STrib Volleyball: Freshmen McGraw, Rollins Find Their Role Right Away

Ignatius L Hoops

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http://www.startribune.com/gophers-...rollins-find-their-role-right-away/500101562/


As a lifelong Gophers fan, it took CC McGraw no time at all to decide where she wanted to play college volleyball. Once she made her commitment, though, the Prior Lake native wasn’t finished with the recruiting process.

McGraw accepted coach Hugh McCutcheon’s scholarship offer during her freshman year of high school. Then, she began persuading Adanna Rollins — a tall Texan who was also being wooed by the U — to come north and join her. Before long, they were rooming together at Gophers volleyball camps, where the two got a taste of what it would be like to play together.

“I reached out to her after I committed, and I got to know her and get comfortable with her,” McGraw said. “We got really close over social media. I wasn’t pressuring her a ton, but I wanted to create that connection early on, so she knew she would have a good friend going in.”

In their first season with the Gophers, McGraw and Rollins still are pals and roommates. But they are having even more fun in their newest joint venture, as two of the most formidable freshmen in the Big Ten.

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Rollins said McGraw didn’t have to work hard to get her to the Gophers. The two were excited at the prospect of playing together, as both of them landed on multiple All-America teams during high school. Rollins was one of three finalists for National Prep Player of the Year in 2017, while McGraw was Minnesota’s Ms. Volleyball.

Starting at the U last spring enabled them to begin adjusting to the speed of the college game and polishing their mechanics and technique. Though Rollins was occasionally in awe of her older teammates — and anticipated having only a “really small role” in her first season — she and McGraw progressed rapidly under the guidance of the upperclassmen and coaching staff.

“It was an eye-opener in the spring, when you realize how much you have to learn,” Rollins said. “But everyone on the team did a really good job of teaching us and helping us fit in.
 

I thought they would both be good, but I didn't expect them to play as well this early into their careers. The most impressive thing for me has been their maturity. Obviously their skills and talent are top notch. But they clearly also have the necessary self-confidence to know they belong at this level and could step in right away. That's a quality that a lot of athletes, especially freshmen, need to build. But with these two, it seemed to come naturally.

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