Gopher Volleyball Takes Home Grown Talent To Final Four
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- It's the pinnacle of college sports, and the Gophers are headed there. The University of Minnesota volleyball team is headed to the Final Four.
"We're very happy to be still playing at this stage of the year," coach Hugh McCutcheon said.
Only four teams can say those words, and the Gophers are one of them.
"Every week we've gotten better, since the beginning of the season," outside hitter Daly Santana said. "So I think that's the thing that gives us confidence."
The Gophers will play Texas on Friday in the national semifinals in Omaha, with a reason to feel a little bit of extra Minnesota pride.
When you say Minnesota volleyball is headed to the Final Four, it really is Minnesota volleyball. Six of the Gophers' top nine players in their rotation are from Minnesota. And it's worth considering that perhaps the college team wouldn't be where it is if not for the quality of high school volleyball in this state.
"Volleyball is so popular in this state," setter Samantha Seliger-Swenson, a Minnetonka native who played for Hopkins in high school, said. "Everyone has great support, everyone wants to play in high school, and I think that is a really important thing with the development of players today."
Santana, who is from Puerto Rico, is perhaps in a unique position to evaluate how that dynamic has affected her team, and sees the advantage it's given.
"A lot of these players grew up playing together," Santana said. "And I think how connected they are – I guess how connected we are – shows because of that, if that makes sense."
Naturally, it makes sense that it's a lot easier to build a winner when you've got so much home-grown talent right in your own backyard.
"Yeah, Minnesota's a great volleyball state, no question," McCutcheon said. "So we're happy that a lot of the best athletes in the state choose to stay close to home and nice to be able to represent not just our program and the school but the state."