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Post by skolgophers on Aug 31, 2024 8:12:21 GMT -5
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Post by vonner on Aug 31, 2024 9:17:46 GMT -5
if anyone wants to gift this article i'd love to read it, or else someone could give us a summary?
Gophers volleyball marquee opening tournament brings Mckenna Wucherer home
Mckenna Wucherer grew up in Brookfield, Wis., a 15-minute drive from Fiserv Forum, where the Gophers will face No. 5 Stanford and No. 1 Texas.
Minnesota outside Mckenna Wucherer (3) spikes the volleyball at game at the Maturi Pavilion in Minneapolis on Saturday, Nov. 25, 2023. ] Angelina Katsanis • angelina.katsanis@startribune.com
The Gophers' Mckenna Wucherer (3) will be counted on for big things this season. (Angelina Katsanis, Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Gophers junior outside hitter Mckenna Wucherer approaches each match with the poise and confidence that makes her one of the Big Ten’s most feared outside hitters.
Not much surprises her on the volleyball court. One thing she didn’t see coming was a return home to Milwaukee for a college match.
The 6-1 Brookfield, Wis., native was ecstatic last year, when the Gophers scheduled their 2024 season opener in the Volleyball Showcase at Fiserv Forum, only 15 minutes from where she grew up.
“I was literally blown away,” Wucherer said.
A diehard fan of Milwaukee pro sports, Wucherer never dreamed of taking the floor for volleyball in the same venue where the Milwaukee Bucks play in front of 15,000 fans. The Gophers and rival Wisconsin are both facing No. 5 Stanford and No. 1 Texas, the defending NCAA champion, in their games on Sunday and Monday.
“Never in my four years would I have thought I’d get to go home,” Wucherer said. “To just have that experience and memory throughout my four years is something I’ll remember forever.”
The No. 18-ranked Gophers are projected to finish fifth in the expanded 18-team Big Ten. A bigger role for Wucherer this season could help them make a jump from a 17-13 season that ended with a NCAA tournament second round loss to Creighton in Keegan Cook’s first season as Minnesota’s coach.
Cook’s challenging the Gophers early with four matches on the road to open the season, including three in a row against ranked opponents. Seven of their first 10 matches are away from home.
Wucherer and the Gophers will see quickly where they stack up among the nation’s best.
“She had a great spring and summer,” Cook said. “This is a big moment for her. I think she’s ready for it.”
It’s rare to find players as accomplished as Wucherer drastically changing their techniques after years of training, but she knew her service game desperately needed work this offseason.
In 2023, Wucherer had only nine aces in 51 attempts. Her ace to error ratio (0.18) ranked at the bottom of the Big Ten for players with at least 30 games played.
“Last year was kind of a mental block for me,” Wucherer said. “I had way too many service errors and I understood that.”
Wucherer was one of 19 players selected to the U.S. women’s college national team, which trained alongside the Olympic team earlier this summer in Colorado Springs. Team USA coaches recommended making tweaks to her serve, and that made a huge difference.
“The biggest thing at the USA gym is they told me to start with my arm down instead of high,” Wucherer said. “I wanted to change so bad to get a new view of the game.”
After returning from Colorado, Wucherer implemented that new serving style with the Gophers and felt “more of in an attacking rhythm,” she said. Watch out, Big Ten.
In her first two seasons, Wucherer was at her best when attacking the net. She ranked second on the team with 2.73 kills per set while earning All-Big Ten freshman honors in 2022, former coach Hugh McCutcheon’s final season. She led the U with 3.23 kills last year despite often being the No. 2 option behind former Big Ten player of the year Taylor Landfair, who transferred to Nebraska.
With Landfair gone, this is Wucherer’s chance to lead and emerge into an all-conference performer.
“The three things I talk to her about is we need her to be composed, connected to her teammates and be courageous and take big swings,” Cook said. “She’s done the work.”
The hard-hitting Wucherer committed to the Gophers in the eighth grade in 2018. She remained loyal to that decision after bigger offers came during her All-America prep career at Brookfield Central.
“Hugh left a very big impact on me, but I knew Keegan had a very good resume at Washington and was legit,” Wucherer said. “I decided to stay because he was a very highly touted coach, so that was not a question.”
Last season, Wucherer started strong early under Cook. She won MVP of the Big Ten/Big 12 challenge, which included the Gophers beating TCU and No. 15-ranked Baylor at Maturi Pavilion. She also had a career-high 21 kills in an upset against No. 6 Oregon.
Miranda Wucherer, a former Gophers player and graduate assistant last year, said her sister wanted to take the next step in her development and take on more of a leadership role on the team.
“She’s been overly committed to the program, the people and just the state and the university,” said Miranda who is now coaching at Northern Kentucky. “There was a tough moment and an opportunity to jump ship to play somewhere else, but she’s had too much love and investment in them.”
While attending a Bucks game with her sister last December, Mckenna Wucherer showed love for her hometown NBA team wearing a Damian Lillard jersey that she got as a Christmas gift.
As cool as that moment was for her, Wucherer was even more excited seeing promotions about the Volleyball Showcase featuring the Gophers and others coming at Fiserv this week.
There’s no better stage for the Gophers to begin the year than for Wucherer to be back in Milwaukee at one of the marquee events to kickoff the women’s NCAA volleyball season.
“I’m so excited for myself and the sport as well,” Wucherer said. “A lot of young girls who hope to be in our shoes one day are going to want to come and watch.”
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Post by jeepers on Aug 31, 2024 9:40:15 GMT -5
if anyone wants to gift this article i'd love to read it, or else someone could give us a summary?
In her first two seasons, Wucherer was at her best when attacking the net.
Lol, what does this even mean. |
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Post by mplsgopher on Aug 31, 2024 10:58:47 GMT -5
Probably means actually swinging at the ball rather than weak rolls/tips.
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Post by mcmike on Aug 31, 2024 13:06:58 GMT -5
Someone please send me the link
Or give me the recipe for blocking or ignoring
Someone
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Post by mplsgopher on Aug 31, 2024 13:42:41 GMT -5
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Post by JT on Aug 31, 2024 14:38:04 GMT -5
Someone please send me the link Or give me the recipe for blocking or ignoring Someone Click on the poster’s name (anywhere it’s a link… you’ll go to their profile) On the far right side of their profile page, click on the gear icon to get a pulldown menu. Select “block member.” Choose what things you want blocked, and submit it. |
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Post by mcmike on Aug 31, 2024 15:37:31 GMT -5
Ro1 wrinkles
In the Tennessee - Penn State match both teams experimented with Ro1 serve reception schemes I've never seen the Gophers try...maybe with good reason
PSU's OPP, Jurevicius, lined up at the left sideline near the attack line (you have to start in front of all back row players) ran cross country around the baseline all the way over to her natural position on the RS. They tried to set her once, maybe at 23- 20? in the 3rd set? It was not pretty. They repeated the effort on the next point, but the 3rd contact went to the real OH for a FBSO, I think.) I was more focused on Pablo Lopez' most excellent pitching performance switching to VB during mid and end of inning ads.
On the other side of the court the Tennessee OPP, starting close to the net on the LS, raced across near the attack line as soon as the serve was contacted, mostly avoiding running into the setter coming from her back right position. If you don't have really good first contacts this looks like an accident waiting to happen. Seems like you could really mess your opponent up here with a short serve into the zone she is running through.
Q. How many points would you give away, if you didn't get a FBSO, and didn't lose to your opponent's first transition play, to send a moon shot over on your next 'attack' so that your OH and Opp can switch sides to get into their natural positions.
Probably, too much, or you would see the gambit (I've never seen it).
I've never researched Ro1 alignment strategies. If anyone has decent references/links I'm interested. It was commented on the broadcast that many Olympic teams were employing 6-2 configurations that would have Ro1 type reception issues 2x per 6 rotations. I paid no attention at the time, but it seems like most of the pin hitters can take a set from almost anywhere and attack with pace. IIRC they also frequently go to PIPEs and Biqs that minimize out of normal position rotations.
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Post by mcmike on Aug 31, 2024 15:42:23 GMT -5
In case you want to see how Stanford looks this season and before they are playing us, their first game against Milwaukee tomorrow (Friday) will be live in ESPN+ at 6pm. Kami Miner did not set (or play AFAIK). Rubin and Francis will be a load. Milwaukee (Horizon League) was overmatched anyway, but competitive, particularly in the second set. I only watched a youtube highlight. |
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Post by jeepers on Sept 1, 2024 5:10:33 GMT -5
Finally gameday! I've been jealous that most other teams are already 2 or 3 matches in lol
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Post by Deleted on Sept 1, 2024 6:30:19 GMT -5
Finally gameday! I've been jealous that most other teams are already 2 or 3 matches in lol Yes! Can’t wait to watch. |
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Post by BigDigEnergy on Sept 1, 2024 8:17:09 GMT -5
Yes Happy Game Day!!! Rooting for some big Ws this weekend.
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Post by JT on Sept 1, 2024 9:26:57 GMT -5
Finally gameday! I've been jealous that most other teams are already 2 or 3 matches in lol That just means we get to play into mid-December. Right? Right?!? |
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Post by douglass9 on Sept 1, 2024 18:11:55 GMT -5
23 SE 12 RE nothing needs to be said
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Post by skolgophers on Sept 1, 2024 18:17:08 GMT -5
23 SE 12 RE nothing needs to be said Exactly. I can’t even give my thoughts because it’s that simple. However, there should have been some sort of change in the game plan when Stanford literally covered every single tip right over the block and we kept trying it. |
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