Gophers volleyball signs two top recruits despite uncertainty about coach

The University of Minnesota volleyball team accomplished a unique feat on Wednesday, signing two of the best prep players in the country without having a head coach named for next season.

Sydney Schnichels of Willmar, Minn., and Calissa Minatee of Kansas City, Mo., followed through on earlier verbal commitments to the Gophers despite the fact that longtime coach Hugh McCutcheon announced he will resign at the end of the season and a replacement has not been named.

"For me the idea of [McCutcheon] not being there was just, 'Do I know this is what I want?' " Schnichels said. "But I want to stick with my commitment. I want to play for my state. And I know whoever they're going to bring in is going to be amazing."

A 6-4 outside hitter who led the state with 490 kills this season, Schnichels won the Ms. Baden award on Tuesday as the top senior volleyball player in Minnesota. She was recently named to the Under Armour All-America Game in Orlando, Fla., in December — a match that features 24 of the top players in the country, including Minatee.

The 6-1 middle blocker from Missouri is the No. 20-ranked recruit in the country according to prepdig.com, and Minatee said that McCutcheon's decision didn't sway her commitment — one that was predicated on wanting to major in architecture and pursue a well-rounded athletic and academic career.

"I still felt like Minnesota was the place for me," she said. "The environment there, all the girls are happy there, that is a big thing. I feel like there will be a slight change, but I don't fear change.

"At first there was a little bit of uneasiness, but I still was on the side of leaning towards this is my home. I never thought about going anywhere else."

That's a good outcome for the Gophers as it put a positive finish to an upended recruiting period after top libero Laney Choboy switched her verbal commitment and signed with Nebraska.

McCutcheon said Tuesday that once the university announced his pending resignation he stepped away from recruiting, leaving that to associate head coach Matt Houk and assistant coach Jen Houk.

"Matt and Jen have been awesome, they reached out to me right away and just said, 'We're here for you if you want to talk or have any questions or anything like that, we're here,'" Schnichels said. "I think it has been a lot for everybody — even Matt and Jen, they're going through it, too — they don't know if they're going to be here next year."

Whoever takes over the team, and Matt Houk will step in as interim head coach when the current season ends, will have two highly regarded recruits to mentor. The next challenge will be to keep the current roster intact and build on the momentum the current staff has created and sustained for over a decade.

Both Schnichels and Minatee said they have their future goals in mind — Big Ten championships, deep NCAA tournament runs, degrees and personal growth.

"I know I have a lot of work to do once I get there, but I'm excited to see how high I can reach, how high my ceiling is," Schnichels said. "I just want to keep pushing myself and see how far I can go."

Who will help them see what they can achieve is a question that remains unanswered.