Five Gophers Land a Spot on First and Second All-Big Ten Teams

CC McGraw, Regan Pittman and Stephanie Samedy were all named All-Big Ten First Team, while Alexis Hart and Taylor Morgan was named All-Big Ten Second Team, announced today by the Conference office. Pittman was also a unanimous choice by the Big Ten coaches. Lauren Litzau was honored with the Sportsmanship Award.

McGraw, a sophomore 5-foot, 9-inch libero from Prior Lake, Minn., is making her first appearance on the All-Big Ten list after receiving Big Ten All-Freshman honors last year. In her second year as the Gopher libero, McGraw has established 4.22 digs per set and leads the team with 384 digs. In conference action, McGraw averaged 4.26 digs per set, which ranked third in conference action matches. She also has tied for a team-best 22 aces and contributed 82 assists this season. McGraw was the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week twice this season and established a career-best 32 digs in a single match this season.

Pittman, a 6-foot, five-inch redshirt junior middle blocker, lands her second-straight First Team All-Big Ten honor. In her junior season, Pittman ranks first on the team in hitting percentage (.364), first in blocks (142) and blocks per set (1.43) and tied for first in aces (22). She has also established 229 kills in 99 sets played, which ranks fourth on the team. Her 1.43 blocks per set ranks first among Big Ten players. In conference action alone, Pittman also averaged 1.45 blocks per set, which ranked second in league action. Pittman was named a two-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week this season.

Samedy, a 6-foot, 2-inch junior opposite hitter, garners her third-straight All-Big Ten honor. Like the previous two years, Samedy leads the Gophers in kills (313), kills per set (3.26) and attempts (868). She also averages 0.93 blocks per set, and 19 aces, which ranks third on the team. Samedy ranked 15^th among Big Ten players in kills per set when she played in 96 sets this regular season. Posting 10 double-doubles this season, Samedy was also named a Preseason All-Big Ten selection, a two-time Big Ten Player of the Week and was also named the AVCA National Player of the Week this season.

Hart Morgan

Hart, a 6-foot senior outside hitter, closes out her college career receiving four All-Big awards in her tenure. She was named to the Freshman All-Big Ten team in 2016, All-Big Ten as a sophomore and now Second Team All-Big Ten as a junior and senior. Hart ranks second on the team with 290 kills and averages 3.02 kills per set. She also hit .268 her senior year.

Morgan, a 6-foot redshirt senior middle blocker, adds her second All-Big Ten honor of her Gopher career. She had 186 kills in the regular season and averaged 2.02 kills per set. She ranked second on the team in hitting (.350), blocks (109) and blocks per set (1.18). Morgan's 1.18 blocks per set ranked eighth among Big Ten players. She also averaged 1.35 bps in conference action, which ranked four in league standings.

Litzau

First Team
Jacqueline Quade, Sr., Illinois
Katie Myers, So., Maryland
Paige Jones, So., Michigan*
Mackenzi Welsh, Sr., Michigan
CC McGraw, So., Minnesota
Regan Pittman, Jr., Minnesota*
Stephanie Samedy, Jr., Minnesota
Nicklin Hames, So., Nebraska
Lauren Stivrins, Jr., Nebraska*
Lexi Sun, Jr., Nebraska
Kaitlyn Hord, So., Penn State*
Jonni Parker, So., Penn State*
Kendall White, Sr., Penn State*
Grace Cleveland, So., Purdue*
Blake Mohler, Sr., Purdue
Sydney Hilley, Jr., Wisconsin*
Grace Loberg, Jr., Wisconsin
Dana Rettke, Jr., Wisconsin*

* denotes unanimous selection

Second Team
Ashlyn Fleming, Sr., Illinois
Breana Edwards, So., Indiana
Cori Crocker, Sr., Michigan
Alexis Hart, Sr., Minnesota
Taylor Morgan, Sr., Minnesota
Madi Kubik, Fr., Nebraska
Temi Thomas-Ailara, Fr., Northwestern
Kylie Murr, Fr., Ohio State
Gabby Blossom, So., Penn State
Caitlyn Newton, Jr., Purdue
Madison Duello, Sr., Wisconsin
Molly Haggerty, Jr., Wisconsin
Danielle Hart, So., Wisconsin

All-Freshman Team
Diana Brown, Illinois
May Pertofsky, Michigan
Jessica Robinson, Michigan
Kenzie Knuckles, Nebraska
Madi Kubik, Nebraska
Temi Thomas-Ailara, Northwestern
Jenaisya Moore, Ohio State
Kylie Murr, Ohio State

Player of the Year: Dana Rettke, Jr., Wisconsin
Defensive Player of the Year: Kendall White, Sr., Penn State
Setter of the Year: Sydney Hilley, Jr., Wisconsin
Freshman of the Year: Madi Kubik, Nebraska
Coach of the Year (Coaches): Russ Rose, Penn State
Coach of the Year (Media): Kelly Sheffield, Wisconsin

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Players Mentioned

Alexis Hart

Lauren Litzau

CC McGraw

Taylor Morgan

Regan Pittman

Stephanie Samedy