University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Ranked No. 3 in Season-Ending Poll
12/21/2015 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
AVCA Poll
Minnesota Volleyball finished the 2015 season ranked third in the final poll of the season, announced today by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA). Nebraska took the top spot, followed by Texas, the Golden Gophers and Kansas.
Minnesota started the season receiving votes in the Aug. 12 AVCA Preseason poll. The Gophers broke into the top 25 on Sept. 14 as the No. 23 team in the nation. From there, the Gophers continued to climb the poll and finished the year ranked third after a trip to the Final Four.
After going 19-12 in 2014, Minnesota turned 2015 into a 30-5 mark, which was the most wins in school history since 2004. This season, the Gophers advanced to their first Final Four since 2009 and fourth in school history (2003, 2004, 2009).
Minnesota garnered four All-America honors (Daly Santana, Hannah Tapp, Samantha Seliger-Swenson and Paige Tapp), the most in school history, while head coach Hugh McCutcheon was named the AVCA National Coach of the Year. Minnesota held the No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, the program's highest ever seed. Minnesota finished the season Thursday in a 3-1 loss to Texas at the 2015 Final Four.
The Gophers won the Big Ten Championship after an impressive 18-2 conference season. 2015 marked the first time since 2002 Minnesota won the Big Ten title. McCutcheon was also named the Big Ten Coach of the Year, while Santana was named Player of the Year and Seliger-Swenson was named Freshman of the Year.
Minnesota held a perfect 15-0 season at the Sports Pavilion and averaged 4,172 fans, which ranked fourth in the nation. Fans can now secure 2016 tickets by visiting mygophersports.com.
