University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Take on MSU/Michigan This Weekend
11/5/2015 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
| #4 Minnesota vs. Michigan State / #25 Michigan | |||||||||||
| Fri., Nov. 6 | Minnesota vs. Michigan State | 7 p.m. | ||||||||||
| Sat., Nov. 7 | Minnesota vs. Michigan | 7p.m. | ||||||||||
| Location | Sports Pavilion | Minneapolis, Minn. | ||||||||||
| Tickets | MyGopherSports.com | ||||||||||
| Travel | Local Weather | Parking | Preferred Hotels | ||||||||||
| TV | BTN (Both Games) | ||||||||||
| Watch Online | Friday | Saturday | ||||||||||
| Live Stats | | | ||||||||||
| Game Day Live | Friday | Saturday | ||||||||||
| Official Sites | Minnesota | MSU | Michigan | ||||||||||
| Social Media | @GopherVball | Facebook | ||||||||||
Weekly Notes
GOPHERS SET FOR MICHIGAN STATE/MICHIGAN
The No. 4 University of Minnesota volleyball team is home for the second-straight week as it hosts Michigan State and No. 25 Michigan, Friday and Saturday night. Both matches are slated for 7 p.m. starts at the Sports Pavilion.
FOLLOWING THE GOPHERS
The Minnesota matches against Michigan State and Michigan will be televised live on the Big Ten Network. A game day live page and live statistics will be available on gophersports.com.
ON THE DOCKET
Minnesota will be on the road for one match, Nov. 11, as the Gophers travel to Northwestern for a 7 p.m. match. Minnesota returns home on Nov. 14 to face Penn State, also slated for a 7 p.m. start.
ABOUT MICHIGAN STATE
The Spartans enter the match with a 14-9 overall record and a 6-6 Big Ten Conference mark. After winning four-straight in league play, MSU has dropped the last four to Ohio State, Penn State, Illinois and Northwestern. The Spartans are led by Brooke Kranda, who has 245 kills and averages 3.10 kills per set, while Alyssa Garvelink has a team-best 1.12 blocks per set and ranks second with 203 kills. Rachel Minarick has 732 assists and Halle Peterson has 202. Abby Monson has 285 digs, followed by Kristen Muir with 246.
ABOUT MICHIGAN
The Wolverines enter the weekend with a 16-7 overall record and a 6-6 mark in Big Ten play. Michigan split action last weekend when it defeated Northwestern (3-0), but fell to No. 21 Illinois (3-0), both on the road. As a team, Michigan hits .234, averages 2.04 blocks per set and 15.39 digs per set. Abby Cole leads the offensive and blocking charge for Michigan as she has a team-high 254 kills (3.10 per set), is hitting .339, and averages 1.05 blocks per set. Caroline Knop and Katherine Mahlke follow with 176 and 168 kills, respectively. Carly Warner has 628 assists and 225 digs. Tiffany Morales follows with 216 digs.
ALL TIME SERIES & LAST TIME
The Golden Gophers hold a 50-18 all-time series lead against the Spartans, dating back to 1975. Minnesota competed just once last year against MSU, and won in four sets in East Lansing, Mich.
The Golden Gophers are 52-16 all time against Michigan, dating back to 1975. The Wolverines won the only meeting between the two teams last year, as they earned a 3-0 win.
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 the 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!
DID YOU KNOW?
Daly Santana has already had nine matches this season in which she has hit over .300. That betters her five she had all last year. Of the nine, four have come against Big Ten opponents. She has also hit over .250 in 12 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 12 double-doubles.
NCAA LEADER
Daly Santana's 39 kills and 93 attacks against Louisville (9/4/15) still ranks as the most kills and attack attempts by any Division I volleyball player this season. For her career, Santana has 1,431, which ranks 14th among active Division I student-athletes.
GOPHERS RANK FIFTH IN RPI
In the last NCAA Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) ranks, the Golden Gophers hold the fifth-best ranking in the nation. The RPI is one of the tools used by the NCAA Selection Committee to evaluate teams for the post season. In the top 10 alone, four hail from the Big Ten Conference in Penn State (4), Ohio State (6) and Nebraska (9). Along with Big Ten teams ranked high in the RPI, Minnesota also competed against Stanford (11), Louisville (21) and North Carolina (28) in the non-conference season.
GOPHERS RANKED NO. 4
For the second week in a row, Minnesota is ranked fourth in the recent American Volleyball Coaches Association poll. Penn State took over the No. 1 spot, while Southern California is ranked second, followed by Texas (3) and Minnesota (4). Also ranked in the top 25 are Big Ten foes Nebraska (9), Ohio State (12), Wisconsin (13), Purdue (16), Illinois (18) and Michigan (25). The No. 4 ranking is the highest for the Golden Gophers since the 2009 season.
WHERE THEY RANK
Minnesota ranks high within a few NCAA categories. The Gophers rank 18th in blocks per set (2.80). Individually, Daly Santana ranks 13th in kills per set (4.58) and 15th in points per set (5.07). Among league leaders, Santana leads the pack in kills per set, while Paige Tapp ranks fourth in the league in blocks per set. Samantha Seliger-Swenson averages 11.32 assists per set, good enough for second in the Big Ten.
BIG TEN AND NATIONAL AWARDS
Minnesota has been well represented on both the Big Ten and national stage in terms of weekly awards this season. Daly Santana and Hannah Tapp were both named Big Ten Players of the Week, while Paige Tapp and Dalianliz Rosado have both been named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week. Samantha Seliger-Swenson has been awarded the Big Ten Freshman of the Week four times this season, and Big Ten Setter of the Week twice. Hannah Tapp was named the AVCA National Player of the Week after the Nebraska win, Minnesota's first national award since 2008.
