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Five Gophers Named AVCA All-North Region
12/7/2021 10:05:00 AM | Volleyball
Samedy earns North Region Player of the Year
MINNEAPOLIS -- For the second straight year, redshirt senior opposite hitter Stephanie Samedy has been named North Region Player of the Year, it was announced today by the American Volleyball Coaches Association.
Joining Samedy on the All-North Region Team are CC McGraw, Airi Miyabe, Melani Shaffmaster and Jenna Wenaas. Samedy, McGraw, Shaffmaster and Wenaas will all be in contention for All-America honors, which will be announced on Tuesday, Dec. 15. Miyabe was named All-North Region honorable mention, so she won't be up for All-America.
Samedy, from Clermont, Fla., tallied a Big Ten-best 5.41 points and 4.84 kills per set. . A back-to-back Big Ten Player of the Year award winner, Samedy was named Big Ten Player of the Week five times this season. She earned AVCA Player of the Week and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week one time each in 2021. Samedy improved in every area of her game from last year, posting career-highs in points, kills and digs per set (3.66). She ranks No. 1 all-time at Minnesota in matches played (143) and third in attempts (5,213). She ranks No. 4 in kills (1,998), No. 6 in digs (1,515) and No. 15 in blocks (409). It marks Samedy's fifth all-region honors of her career.
McGraw is a libero from Prior Lake, Minn. The two-time All-Big Ten First Team honoree led the Gophers and ranked second in the Big Ten with 4.72 digs per set. McGraw topped her previous season-best of 4.39 digs per set (2020-21) and had a Big Ten-best three matches with 30+ digs in 2021. The rest of the conference combined had four players eclipse the 30-dig mark this season. She ranks No. 5 all-time in digs at Minnesota (1,530) and plans to return to the 'U' in 2022. It's her third consecutive AVCA All-North Region honor.
Airi Miyabe was named AVCA All-North Region honorable mention, earning her first career postseason honor in the maroon and gold. The Osaka, Japan, native has come on furiously over the past two months of the season, tallying 14 double digit kill matches in her last 18 contests. Miyabe ranks third on the team with 2.89 kills per set while hitting .234 for the year. Three times this year she's tied her career-high in kills with 16. She also set a career-high with 12 digs in a second round NCAA Tournament win over Stanford.
A native of New Castle, Ind., Shaffmaster is a sophomore setter who has started in every match for Minnesota in 2021. This is Shaffmaster's second consecutive AVCA All-North Region award after she earned a spot on the team last year as a true freshman. She improved her game significantly from her rookie season, upping her assists per set from 9.69 to 10.75. Shaffmaster also averages 2.80 digs and 0.30 service aces per set. 12 times this season Shaffmaster tallied 40-or-more assists, including a season-best 58 assist performance against Wisconsin on Nov. 21. She finished fourth in the Big Ten in assists per set in 2021.
Jenna Wenaas, a sophomore outside from Frisco, Texas, earns her first ever AVCA All-North Region honor. She was also named Second Team All-Big Ten after a breakout season that saw her average 3.33 kills and 2.66 digs per set. She ranked second on the team with 360 kills and combined with Stephanie Samedy to form the most productive attacking duo in the Big Ten Conference. Wenaas reached double digit kills in 23 of 29 matches and tallied 10 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.
Minnesota will be back in action on Thursday, Dec. 9 at 2 p.m. Central time. The No. 12 Gophers take on No. 5 Baylor in the Sweet 16 at the Madison Regional.
Joining Samedy on the All-North Region Team are CC McGraw, Airi Miyabe, Melani Shaffmaster and Jenna Wenaas. Samedy, McGraw, Shaffmaster and Wenaas will all be in contention for All-America honors, which will be announced on Tuesday, Dec. 15. Miyabe was named All-North Region honorable mention, so she won't be up for All-America.
Samedy, from Clermont, Fla., tallied a Big Ten-best 5.41 points and 4.84 kills per set. . A back-to-back Big Ten Player of the Year award winner, Samedy was named Big Ten Player of the Week five times this season. She earned AVCA Player of the Week and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week one time each in 2021. Samedy improved in every area of her game from last year, posting career-highs in points, kills and digs per set (3.66). She ranks No. 1 all-time at Minnesota in matches played (143) and third in attempts (5,213). She ranks No. 4 in kills (1,998), No. 6 in digs (1,515) and No. 15 in blocks (409). It marks Samedy's fifth all-region honors of her career.
McGraw is a libero from Prior Lake, Minn. The two-time All-Big Ten First Team honoree led the Gophers and ranked second in the Big Ten with 4.72 digs per set. McGraw topped her previous season-best of 4.39 digs per set (2020-21) and had a Big Ten-best three matches with 30+ digs in 2021. The rest of the conference combined had four players eclipse the 30-dig mark this season. She ranks No. 5 all-time in digs at Minnesota (1,530) and plans to return to the 'U' in 2022. It's her third consecutive AVCA All-North Region honor.
Airi Miyabe was named AVCA All-North Region honorable mention, earning her first career postseason honor in the maroon and gold. The Osaka, Japan, native has come on furiously over the past two months of the season, tallying 14 double digit kill matches in her last 18 contests. Miyabe ranks third on the team with 2.89 kills per set while hitting .234 for the year. Three times this year she's tied her career-high in kills with 16. She also set a career-high with 12 digs in a second round NCAA Tournament win over Stanford.
A native of New Castle, Ind., Shaffmaster is a sophomore setter who has started in every match for Minnesota in 2021. This is Shaffmaster's second consecutive AVCA All-North Region award after she earned a spot on the team last year as a true freshman. She improved her game significantly from her rookie season, upping her assists per set from 9.69 to 10.75. Shaffmaster also averages 2.80 digs and 0.30 service aces per set. 12 times this season Shaffmaster tallied 40-or-more assists, including a season-best 58 assist performance against Wisconsin on Nov. 21. She finished fourth in the Big Ten in assists per set in 2021.
Jenna Wenaas, a sophomore outside from Frisco, Texas, earns her first ever AVCA All-North Region honor. She was also named Second Team All-Big Ten after a breakout season that saw her average 3.33 kills and 2.66 digs per set. She ranked second on the team with 360 kills and combined with Stephanie Samedy to form the most productive attacking duo in the Big Ten Conference. Wenaas reached double digit kills in 23 of 29 matches and tallied 10 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.
Minnesota will be back in action on Thursday, Dec. 9 at 2 p.m. Central time. The No. 12 Gophers take on No. 5 Baylor in the Sweet 16 at the Madison Regional.
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