University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Set to Host NCAA Tourney
12/1/2016 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Dec. 1, 2016
DID YOU KNOW?
Of the 64 teams to make it to the NCAA Tournament, Minnesota played 12 this season. The Big Ten Conference alone had eight (including the Gophers) make it into the tournament, while the Gophers also played No. 7 seed North Carolina, No. 6 seed Stanford, San Diego, Florida State and Texas A&M during the non-conference season. In all, Minnesota had top 25 RPI wins against 10 teams, six wins against top 50 RPI teams and two against top 100 RPI teams.
GOPHERS NCAA HISTORY
Minnesota is making its 21st NCAA tournament appearance, coming off a 2015 Final Four berth. In all, Minnesota has been to four Final Four appearances, seven Sweet 16 berths and two Elite 8 appearances. In its 20 previous appearances, Minnesota is 19-1 in the First Round, including a 3-0 mark against head coach Hugh McCutcheon.
ABOUT NORTH DAKOTA
North Dakota punched its ticket into the first Division I NCAA Championship when it won both the Big Sky tournament and regular season titles. The Fighting Hawks enter the tournament with a 26-9 record and went 14-2 in league action. UND has three individuals with over 300 kills. Tamara Merseli has a team-high 362, followed by Chelsea Moser is hitting a team-best .349 (327 kills) and Faith Dooley follows with 311 kills. Sydney Griffin has 128 assists, while Alivia Fraase has 569 digs. As a team, the Fighting Hawks are hitting .232, average 17.47 digs per set and 2.57 blocks per set.
ABOUT USC/HAWAII
Southern California enters the tournament with a 18-13 overall record, and tied for seventh in the Pac-12 at 10-10. Khalia Lanier leads the Trojans with 465 kills and 4.01 kills per set. Four Trojans follow with 200-plus kills: Niki Withers (284), Alyse Ford (272), Brittany Abercrombie (244) and Elise Ruddins (214). Reni Meyer-Whalley and Alice Pizzasegola have 669 and 510 assists, respectively, while Taylor Whittingham has a team-best 506 digs. As a team, USC is hitting .238 and average 15.72 digs per set and 2.35 blocks per set.
Hawaii enters the match with a 22-5 overall record and was 15-1 in Big West action. The Rainbow Wahine enter the NCAA Tournament on a 10-match win streak and have won 17 of their last 18 matches. The Bows are led by Big West Player of the Year Nikki Taylor, who has 363 kills, averages 4.59 kills per set and is hitting. McKenna Granato follows with 271 kills, while Emily Maglio rounds out the top three with 216. As a team, the Bows are hitting .277, average 15.06 digs per set and 2.72 blocks per set.
ALL-TIME SERIES AND LAST TIME
The Gophers and Fighting Hawks are meeting for the second time this season as Minnesota opened the home season against UND back in September. The Gophers won, 3-1, to kick off the Diet Coke Classic. Prior to the 2016 meeting, Minnesota and UND had met just twice before, with the last meeting in 1979. Minnesota holds a 3-0 all-time advantage.
Minnesota is 2-3-1 all-time against Southern California, with the last match against the two teams coming in 2011 at the AVCA Showcase in University Park, Pa. The Gophers fell in a five-set match against the No. 2 Trojans.
The Gophers and Hawaii Wahine are familiar with each other, playing in the Regional Final last year. As a part of the Des Moines Region, Minnesota defeated Illinois to get to the Regional Final, as Hawaii defeated Penn State. The Gophers won the match, 3-1, and advanced to the Final Four. Minnesota was led by Daly Santana with her 26 kills, followed by Hannah Tapp with 15 and Sarah Wilhite with 12. Nikki Taylor led the Wahine with 23. It marked the first-ever Gopher win over the Bows, going 1-7 all-time.
EIGHT DAYS, FOUR WINS
Minnesota finished the Big Ten regular season in a second-place tie in the league standings. Nebraska won the title with an 18-2 record, followed by Minnesota (tiebreaker) and Wisconsin at 17-3. In a span of eight days, Minnesota finished off the regular season facing four ranked teams: No. 13 Michigan State, No. 18 Michigan, No. 1 Nebraska and No. 3 Wisconsin, winning all in five sets at home. The Gophers went two straight regular seasons without dropping a home match.
GOPHERS RANKED NO. 1 IN RECENT AVCA POLL
After defeating Nebraska and Wiscosnin, Minnesota moved up from No. 2 to No. 1 in the recent American Volleyball Coaches' Association poll. The Gophers have faced 10 teams 13 times who are currently ranked in the top 25.
ALL-BIG LAURELS FOR THE GOPHERS
Senior outside hitter Sarah Wilhite has been named the Big Ten Player of the Year, and Samantha Seliger-Swenson has been named the Big Ten Setter of the Year, announced nov. 29 by the conference office. The 2016 season marks the second-straight year Minnesota has claimed the player of the year, as Wilhite follows Daly Santana as the top athlete in the league.
Wilhite, Seliger-Swenson and Hannah Tapp were all named All-Big Ten, Molly Lohman was named All-Big Ten honorable mention, Alexis Hart was an All-Freshman honoree, while Paige Tapp was Minnesota's Sportsmanship selection.
Wilhite became the conference player of the year after an outstanding regular season performance, having never received a yearly conference award her three previous years. Saving her best season for her last, Wilhite was a four-time Big Ten Player of the Week. In 109 sets played, Wilhite has 451 kills, averages 4.14 kills per set in 1,151 attempts to hit .294.
Seliger-Swenson garners her B1G Setter of the Year honor after receiving Freshman of the Year last year. This is her second All-Big Ten nod for the sophomore. Seliger-Swenson was named a unanimous selection this season after posting four weekly accolades. In 29 matches, she ranks ninth nationally in assists per set (11.45). Earning a team-high 12 double-doubles this year, Seliger-Swenson also has 254 digs, a team-high 31 aces and 63 total blocks. A Preseason All-Big Ten, she has lead the Gophers to 15 matches where the team hit better than .300.
WILHITE GARNERS B1G AND AVCA WEEKLY HONORS
After receiving her fourth Big Ten Player of the Week honors, senior outside hitter Sarah Wilhite (Eden Prairie, Minn) also received the National Player of the Week award, handed out by American Volleyball Coaches Association. Wilhite averaged 4.20 kills per set and had 42 kills this past week against then-No. 1 Nebraska and No. 3 Wisconsin to close out the regular season. Wilhite hit .296 in that span, while adding four assists, 44 digs. Against Nebraska, she posted 19 kills and a career-high 25 digs as the Gophers erased an 0-2 match deficit. Wilhite followed with a 23-kill, 19-dig performance against No. 3 Wisconsin to close out the regular season. As the Gophers trailed the match, 1-2 to the Badgers, Wilhite had 17 kills, did not commit an error in 27 attempts in the final two sets to push the Gophers to a victory.
| #2 Minnesota vs. North Dakota | |
| FRIDAY | Minnesota vs. North Dakota (Friday | 7 p.m.) |
| Sports Pavilion | Minneapolis | |
| BTN Plus (Free stream) | | Live Updates | |
| SOCIAL MEDIA | @GopherVball | Facebook |
GOPHERS HOST NCAA 1ST AND 2ND ROUND
The University of Minnesota secured the overall No. 2 seed and will begin NCAA competition, Dec. 2, when it hosts North Dakota, Southern California and Hawaii in the First and Second Rounds of the NCAA Tournament. Match times are 4:30 p.m. and 7 p.m., Dec. 2, held at the Sports Pavilion. Winners of the First Round advance to the Second Round, also held at the Sports Pavilion, Dec. 3, at 6 p.m.
FOLLOWING THE GOPHERS
The Minnesota/North Dakota match will be streamed on BTN Plus (free of charge). The Minnesota matches also have a game day live page on gophersports.com.
NCAA NEW FORMAT
New to NCAA Division I Volleyball this year, regional sites are no longer pre-determined. Winners of each NCAA Second Round advance to the Regional Semifinals, which is hosted by the highest remaining seed in each region. If the Gophers advance, Minnesota has the potential to host through the regional. Winners of each region advances to the NCAA Championship Semifinal, Dec. 15, in Columbus, Ohio. Semifinal winners will play in the national championship, Dec. 17, also in Columbus.
DID YOU KNOW?
Of the 64 teams to make it to the NCAA Tournament, Minnesota played 12 this season. The Big Ten Conference alone had eight (including the Gophers) make it into the tournament, while the Gophers also played No. 7 seed North Carolina, No. 6 seed Stanford, San Diego, Florida State and Texas A&M during the non-conference season. In all, Minnesota had top 25 RPI wins against 10 teams, six wins against top 50 RPI teams and two against top 100 RPI teams.
GOPHERS NCAA HISTORY
Minnesota is making its 21st NCAA tournament appearance, coming off a 2015 Final Four berth. In all, Minnesota has been to four Final Four appearances, seven Sweet 16 berths and two Elite 8 appearances. In its 20 previous appearances, Minnesota is 19-1 in the First Round, including a 3-0 mark against head coach Hugh McCutcheon.
ABOUT NORTH DAKOTA
North Dakota punched its ticket into the first Division I NCAA Championship when it won both the Big Sky tournament and regular season titles. The Fighting Hawks enter the tournament with a 26-9 record and went 14-2 in league action. UND has three individuals with over 300 kills. Tamara Merseli has a team-high 362, followed by Chelsea Moser is hitting a team-best .349 (327 kills) and Faith Dooley follows with 311 kills. Sydney Griffin has 128 assists, while Alivia Fraase has 569 digs. As a team, the Fighting Hawks are hitting .232, average 17.47 digs per set and 2.57 blocks per set.
ABOUT USC/HAWAII
Southern California enters the tournament with a 18-13 overall record, and tied for seventh in the Pac-12 at 10-10. Khalia Lanier leads the Trojans with 465 kills and 4.01 kills per set. Four Trojans follow with 200-plus kills: Niki Withers (284), Alyse Ford (272), Brittany Abercrombie (244) and Elise Ruddins (214). Reni Meyer-Whalley and Alice Pizzasegola have 669 and 510 assists, respectively, while Taylor Whittingham has a team-best 506 digs. As a team, USC is hitting .238 and average 15.72 digs per set and 2.35 blocks per set.
Hawaii enters the match with a 22-5 overall record and was 15-1 in Big West action. The Rainbow Wahine enter the NCAA Tournament on a 10-match win streak and have won 17 of their last 18 matches. The Bows are led by Big West Player of the Year Nikki Taylor, who has 363 kills, averages 4.59 kills per set and is hitting. McKenna Granato follows with 271 kills, while Emily Maglio rounds out the top three with 216. As a team, the Bows are hitting .277, average 15.06 digs per set and 2.72 blocks per set.
ALL-TIME SERIES AND LAST TIME
The Gophers and Fighting Hawks are meeting for the second time this season as Minnesota opened the home season against UND back in September. The Gophers won, 3-1, to kick off the Diet Coke Classic. Prior to the 2016 meeting, Minnesota and UND had met just twice before, with the last meeting in 1979. Minnesota holds a 3-0 all-time advantage.
Minnesota is 2-3-1 all-time against Southern California, with the last match against the two teams coming in 2011 at the AVCA Showcase in University Park, Pa. The Gophers fell in a five-set match against the No. 2 Trojans.
The Gophers and Hawaii Wahine are familiar with each other, playing in the Regional Final last year. As a part of the Des Moines Region, Minnesota defeated Illinois to get to the Regional Final, as Hawaii defeated Penn State. The Gophers won the match, 3-1, and advanced to the Final Four. Minnesota was led by Daly Santana with her 26 kills, followed by Hannah Tapp with 15 and Sarah Wilhite with 12. Nikki Taylor led the Wahine with 23. It marked the first-ever Gopher win over the Bows, going 1-7 all-time.
EIGHT DAYS, FOUR WINS
Minnesota finished the Big Ten regular season in a second-place tie in the league standings. Nebraska won the title with an 18-2 record, followed by Minnesota (tiebreaker) and Wisconsin at 17-3. In a span of eight days, Minnesota finished off the regular season facing four ranked teams: No. 13 Michigan State, No. 18 Michigan, No. 1 Nebraska and No. 3 Wisconsin, winning all in five sets at home. The Gophers went two straight regular seasons without dropping a home match.
GOPHERS RANKED NO. 1 IN RECENT AVCA POLL
After defeating Nebraska and Wiscosnin, Minnesota moved up from No. 2 to No. 1 in the recent American Volleyball Coaches' Association poll. The Gophers have faced 10 teams 13 times who are currently ranked in the top 25.
ALL-BIG LAURELS FOR THE GOPHERS
Senior outside hitter Sarah Wilhite has been named the Big Ten Player of the Year, and Samantha Seliger-Swenson has been named the Big Ten Setter of the Year, announced nov. 29 by the conference office. The 2016 season marks the second-straight year Minnesota has claimed the player of the year, as Wilhite follows Daly Santana as the top athlete in the league.
Wilhite, Seliger-Swenson and Hannah Tapp were all named All-Big Ten, Molly Lohman was named All-Big Ten honorable mention, Alexis Hart was an All-Freshman honoree, while Paige Tapp was Minnesota's Sportsmanship selection.
Wilhite became the conference player of the year after an outstanding regular season performance, having never received a yearly conference award her three previous years. Saving her best season for her last, Wilhite was a four-time Big Ten Player of the Week. In 109 sets played, Wilhite has 451 kills, averages 4.14 kills per set in 1,151 attempts to hit .294.
Seliger-Swenson garners her B1G Setter of the Year honor after receiving Freshman of the Year last year. This is her second All-Big Ten nod for the sophomore. Seliger-Swenson was named a unanimous selection this season after posting four weekly accolades. In 29 matches, she ranks ninth nationally in assists per set (11.45). Earning a team-high 12 double-doubles this year, Seliger-Swenson also has 254 digs, a team-high 31 aces and 63 total blocks. A Preseason All-Big Ten, she has lead the Gophers to 15 matches where the team hit better than .300.
WILHITE GARNERS B1G AND AVCA WEEKLY HONORS
After receiving her fourth Big Ten Player of the Week honors, senior outside hitter Sarah Wilhite (Eden Prairie, Minn) also received the National Player of the Week award, handed out by American Volleyball Coaches Association. Wilhite averaged 4.20 kills per set and had 42 kills this past week against then-No. 1 Nebraska and No. 3 Wisconsin to close out the regular season. Wilhite hit .296 in that span, while adding four assists, 44 digs. Against Nebraska, she posted 19 kills and a career-high 25 digs as the Gophers erased an 0-2 match deficit. Wilhite followed with a 23-kill, 19-dig performance against No. 3 Wisconsin to close out the regular season. As the Gophers trailed the match, 1-2 to the Badgers, Wilhite had 17 kills, did not commit an error in 27 attempts in the final two sets to push the Gophers to a victory.
Players Mentioned
Outside Hitter
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Outside Hitter
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Setter
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Middle Blocker
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Outside Hitter
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