University of Minnesota Athletics
Minnesota Volleyball Continues First Week of Preseason Practice
8/10/2007 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Throughout the course of preseason practice, Gophersports.com will be interviewing players and coaches about the upcoming volleyball season. Minnesota had its first official practice on Wednesday, Aug. 8. On Thursday, Aug. 9, Gophersports.com caught up with Minnesota Head Coach Mike Hebert and talked about how the first two days of practice have gone in preparation for the season opener at Notre Dame on Friday, Aug. 24.
Gophersports.com: How has the first two days of practice gone for the team so far?
Mike Hebert: “We have a lot of holes to fill from last season, and we have five newcomers in camp. That has made us very deliberate at the start as a coaching staff to make sure we have the fundamentals installed. So far that has gone well in the first couple of days. We really like all of our newcomers, and our veterans have come back in great physical condition. All in all it is a very solid start.”
GS: What type of stuff do you work on at the beginning of fall camp to get everyone back in the flow and to show the newcomers what some of the expectations will be?
MH: “We consider preseason camp to be just as much a matter of mental training as it is physical and skill training. How you think determines how you play, so we do spend a lot of time on the competitive mental side. We will take that day-by-day as camp goes on. I know it is only the first couple days of camp, but I would say our progress in that area is pretty good so far.”
GS: What type of goals do you set and what you want to build towards as you move closer to the regular season, especially with five newcomers, as opposed to two last year?
MH: “We try to get three days on and one day off, as our training rhythm. At the end of each three-day segment, we like to accomplish a particular goal. By tomorrow we want to be able to hold a six-on-six scrimmage with a basic offensive and defensive system in place that everyone knows about and can function within. That is a fairly modest goal, but it is where we are right now. As we get further into camp, we might spend three days emphasizing offensive coverage or serving strategies. We will pick something out and devote three-day segment towards improving that aspect.”
GS: What have you had the chance to work on in your first two days of camp?
MH: “We have spent a lot of time on ball-control, mostly free-ball passing and defense. We have also spent a lot of time on basic competitiveness in four-on-four and three-on-three situations. Right now we are trying to get a good look at who brings what to the table mentally. Another way to put it is we are not looking for the best athletes; we are looking for the right athletes to fill our starting spots. We are taking a good look at how people comport themselves on the court during competition.”
GS: What do you look for in practice when you have newcomers who are talented enough to challenge for spots, and you know they have potential to step in and help right away?
MH: “Two things in particular. Number one is how competitive and mentally tough are they. You get a feel for that pretty quickly as you run someone through drills and watch them up close. Secondly, what is their learning rate? How fast can they learn new stuff? Some are slow and some can pick stuff up immediately. Those are two things we probably look at the most.”
GS: What is it do to the preparation to have a match a week earlier then usually with season opener at Notre Dame on Aug. 24?
MH: “It speeds up our training. We have to be ready to go a week earlier then usual. For that reason, we won’t be able to spend as much time in the fundamental trenches. We will need to get to team player earlier in the process, and make sure we are all functioning on the same page when it comes to systems.”
Gophersports.com: How has the first two days of practice gone for the team so far?
Mike Hebert: “We have a lot of holes to fill from last season, and we have five newcomers in camp. That has made us very deliberate at the start as a coaching staff to make sure we have the fundamentals installed. So far that has gone well in the first couple of days. We really like all of our newcomers, and our veterans have come back in great physical condition. All in all it is a very solid start.”
GS: What type of stuff do you work on at the beginning of fall camp to get everyone back in the flow and to show the newcomers what some of the expectations will be?
MH: “We consider preseason camp to be just as much a matter of mental training as it is physical and skill training. How you think determines how you play, so we do spend a lot of time on the competitive mental side. We will take that day-by-day as camp goes on. I know it is only the first couple days of camp, but I would say our progress in that area is pretty good so far.”
GS: What type of goals do you set and what you want to build towards as you move closer to the regular season, especially with five newcomers, as opposed to two last year?
MH: “We try to get three days on and one day off, as our training rhythm. At the end of each three-day segment, we like to accomplish a particular goal. By tomorrow we want to be able to hold a six-on-six scrimmage with a basic offensive and defensive system in place that everyone knows about and can function within. That is a fairly modest goal, but it is where we are right now. As we get further into camp, we might spend three days emphasizing offensive coverage or serving strategies. We will pick something out and devote three-day segment towards improving that aspect.”
GS: What have you had the chance to work on in your first two days of camp?
MH: “We have spent a lot of time on ball-control, mostly free-ball passing and defense. We have also spent a lot of time on basic competitiveness in four-on-four and three-on-three situations. Right now we are trying to get a good look at who brings what to the table mentally. Another way to put it is we are not looking for the best athletes; we are looking for the right athletes to fill our starting spots. We are taking a good look at how people comport themselves on the court during competition.”
GS: What do you look for in practice when you have newcomers who are talented enough to challenge for spots, and you know they have potential to step in and help right away?
MH: “Two things in particular. Number one is how competitive and mentally tough are they. You get a feel for that pretty quickly as you run someone through drills and watch them up close. Secondly, what is their learning rate? How fast can they learn new stuff? Some are slow and some can pick stuff up immediately. Those are two things we probably look at the most.”
GS: What is it do to the preparation to have a match a week earlier then usually with season opener at Notre Dame on Aug. 24?
MH: “It speeds up our training. We have to be ready to go a week earlier then usual. For that reason, we won’t be able to spend as much time in the fundamental trenches. We will need to get to team player earlier in the process, and make sure we are all functioning on the same page when it comes to systems.”
2025 Season Recap
Tuesday, January 27
Best of Julia Hanson
Monday, December 22
Gophers Preview NCAA Sweet Sixteen
Tuesday, December 09
Cinematic Recap: Gophers Reach Sweet Sixteen
Tuesday, December 09