University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Set to Host Back-to-Back Matches
10/31/2017 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
| #5 Minnesota (21-2, 10-2) vs. Maryland (16-8, 5-7) | Ohio State (12-11, 5-7) | |
| MATCH 1 | Minnesota vs. Maryland (Friday | 7 p.m.) |
| Maturi Pavilion | Minneapolis | |
| Watch Online | | Live Updates | |
| MATCH 2 | Minnesota vs. Ohio State (Saturday | (7 p.m.) |
| Maturi Pavilion | Minneapolis | |
| Watch Online| | Live Updates | |
| SOCIAL MEDIA | @GopherVball | Facebook |
GOPHERS PLAY A PAIR THIS WEEKEND
Minnesota will play back-to-back matches on consecutive days, for the first time in over a month, Nov. 3-4. Minnesota hosts Maryland and Ohio State Friday and Saturday nights at 7 p.m.
FOLLOW THE GOPHERS
The Minnesota match vs. Maryland and Ohio State will be streamed live on BTN Plus. The matches will also feature a game day live page on gophersports.com, for in-game updates and stats.
ON THE DOCKET
Minnesota is on the road for four straight matches the next two weeks. The Gophers travel to Purdue/Indiana, Nov. 10-11 and Northwestern/Illinois, Nov. 17-18.
REMAINING SCHEDULE
Minnesota has eight matches remaining of the regular season, four at home and four on the road. In that stretch, Minnesota will face four teams for the first time this season in Maryland, Indiana, Northwestern and Penn State.
SELIGER-SWENSON GAINS B1G WEEKLY HONORS
For the fifth time this season, Samantha Seliger-Swenson has been named Big Ten Setter of the Week, announced Monday by the conference office. The award marks the 13th award for a Golden Gopher volleyball student-athlete this season. Seliger-Swenson helped the Golden Gophers to a pair of wins last week against Illinois and Rutgers. The junior setter averaged 11.25 assists per set during the two matches and boasted 90 assists. Seliger-Swenson also added 17 digs and five blocks. In the win over Illinois, the Minnetonka, Minn., native had 58 assists, and finished off the double-double with 14 digs. In the win against Rutgers, Seliger-Swenson helped the Gophers to a .398 hitting efficiency. On the season, Seliger-Swenson has 976 assists this season, ranks third on the team in digs (208) and first in aces (23). This week's award marks the 11th setter of the week citation during her three-year Gopher tenure.
ABOUT MARYLAND
Maryland enters the match with an overall record of 16-8 and 5-7 in Big Ten action. Last week, Maryland walked away with wins over Purdue (3-2) and Indiana (3-1). The Terrapins are fourth in the Big Ten in aces per set (1.40), and ninth in blocks, averaging 2.17 per set. Gia Milana leads the team in kills with 270 (3.14 per set) and Erika Pritchard follows her with 249 (2.90 per set) and leads the Big Ten in aces with 40 (0.47 per set). Hailey Murray is third in the conference in hitting percentage with .447 and leads the team in total blocks with 75. Samantha Snyder averages 6.09 assists per set and Kelsey Wicinski averages 4.78 digs per set. As a team, Maryland is hitting .240 and averages 12.83 digs per set.
ABOUT OHIO STATE
Ohio State is 12-11 overall and 5-7 in the Big Ten, with its most recent win being a 3-0 sweep over Indiana. The Buckeyes are fourth in the conference in digs (15.06 per set), seventh in kills (13.83 per set), and ninth in assists (12.28 per set). Luisa Schirmer leads OSU with 244 kills and averages 3.09 kills per set. Ashley Wenz follows Schirmer with 228 kills and is hitting .264. Lauren Witte is eighth in blocks in the Big Ten, averaging 1.09 per set, and has a team leading 87 total blocks. Taylor Hughes is 11th in assists in the conference (10.35 per set) and Hannah Gruensfelder averages 4.67 digs per set. As a team, the Buckeyes average 2.14 blocks per set and are hitting .244.
ALL-TIME SERIES AND LAST TIME
The Golden Gophers are 10-0 all time against Maryland, and 6-0 since the Terps joined the Big Ten Conference. This is the first meeting between the two teams this year, with the Gophers winning both matches last year, 3-0. Minnesota is 42-36-0 all time against the Buckeyes, dating back to 1975. The Gophers faced OSU earlier this month and earned a 3-0 win (25-15, 25-20, 25-18) in Columbus, Ohio. As a team, the Gophers hit .274 and held OSU to .137. Minnesota produced 66 digs and 50 kills to win its fourth straight sweep.
GOPHERS SECOND IN RPI
Minnesota is No. 2 in the latest NCAA RPI. In the top 25 spots, Minnesota has nine opponents listed: Penn State (1), Nebraska (4), Texas (6), Wisconsin (8), Michigan State (13), Louisville (22), Purdue (24), and Illinois (25). The Division I Women's Volleyball Committee will reveal a top 10 ranking Wednesday, Nov. 1, at 9 p.m.ET during the Texas vs. Kansas State match on ESPNU. The ranking announcement, however, will have no bearing on the final bracket that will be publicized during the selection show on Sunday, Nov. 26, at 9 p.m. Eastern time on ESPNU. The early reveal will give a first glance at potential teams competing for top seed positions in the upcoming 2017 Division I Women's Volleyball Championship tournament.
