This is not the same Gophers volleyball team that made the Final Four the past two seasons.
Maybe that's an obvious statement, considering National Player of the Year Sarah Wilhite and the dominant middle blocking duo of twins Hannah and Paige Tapp graduated last spring. But that statement is not a slight to this incarnation of the Gophers.
In fact, this 2017 team has something coach Hugh McCutcheon hasn't previously experienced, despite five previous seasons with the Gophers as well as gold and silver medals from coaching U.S. Olympic teams.
"We're really committed, just every day in practice, we're in here getting better," senior middle blocker Molly Lohman said. "[Hugh] says it all the time, 'I've never had a group that comes in each day and gets a little bit better each day.' "
The Gophers have needed that dedication to "incremental improvement," as McCutcheon called it, en route to their NCAA tournament Sweet 16 match Friday evening against Southern Cal in Gainesville, Fla. Expectations were uncertain heading into this year with just four seniors on the roster. But how this team succeeded this year despite those challenges demonstrates how the culture McCutcheon has installed is finally settled into place.
Across all positions and in all four classes — from true freshmen to seniors — there is depth, and at least one standout player.
Freshman opposite Stephanie Samedy leads the team in kills with 465.