University of Minnesota Athletics
Minnesota Volleyball - Interviews with Kelly Bowman and Meredith Nelson
8/18/2006 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
On Thursday, Aug. 17, Minnesota had three players named to the Preseason All-Big Ten team. Senior opposite hitter Kelly Bowman, junior middle blocker Jessy Jones and senior middle blocker Meredith Nelson all received the honors. Nelson and Bowman were two of four players on the Preseason All-Big Ten to receive the honors for a second straight year. On Aug. 17, gophersports.com sat down after the team’s afternoon practice to talk to the two seniors about the honors and several other topics heading into the 2006 campaign.
The Golden Gophers have an off day on Friday, resume practice on Saturday and will have a practice and scrimmage on Sunday.
Kelly Bowman
(On being named to Preseason All-Big Ten team)
“It is pretty cool. I was not expecting it, so it was a nice surprise. It just gets you fired up and ready for the season start. It is really cool that Meredith (Nelson) and Jessy (Jones) got it. It just shows you that our middle blockers are well respected in the Big Ten.”
(On returning 12 players from last year’s team)
“It definitely feels a lot like my sophomore year when there was a group of seniors that had experience, along with a group of returning juniors and sophomores that had also played in big situations and gained valuable experience. I think as a core we have been able to bring the new people in and establish what we are doing this year.”
(On Europe Tour Minnesota took during the summer)
“Europe was awesome for us, not just for the volleyball experience, but just to bond chemistry wise as a team. It really helped us a lot heading into fall practice and this season.”
(On entering the season slated to play opposite hitter)
“I guess I started my career on the left side in my first match, which is kind of weird when you look back at it. Then I went to setter, defensive specialist, and played the 6-2 with both Lindsey (Taatjes) and Rachel (Hartmann) the last two years. This year, I am asked to play opposite hitter and it is going to be different. I get to pass all the time now, which I am excited about. It is really different when you are not setter, I am still getting used to it, but I am enjoying playing opposite hitter.”
(On the type of player she has been)
“I never really considered myself a true setter. It is definitely something I can do, but I have always thought I brought a lot of different things that I could do well with passing, hitting and other aspects of the game.”
(On help in Rachel Hartmann adjust to being the only setter in the offense now in the 5-1)
“I do setters practice still even though I am not setting much. I am there to help mentor Rachel and help her with the transition to being the primary setter. I think she has been able to look at me and apply it to herself, and I think I have helped her become more comfortable with the transition as we head into the season.”
(On similarities between 2001 NCAA Tournament loss at Northern Iowa and last year’s loss at Tennessee)
“I think when we walked in the program we had a group of players that had been through what we went through last year. It is an ongoing thing now. Now we have seen what it is like to be in that match that is a crushing loss to end the season. I think we have even more momentum going into this year, and we are hungry to be more successful this season.”
(On how fall practice has been so far)
“It is awesome, we stepped in right away and starting doing things that we were ending with last year as a team. To have so many people be experienced and understand what is going is a really good feeling to have. We are already learning things we did not even touch last year.”
Meredith Nelson
(On receiving Preseason All-Big Ten honors)
“I feel very honored to receive the recognition, especially in the Big Ten which is such a competitive conference. It makes me feel very honored. At the same time it is a testament to our team, because as a middle blocker I rely on the team for most everything I do. I need good passes and good sets. As a middle you really rely on your teammates a lot. So I think it is a real credit to our team, especially that we had three players receive the recognition. That is another thing that shows how strong our team is.”
(On having 12 letterwinners returning from last year)
“I was just talking to Mike (Hebert) about the feeling in the gym during preseason, and I don’t really remember what it felt like last year completely. However, I know this year feels so much different. It reminds of my freshman and sophomore years when we had that strong core coming into the season. I think having the six freshman and two transfers coming in last year and really being a solid part of the program for a year makes them confident and excited for the season. They know what is going on and they know what to expect as far as competition is concerned. I think that creates a really exciting feeling in the gym. Everyone is really expecting a good year from our team, we are working hard, everyone is committed to the same thing and has their interest vested in it. I think we are going to have a very good year.”
(On trip to Europe)
“That extra competition was really helpful, not just because it was an extra time to be together , but it was a high level of competition. The international play is a different style of play, but it was still really good competition for us. It was a good opportunity to see where we were at, and to get a gauge of where we were heading into preseason. That is the extra advantage the European Tour gave us. Another thing is it was good for was team bonding. We got to experience a lot of new things together, try a lot of different new things, see things we had never been exposed to and doing all that together was a real bonding experience. As far as chemistry it was real helpful.”
(On her individual performance against Tennessee in last year’s NCAA Tournament)
“I think it gives me confidence. It was a bittersweet match. I had a good match, but the team did not win and obviously that disappointed us and it left a sour taste my mouth. At the same time. it left me knowing that I could compete with a big team and against some of the best competition in the nation. It made me feel very confident, but it also left that sour taste in my mouth that made me ready for some better things this year.”
(On parallels between 2001 NCAA Tournament match against Northern Iowa and last year’s Tennessee match)
“I think looking back at that 2001 team has been a motivator for us. I think history can repeat itself, and we are looking to do the same types of things they did after they lost that year. That group of seniors (who were freshman in 2001) were really strong. The rest of their careers they were really motivated to succeed after their experience in 2001. I think this group of seniors, as well as everyone who was on the team last year for that disappointment, are ready to get a little bit of revenge and have a better season this year.”
(On this year’s group of middle blockers)
“This is a really exciting year for this group of middle blockers. I remember coming in my freshman year we were not really a highly touted position, we were not a factor in the offense and we were there to fill a role. This year, to have the extra excitement of being able to contribute in a big way to the team is something I am really looking forward to and I know Jessy (Jones) is as well. We had a lot of training together. We have gone through a lot of different styles of offense, a lot of transitional things, and for it to finally start paying off has been really rewarding. We are looking for continued success and are excited to get after it this year.”
The Golden Gophers have an off day on Friday, resume practice on Saturday and will have a practice and scrimmage on Sunday.
Kelly Bowman
(On being named to Preseason All-Big Ten team)
“It is pretty cool. I was not expecting it, so it was a nice surprise. It just gets you fired up and ready for the season start. It is really cool that Meredith (Nelson) and Jessy (Jones) got it. It just shows you that our middle blockers are well respected in the Big Ten.”
(On returning 12 players from last year’s team)
“It definitely feels a lot like my sophomore year when there was a group of seniors that had experience, along with a group of returning juniors and sophomores that had also played in big situations and gained valuable experience. I think as a core we have been able to bring the new people in and establish what we are doing this year.”
(On Europe Tour Minnesota took during the summer)
“Europe was awesome for us, not just for the volleyball experience, but just to bond chemistry wise as a team. It really helped us a lot heading into fall practice and this season.”
(On entering the season slated to play opposite hitter)
“I guess I started my career on the left side in my first match, which is kind of weird when you look back at it. Then I went to setter, defensive specialist, and played the 6-2 with both Lindsey (Taatjes) and Rachel (Hartmann) the last two years. This year, I am asked to play opposite hitter and it is going to be different. I get to pass all the time now, which I am excited about. It is really different when you are not setter, I am still getting used to it, but I am enjoying playing opposite hitter.”
(On the type of player she has been)
“I never really considered myself a true setter. It is definitely something I can do, but I have always thought I brought a lot of different things that I could do well with passing, hitting and other aspects of the game.”
(On help in Rachel Hartmann adjust to being the only setter in the offense now in the 5-1)
“I do setters practice still even though I am not setting much. I am there to help mentor Rachel and help her with the transition to being the primary setter. I think she has been able to look at me and apply it to herself, and I think I have helped her become more comfortable with the transition as we head into the season.”
(On similarities between 2001 NCAA Tournament loss at Northern Iowa and last year’s loss at Tennessee)
“I think when we walked in the program we had a group of players that had been through what we went through last year. It is an ongoing thing now. Now we have seen what it is like to be in that match that is a crushing loss to end the season. I think we have even more momentum going into this year, and we are hungry to be more successful this season.”
(On how fall practice has been so far)
“It is awesome, we stepped in right away and starting doing things that we were ending with last year as a team. To have so many people be experienced and understand what is going is a really good feeling to have. We are already learning things we did not even touch last year.”
Meredith Nelson
(On receiving Preseason All-Big Ten honors)
“I feel very honored to receive the recognition, especially in the Big Ten which is such a competitive conference. It makes me feel very honored. At the same time it is a testament to our team, because as a middle blocker I rely on the team for most everything I do. I need good passes and good sets. As a middle you really rely on your teammates a lot. So I think it is a real credit to our team, especially that we had three players receive the recognition. That is another thing that shows how strong our team is.”
(On having 12 letterwinners returning from last year)
“I was just talking to Mike (Hebert) about the feeling in the gym during preseason, and I don’t really remember what it felt like last year completely. However, I know this year feels so much different. It reminds of my freshman and sophomore years when we had that strong core coming into the season. I think having the six freshman and two transfers coming in last year and really being a solid part of the program for a year makes them confident and excited for the season. They know what is going on and they know what to expect as far as competition is concerned. I think that creates a really exciting feeling in the gym. Everyone is really expecting a good year from our team, we are working hard, everyone is committed to the same thing and has their interest vested in it. I think we are going to have a very good year.”
(On trip to Europe)
“That extra competition was really helpful, not just because it was an extra time to be together , but it was a high level of competition. The international play is a different style of play, but it was still really good competition for us. It was a good opportunity to see where we were at, and to get a gauge of where we were heading into preseason. That is the extra advantage the European Tour gave us. Another thing is it was good for was team bonding. We got to experience a lot of new things together, try a lot of different new things, see things we had never been exposed to and doing all that together was a real bonding experience. As far as chemistry it was real helpful.”
(On her individual performance against Tennessee in last year’s NCAA Tournament)
“I think it gives me confidence. It was a bittersweet match. I had a good match, but the team did not win and obviously that disappointed us and it left a sour taste my mouth. At the same time. it left me knowing that I could compete with a big team and against some of the best competition in the nation. It made me feel very confident, but it also left that sour taste in my mouth that made me ready for some better things this year.”
(On parallels between 2001 NCAA Tournament match against Northern Iowa and last year’s Tennessee match)
“I think looking back at that 2001 team has been a motivator for us. I think history can repeat itself, and we are looking to do the same types of things they did after they lost that year. That group of seniors (who were freshman in 2001) were really strong. The rest of their careers they were really motivated to succeed after their experience in 2001. I think this group of seniors, as well as everyone who was on the team last year for that disappointment, are ready to get a little bit of revenge and have a better season this year.”
(On this year’s group of middle blockers)
“This is a really exciting year for this group of middle blockers. I remember coming in my freshman year we were not really a highly touted position, we were not a factor in the offense and we were there to fill a role. This year, to have the extra excitement of being able to contribute in a big way to the team is something I am really looking forward to and I know Jessy (Jones) is as well. We had a lot of training together. We have gone through a lot of different styles of offense, a lot of transitional things, and for it to finally start paying off has been really rewarding. We are looking for continued success and are excited to get after it this year.”
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