University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Ready to Begin NCAA Postseason
11/29/2017 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
| #8 Minnesota (26-5) vs. North Dakota (30-7) | |
| NCAA FIRST ROUND | Minnesota vs. North Dakota (Friday | 7 p.m.) |
| Maturi Pavilion | Minneapolis | |
| Watch Online | Live Stats | Live Updates | |
| SOCIAL MEDIA | @GopherVball | Facebook |
PURCHASE TICKETS TODAY
GOPHERS READY FOR SECOND SEASON
The University of Minnesota received the No. 7 overall seed in the 2017 NCAA Division I Volleyball Championships and will host the First and Second Round of the tournament, Friday and Saturday night. Minnesota welcomes Louisville, Northern Iowa and North Dakota to Maturi Pavilion this weekend. UNI and Louisville will play at 4:30 p.m., followed by the Gophers and Fighting Hawks at 7 p.m., or 30 minutes following the first match. Winners of both matches will move onto the Second Round also at Maturi Pavilion, 8 p.m. The winner of the Second Round advances to the Sweet 16.
FOLLOW THE GOPHERS
First Round matches in the Minneapolis First will be streamed on BTN Plus, free of charge. The matches will also feature a game day live page on gophersports.com, for in-game updates and stats.
TIME CHANGE FOR SECOND ROUND
The NCAA has changed the start time of Saturday's match to 8:00 p.m. Depending on the results from Friday, the Big Ten Network has the option to televise the match (first serve will be 8:05 if on BTN).
GOPHERS IN THE NCAA HISTORY
Minnesota is making its 22nd NCAA tournament appearance, coming off back-to-back Final Four berths. In all, Minnesota has been to five Final Fours, seven Sweet 16 berths and two Elite 8 appearances. In its 21 previous appearances, Minnesota is 20-1 in the First Round, including a 4-0 mark against head coach Hugh McCutcheon.
HOW THEY GOT INTO THE TOURNEY
Minnesota earned an at-large bid and the No. 7 overall seed after finishing the regular season at 26-5 overall. With a RPI of No. 7, the Gophers are one of eight teams in the Big Ten to make the tournament. In all, Minnesota faced 11 teams within the field of 64 during the regular season.
North Dakota punched its NCAA tournament ticket after winning the Big Sky for the second-straight season. The Fighting Hawks enter the tourney with a 30-7 overall record and went 12-4 in conference play. Northern Iowa received an at-large bid into the NCAA tournament and enter post season play with a 26-8 overall record. Louisville won a share of the ACC and are making its 26th tournament appearance. The Cardinals enter the tournament with a 24-6 record after they went 18-2 in the ACC.
ABOUT NORTH DAKOTA
North Dakota enters the tournament with 30-7 overall record and went 12-4 in the Big Sky. Faith Dooley leads the Fighting Hawks with 414 kills and 195 blocks. Three Fighting Hawks follow with 300 plus kills: Ashley Brueggeman (361), Tamara Merseli (365) and Jordan Vail (302). Sydney Griffin posted 1,408 assists in the regular season and Alivia Fraase leads the teams in digs with 560. As a team, the Fighting Hawks average 13.48 kills per set, 2.69 blocks per set and are hitting .234.
ABOUT LOUISVILLE
Louisville comes into the tournament with a 24-6 overall record and 18-2 mark in the ACC. Melanie McHenry has a team leading 400 kills and is followed by Tess Clark with 302 and Amanda Green at 264. The ACC Setter of the Year, Wilma Rivera, has 1,183 assists in the regular season and the ACC Defensive Player of the Year, Molly Sauer, has a team-best 456 digs. Maggie DeJong posted 123 total blocks. As a team, the Cardinals are hitting .234 and average 13.57 kills and 2.31 blocks per set.
ABOUT NORTHERN IOWA
Northern Iowa enters the first round with a 26-8 overall record and went 14-3 in MVC league action. As a team, the Panthers are hitting .243 and average 15.28 kills and 1.90 blocks per set. UNI has three players with 400 plus kills, Piper Thomas leads with 495 and is followed by Karlie Taylor (475) and Bri Weber (406). Kendyl Sorge leads the team with 588 digs and Heather Hook tallied 1,451 assists.
FAMILIAR FOES
The 2017 season marks the second-straight year the Gophers open the NCAA tournament against North Dakota. Minnesota earned a 3-0 win last season against the Fighting Hawks, also at the Pavilion. In fact, it will be Minnesota's third time facing UND in the past two years as they also competed in the 2016 Diet Coke Classic. North Dakota's assistant coach is also former Gopher setter, Mia Tabberson.
Minnesota faced Louisville earlier this season, back in the second match of the year. The Gophers and Louisville have competed in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge the past four years, however the Cardinals are now coached by Dani Busboom Kelly, a former Nebraska assistant coach the previous five years.
Northern Iowa visited the Pavilion back in 2015 when the Panthers also competed in the NCAA Tournament. UNI, however, was defeated by Marquette in 2015 during the first round.
ALL-TIME SERIES AND LAST TIME
Minnesota is 4-0 all time against the Fighting Hawks, dating back to 1978. The Gophers opened 2016 NCAA postseason against UND and won, 25-21, 25-12, 25-20 during the opening round. Sarah Wilhite had 17 kills in the win, followed by Alexis Hart with nine.
Minnesota is 5-4 all time against Louisville and broke the 4-4 tie earlier this year in a win over the Cards during the Big Ten/ACC Challenge in Madison, Wis. Minnesota dropped the opening set to Louisville, 20-25, but rebounded to win the next three 25-18, 25-18, 25-20 for its second win of the season.
The last time Minnesota faced Northern Iowa dates back to before Hugh McCutcheon was the Gopher coach. The Gophers traveled to Cedar Falls, Iowa in 2011 to compete in the Clarion Inn-vitational and won the tournament with a 3-2 over the Panthers. Minnesota is 17-6 all time against UNI, with the first meeting back in 1976.
