The Gophers’ women’s volleyball program had a strong foundation laid by coach Linda Wells in the late 1970s and enjoyed considerable success under head coach Stephanie Schreuder in the 1980s and early 1990s.
However, during the 1995-1996 season, the Gophers ushered in a new era. The school pulled superior head his coach Mike Hebert from Illinois State where in 13 seasons he won four Big Ten titles and reached two Final Fours.
Thus began a streak of excellence with many contributing factors, but one that cannot be denied. The experienced and stable philosophical leadership of Hebert and later Hugh McCutcheon was at the top.
Hebert led for 15 seasons, culminating in 14 NCAA Tournament appearances, 3 Final Four appearances, and the program’s only NCAA title match appearance.
Parkinson’s disease forced Hebert to retire in 2010. Even after his passing in 2019, we could still feel the full impact of what he built..
Laura Bush led the Gophers to the regional semi-finals as interim coach in 2011, where she remained until McCutcheon arrived from a national team coaching assignment in 2012.
Surprise announcement Sunday that McCutcheon will be stepping down at the end of this season — Patrick Royce and I spoke Monday’s Daily Delivery Podcast — Which leads to the obvious question: Can the Gophers advance their volleyball prowess?
McCutcheon is in his 11th season coaching the Gophers. It just strengthens what Hebert helped establishHis teams have reached the NCAA regional semifinals nine times, the regional finals five times, and the Final Four three times.
Since Hebert’s arrival, the Gophers have reached 24 NCAA tournaments in 26 seasons, and it’s very likely another bid will be made this year.
Vikings fans are eagerly awaiting the Packers QB succession plan, which went straight from Brett Favre to Aaron Rodgers. Many in the volleyball world have to see Minnesota the same way.
With Minnesota’s history of success and the amount of prep talent in the state, the Gophers should offer a large pool of quality applicants to become the next coach.
But this is also clear. Gophers are incredibly lucky if their next hire is as good as the previous two.
