#-1: Gopher women's volleyball (Last Week: -3). Went 2-0 this screening week. The first win -- a thrilling, five-set, come-from-behind one over Oregon in the premiere AVCA Showcase last weekend -- has to be taken in context.
The other three teams in that tournament are top-ranked, four-time defending national champion and host Penn St.; the then-second-ranked team in the nation, USC; and the runt of the group which nonetheless received votes in the preseason AVCA poll, Oregon. They all went 1-1 last weekend. Who winds up fourth in such a situation?
Sadly, I would say the Gophers. Penn St. was upset in their first game to Oregon, and in four sets, but they rebounded by coming from a two-sets-to-none deficit to take out USC. USC did collapse in their game against the Nittany Lions, but it was only cosmic payback for the Gophers going up 2-0 in the previous game -- a game the Women of Troy eventually won. And Oregon? Their taking out of the current dynasty in women's volleyball -- on their home floor, no less -- makes up for losing a 2-sets-to-1 lead to the Gophers. What the Gophers did was choke on a 2-0 lead against the second-ranked team in the country, then had to come from behind to beat a team that only received votes in the AVCA Top 25.
However ... they swept fourth-ranked Texas at the Sports Pavilion last (Friday) night. Swept. Although Minnesota is ranked #11 this week, I didn't think they had the stones to win, let alone win in straight sets. This, along with the even results of last week's AVCA Showcase, may mean that this year in the sport could be as unpredictable as it has ever been. Could be fun.
They end their two-game series against the Longhorns tonight (Saturday night). Hopefully I will be there. Then on Friday they go to Cedar Falls, Iowa for the third non-conference tournament of the season, the Northern Iowa Tournament; they begin playing Saint Louis.
Three games left. Two of them this week: at New York Sunday, home to Chicago Thursday.
#-3: Gopher women's soccer (Last Week: -2). 1-1 for the week, and I'm sad to say I attended the not-so-smart loss last (Friday) night to Georgia. The defense got caught napping on the first Bulldog goal, a throw-in where Meghan Gibbons got behind the D and was able to shoot point-blank, then shove in the rebound. Then, two minutes into overtime, Alexa Newfield was able to drift right in front of Gophers goalkeeper Cat Parkhill with no defender within, oh, 20 yards of her. Jenna Owens was able to loft the ball to her head, and the fucking game was over.
Minnesota was able to outshoot Georgia 24-10 (that's shots total, not shots on goal, which was even at 8). There was a particular flurry on a Gophers corner where they had, like, three shots at the net but they kept missing. They have only one tally for their work, by Shari Eckstrom off a corner. And by the way, the ref (Marvin Banks? Can't tell from the box score) let the girls play and did not whistle on usually is, and probably should be, foul calls. There were 14 in all when there could have been 40.
Welp, they probably won't make the NCAA Tournament this year. Sunday afternoon they host Wisconsin-Milwaukee to finish their Minnesota Gold Classic. They then go into the final weekend of non-con play Friday at Illinois St.
#-4: Twins (Last Week: -Infinity). 3-3 -- not below .500, but it might be a testament to the teams in this week's WMNSS that they still are nonetheless still last. Or, it may be that they suck and everybody, including the team, is marking time till the season ends. At least they won, so I won't have to put them down at -Infinity again.
Morneau's hurt again. And Mauer's sitting out again. They finish up their road series at Anaheim against the Angels this weekend, then come home to begin a four-game set against Chicago starting with a special make-up doubleheader Labor Day. A day off, then go back on the Friday at Detroit.
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