NOTE – I want to start off by apologizing for the lack of additional blog coverage lately, switching over to the new website has taken just a little longer than expected, but I’ve been told we are working to correct this as quickly as possible. This blog isn’t exactly easy to find at this point, but at least now you the viewer can see what we are writing, which is a big step. On to volleyball news that just hasn’t made the paper yet… Coach Mike Hebert heaped praise on sophomore defensive specialist Hailey Cowles for her serving in the first week, calling her the best server on the team. Cowles was an aggressive server even last year, but this year, improved control could make her a real asset from this point of the game. (Serving is also something Minnesota marked as an area to improve upon last year, so this is good news for the team.) Most of this week’s interview made the paper, just because I didn’t expect to be able to blog. Hebert did say he didn’t expect a very large crowd today, however, even though #4 California is in town. “People in Minnesota like to hang out in the sun as long as they can, so we typically don’t get many people for the first few weekends,” he said. Minnesota certainly wouldn’t mind a large crowd however, after seeing 5,500 people cheering against the Gophers in Hawaii last weekend. PERHAPS THE MOST INTERESTING development for this week is the fact that former Gopher Krista Chin will be joining me at today and tomorrow’s games, and will be guest-blogging for us, her take on the game. Aside from a pregame, mid-game, and post game blog and he will also have a Question of the Day feature, where you can write in questions regarding volleyball, and she’ll try to answer it. Questions can be sent to [email protected], please put “Question of the Day” in the subject line. Quotes of the week: This week’s options are Christine Tan, Lauren Gibbemeyer, and Mike Hebert. Who said what? post your guesses and we’ll announce the answers in next week’s blog. Trying to explain how fans play a role in matches: “If you’re on the court and you do something good, and hear a roar of approval, as apposed to silence or heckling, the positive feedback really helps the team play well.” On being in Hawaii for most of the first week of class: “Well, the beach was pretty tough, going there, going on a sailboat, playing some games, it was really a tough week of class. I guess my first day I got rained on, but otherwise it was good.” More on class: “Surprisingly I didn’t miss very much in school, so it was pretty nice, spending a week in Hawaii.” On looking forward to the first home match: “We love playing at home, we love the fans and the atmosphere, we love everything. I think the freshmen are going to have a good time at their first home game.”