University of Minnesota Athletics
2015 Banner Celebration Set for April 30
3/22/2016 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
The University of Minnesota volleyball program will celebrate the 2015 Big Ten Championship and Final Four season with a banner celebration following the home spring match, April 30, against North Dakota State. Adding a full weekend of activities, Friday's afternoon practice and Saturday's spring practice and match vs. North Dakota State is open to the public.
As the Gophers prepare for the spring match, Minnesota will conduct and open practice, 3 p.m., on Friday, April 29 at the Sports Pavilion, which is expected to last two hours. The Gophers will sign autographs and provide locker room tours to the public.
On Saturday, Minnesota and North Dakota State will hold an open combined practice from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. After a lunch break, the two teams will compete in a spring match, starting at 3:30. The Gophers will then drop banners from the Sports Pavilion rafters to mark one of Minnesota's most successful seasons in recent history. Minnesota student-athletes will sign autographs, while locker room tours will also be available.
Minnesota advanced to its first Final Four since 2009 and fourth in school history. After going 19-12 in 2014, the Golden Gophers went 30-5 in 2015 and finished the season as the No. 3 team in the nation. With a school-best 18-2 Big Ten record, Minnesota took home the Big Ten Championship, the program's first since 2002. The Gophers garnered the Big Ten Player of the Year (Daly Santana), Big Ten Freshman of the Year ( Samantha Seliger-Swenson) and Coach of the Year (Hugh McCutcheon), while Santana, Seliger-Swenson and Hannah Tapp were All-Big Ten honorees. In all, Minnesota had four All-Americans (Santana, Seliger-Swenson, Hannah Tapp and Paige Tapp), while McCutcheon was the 2015 AVCA Coach of the Year. The Maroon and Gold went undefeated at home with a perfect 15-0 Sports Pavilion record.
Schedule of Events:
April 29
Open Practice, 2:30-5 p.m. (approximate end time)
Locker room Tours (during practice) & Autograph session (immediately following practice)
Coaching Clinic (immediately after practice until 6:30 p.m.)
April 30
Open Combined Team Practice 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
2:30 p.m. Team Warm-ups
3:30 p.m. Spring Match (4 sets to 25 points)
Locker room Tours (during scrimmage) 2015 Banner Ceremony (after scrimmage), Autograph session (immediately following scrimmage & banner ceremony)
*Any prospect (individuals in 9th grade and above) competing in tournament play may not interact with the University of Minnesota coaching staff. Per NCAA Bylaw 13.1.6.2, recruiting contact is prohibited the day of (or on-call for) athletic competition in which the prospect is a participant until the prospect has been released by the appropriate authority after their final competition.
