lone senior, and Lisa Reinhart who is a walk-on sophomore. Minnesota also has junior Kelli Wicks to compete for a spot at libero.
Gentil, who played her last two years of high school at Lake Highland in Orlando, Fla., averaged a double-double in each of her final two seasons and was an AAU All-American in 2000 and 2001. Axel has been the Golden Gophers' primary passer the past two years and is a solid backrow player who is the third leading returnee on the team in digs. Reinhart impressed the coaches during the spring and Wicks is another solid ball control player to add to the mix.
"We have a great deal of talent at the libero and defensive specialist positions," said Hebert. "One of our weaknesses last season was ball control. This year we have four kids who can play up a storm in the backrow. So we think our ball control will be pretty solid."
Schedule
Minnesota opens the season on the national stage, as it hosts defending national champion Stanford, 2001 Regional semifinalist Pepperdine and 2001 Regional semifinalist Northern Iowa in the prestigious NACWAA State Farm Volleyball Classic. That tournament will be one of the three that the Golden Gophers host at the Pavilion this season.
The weekend after the NACWAA State Farm Volleyball Classic the Golden Gophers will hit the road and play in the Florida Atlantic Tournament against North Carolina State, Youngstown State and Florida Atlantic. Minnesota then returns home to host the Diet Coke Classic and Nike Invitational in consecutive weekends. The Diet Coke Classic features a field of Rhode Island, 2001 Regional finalist UCLA and Northern Iowa, while the Nike Invitational will bring ACC Champion North Carolina, Oregon State and Ball State to the Sports Pavilion. Minnesota will play its fifth and final tournament before Big Ten play, when it travels to the University of Denver Tournament to take on a field of Santa Clara, Maryland and Denver.
| Sophomore Amanda Cipperly |
| Head Coach Mike Hebert |
"I think the NACWAA State Farm Volleyball Classic is going to be good for the development of the team," said Hebert. "I like that we play such great teams right off the bat. I want this group to expect every time they go out on the court that they have to play to the highest level. The NACWAA State Farm Volleyball Classic will help get us off on the right foot in that respect."
The 2001 team finished the season 19-13 and was sixth in the Big Ten with a 10-10 record. The Golden Gophers advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, and were one point away from their third straight "Sweet Sixteen" appearance in a row, but suffered a tough five-game loss at the hands of Northern Iowa.
"We had a great team last year, but it had primary leaders and then it was a dropoff to the young inexperienced players," said Hebert. "This year's team will be more evenly developed. I am not sure if we will have anyone play to the level that Lindsey (Berg) and Stephanie (Hagen) did last year, but the advantage is these players are at the same level of development and they will go through that together."
Minnesota returns 11 letterwinners and three starters from last year's team. The Golden Gophers were also one of only four teams in the Big Ten to have two or more players named to the Preseason All-Big Ten Conference Team. Junior middle blocker Bethany Brafford (Mansfield, Ohio) and junior outside hitter Cassie Busse (Prior Lake, Minn.) were both picked to the preseason honor squad that was selected by the league coaches. They will have to help fill the void left by 2001 All-Big Ten players Lindsey Berg and Stephanie Hagen.
| Junior Bethany Brafford |
Another interesting change heading into the 2002 season is the addition of the libero position to collegiate women's volleyball. The libero is a player who can rotate with another player into the backrow without costing a team a substitution. The Golden Gophers recruited an outstanding libero for this season and also have three returnees capable of stepping into to that position.
"The addition of the libero is a big change to the game, because that player will be playing in the backrow 80 to 90 percent of the time. Last year we did not dig enough balls to get to the level we wanted to. The libero position fits right into helping us improve our defense and ball control. Right now we have four people who can do that well, and that should help us excel in those aspects of the game."
Minnesota returns three starters from last season and will have several positions up for grabs going into the 2002 season. Here is the Golden Gopher breakdown by position.
Setter
Minnesota looks to sophomore setter Lindsey Vander Well (Prinsburg, Minn.) as the starter going into the 2002 season. Vander Well was tutored behind Lindsey Berg, who was a four-year starter and three-time All Big Ten setter for the Golden Gophers. Vander Well was on the court last year for defensive situations, and filled in for Berg as the starting setter against Indiana in a match where she helped lead the Golden Gophers to five-game victory with 60 assists and six blocks.
"Lindsey (Vander Well) is a talented player who not many people know about heading into this year," said Hebert. "I have great confidence that she will be outstanding for us at the setter position this season."
| Sophomore Lindsey Vander Well |
The Golden Gophers have a very successful history of grooming young setters and having them play throughout their career, as evidenced by the presence of four Minnesota setters among the Big Ten career top 12 in assists. Vander Well appears to have the skills to be another on the long list of successful Golden Gopher setters.
Outsider Hitter
Minnesota returns its starting opposite and left-side hitters from last year in Busse and Trisha Bratford (Reseda, Calif.). Busse is a preseason All-Big Ten player who is the leading returnee on the team in kills with 306 last year and who was third on the team in blocks. Bratford was tied for third on the team in kills per game at 2.76 last year.
Busse and Lorenzen will play opposite hitter for the Golden Gophers. Busse is an outstanding athlete who has very good offensive abilities and provides Minnesota with a great block on the right side. Busse is one of the Golden Gophers' three experienced returnees heading into the 2002 season. Erin Lorenzen will also see time at the opposite hitter spot for Minnesota. Lorenzen is a lefty who has tremendous all-around skills.
"We have two very gifted players at the opposite hitter spot," said Hebert. "Between Cassie (Busse) starting and Erin (Lorenzen) coming in, we should have a very effective attacker at the opposite hitter position in any circumstance."
Minnesota has a young, but very talented group of players who are expected to start at the left side. Bratford and Erin Martin (Ames, Iowa) are both expected to be in the starting lineup for the Golden Gophers, while Amanda Cipperly (Andover, Minn.) is expected to be the first player off the bench. Bratford was tied for third on the team in kills per game, while Martin was fifth last year. Both players will be relied on to terminate more balls and cut down on their errors heading into the 2002 season. Cipperly is a very solid player who can play either position and come in for both players without the team missing a beat.
| Sophomore Trisha Bratford |
Middle Blocker
At middle blocker the Golden Gophers will be led Bethany Brafford who is a junior co-captain and was tabbed as a preseason All-Big Ten player. Maggie Freiborg (Prinsburg, Minn.) and Jessica Byrnes (Minnetonka, Minn.) will battle for the other starting middle blocker spot this season. Freshman Athena Mallakis (Simi Valley, Calif.) is another player who the Golden Gophers expect big things from at middle blocker, but she will probably be redshirted due to an ACL repair from surgery that she had in February.
Brafford was eighth in the Big Ten in blocks and had the second-highest hitting percentage in conference play in 2001. She is also the leading returnee in Big Ten play in hitting percentage, with a .362 clip last season. Freiborg got some experience for the Golden Gophers in her freshman season in 2001 and will battle for playing time with Byrnes who was an three-time All-Classic Lake Selection and was First-Team All Metro at Minnetonka High School.
"Middle blocker should be a very strong position for us heading into the season," said Hebert. "With the return of Bethany (Brafford), along with the development of Maggie (Freiborg) and Jessica (Byrnes), we are very excited about this group of middle blockers."
Defensive Specialist/Libero
With the new rules in volleyball in 2002, it is very important for a team to bring a skilled libero into the season. It should surprise no one then that the Golden Gophers are very excited at the prospect of having four different players who are very skilled at this position and defensive specialist. The leading candidate at starter for Minnesota is freshman Paula Gentil. The Golden Gophers also like Lisa Axel (Buffalo, Minn.), who is the team's lone senior, and Lisa Reinhart who is a walk-on sophomore. Minnesota also has junior Kelli Wicks to compete for a spot at libero.
Gentil, who played her last two years of high school at Lake Highland in Orlando, Fla., averaged a double-double in each of her final two seasons and was an AAU All-American in 2000 and 2001. Axel has been the Golden Gophers' primary passer the past two years and is a solid backrow player who is the third leading returnee on the team in digs. Reinhart impressed the coaches during the spring and Wicks is another solid ball control player to add to the mix.
"We have a great deal of talent at the libero and defensive specialist positions," said Hebert. "One of our weaknesses last season was ball control. This year we have four kids who can play up a storm in the backrow. So we think our ball control will be pretty solid."
Schedule
Minnesota opens the season on the national stage, as it hosts defending national champion Stanford, 2001 Regional semifinalist Pepperdine and 2001 Regional semifinalist Northern Iowa in the prestigious NACWAA State Farm Volleyball Classic. That tournament will be one of the three that the Golden Gophers host at the Pavilion this season.
The weekend after the NACWAA State Farm Volleyball Classic the Golden Gophers will hit the road and play in the Florida Atlantic Tournament against North Carolina State, Youngstown State and Florida Atlantic. Minnesota then returns home to host the Diet Coke Classic and Nike Invitational in consecutive weekends. The Diet Coke Classic features a field of Rhode Island, 2001 Regional finalist UCLA and Northern Iowa, while the Nike Invitational will bring ACC Champion North Carolina, Oregon State and Ball State to the Sports Pavilion. Minnesota will play its fifth and final tournament before Big Ten play, when it travels to the University of Denver Tournament to take on a field of Santa Clara, Maryland and Denver.
| Sophomore Amanda Cipperly |
