Gophers volleyball adds Kate Thibault from Oregon via transfer portal

Kate Thibault was feeling a little homesick, like her decision to play volleyball at Oregon wasn’t as natural a fit as she had hoped, when an opportunity she had dreamed of came back to life.

The Watertown native had just finished her freshman season with the Ducks — which included an Elite Eight run but limited playing time behind Georgia Murphy, the stellar All-America honorable mention — when she told her coach, Matt Ulmer, she was thinking about a change.

Ulmer, a friend of Gophers head coach Keegan Cook, didn’t hesitate in helping his soon-to-be former player find a new home.

“They started to get to talking before the portal opened, and that’s when things kind of sparked between my relationship with Minnesota,” Thibault said. “But obviously, I couldn’t talk to them right away. When the portal finally opened, I got a text that morning from Keegan.”

She quickly talked with the Gophers coach and associate head coach Kristen Kelsay. Then she came to the campus for a visit and met several teammates and old friends, as well as the rest of the coaching staff.

And just like that, a natural, necessary fit in the spring transfer portal window was born.

While the U could not confirm the signing, Thibault announced on Instagram that she will play for the Gophers volleyball team this season.

Thibault played for Watertown-Mayer and was considered the best libero prospect in Minnesota for the class of 2023. Her arrival at the U will provide immediate relief at a position of need. The Gophers are coming off a resurgent spring filled with optimism, but there have been signs that the roster might be slightly thin in a few areas.

For instance, when they played Illinois on April 20, the Gophers were down starting libero Zeynep Palabiyik and backup Skylar Gray, so Lauren Crowl — the 6-4 redshirt junior opposite coming off major surgery — suited up as the defensive specialist.

The Gophers won that exhibition match, with Crowl showing what makes her such a dynamic teammate, but, still, some back row help from the spring transfer portal window seemed necessary.

When Thibault entered the portal, she knew if the Gophers were an option, her decision was made.

“I told them right away, there is just no chance I’m going anywhere else,” she said.

Thibault’s connections with several current Gophers run deep. She played club volleyball for Minnesota Select with redshirt freshman Sydney Schnichels and true freshmen Stella and Olivia Swenson — that group was electric in 2022 when they placed second at nationals for 17s. She also spent a club season as Gray’s teammate, playing alongside her sister Paige Thibault, who is now at Auburn.

Thibault wanted to be a Gopher her entire life, but her recruiting didn’t quite line up naturally with the U because the team had received a verbal commitment from Laney Choboy, the top-ranked libero in the class of 2023, the same class as Thibault. So Thibault committed to Oregon. Then Choboy decommitted from the Gophers when Hugh McCutcheon announced his resignation in October 2022.

The U has been playing catch-up to that decision ever since, signing Palabiyik out of Turkey and adding senior grad transfer Kylie Murr ahead of last season. Now both Palabiyik and Thibault will be in their sophomore season alongside Gray, who is a senior.

That should create nice competition at a position that suddenly feels more robust than it did just a few weeks ago.

“It’s such a good opportunity to grow relationships and friendships,” Thibault said.