Top-ranked volleyball blocker has untapped potential

Sports Odds & Ends

There are approximately 100 African American and other student-athletes of color this school year at the University of Minnesota. In an occasional series throughout the 2022-23 school and sports year, the MSR will highlight many of these players. This week: freshman volleyball player Carter Booth.

Carter Booth came to Minnesota as a two-time high school All-American, Colorado’s top recruit in 2022 and the number 14 overall volleyball player in the country. Yet the 6-7 freshman middle blocker from Denver, part of a three-player Class of 2022 ranked in the top 10, believes she has just scratched the surface, potential-wise.

“I’m far from reaching my fullest potential,” she told the MSR after her team-high eight blocks helped the Gophers to a 3-1 home win over Iowa. She came into last weekend’s matches at Michigan and Michigan State with six 5-block matches and 24 blocks in her last three matches, including pacing the visitors with six blocks in a 3-0 win at Michigan. 

Her Oct. 2 performance came in front of Booth’s parents—her father Calvin played college basketball at Penn State and 10 seasons in the NBA, including Minnesota (2008-09) before embarking on his current career as a front office exec. He began as a scout, then rejoined the Wolves as director of player personnel. He’s now general manager of the Denver Nuggets.

“I think she’s really bright and she’s competitive,” said Calvin of his eldest daughter. “That gives her an edge over some other people that might be talented as well.”

Carter wears No. 52, the same number her father once wore as a player: “He passed that down to me,” she pointed out proudly. “My other [three] siblings chose their own numbers, but I was the oldest so I got that [number].”

Added her father, “I think she’s mature beyond her years. I just enjoy watching her.”

The freshman Booth plans to major in criminology and law at Minnesota. “I chose that because law in general interests me,” she said. “My grandmother was a lawyer. She has given me a little bit of insight into some of the different fields and what I’d be interested in.”

Booth this season has seen action in every match thus far, along with nine starts. She also is one of 10 Big Ten players who have hit over .500 with double-digit kills this season.

“We have a lot of depth and a lot of talent,” she noted. “Whether or not I play or if I got enough playing time, whatever, at the end of the day it’s not about me. It’s a team sport.”

Besides her blocking ability, Booth said, “We connect with each other and check in on each other, hold each other up and hold each other accountable. We know that we are going to be there to hold each other up and to hold each other accountable to the high standards that we set for ourselves.

“I’ve been acclimating and getting better every day.”