University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Set to Hold Dig Pink Event Sunday
10/25/2013 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
| Minnesota (6-3, 18-4) vs. Northwestern (5-4, 13-8) | |
| Date/Time | Sunday, October 27 | 1 p.m. |
| Location | Sports Pavilion |
| Tickets | MyGopherSports.com |
| Promotions | Dig Pink Day. All GA tickets are $1! (Advance Sale) |
| Travel | Local Weather | Parking | Preferred Hotels |
| Live Video | Gopher All-Access |
| Live Stats | |
| Live Blog | Game Day Live |
| Social Media | @GopherVball | Facebook |
Oct. 25, 2013
GOPHERS RETURN HOME FOR DIG PINK MATCH
The No. 7 University of Minnesota volleyball team faces Northwestern, Sunday at for 1 p.m. The match will be broadcast on Gopher All-Access. The event also marks the annual Dig Pink event. Join the Gophers as we battle Breast Cancer. There will be t-shirt sales, ribbon sales and many more opportunities to donate to the fight against Breast Cancer. All general admission tickets are $1 (advanced sale only).
ON THE DOCKET
Minnesota hits the road and faces No. 21 Purdue and Indiana, Nov. 1-2. The Gophers then return to the Sports Pavilion for the next five matches. Minnesota faces Iowa (Nov. 8), Nebraska (Nov. 10), Ohio State (Nov. 15) and Penn State (Nov. 16).
TIME CHANGE AND TELEVISED MATCH VS. PSU
The University of Minnesota volleyball match against Penn State, Nov. 16, will be televised on the Big Ten Network, announced today by the league office. To accommodate the television schedule, the game will start at 7:30 p.m., instead of the original 7 p.m. start. The match will be played in the Sports Pavilion.
With the addition of the PSU match, it marks the sixth time this season the Golden Gophers will be televised nationally. Five games are on the Big Ten Network, while the Michigan State match (Oct. 17) was shown on ESPN2.
TAPP NAMED BIG TEN'S FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
Minnesota's Hannah Tapp has been named the Big Ten's Freshman of the Week after her performance against No. 5 Michigan State and No. 16 Michigan this past weekend. It's Tapp's first weekly honor and Minnesota's sixth award this season. Tori Dixon has received four weekly awards, while Ashley Wittman and Tapp each have one.
Tapp, a 6-foot, 2-inch middle blocker, helped the Gophers to wins over then-No. 5 Michigan State and then-No. 16 Michigan last week. Against the Spartans, Tapp added six block assists, one dig and added two kills in seven attempts as the Gophers won in five sets. She followed with a team and career-best eight blocks in the Saturday win over Michigan. Along with her blocks, she also established three kills, one assist and a dig. On the season, Tapp ranks fourth among Big Ten blockers as she's recorded 73 blocks her freshman season. in conference action alone, Tapp and Dixon are tied for third with 40 blocks.
GOPHERS IN THE RPI
Minnesota ranks 12th in the recent RPI, a system used to help determine the NCAA postseason. Holding the No. 1 spot is Texas, followed by Penn State, Florida, Southern Cal and Creighton. Wisconsin ranks 11th, followed by the Gophers, Nebraska and Michigan State. Minnesota faced Kentucky and Duke, both of which are ranked in the top 20 of the RPI.
GOPHERS AT HOME
Minnesota continues to play well on its home court. The Gophers are 62-9 in the last five seasons at the Sports Pavilion. Minnesota fell just once at home last year and boasted a 15-1 home record. In 2011, the Gophers were 10-5 and went 16-2 in 2010.
WEDNESDAY RECAP
Minnesota volleyball fell in four sets to No. 16 Wisconsin, Wednesday in Madison, Wis. With the loss, the Golden Gophers fall to 18-4 this season and 6-3 in the Big Ten. Wisconsin improves to 17-4 overall and 6-3 in the Big Ten. Despite Minnesota hitting .268 to Wisconsin's .256, the Badgers had 63 kills to Minnesota' 58. Tori Dixon led the Gophers when she had 20 kills, followed by Ashley Wittman with 18 kills and Adrianna Nora with 10. Wittman had a double-double with 18 kills and 16 digs, while Alexandra Palmer had 32 assists and 11 digs. Daly Santana had a team-best 18 digs as Hannah Tapp led the Gophers with six blocks.
TEAM LEADERS
Minnesota seniors Tori Dixon and Ashley Wittman have each had standout performances for the Gophers this season. Dixon has led the Gophers in match kills 14 times, followed by Wittman with four. Wittman also has eight double-doubles, tied for a team best.
ABOUT THE WILDCATS
The Wildcats enter the match with a 13-8 overall record and a 5-4 mark in Big Ten play. Like Minnesota, Northwestern played Wednesday night against travel partner Illinois in Evanston, Ill. The Wildcats won its fourth game of the last five after a five-set win over the Illini. Dropping the first two sets, the Wildcats came back to win the next three.
For the first time this season, the Wildcats received national recognition as they gained votes in the latest AVCA poll. Northwestern won three-straight against Indiana, Purdue and Ohio State before it fell to Penn State last week. The Wildcats have four with triple-digit kill marks in Stephanie Holthus, Kayla Morin, Savannah Paffen and Katie Dutchman. Holthus leads the Wilcats in kills (334) and kills per set (4.12) and ranks second with 226 digs. Caroline Niedospial leads the team with 342 digs and 19 aces.
ALL-TIME SERIES
The Gophers are 49-18 all-time against the Wildcats, dating back to 1976. Minnesota has won back-to-back matches against the Wilcats, including a 3-0 win last year at the Gophers' home court.
