Posted on: Thursday, December 18, 2003

RAINBOW'S NOTEBOOK
Minnesota rides momentum into Dallas

By Ann Miller
Advertiser Staff Writer

DALLAS — Golden Gophers will do just about anything to escape Minnesota's punishing winters.

Minnesota, seeded 13th, upset fourth-seeded Pepperdine and 12th-seeded Washington last week to become the lowest-seeded team to reach the NCAA Volleyball final four. It is Minnesota's first final-four appearance and probably comes as a shock to anyone who saw the Gophers play in Hawai'i in August.

Minnesota (26-10) started the season with four losses, getting hammered by Hawai'i in its opener. The Gophers were 7-7 after losing their first two Big Ten matches. Tonight they play defending national champion Southern California (33-0) while some 300 other teams are home writing Christmas cards.

Minnesota coach Mike Hebert, who guided Illinois into the final four in 1987 and '88, points to the Illinois match Oct. 4 as the time All-American Cassie Busse "decided it was her senior year and took the floor and said she wasn't going to let this happen."

The Gophers did not lose in October and their success has snowballed into NCAA history this week. It plays a team making more history.

USC lost the first game to UCLA at last week's regional in Lincoln, Neb., and was tied at 25 in the second before beating the Bruins, who lost a starter to injury at that point. The victory was the 45th in a row for the Trojans, an NCAA record.

"I evaluate the film and try and figure out which rotations we can win, which might have a weakness," Hebert said. "After considerable evaluation we find there are no rotations USC puts out there you can exploit. ... I think they have a terrific blend of power, size and ball control. It's a blend I haven't seen in all the years I've been coaching volleyball."

The Trojans insist they are better than they were last year when they took out Florida and Stanford to win their first national title since 1981. The most compelling difference is the level of experience gained by that accomplishment, and this year's unbeaten dash to Dallas.

"It has been very tough for us, but I've marveled at the way the team has handled it all, taking it one match at a time," USC coach Mick Haley said. "We've been criticized for being too workmen-like, but I think we've done a good job this season, being patient and staying focused."

• Three and in: Florida's NCAA-record 103-game winning streak was worth more than a 35-match winning streak and a ride into Dallas.

Starting middle blocker Benavia Jenkins, a second-team All-American as a sophomore and third-teamer last year, suffered a season-ending knee injury after playing in 67 of her team's 109 games.

Coach Mary Wise said she knew, but did not tell her team, that if the Gators continued to sweep teams, Jenkins would have the necessary percentage of games to qualify for All-American.

Yesterday, Jenkins was named to the second team, her .470 hitting percentage and 1.35 blocks a game impressive enough to beat out full-time players.

"It's a great honor for a player who got short-changed," Wise said.

• QUICK SETS: Elise Duggins, a senior libero at Fullerton (Calif.) Union High School and sister of Hawai'i senior Lauren Duggins, will walk on at nearby Long Beach State. Elise was also considering UH. ... The Rainbow Wahine are "renting" — at a cost of 30 UH T-shirts — a local high school band to play this weekend. ... Hawai'i's .750 winning percentage (54-18) in the NCAA Tournament is second only to Stanford at .787 (70-19). Florida (.745, 38-13) is fourth and USC (.705, 43-18) seventh. Minnesota (.667, 16-8) is not in the Top 10.

Reach Ann Miller at amiller@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8043.