University of Minnesota Athletics
Minnesota Heads to AVCA Showcase
8/27/2009 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
• The Minnesota volleyball team will open up the 2009 season at the Qwest Center in Omaha when it plays a pair of matches in the AVCA Showcase. The Golden Gophers will face No. 22 Kansas State on Friday, Aug. 28 at 6 p.m. in the first match of the night. The second match will feature No. 3 Nebraska hosting No. 16 Michigan at 8:30 p.m. On the Saturday, Aug. 29 Michigan will face Kansas State at 6 p.m. Minnesota and Nebraska will play the final match on Aug. 29 at 8:30 p.m. It marks the second year of the conference challenge format for the AVCA Showcase. Last year, Stanford and USC faced off against Nebraska and Texas in the same format. All four of the matches will also be broadcast live on CBS Sports Television and can be heard live on the Gold Zone.
• Minnesota will be playing in its third AVCA Showcase. This will be the 10th installment of the event, which first took place in 2000. The Golden Gophers hosted the event in 2002, and finished second after losing to then No. 1 Stanford in the championship match. Minnesota also played in the event in 2004 when it lost to then No. 1 USC in the championship match in Fort Collins, Colo. The Golden Gophers defeated Pepperdine in the first round in 2002, and knocked off host Colorado State in the first round in 2004.
• The Golden Gophers will open up the season in Omaha for a second year in a row. Last year, Minnesota won Bluejay Invitational when Creighton (3-0), No. 21 LSU (3-0) and Texas A&M to open the season. The Golden Gophers also ventured to Lincoln, Neb. in 2006 where they were 1-2 in the Nebraska Tournament, which featured No. 25 Cal Poly (3-1), No. 20 Louisville (1-3) and No. 1 Nebraska (1-3).
• Minnesota holds a 76-51 all-time record against the Big 12. The Golden Gophers are set to play three teams from the Big 12 over the course of the next two weeks. Minnesota will face Kansas State and Nebraska this week, and Iowa State next week. The Golden Gophers are 14-2 against Kansas State, including a four-set victory over the Wildcats on Sept. 10, 2005 in Manhattan, Kan. Minnesota also defeated Kansas State in five sets at the Sports Pavilion in the Diet Coke Classic on Sept. 10, 2004. The Golden Gophers are 4-26 against Nebraska, including a five set loss in the NCAA Tournament in Gainesville in 2006, a four-set loss at Lincoln on Sept. 10, 2006, and a five-set loss at home on Sept. 5, 2005. Minnesota holds a 22-6 margin over Iowa State, but lost to the Cyclones in the second round of the 2008 NCAA Tournament on Dec. 6, 2008.
• Senior outside hitter Megan Wilson will return to her homestate of Nebraska when the Golden Gophers participate in the AVCA Showcase. It will mark the fifth year in a row that Minnesota has had a player form the state of Nebraska. Along with Wilson this year, the Golden Gophers had Kyla Roehrig from 2005-08. In her last meeting with the Cornhuskers, Wilson hit .500 (16-1-30) with 16 kills and five digs on Nov. 12, 2008. Wilson faced Nebraska two times in each of the past three years as a member of the Missouri Tigers.
• Minnesota is 10-3 in season openers and holds the same record in road openers under current Head Coach Mike Hebert. The Golden Gophers are currently on a five-match winning streak in both. Minnesota won season openers in 2004 (Colorado State), 2005 (NDSU), 2006 (St. Louis), 2007 (at Notre Dame) and 2008 (Creighton).
