As Gopher volleyball faces Illinois, Ohio State, NCAA hosting bid is on the line
MINNEAPOLIS — As the Gopher volleyball team closes out their regular season this week, there's a question looming in the back of their minds: whether they'll be able to host the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament.
The team will have to win against both Illinois and Ohio State in order to stay home at Maturi Pavilion next week, an opportunity they missed out on last year after dropping from the rankings.
Minnesota is coming off a 3-0 win against Iowa on Sunday. The team is looking to make their final adjustments — serving accuracy, out-of-system plays — to bring their best against Illinois, a team that is fighting for a postseason bid.
Then on Friday at home against Ohio State, the Gophers will celebrate their five seniors: Phoebe Awoleye, Skylar Gray, Lydia Grote, Elise McGhie and Melani Shaffmaster. It's a mix of players who have spent their careers in Minnesota amidst a coaching change, and others who bought in on the program, transferring in for their final two years.
This "foundational group," as second-year head coach Keegan Cook called them, brought steadiness at a time of transition for Minnesota volleyball.
Awoleye, Shaffmaster and Grote all have professional volleyball aspirations. Grote was drafted by the Orlando Valkyries on Monday, Awoleye leaves Minnesota as one of the top blockers the country and Shaffmaster has 4,953 career assists over her five-year tenure, the fourth highest among active DI players.
"I'm really sad to be leaving this place soon, but I have at least one more opportunity — hopefully more with the first round of the tournament to play here in the Pav," Grote said.
The top 16 seeds will host the first weekend of the 64-team tournament before advancing to the regionals. How those 16 teams are picked is through a semi-mysterious selection process in which the NCAA committee balances rankings, head-to-head results, top-10 wins, strength of schedule and rating percentage index.
In October, the committee released its mid-season rankings, in which Minnesota took the 16th and final hosting spot. The Gophers had taken down the No. 1 and No. 7 team in the country, but the second half of the season has been full of missed opportunities, particularly against No. 12 Oregon and last week's bruising five-set loss against No. 6 Wisconsin.
The AVCA lists Minnesota at No. 16, but they're ranked No. 28 in RPI, leaving the team on the bubble.
The Gophers' postseason hopes rely on junior outside hitter Julia Hanson's terminability, consistency in serve receive and the presence of a middle block. Hanson tallies 3.92 kills per set and has had at least 10 kills in the last 11 matches. Minnesota's blocking has drastically improved since last season, with Awoleye posting 77 in the last 12 games.
