Gophers Take on Badgers for Chance at Final Four

MADISON, Wisconsin -- The No. 12 Minnesota Golden Gophers (22-8, 15-5 Big Ten) are getting set to play in the Madison Regional Final on Saturday night against the No. 4 Wisconsin Badgers (28-3, 17-3 Big Ten). The Gophers swept South Dakota and Stanford in the first and second rounds, respectively, last weekend in Minneapolis. On Thursday, they took down No. 5 Baylor in five sets. In Regional Final matches, Minnesota is 3-1 under Hugh, advancing to the Final Four in 2015, 2016 and 2019.

BROADCAST INFORMATION
No. 12 Minnesota vs. No. 4 Wisconsin | 7 p.m. CT | ESPNU
Saturday, Dec. 11
UW Fieldhouse
Madison, Wis.
Broadcasters: Courtney Lyle (Play-By-Play) and Karch Kiraly (Analyst)
Radio: KFAN+ (96.7FM); Tanner Hoops (PBP)

TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets for Saturday's Regional Final are SOLD OUT. Fans interested in attending should look to buy through StubHub.com.

LAST TIME OUT
• The Gophers took down No. 5 Baylor in a thrilling five set battle in the Regional Semifinals. Minnesota trailed 2-1 before winning the fourth set, 25-23, and then taking set five, 15-10.
• Airi Miyabe led the way with a career-high 18 kills while Stephanie Samedy went for 16 kills and 16 digs in a workmanlike effort. Jenna Wenaas also posted a double double with 13 kills and 15 digs. Minnesota advanced to its fifth Regional Final appearance in 10 years under coach McCutcheon with the win.

SCOUTING WISCONSIN
• The No. 5 Wisconsin Badgers (28-3, 17-3 Big Ten) have been to back-to-back Final Fours in addition to winning the last three Big Ten regular season titles. Led by Kelly Sheffield, UW is looking to advance to its third straight National Semifinal.
• One of the most efficient hitting teams in the country, Wisconsin ranks No. 6 nationally at .297. Fifth-year senior Dana Rettke ranks third in the nation in hitting % (.445) and is a four-time All-American.
• Senior setter Sydney Hilley leads the nation with 11.98 assists per set. She has over 5,000 career assists. Defensive specialist Izzy Ashburn ranks third in the Big Ten in aces per set at 0.43.

GOPHERS HISTORY AGAINST WISCONSIN
• Minnesota is 52-35 against Wisconsin all-time, including 11-8 under Hugh McCutcheon. The Gophers had won eight in-a-row against UW from 2015-18 but the Badgers have won five straight in the series. At the Pav, Minnesota is 6-3 vs. Wisconsin under Hugh. At the UW Fieldhouse, Minnesota has won four of their last six matches. They're 5-5 under coach McCutcheon on the road at Wisconsin. The two teams have never met in the postseason.

MINNESOTA'S NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY
• Minnesota made its 26th appearance in the NCAA Tournament this year. The Gophers have made the tournament in nine of 10 seasons under Hugh McCutcheon and 22 of the last 23 seasons overall.
• The Gophers all-time record in NCAA Tournaments is 59-25. Under Hugh McCutcheon, Minnesota is 26-8 in the tournament, including a perfect 16-0 record in first and second round matches.
• All-time, Minnesota has made the Final Four six times (2003, 2004, 2009 2015, 2016, 2019), including three times under Hugh McCutcheon. The Gophers made the national title match in 2004, losing in three sets to Stanford.
• As a program, the Gophers have made the Sweet 16 on 19 occasions and the Elite Eight on 10 occasions. Under Hugh McCutcheon, Minnesota has made the Elite Eight five times, posting a 3-1 record in those matches.
• Playing at home in the NCAA Tournament, Minnesota is 16-1 under Hugh McCutcheon. The only loss came in the 2018 Sweet 16 to Oregon. Minnesota came into the 2018 NCAA Tournament as the No. 2 overall seed, hosting the first and second rounds in addition to regionals.
• 2008 was the last time that Minnesota made the NCAA Tournament but didn't at least make the Sweet 16.

#WENAASOTA TAKING OFF
• A sophomore outside from Frisco, Texas, Jenna Wenaas has had a breakout sophomore season on the pin, earning AVCA All-North Region and Second Team All-Big Ten honors.
• She averaged 3.30 kills and 2.67 digs per set and ranked second on the team with 360 kills during the regular season. She combined with Stephanie Samedy to form the most productive attacking duo in the Big Ten Conference.
• Wenaas has reached double digit kills in 24 of 30 matches and tallied 12 double doubles in 2021. One of her most memorable performances was a 22-kill, 19-dig outing (both then career-highs) in a five set win over Nebraska on Oct. 30. The former top-five recruit in the country has become one of the best players in the conference in 2021, a year after she played in just 43 sets and averaged 0.44 kps.

SAMEDY, McGRAW AND WENAAS EARN ALL-BIG TEN AWARDS
• Stephanie Samedy earned her second consecutive Big Ten Player of the Year award and made the all-conference first team along with senior libero CC McGraw. Sophomore outside Jenna Wenaas earned her first All-Big Ten honor, making the second team. Redshirt senior outside Airi Miyabe garnered Minnesota's Sportsmanship Award.
• McGraw ranked second in the Big Ten during the regular season with 4.72 digs per set and had three 30+ dig matches. Wenaas has tallied double digit kills 24 times this year and averaged 3.33 kills per set, which ranked second on the team behind Samedy.

BATTLE TESTED IS PUTTING IT LIGHTLY
• No team in the entire country has been tested like the Gophers have been in 2021. Minnesota has played 16 of its 30 matches against teams ranked in the AVCA top-25. The Gophers are 9-7 in those matches. Minnesota has played 10 matches against top-10 ranked opponents, which is also a national-high.
• Since Oct. 22, Minnesota has played 14 matches. Of those 14, 10 were against top-25 teams. The Gophers have gone 7-3 in that stretch, with four of those wins coming away from home.

GOPHERS HISTORY IN THE REGIONAL SEMIFINALS AND FINALS
• Minnesota made its 19th appearance in the NCAA Regional Semifinals on Thursday afternoon against Baylor. It will be their 11th straight Sweet 16 appearance when making the NCAA Tournament. Under coach McCutcheon, the Gophers are 5-4 in the round of 16.
• Minnesota is 6-3 all-time in NCAA Regional Finals, including a 3-1 record under coach McCutcheon. The Gophers have won their last three regional final appearances to advance to the Final Four.
• Regional Finals (Under Hugh):
   -2021: TBA vs. Wisconsin
   -2019: 3-0 Win vs. Louisville
   -2016: 3-0 Win vs. UCLA
   -2015: 3-1 Win vs. Hawaii
   -2012: 1-3 Loss to Penn State

WHAT'S NEXT
• If the Gophers were to defeat Wisconsin, they would play in next week's Final Four in Columbus, Ohio. The National Semifinals are slated for 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT and 9:30 p.m./8:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 16.

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Players Mentioned

CC McGraw

Airi Miyabe

Stephanie Samedy

Jenna Wenaas