MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota prepares for its Big Ten conference opener on Wednesday: a border clash against Wisconsin at home.
No. 16 Minnesota spent most of last week in Green Bay, where they defeated Green Bay, North Dakota and Chicago State in three decisive sweeps. It was a true team effort, as head coach Keegan Cook gave his non-starters time on the court and proved that they can all make an impact. Several players set career highs this weekend.
“It was nice to see those guys get better. It was nice to show them some of the lineups we had in practice and show them that you don’t have to do something a thousand times to be able to do it on command. We’re going to have to be pretty nimble in the conference,” he said Tuesday.
Now the gauntlet begins. The Big Ten Conference — widely considered the most challenging conference in volleyball — begins play Wednesday night, and the Gophers are excited to face not only their regional opponent, but one of the most physical teams in the country.
The two teams have a long history: they’ve met 92 times, but No. 7 Wisconsin has won eight of its last 10 games. Wisconsin went 0-3 against top-25 opponents in the first half of the regular season, but has since gone on a six-game winning streak.
For senior setter Melani Shaffmaster, beating the Badgers in three sets at home in 2022 is one of the highlights of her career. In 2023, Minnesota played Wisconsin in Madison, so Shaffmaster has been telling the newer players, and even Cook, what it’s like to take on their rival at home.
“It’s louder than a football game here and it’s just a lot of fun. The fans are just here to see good volleyball,” she said.
“She’s got me excited. You know, I told her yesterday to wait for the speeches. But she’s going to have this group ready. That’s for sure,” Cook said with a laugh.
Matt Krohn
The Badger team itself is similar to what the Gophers have faced before. They’re familiar with reigning National Player of the Year Sarah Franklin, who can seemingly put the ball anywhere on the court. They’ve seen the 6-foot-7 and 6-foot-9 blocks of Carter Booth and Anna Smrek. What’s different this year is that Wisconsin is relying solely on freshman setter Charlie Fuerbringer, who runs a 5-1 offense instead of the 6-2 of years past.
“Charlie does a good job of moving the ball around at pace. She takes a lot of risks from the net, especially in the middles. So we just have to make sure that we match that physicality with our blocking moves, that our eye work is really good,” Cook said.
Minnesota is looking to continue the growth they’ve seen in recent games. After a slow start to the season — despite a win over No. 1 Texas — they’ve won their last six games. They’ve made strides in defense, holding opponents to a .200 or lower hitting percentage in the last five of those games.
But Wisconsin, Cook said, “is about as physical as you can get.”
“Kind of traditional Big Ten volleyball,” he said. “Great athletes doing great things. We’ve been working hard, getting our guys ready for that.”
He’s especially interested in seeing how the middle hitters — Calissa Minatee and Phoebe Awoleye — handle that load. Minatee has been the team’s most efficient hitter this season and has created opportunities for offense with her slide attack, which Minnesota lacked last year.
“We need to give her the ball more often in less than ideal situations,” Cook said.
The first serve against Wisconsin is Wednesday at 8 p.m.
