University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Set to Travel to State College Wednesday
10/4/2016 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Oct. 4, 2016
ABOUT PENN STATE
Penn State enters the Minnesota match with a 12-3 overall record and a perfect 4-0 mark in league action. The Nittany Lions have not dropped a set in eight matches, including two sweeps over Michigan State and Michigan last weekend. As a team, PSU is hitting .309 as it averages 13.14 per set. The Nittany Lions also average 2.78 blocks per set and 12.84 digs pet set. Simone Lee leads the PSU attackers with 200 kills, while Haleigh Washington has 118 kills and is hitting .422. Ali Frantti rounds out the top three with 109 kills. Abby Detering has a team-best 436 assists, and Kendall White has 181 assists.
ALL-TIME SERIES AND LAST TIME
The Gophers are just 9-45 against the Nittany Lions throughout the all-time meetings. The Gophers, however, won the last meeting between the two teams, Nov. 14, 2015 as the they won 3-0 at the Sports Pavilion. Minnesota's last win over Penn State in Happy Valley dates back to 2004.
GOPHERS' LAST ACTION
The University of Minnesota earned two road sweeps last weekend in wins over Indiana and then-No. 14 Purdue. The Gophers hit .428 as a team against the Hoosiers and Boilermakers and added 11 aces, including seven against Indiana. Sarah Wilhite led the Gopher attackers with 26 kills, while Hannah Tapp added 21 and hit .500 on the weekend.
ON THE DOCKET
Minnesota is set to host the Northwestern Wildcats on Sunday, Oct. 9 at the Sports Pavilion. Match time is set for 2 p.m., and will be streamed on BTN Plus.
GOPHERS RECEIVE WEEKLY B1G LAURELS
Samantha Seliger-Swenson and Alexis Hart have been named the Big Ten Conference's Setter and Rookie of the Week after their performances against league opponents last weekend. It's the fourth honor for Seliger-Swenson this season and the third for Hart. Seliger-Swenson had 74 assists in six sets played for the Gophers this weekend, averaging 12.33 per set. As the starting setter for the Gophers, Seliger-Swenson helped Minnesota to a .428 hitting efficiency in road sweeps at Indiana and at No. 14 Purdue. Hart had 17 kills to average 2.83 per set, hit .351 on the weekend and also had three blocks during the wins. On Friday, Hart had eight kills in 20 attempts and added two blocks. On Sunday, she hit a stifling .562 when she had nine kills in 16 attempts and did not commit an error.
GOPHERS RANKED SECOND IN RPI
Minnesota is ranked No. 2 in the first edition of the NCAA's RPI, which is updated each Monday throughout the remainder of the season. In the top 25 alone, Minnesota has or will face eight teams in the top 25 of the RPI (Wisconsin (1), Nebraska (4), Stanford (5), San Diego (6), Purdue (7), North Carolina (8), Michigan (12) and Michigan State (19).
GOPHERS ATOP AVCA POLL
For the first time in 12 years, Minnesota is ranked No. 1 in the nation, announced Monday by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA). The last time the Golden Gophers were ranked No. 1 dates back to Sept. 27, 2004. With two road sweeps over Indiana and Purdue and a Nebraska loss to Ohio State, the Golden Gophers claimed the top spot in the poll. Minnesota opened the season ranked fourth in the AVCA preseason poll. After a loss to Stanford, the Gophers dropped to No. 6, but have steadily climbed to No. 1 in the 2016 season. During the non-conference schedule, the Gophers faced six teams at the time that were either ranked or received votes. In conference action, nine Big Ten teams are currently ranked in the polls.
| #1 Minnesota (12-1) vs. at #15 Penn State (12-3) | |
| WEDNESDAY | Minnesota at Penn State (Wednesday | 6 p.m. CT) |
| Rec Hall | State College, Pa. | |
| Big Ten Network (Btn2Go) | | Live Updates | |
| SOCIAL MEDIA | @GopherVball | Facebook |
Weekly Notes
GOPHERS TRAVEL PENN STATE
The University of Minnesota is on the road for its third-straight match as the Golden Gophers travel to No. 15 Penn State, Wednesday, Oct. 5. Match time is set for 6 p.m. CT.
FOLLOWING THE GOPHERS
Wednesday's match will be televised live on the Big Ten Network. The match will also have a gameday live page on gophersports.com.
GOPHERS ON THE ROAD
Minnesota is 7-1 on the road this season. The Gophers faced six teams that were either ranked or receiving vote during the non-conference schedule and played ranked Big Ten opponent, Purdue, in West Lafayette, Ind. The Gophers were 9-3 against road teams last year.
THE BIG TEN JUGGERNAUT
Arguably one of the toughest conferences in Division I volleyball, the Big Ten holds nine teams ranked in the recent AVCA poll. This week, three matches are being held between ranked Big Ten teams, including Minnesota (1) vs. Penn State (15).
ABOUT PENN STATE
Penn State enters the Minnesota match with a 12-3 overall record and a perfect 4-0 mark in league action. The Nittany Lions have not dropped a set in eight matches, including two sweeps over Michigan State and Michigan last weekend. As a team, PSU is hitting .309 as it averages 13.14 per set. The Nittany Lions also average 2.78 blocks per set and 12.84 digs pet set. Simone Lee leads the PSU attackers with 200 kills, while Haleigh Washington has 118 kills and is hitting .422. Ali Frantti rounds out the top three with 109 kills. Abby Detering has a team-best 436 assists, and Kendall White has 181 assists.
ALL-TIME SERIES AND LAST TIME
The Gophers are just 9-45 against the Nittany Lions throughout the all-time meetings. The Gophers, however, won the last meeting between the two teams, Nov. 14, 2015 as the they won 3-0 at the Sports Pavilion. Minnesota's last win over Penn State in Happy Valley dates back to 2004.
GOPHERS' LAST ACTION
The University of Minnesota earned two road sweeps last weekend in wins over Indiana and then-No. 14 Purdue. The Gophers hit .428 as a team against the Hoosiers and Boilermakers and added 11 aces, including seven against Indiana. Sarah Wilhite led the Gopher attackers with 26 kills, while Hannah Tapp added 21 and hit .500 on the weekend.
ON THE DOCKET
Minnesota is set to host the Northwestern Wildcats on Sunday, Oct. 9 at the Sports Pavilion. Match time is set for 2 p.m., and will be streamed on BTN Plus.
GOPHERS RECEIVE WEEKLY B1G LAURELS
Samantha Seliger-Swenson and Alexis Hart have been named the Big Ten Conference's Setter and Rookie of the Week after their performances against league opponents last weekend. It's the fourth honor for Seliger-Swenson this season and the third for Hart. Seliger-Swenson had 74 assists in six sets played for the Gophers this weekend, averaging 12.33 per set. As the starting setter for the Gophers, Seliger-Swenson helped Minnesota to a .428 hitting efficiency in road sweeps at Indiana and at No. 14 Purdue. Hart had 17 kills to average 2.83 per set, hit .351 on the weekend and also had three blocks during the wins. On Friday, Hart had eight kills in 20 attempts and added two blocks. On Sunday, she hit a stifling .562 when she had nine kills in 16 attempts and did not commit an error.
GOPHERS RANKED SECOND IN RPI
Minnesota is ranked No. 2 in the first edition of the NCAA's RPI, which is updated each Monday throughout the remainder of the season. In the top 25 alone, Minnesota has or will face eight teams in the top 25 of the RPI (Wisconsin (1), Nebraska (4), Stanford (5), San Diego (6), Purdue (7), North Carolina (8), Michigan (12) and Michigan State (19).
GOPHERS ATOP AVCA POLL
For the first time in 12 years, Minnesota is ranked No. 1 in the nation, announced Monday by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA). The last time the Golden Gophers were ranked No. 1 dates back to Sept. 27, 2004. With two road sweeps over Indiana and Purdue and a Nebraska loss to Ohio State, the Golden Gophers claimed the top spot in the poll. Minnesota opened the season ranked fourth in the AVCA preseason poll. After a loss to Stanford, the Gophers dropped to No. 6, but have steadily climbed to No. 1 in the 2016 season. During the non-conference schedule, the Gophers faced six teams at the time that were either ranked or received votes. In conference action, nine Big Ten teams are currently ranked in the polls.
Players Mentioned
Outside Hitter
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Setter
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Middle Blocker
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Outside Hitter
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