University of Minnesota Athletics
Friday, December 7
Maturi Pavilion
3:30 PM
University of Minnesota
vs
Oregon
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DS/Libero
/ Volleyball
Outside Hitter
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Middle Blocker
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Middle Blocker
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Photo by: Christopher Mitchell / Sport Shot Photo
Gophers Set to Host NCAA Regional
12/5/2018 9:16:00 AM | Volleyball
MINNESOTA HOSTS NCAA REGIONAL
The University of Minnesota is ready to host one of four regionals set for Dec. 7-8. Minnesota faces Oregon on Friday at 3:30 p.m., while Kentucky and Nebraska round out the region and play at 1 p.m. Winners of each match advance to the Regional Final at 5 p.m. on Saturday.
FOLLOW THE GOPHERS
The NCAA and ESPN has announced times for the NCAA Volleyball Regionals next weekend. The Minnesota/Oregon match can be viewed on ESPN3 or espn.com/watch. Should the Gophers win, the Regional Final will be shown on ESPNU. Gophersports.com will also feature a game day live page.
GOPHERS IN THE NCAA TOURNEY
The 2018 season marks the 23rd year the Golden Gophers have advanced to the NCAA tournament and the third time since 2015 they have landed a No. 2 seed. Minnesota was also a No. 2 seed in 2015 and 2016, as that ties the program's highest seed in program history. Minnesota has had a top 10 seed the past four seasons, as it was the No. 7 overall seed in 2017. In all, Minnesota has been to five Final Fours. The Gophers are making their ninth Regional Semifinal appearance in 10 years, including sixth under head coach Hugh McCutcheon. The last time the Gophers hosted a NCAA Regional was just in 2016 when Minnesota welcomed Missouri, North Carolina and UCLA to the Pav. During that season, the Gophers punched their ticket to the NCAA Championship after wins against Missouri and UCLA.
SEEDED TEAMS
The Minneapolis Region is the only remaining portion of the bracket to have all of its seeded teams advance to the Sweet 16. The Gophers punched their ticket to the NCAA Regional Semifinal after a pair of 3-0 wins over Bryant and South Carolina in the First and Second Round last weekend. No. 15 seed Oregon defeated New Mexico State and Baylor to advance to the Regional Semifinal. No. 7 seed Nebraska defeated Hofstra and Missouri, while No. 10 seed Kentucky defeated Murray State and Purdue.
AVCA ALL-REGION HONORS
The American Volleyball Coaches Association announced that six University of Minnesota volleyball student-athletes garnered All-North Region honors today. Samantha Seliger-Swenson, Adanna Rollins and Hugh McCutcheon were also awarded the North Region's Player of the Year, Freshman of the Year and Coach of the Year. Along with Seliger-Swenson and Rollins, Alexis Hart, Taylor Morgan, Regan Pittman and Stephanie Samedy were also named All-Region. That number ties the nation's best, along with Stanford.
ALL-TIME SERIES
Minnesota is 2-3 all-time against the Oregon Ducks. It marks the second time the Gophers and Ducks face each other this season, with the first during the Pac-12 Challenge. The Ducks defeated Minnesota, 3-1. All-time, Minnesota is just 9-34 against Nebraska, dating back to 1975. Since the Huskers joined the Big Ten Conference in 2011, Minnesota has gone 5-8, and won both matches earlier this year. The last time the Gophers faced Kentucky dates back to 2013 when Minnesota fell to the Wildcats, 3-2, in Lexington, Ky. All-time the Gophers are 3-3.
ABOUT OREGON
No. 15 seed Oregon advanced to the Regional Semifinals after defeating Baylor in a five-set decision and New Mexico State in four. The Ducks is 22-10 overall and went 13-7 in the Pac-12. Lindsey Vander Weide leads the team in kills with 408 (3.52 per set) and has recorded 341 digs (2.94). Ronika Stone has recorded 351 kills (2.95 per set) and has a team-high 144 blocks, averaging 1.21 per set. August Raskie had tallied 1,393 assists (11.71 per set) and Brooke Nuneviller has 536 digs (4.83 per set). As a team, the Ducks are hitting .265 and average 14.51 kills per set, 16.10 digs per set and 2.43 blocks per set.
ABOUT KENTUCKY
No. 10 seed Kentucky swept their way past Purdue and Murray State to punch their ticket to the Regional Semifinals. The Wildcats had a perfect 18-0 record in the SEC and are 26-4 overall. Madison Lilley has put up 1,201 assists and averages 11.33 per set, while libero Gabby Curry averages 4.42 digs per set (469 total). Offensively, Leah Edmond leads the way with 491 kills (4.63 per set) and is followed by Alli Stumler (2.42 kills per set) and Brooke Morgan (2.36 kills per set). Morgan has a team-high 105 blocks. The Wildcats are hitting .305 and average 14.50 kills per set, 14.71 digs per set and 2.09 blocks per set.
ABOUT NEBRASKA
No 7 see Nebraska is 26-6 overall and went 15-5 in the Big Ten. The Cornhuskers defeated Hofstra and Missouri to advance to the Sweet 16. Mikaela Foecke leads the team with 438 kills (3.74 per set) and has 308 digs. Lexi Sun (3.12 per set) and Jazz Sweet (2.31) have recorded 278 and 270 kills, respectively. Callie Schwarzenbach has recorded a team-best 164 blocks (1.40 pr set) and is followed by Lauren Stivrins with 143 (1.22 per set). Kenzie Maloney anchors the back row with 476 digs and averages 10.32 per set. Nicklin Hames has recorded 1,208 assists and averages 4.07 per set. Nebraska is hitting .264 and averages 13.15 kills per set,15.68 digs per set and 2.82 blocks per set.
BIG TEN CHAMPIONS
With the five-set win over Ohio State (Nov. 17), Minnesota clinched the 2018 Big Ten championship, in Columbus, Ohio. It marked the third conference championship for the Gophers in program history and the second since 2015. Minnesota clinched the title outright on the last game of the season in 2015, while the Gophers won it this year with two matches remaining in the 2018 regular season schedule. With the win, the Gophers punched their ticket to the NCAA tournament. With no conference tournament in volleyball, the Big Ten regular season champion solidified the league's automatic bid.
BEST BIG TEN SEASON
The 2018 Gophers went 19-1 in Big Ten action this season. That record marked the best conference record in school history. Minnesota went 18-0 before it lost a conference match in five sets to Penn State. The 2018 Gophers improved their previous Big Ten best when Minnesota won 15-straight in 2015. In that season the Gophers finished with an 18-2 league record.
GOPHERS AND THE B1G AWARDS
Samantha Seliger-Swenson was named the Big Ten Player of the Year and Co-Setter of the Year. Head coach Hugh McCutcheon was also named Coach of the Year by both media and coaches. In all, six individuals landed a spot on the First or Second All-Big Ten Team and two were named to the All-Freshman Team. All play an integral role on the Gopher team en route to a conference championship.
Seliger-Swenson, Stephanie Samedy and Regan Pittman were named First Team All-Big Ten, while Alexis Hart, Taylor Morgan and Adanna Rollins were on the Second Team. Rollins and CC McGraw were named to the All-Freshman Team. Seliger-Swenson and Samedy were two of 10 unanimous First Team selections. Lauren Barnes, a sophomore defensive specialist from Naperville, Ill., also received Minnesota's Sportsmanship Award.
The University of Minnesota is ready to host one of four regionals set for Dec. 7-8. Minnesota faces Oregon on Friday at 3:30 p.m., while Kentucky and Nebraska round out the region and play at 1 p.m. Winners of each match advance to the Regional Final at 5 p.m. on Saturday.
FOLLOW THE GOPHERS
The NCAA and ESPN has announced times for the NCAA Volleyball Regionals next weekend. The Minnesota/Oregon match can be viewed on ESPN3 or espn.com/watch. Should the Gophers win, the Regional Final will be shown on ESPNU. Gophersports.com will also feature a game day live page.
It's another game day! #Gophers are ready to compete! pic.twitter.com/zS9DdxYqTv
— Minnesota Volleyball (@GopherVBall) December 7, 2018
GOPHERS IN THE NCAA TOURNEY
The 2018 season marks the 23rd year the Golden Gophers have advanced to the NCAA tournament and the third time since 2015 they have landed a No. 2 seed. Minnesota was also a No. 2 seed in 2015 and 2016, as that ties the program's highest seed in program history. Minnesota has had a top 10 seed the past four seasons, as it was the No. 7 overall seed in 2017. In all, Minnesota has been to five Final Fours. The Gophers are making their ninth Regional Semifinal appearance in 10 years, including sixth under head coach Hugh McCutcheon. The last time the Gophers hosted a NCAA Regional was just in 2016 when Minnesota welcomed Missouri, North Carolina and UCLA to the Pav. During that season, the Gophers punched their ticket to the NCAA Championship after wins against Missouri and UCLA.
SEEDED TEAMS
The Minneapolis Region is the only remaining portion of the bracket to have all of its seeded teams advance to the Sweet 16. The Gophers punched their ticket to the NCAA Regional Semifinal after a pair of 3-0 wins over Bryant and South Carolina in the First and Second Round last weekend. No. 15 seed Oregon defeated New Mexico State and Baylor to advance to the Regional Semifinal. No. 7 seed Nebraska defeated Hofstra and Missouri, while No. 10 seed Kentucky defeated Murray State and Purdue.
AVCA ALL-REGION HONORS
The American Volleyball Coaches Association announced that six University of Minnesota volleyball student-athletes garnered All-North Region honors today. Samantha Seliger-Swenson, Adanna Rollins and Hugh McCutcheon were also awarded the North Region's Player of the Year, Freshman of the Year and Coach of the Year. Along with Seliger-Swenson and Rollins, Alexis Hart, Taylor Morgan, Regan Pittman and Stephanie Samedy were also named All-Region. That number ties the nation's best, along with Stanford.
ALL-TIME SERIES
Minnesota is 2-3 all-time against the Oregon Ducks. It marks the second time the Gophers and Ducks face each other this season, with the first during the Pac-12 Challenge. The Ducks defeated Minnesota, 3-1. All-time, Minnesota is just 9-34 against Nebraska, dating back to 1975. Since the Huskers joined the Big Ten Conference in 2011, Minnesota has gone 5-8, and won both matches earlier this year. The last time the Gophers faced Kentucky dates back to 2013 when Minnesota fell to the Wildcats, 3-2, in Lexington, Ky. All-time the Gophers are 3-3.
ABOUT OREGON
No. 15 seed Oregon advanced to the Regional Semifinals after defeating Baylor in a five-set decision and New Mexico State in four. The Ducks is 22-10 overall and went 13-7 in the Pac-12. Lindsey Vander Weide leads the team in kills with 408 (3.52 per set) and has recorded 341 digs (2.94). Ronika Stone has recorded 351 kills (2.95 per set) and has a team-high 144 blocks, averaging 1.21 per set. August Raskie had tallied 1,393 assists (11.71 per set) and Brooke Nuneviller has 536 digs (4.83 per set). As a team, the Ducks are hitting .265 and average 14.51 kills per set, 16.10 digs per set and 2.43 blocks per set.
ABOUT KENTUCKY
No. 10 seed Kentucky swept their way past Purdue and Murray State to punch their ticket to the Regional Semifinals. The Wildcats had a perfect 18-0 record in the SEC and are 26-4 overall. Madison Lilley has put up 1,201 assists and averages 11.33 per set, while libero Gabby Curry averages 4.42 digs per set (469 total). Offensively, Leah Edmond leads the way with 491 kills (4.63 per set) and is followed by Alli Stumler (2.42 kills per set) and Brooke Morgan (2.36 kills per set). Morgan has a team-high 105 blocks. The Wildcats are hitting .305 and average 14.50 kills per set, 14.71 digs per set and 2.09 blocks per set.
ABOUT NEBRASKA
No 7 see Nebraska is 26-6 overall and went 15-5 in the Big Ten. The Cornhuskers defeated Hofstra and Missouri to advance to the Sweet 16. Mikaela Foecke leads the team with 438 kills (3.74 per set) and has 308 digs. Lexi Sun (3.12 per set) and Jazz Sweet (2.31) have recorded 278 and 270 kills, respectively. Callie Schwarzenbach has recorded a team-best 164 blocks (1.40 pr set) and is followed by Lauren Stivrins with 143 (1.22 per set). Kenzie Maloney anchors the back row with 476 digs and averages 10.32 per set. Nicklin Hames has recorded 1,208 assists and averages 4.07 per set. Nebraska is hitting .264 and averages 13.15 kills per set,15.68 digs per set and 2.82 blocks per set.
BIG TEN CHAMPIONS
With the five-set win over Ohio State (Nov. 17), Minnesota clinched the 2018 Big Ten championship, in Columbus, Ohio. It marked the third conference championship for the Gophers in program history and the second since 2015. Minnesota clinched the title outright on the last game of the season in 2015, while the Gophers won it this year with two matches remaining in the 2018 regular season schedule. With the win, the Gophers punched their ticket to the NCAA tournament. With no conference tournament in volleyball, the Big Ten regular season champion solidified the league's automatic bid.
BEST BIG TEN SEASON
The 2018 Gophers went 19-1 in Big Ten action this season. That record marked the best conference record in school history. Minnesota went 18-0 before it lost a conference match in five sets to Penn State. The 2018 Gophers improved their previous Big Ten best when Minnesota won 15-straight in 2015. In that season the Gophers finished with an 18-2 league record.
GOPHERS AND THE B1G AWARDS
Samantha Seliger-Swenson was named the Big Ten Player of the Year and Co-Setter of the Year. Head coach Hugh McCutcheon was also named Coach of the Year by both media and coaches. In all, six individuals landed a spot on the First or Second All-Big Ten Team and two were named to the All-Freshman Team. All play an integral role on the Gopher team en route to a conference championship.
Seliger-Swenson, Stephanie Samedy and Regan Pittman were named First Team All-Big Ten, while Alexis Hart, Taylor Morgan and Adanna Rollins were on the Second Team. Rollins and CC McGraw were named to the All-Freshman Team. Seliger-Swenson and Samedy were two of 10 unanimous First Team selections. Lauren Barnes, a sophomore defensive specialist from Naperville, Ill., also received Minnesota's Sportsmanship Award.
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