University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
27-3
South Carolina
20-10
Minnesota is Sweet 16 Bound After Sweeping South Carolina
12/1/2018 9:56:00 PM | Volleyball
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Michelle Traversie
Note: Boxscore Attached
Minnesota Sweeps South Carolina to Advance to Regional Semifinal
The No. 2 seed University of Minnesota volleyball team advanced to the Regional Semifinal after topping South Carolina in three sets, 25-12, 25-15, 25-15, tonight at Maturi Pavilion. With the win, the Gophers improve to 27-3 overall and are one of 16 teams remaining in the NCAA Championship.
Stephanie Samedy led the offense with 12 kills (hit .345) and added seven digs. Regan Pittman hit .600 with nine kills, six digs and a team-high four blocks. Adanna Rollins posted eight kills and 11 digs, while Taylor Morgan chipped in six kills. Samantha Seliger-Swenson put up 31 assists, and contributed four kills and three aces. In the back row, CC McGraw recorded 11 digs and was followed by Lauren Barnes who had eight. As a team, the Gophers outhit South Carolina .384 to .147 and held a 46-29 kill advantage. They finished with 52 digs and six blocks while the Gamecocks had 37 digs and two blocks.
With the win, Minnesota will host the Regional Semifinal and Final. The Gophers will take on No. 15 seed Oregon, while No. 7 seed Nebraska takes on No. 10 seed Kentucky. Both matches will take place on Dec. 7, times will be announced at a later date. Winners of the Regional Semifinal will play in the Regional Final, and a trip to the Final Four, on Dec. 8.
Set Breakdown:
Set 1: Minnesota hit .542 to open the match as the Gophers won the first, 25-12. Pittman added a kill for a 7-4 lead, but the Gamecocks pulled within one at 10-9 on a block. The Gophers, however, went on a 5-0 run and a 15-9 lead at the media timeout. The Gophers went up 17-9 on an overpass kill from Morgan and a Barnes ace as SC called a timeout. The Gophers got six points on Barnes' service rotation and a 17-9 lead. Minnesota went up 19-10 off a Samedy/Pittman block, which caused SC to use its second timeout. Seliger-Swenson won the joust for a 22-11 lead, and the Gophers closed out the set with an ace from Rollins for a 1-0 lead.
Set 2: With a one-point Minnesota lead at 6-5, the Gophers went on a 10-1 run to solidify a 25-15 second set win. The Gophers went up 11-6 off back-to-back kills from Samedy that forced South Carolina to call a timeout. SC called another timeout as Minnesota led, 14-6. The Gophers went up, 17-10 and 21-14, both on Samedy kills. A block by Pittman and Hart gave the Gophers set point, while Minnesota went up, 2-0, on a Hart kill.
Set 3: The Gophers hit .472 en route to a 25-15 set win. Minnesota went on a 6-0 run to take a 9-4 lead off a Samedy ace. Minnesota pushed the lead to 12-6 on a Pittman kill and 13-6 on a Morgan kill, which caused South Carolina to call a timeout. Minnesota pushed the lead to 17-9 on a Seliger-Swenson kill, as the Gamecocks used their second timeout of the set. The Gophers closed out the set with a kill by Samedy at 23-14, a Hart kill for match point, while Seliger-Swenson added a service ace for the win.
