A couple of weeks ago I went to watch the University of Minnesota volleyball team in action against Ohio State.
It had been a while since I’ve been to a game, but MSR columnist Charles Hallman — after watching the Gophers football team defeat Colorado State — convinced me to check out the number-two-ranked Gophers at the Pavillion.
They defeated Ohio State in dominating fashion that Saturday evening in four games led by Sarah Wilhite and Alexis Hart. Wilhite led the way with 15 kills and Hart added nine.
I was so impressed with the victory that curiosity led me to investigate the volleyball program further about incoming recruits. One recruit stood out in my mind for a couple reasons.
Hopkins outside hitter Jasmyn Martin is among a strong recruiting class that will represent the U of M next fall. She first burst onto the scene as an eighth grader teaming up with her sister Jade Martin — now a senior member of the women’s basketball team at Georgetown University — to lead Bloomington Kennedy to runner-up finish in Class 4A girls’ state basketball tournament in 2013.
The following season Jasmyn Martin transferred to Hopkins. She played basketball for one season but decided to focus on volleyball and has blossomed into one of the state’s top players, leading Hopkins to a 15-1 record and a number five state ranking.
Had she continued to play both sports there would have been a recruiting war not only between schools but between the sports of basketball and volleyball as well.
It looks like Martin made the right choice!
Mitchell Palmer McDonald welcomes reader responses to mmcdonald@spokesman-recorder.com.
Dr. Mitchell Palmer McDonald is a contributing columnist at the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder.