University of Minnesota Athletics
Players Mentioned
Miyabe, Samedy Set to Return for Fall of 2021
6/22/2021 4:07:00 PM | Volleyball
University of Minnesota volleyball seniors Airi Miyabe and Stephanie Samedy have announced they will both be returning for an additional year of competition next season.
Miyabe and Samedy are exercising their option under NCAA guidelines to compete in an extra season of competition due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Miyabe, an outside hitter from Osaka, Japan has played in 32 matches and 70 sets for the Gophers. In that span, she's also had 101 kills in her two years with Minnesota. Prior to her time at Minnesota, Miyabe spent two seasons at College of Southern Idaho. With the Eagles she led the team to a 2018 NJCAA championship and a runner-up finish in 2017.
Samedy, an opposite from Clermont, Fla., is Honda Award finalist, a four-time All-American and All-Big Ten selection. She was also named the 2021 Spring Big Ten Player of the Year and the recipient of the Senior CLASS award, which is chosen by a nationwide vote of Division I women's volleyball coaches, national volleyball media, and fans, is given annually to the most outstanding senior student-athlete in Division I women's volleyball. In her Gopher career, Samedy has amassed 1,485 kills, 1,127 digs and 1,724.5 points.
Minnesota opens the 2021 fall season, Aug. 27-28 in Madison, Wis., where it will compete in the Big Ten/Big 12 Challenge. Along with Minnesota and Wisconsin, Baylor and TCU will compete in the tournament. The Gophers return 11 letterwinners to the 2021 fall season.