ST. JOSEPH, Minn. -- Just as the four teams had to earn their way into last weekend's NCAA Division I volleyball national semifinal and championship matches, so too did the officials selected to work the event.
 
Those selections are based on performance throughout the regular season and earlier rounds of NCAA play. It means those picked to officiate the final four can truly be considered among the top officials in the nation.
 
For the first time this year, 1999 College of Saint Benedict graduate Robyn Ruschmeier Courchane joined that elite group. The record-setting standout in volleyball and basketball at CSB served as the R2 (down ref) for the semifinal match up between Texas and Wisconsin on Dec. 14 in Tampa, and again for the championship match on Dec. 17 when Texas defeated Nebraska 3-0.
 
"That's really been a goal of mine since I first started, and it's a gratifying feeling to have accomplished it," said Courchane, who began officiating both volleyball and basketball soon after graduating from CSB before eventually focusing on volleyball.

"There are all kinds of sacrifices that come with (officiating). You're away from home working long weekends from mid-August to mid-December. There's stuff you miss out on. So to reach this level, knowing all you put into getting here, is pretty exciting," she said.
 
Courchane – who was inducted into the CSB Athletics Hall of Fame in 2008 – remains the Bennie volleyball team's career leader in kills with 1,771 and still ranks eighth on the basketball program's career scoring list with 1,281 points.

 
 

"Robyn was an intense competitor, expected a lot out of herself and of those around her," former CSB volleyball coach and athletic director Carol Howe-Veenstra said. "That competitiveness and drive to excel helped our team perform at a higher level. She played with confidence, and when the game was on the line, she wanted the ball for the kill."
 
Courchane said her background as an athlete at CSB certainly helped as she began officiating.
 
"Having played the game, I remember what I appreciated from officials and what I didn't," she said. "I go into every match I work wanting the teams to have a good match, and for me to not get in the way of that. The teams have to be able to dictate the outcome. I just try to be fair and make the right calls. No one is perfect, but getting the calls right is always the goal."

 
Courchane – who also oversees assigning high school officials in the Twin Cities through the Metro Volleyball Officials Association – worked her way up through the college ranks before getting her first Division I postseason assignment in 2018.
 
That success came as no surprise to her former college basketball coach.
 
"As an athlete, Robyn understood the game of basketball at a level most athletes didn't and she was confident in her decision making," CSB coach Mike Durbin said. "She officiated basketball in the MIAC for several years, then naturally moved toward volleyball officiating and has been on a steady climb to the highest level ever since."
 
Courchane previously worked national championship matches at both the Division II and III levels, meaning her work this past weekend completed the trifecta.
 
"The reason I got started with officiating in the first place was to stay involved with the sport," said Courchane, whose full-time job is as a technology consultant for Procise Solutions – work she can complete remotely, allowing her to work from the road when she is traveling to officiate.

"That and wanting to give back to the game. I've always been a rules nerd, so I sort of gravitated toward officiating naturally. It's something I like being involved with. In fact, this January, I start a new role as the active officials' representative on the NCAA volleyball rules committee and I'm really looking forward to having the opportunity to be part of that."
 
Though it might seem a little intimidating to be one of those making the calls in a high-profile setting like the national semifinals and finals, Courchane said she had confidence in her crew and their ability to handle the pressure.
 
"It's a big stage, but you have to approach it like any other match," said Courchane, who resides in Brooklyn Park with her husband Chris, a 1999 Saint John's University graduate.

 
 They are the parents of two sons: Nate, a junior at SJU who will study abroad in Australia this next semester, and Will, a sophomore at Park Center High School.
 
"The matches are played in a big venue, and a lot of eyes are watching," she continued. "But I felt like I was able to stay calm and focus on my job. Much of that is a testament to our assigners. They make sure to put us in situations during the regular season that help prepare us for the NCAA tournament. I've worked Texas in past seasons, and saw both Nebraska and Wisconsin a few times during the regular season. So there's a comfortability factor there. The coaches know and trust you because they've seen you work before."
 
Courchane said she enjoyed her final four experience, even if she was feeling under-the-weather.
 
"I picked up a bug of some kind," she said. "I got back from working the regionals at Pitt the Sunday before and by the next day I wasn't feeling well. I tried to rest up before I had to leave Wednesday and I just tried to muscle my way through the matches on Thursday. After that, other than getting up for dinner, I pretty much slept the rest of the time until the finals on Sunday," said Courchane.
 
"But I was so blessed to have my husband join me for a couple days, not to mention this hugely supportive crew who were so caring and made sure I had what I needed. The volleyball officiating community is really a family. We're all friends and we all look out for one another. Everyone wants to see everybody else do well."
 
Interest in college volleyball continues to grow. A regular-season match between Nebraska and in-state rival Omaha drew a record crowd of 92,003 to Memorial Stadium in Lincoln on Aug. 30. The semifinal match ups on Dec. 14 at Tampa's Amalie Arena (broadcast on ESPN) drew an indoor women's volleyball record crowd of 19,598 – a mark then broken by the crowd of 19,727 on hand for the championship match (broadcast on ABC) three days later.
 
"That was awesome to see," Courchane said. "The NCAA did a great job of promoting the matches and all the teams have such great fanbases. It was such a thrill to have the championship match on network TV for the first time. That exposed the sport to even more people, which I think will just help it continue to grow in the future."
 
Courchane hopes to remain a part of that growth for at least a few more years to come.
 
"I hope I have another 10 years or so left at this level (Division I)," she said. "And maybe five more years at the highest level. I feel like I've just reached the precipice now and I'd like to stay up here for a few more years before I make my way back down."