University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Set to Travel to Northwestern
11/10/2015 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Nov. 10, 2015 
Notes
GOPHERS HIT THE ROAD TO NORTHWESTERN
The No. 4 University of Minnesota volleyball team has both road and home action this week. The Golden Gophers travel to Northwestern, Wednesday, Nov. 11, at 7 p.m. Minnesota then hosts No. 1 Penn State, Saturday, at 7 p.m.
FOLLOWING THE GOPHERS
The Minnesota at Northwestern will be streamed live on BTN Plus. All Big Ten teams will compete this Wednesday and all will be covered in the BTN Volleyball Extravaganza. A game day live page and live statistics will be available on gophersports.com.
ON THE DOCKET
Following the Northwestern match, Minnesota returns home on Nov. 14 to face Penn State, also slated for a 7 p.m. start. The Gophers will then host Maryland, Wednesday, Nov. 18 at 6 p.m.
ABOUT NORTHWESTERN
The Wildcats enter the Minnesota match with a 13-12 overall record and a 5-9 mark in league play. Playing at home, Northwestern holds a 5-4 record this season, including Big Ten wins against Penn State, Iowa and Michigan State. Symone Abbott leads the team with 295 kills and averages 3.43 kills per set, while Kayla Morin has 199 (2.31 kps) and Sofia Lavin (2.40 kps). Caroline Niedospial averages 4.65 digs per set, while Taylor Tashima averages 10.67 assists per set.
ALL TIME SERIES & LAST TIME
Minnesota is 51-19 all time against the Northwestern Wildcats, dating back to 1976. Minnesota opened the Big Ten season on Sept. 30 in a 3-0 win at the Sports Pavilion. The last time Minnesota played at Northwestern, the Gophers fell in three on Oct. 5, 2014.
GOPHER/MARYLAND TIME CHANGE
The University of Minnesota and the Big Ten Network has announced that the Gopher volleyball match vs. Maryland has a time change to accommodate a national televised match. The game time is set for 6 p.m. CT., an hour earlier from the 7 p.m. match time previously announced. The match will be shown live on the Big Ten Network. With the addition of the Maryland match, Minnesota will be televised four times during the regular season.
LIMITED SEATS AVAILABLE FOR PSU MATCH
Limited seats are available for Saturday's matchup between the Golden Gophers and the Penn State Nittany Lions. Obstructed view only tickets are available for Saturday's match against the Nittany Lions. The obstructed view tickets start at $5 and can be purchased online or through the Gopher Ticket office at 612-624-8080 or 1-800 U-GOPHER.
12-STRAIGHT SETS A SCHOOL RECORD
With the win over Michigan last Saturday, Minnesota set a school record, winning 12-straight Big Ten matches. The Golden Gophers dropped a five-set contest to Penn State on Sept. 26. Since then, the Gophers have had an incredible since Sept. 30. In that span, Minnesota has defeated six ranked opponents. The record broke Minnesota's previous best of 11-consecutive matches, which was set in 2002.
VOLLEYBALL PODCAST
The Gophers are developing a new way for fans to learn more about the program, introducing Point U: A Gopher Volleyball Podcast brought to you by Point U! Boosters. Coach Hugh McCutcheon will sit down bi-weekly with host Matt Nelson to talk all things Gopher Volleyball. Tune in to gophersports.com!
WEEKEND RECAP
Minnesota volleyball team earned a pair of wins over Michigan State and then-No. 25 Michigan, last Friday and Saturday night. The Gophers swept the Spartans, 25-21, 25-13, 25-21 Friday, before earning a four-set win over the Wolverines, 25-23, 19-25, 26-24, 25-22 Saturday. On the weekend, Minnesota hit .238, had 97 kills, 104 digs and averaged 3.71 blocks per set.
SANTANA; SELIGER-SWENSON RECEIVE WEEKLY B1G AWARDS
The Big Ten Conference has announced that Daly Santana has been named the league's Player of the Week, while Samantha Seliger-Swenson was named Co-Freshman of the Week. It is Santana's second player of the week accolade of the season, while Seliger-Swenson garners her fifth rookie of the week honor and seventh overall. Santana led Gopher attackers with 39 kills over the weekend and hit .318. Averaging 5.57 kills per set, she tacked on 45 points in the pair of wins. A six-rotation student-athlete, Santana also led the Gophers with 23 digs. Seliger-Swenson helped the Gophers to a pair of wins over the weekend. Accomplishing 82 assists on the weekend, she also had two aces, 17 digs and a solo block and seven assists for eight total blocks on the weekend.
GOPHERS RANK FIRST IN RPI
With wins over Michigan State and Michigan, the Golden Gophers jumped from the No. 5 spot to No. 1 overall in the NCAA's recent Ratings Percentage Index (RPI). The RPI is one of the tools used by the NCAA Selection Committee to evaluate teams for the post season. Minnesota leads the charge in the recent RPI, followed by Southern California (2), Texas (3) and Florida (4). In the top 10 alone, four hail from the Big Ten Conference in the Gophers, Penn State (5), Nebraska (8) and Wisconsin (9). The conference also has an additional two in the top 25 in Ohio State (11) and Illinois (17). Along with Big Ten teams ranked high in the RPI, Minnesota also competed against Stanford (12), Louisville (19) and North Carolina (27) in the non-conference season.
GOPHERS RANKED NO. 4
For the third week in a row, Minnesota is ranked fourth in the recent American Volleyball Coaches Association poll. Penn State is in the No. 1 spot, while Southern California is ranked second, followed by Washington (3) and Minnesota (4). Also ranked in the top 25 are Big Ten foes Nebraska (8), Wisconsin (11), Ohio State (14), Illinois (16) and Purdue (17). The No. 4 ranking is the highest for the Golden Gophers since the 2009 season.
DID YOU KNOW?
Daly Santana has already had 10 matches this season in which she has hit over .300. That betters her five she had all last year. Of the 10, five have come against Big Ten opponents. She has also hit over .250 in 13 matches this season, also beating her seven she had as a junior. In all, Santana has accomplished double-digit kills in all but one match this season (Sam Houston State). A six-rotation athlete, Santana also has 13 double-doubles.
| #4 Minnesota at Northwestern | |||||||||||
| Date | Time | Wednesday, November 11 | ||||||||||
| Location | Welsh-Ryan Arena | Evanston, Ill. | ||||||||||
| Watch Online | BTN Plus | ||||||||||
| Live Stats | |||||||||||
| Live Updates | Game Day Live | ||||||||||
| Official Sites | Minnesota | Northwestern | ||||||||||
| Social Media | @GopherVball | Facebook | ||||||||||
Notes
GOPHERS HIT THE ROAD TO NORTHWESTERN
The No. 4 University of Minnesota volleyball team has both road and home action this week. The Golden Gophers travel to Northwestern, Wednesday, Nov. 11, at 7 p.m. Minnesota then hosts No. 1 Penn State, Saturday, at 7 p.m.
FOLLOWING THE GOPHERS
The Minnesota at Northwestern will be streamed live on BTN Plus. All Big Ten teams will compete this Wednesday and all will be covered in the BTN Volleyball Extravaganza. A game day live page and live statistics will be available on gophersports.com.
ON THE DOCKET
Following the Northwestern match, Minnesota returns home on Nov. 14 to face Penn State, also slated for a 7 p.m. start. The Gophers will then host Maryland, Wednesday, Nov. 18 at 6 p.m.
ABOUT NORTHWESTERN
The Wildcats enter the Minnesota match with a 13-12 overall record and a 5-9 mark in league play. Playing at home, Northwestern holds a 5-4 record this season, including Big Ten wins against Penn State, Iowa and Michigan State. Symone Abbott leads the team with 295 kills and averages 3.43 kills per set, while Kayla Morin has 199 (2.31 kps) and Sofia Lavin (2.40 kps). Caroline Niedospial averages 4.65 digs per set, while Taylor Tashima averages 10.67 assists per set.
ALL TIME SERIES & LAST TIME
Minnesota is 51-19 all time against the Northwestern Wildcats, dating back to 1976. Minnesota opened the Big Ten season on Sept. 30 in a 3-0 win at the Sports Pavilion. The last time Minnesota played at Northwestern, the Gophers fell in three on Oct. 5, 2014.
GOPHER/MARYLAND TIME CHANGE
The University of Minnesota and the Big Ten Network has announced that the Gopher volleyball match vs. Maryland has a time change to accommodate a national televised match. The game time is set for 6 p.m. CT., an hour earlier from the 7 p.m. match time previously announced. The match will be shown live on the Big Ten Network. With the addition of the Maryland match, Minnesota will be televised four times during the regular season.
LIMITED SEATS AVAILABLE FOR PSU MATCH
Limited seats are available for Saturday's matchup between the Golden Gophers and the Penn State Nittany Lions. Obstructed view only tickets are available for Saturday's match against the Nittany Lions. The obstructed view tickets start at $5 and can be purchased online or through the Gopher Ticket office at 612-624-8080 or 1-800 U-GOPHER.
12-STRAIGHT SETS A SCHOOL RECORD
With the win over Michigan last Saturday, Minnesota set a school record, winning 12-straight Big Ten matches. The Golden Gophers dropped a five-set contest to Penn State on Sept. 26. Since then, the Gophers have had an incredible since Sept. 30. In that span, Minnesota has defeated six ranked opponents. The record broke Minnesota's previous best of 11-consecutive matches, which was set in 2002.
VOLLEYBALL PODCAST
The Gophers are developing a new way for fans to learn more about the program, introducing Point U: A Gopher Volleyball Podcast brought to you by Point U! Boosters. Coach Hugh McCutcheon will sit down bi-weekly with host Matt Nelson to talk all things Gopher Volleyball. Tune in to gophersports.com!
WEEKEND RECAP
Minnesota volleyball team earned a pair of wins over Michigan State and then-No. 25 Michigan, last Friday and Saturday night. The Gophers swept the Spartans, 25-21, 25-13, 25-21 Friday, before earning a four-set win over the Wolverines, 25-23, 19-25, 26-24, 25-22 Saturday. On the weekend, Minnesota hit .238, had 97 kills, 104 digs and averaged 3.71 blocks per set.
SANTANA; SELIGER-SWENSON RECEIVE WEEKLY B1G AWARDS
The Big Ten Conference has announced that Daly Santana has been named the league's Player of the Week, while Samantha Seliger-Swenson was named Co-Freshman of the Week. It is Santana's second player of the week accolade of the season, while Seliger-Swenson garners her fifth rookie of the week honor and seventh overall. Santana led Gopher attackers with 39 kills over the weekend and hit .318. Averaging 5.57 kills per set, she tacked on 45 points in the pair of wins. A six-rotation student-athlete, Santana also led the Gophers with 23 digs. Seliger-Swenson helped the Gophers to a pair of wins over the weekend. Accomplishing 82 assists on the weekend, she also had two aces, 17 digs and a solo block and seven assists for eight total blocks on the weekend.
GOPHERS RANK FIRST IN RPI
With wins over Michigan State and Michigan, the Golden Gophers jumped from the No. 5 spot to No. 1 overall in the NCAA's recent Ratings Percentage Index (RPI). The RPI is one of the tools used by the NCAA Selection Committee to evaluate teams for the post season. Minnesota leads the charge in the recent RPI, followed by Southern California (2), Texas (3) and Florida (4). In the top 10 alone, four hail from the Big Ten Conference in the Gophers, Penn State (5), Nebraska (8) and Wisconsin (9). The conference also has an additional two in the top 25 in Ohio State (11) and Illinois (17). Along with Big Ten teams ranked high in the RPI, Minnesota also competed against Stanford (12), Louisville (19) and North Carolina (27) in the non-conference season.
GOPHERS RANKED NO. 4
For the third week in a row, Minnesota is ranked fourth in the recent American Volleyball Coaches Association poll. Penn State is in the No. 1 spot, while Southern California is ranked second, followed by Washington (3) and Minnesota (4). Also ranked in the top 25 are Big Ten foes Nebraska (8), Wisconsin (11), Ohio State (14), Illinois (16) and Purdue (17). The No. 4 ranking is the highest for the Golden Gophers since the 2009 season.
DID YOU KNOW?
Daly Santana has already had 10 matches this season in which she has hit over .300. That betters her five she had all last year. Of the 10, five have come against Big Ten opponents. She has also hit over .250 in 13 matches this season, also beating her seven she had as a junior. In all, Santana has accomplished double-digit kills in all but one match this season (Sam Houston State). A six-rotation athlete, Santana also has 13 double-doubles.
Players Mentioned
Outside Hitter
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