Head coach and team captain got to know each other better last summer when Keegan Cook visited Melani Shaffmaster’s hometown of New Castle, Ind.
“I thought it was super cool,” Shaffmaster said. “He came to see what a day in the life of my household looked like. My family really appreciated it — and they were surprised he ended up coming.”
“You got to try to build that trust,” Cook said. “If that meant a trip to New Castle, Indiana, where you’re eating more food than you thought you could and hanging out with Grandma and Grandpa, then so be it.”
Cook can’t imagine where the Gophers would be if Shaffmaster, a senior, hadn’t stuck around to finish her career.
“She’s been Minnesota volleyball for as long as I’ve known about Minnesota volleyball,” Cook said. “Looking forward to sending her out the right way.”
At 6-3, Shaffmaster’s size at her position sets her apart, and so does her play. She enters her final Big Ten home match Friday night for the 15th-ranked Gophers (19-10, 12-7 Big Ten) against Ohio State ranked sixth in team history with 4,988 assists. No matter how this season ends, she’s grateful for the journey at the U.
“I decided to come to Minnesota a long time ago,” Shaffmaster said. “I never thought about leaving when the coaching switch happened. I knew Minnesota was the place that was going to help me be the person and player I want to be at the end of my time here.”