University of Minnesota Athletics
North Dakota State/Minnesota Notes
12/2/2011 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Dec. 2, 2011
NORTH DAKOTA STATE
North Dakota State finishes the 2011 volleyball season with a record of 26-9. Tonight's loss snaps a 10-match winning streak.
This is the third time that North Dakota State has played in the NCAA Division I Volleyball Tournament. All three times, the Bison have played Minnesota in the first round at the Sports Pavilion (2008, 2010, 2011), and have not won a set in any of the three matches.
Jennifer Lopez ends her career as the North Dakota State setter tonight with 36 assists. She ends with 3,223 assists, good for eighth on NDSU's all-time list. She also had 7 digs for a career total of 1,120, which ranks 14th on NDSU's all-time list.
MINNESOTA
Minnesota improves its record to 19-11 for the 2001 volleyball season. The Gophers are now 11-1 all-time against North Dakota State, including a 4-0 mark since the Bison became a member of Division I.
The Gophers improve to 16-1 in first round NCAA Tournament matches, and have a four-match winning streak in NCAA first round matches. Minnesota's only loss in the first round remains as a four-set defeat to Sacramento State at Stanford in 2007.
Minnesota becomes the 7th Big Ten team to win in the NCAA Tournament today/tonight. The Gophers join Illinois, Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State and Purdue in advancing to the NCAA's second round. Ohio State is through to the regional semifinals. Nebraska lost a second-round match at home to Kansas State.
Hailey Cowles led the Gophers with 13 kills tonight...it is only the second time this season that Cowles has had the outright lead in kills for a match (Sept. 9 vs. St. Louis). Cowles and Ashley Wittman each had 11 kills in Minnesota's win last Friday vs. Indiana.
Ariana Filho had 11 kills without an error in tonight's match, hitting .688 for the match. In the last two matches, Filho has 18 kills without an error in 25 attempts (.720).
Minnesota will play Washington in a second round NCAA match tomorrow at 7:30p in Minneapolis.
