It has been an unending sprint for Keegan Cook and his staff to fill their roster and kick-start recruiting after they took over the Gophers volleyball program last December.
It took a journey to Istanbul to wrap things up — at least for this season.
The final spot for the 2023 Gophers roster was filled Wednesday with the announcement that Turkish libero Zeynep Palabiyik will join the team this month. The exact date isn't pinned down because she is playing with the Turkish national team in an attempt to qualify for the 2024 European Championships.
"It's certainly late," Cook said about Palabiyik's commitment, "but you'd rather be right than first, I guess. I feel pretty good about our roster now, heading into fall camp next week."
Palabiyik is considered one of the top liberos in Europe for this recruiting class. She played for Besiktas Ceylan in Istanbul for the 2022-23 season, helping the team to a 1 League title. In 2021-22, Palabiyik competed for Eczacibasi Dynavit, and the team finished third in the Sultans League, the highest professional volleyball league in Turkey.
Assistant coach Eric Barber was the lead recruiter, taking a trip to Istanbul in the spring to land her commitment.
"There were other schools looking at her, recruiting her," Cook said, adding that recruitment of European players by NCAA schools is intensifying.
"There has been quite a few Turkish players coming to the United States. Wisconsin's libero [Gulce Guctekin] is from Turkey. Stanford has an opposite coming from Turkey. The volleyball world between Europe and America is getting smaller, is what it feels like to me."
In a statement announcing her arrival, Palabiyik said: "The winning culture and passion of the team and fans matches my ambitious personality. I also felt very comfortable and safe when I met the staff. I can't wait to live in a place that is different from where I'm from, but still feels like family."
In terms of roster construction, this gets close to Cook's ideal scenario.
"It's starting to come together, and I think three quality defensive specialists of different ages is kind of my goal," he said.
After transferring from Ohio State as a fifth-year senior, Kylie Murr, the reigning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, figures to slot in as the starter and replacement for CC McGraw. But after this season, depth was lacking with Skylar Gray of Maple Grove the only other libero on the roster.
The addition of Palabiyik means the team is settled for this season, which begins Aug. 25 vs. Baylor at Maturi Pavilion.
The Gophers will have to help Palabiyik transition to a new country, but Cook has experience coaching foreign players and said there is often a greater reciprocal benefit for a college program.
"The transition is huge for these kids," Cook said. "You are never sure what part of it is going to he hardest — the academics or the increased practice hours or the language barrier. It's a huge life transformation.
"On the back end, I think it is amazing. It is amazing to have their perspective. They have a deep appreciation for what the NCAA and universities at this level provide. I think they have more perspective than the American kids do, oftentimes."
