Facts & Figures: What to Know as Gopher Volleyball Begins 2021 Season

The University of Minnesota Volleyball program begins its 50th season in school history in 2021. One of the most storied programs in collegiate volleyball, Minnesota has made 26 NCAA tournament appearances and six trips to the Final Four. Led by tenth-year head coach Hugh McCutcheon, the Gophers are coming off a 16-3 (15-2 Big Ten) 2020-21 season which resulted in a runner-up Big Ten finish and a trip to the Sweet 16.

After an open scrimmage tomorrow (3:30 p.m. CT) at Maturi Pavilion, Minnesota will go full-speed ahead towards its 28-game regular season, which begins on Friday, Aug. 27 against No. 10 Baylor in Madison.

Your 2021 Minnesota Golden Gophers 〽️ pic.twitter.com/Dj14ndchIF
— Minnesota Volleyball (@GopherVBall) August 19, 2021

What You Should Know about the 2021 Golden Gophers:

1. The Schedule:

The preseason No. 7-ranked Gophers have a gauntlet of schedule once again. In addition to playing 20 conference games in the always difficult Big Ten slate, they'll play eight non-conference matches, including five against AVCA top-25 ranked teams.
Minnesota kicks of non-conference play with two games in Madison, Wis., against Big XII foes Baylor and TCU. The Bears, ranked No. 10 in the country, went to the Final Four in 2019 and the Sweet 16 last spring. TCU is looking to bounce back from a difficult 2020-21 where they went just 4-17.
The home opener is a doozy as the No. 1 ranked Texas Longhorns come to town, Minnesota's third straight Big XII opponent. UT lost in the national title match to Kentucky in the spring.
Next up is a trip to SEC country as the No. 6 Florida Gators play host to the Gophers on Sept. 5. After Florida, the Big Ten/Pac-12 Challenge on Sept. 10 and 11 leads Minnesota to two ranked West Coast opponents in No. 14 Oregon and No. 21 Stanford.
After the Diet Coke Classic, Minnesota begins its conference slate on Sept. 24 against Michigan. The Gophers have 13 ranked opponents out of 28 games on their schedule.
Minnesota is set to take on seven teams ranked in the AVCA preseason top-10 (second most top-10 games in the country).

🚨 TV Broadcast Schedule 🚨

The #Gophers will be on 📺 A LOT this season!

Full Schedule:https://t.co/u7acxvJUGa pic.twitter.com/zeWmIeXErB
— Minnesota Volleyball (@GopherVBall) August 10, 2021

2. The All-Americans:

The Gophers return a significant amount of talent and experience this season, including three players who've earned All-American honors in the past. Redshirt senior and four-time All-American Stephanie Samedy is back for her final go-around after winning Big Ten Player of the Year last season. She ranks 12^th in the nation among active NCAA players in kills (1,485) and is primed for a huge final season in maroon and gold.
Sophomore outside Taylor Landfair came to Minnesota in 2020 as the No. 1 overall recruit and she's lived up to the hype so far. The Big Ten All-Freshman Team selection ranked second on Minnesota in kills (212) on her way to AVCA All-America honorable mention and the AVCA North Region Freshman of the Year award. She's the fifth Gopher in the past six seasons to win AVCA North Region Freshman of the Year.
Libero/ds CC McGraw is back for her senior season in the maroon and gold after missing the final eight games last season. The 2019 First Team All-Big Ten and AVCA All-America honorable mention ranks in the top-20 all-time at the 'U' in digs (1,044) and has played a huge part in the team's success the past three seasons.

It's #StephanieSunday just because 😎

The reigning @B1GVolleyball Player of the Year had a HUGE night on Feb. 5 against Purdue, setting career highs in kills (28) and digs (26) in a five set win over the Boilermakers.

Highlights ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/aupOiBw8PA
— Minnesota Volleyball (@GopherVBall) August 15, 2021

3. The Coaching Staff:

The Minnesota coaching staff has been in tact together for a significant amount of time. Head coach Hugh McCutcheon is entering his tenth year on the job and he holds a 232-56 (.808) overall record. Since leading both the U.S. men's (2008) and women's (2012) volleyball national teams to gold and silver medals, respectively, he's guided the Gophers to three Final Fours, four Sweet 16's and an Elite Eight in nine seasons.
McCutcheon is joined on staff by associate head coaches Laura Kasey (seventh year) and Matt Houk (eighth year). Video coordinator Jen Houk has been at the 'U' for four seasons.
Kasey, who works primarily with the middle blockers, has paved the way for multiple players to garner All-America honors. Molly Lohman, Regan Pittman and the Tapp sisters (Hannah and Paige) combined for seven All-America awards during Kasey's time on the staff.
Matt Houk has done a marvelous job on staff with the setters and defensive specialists. He recruited and coached the Gophers first ever four-time All-American in setter Samantha Seliger-Swenson, who also won Big Ten Player of the Year in 2018. He also helped CC McGraw earn Freshman All-America honors in 2018 and First Team All-Big Ten accolades in 2019.
Director of operations Nao Ikeda is in her 26^th year with the Gophers Volleyball program, including her 21^st year as the director of ops. Zachary Bush is in his second year as the volunteer assistant.

4. The 2020 Recruiting Class:

The University of Minnesota's 2020 recruiting class was ranked No. 1 in the nation, according to VolleyballMag.com. It marked the first time head coach Hugh McCutcheon has recruited the nation's top class and second time in school history.
Minnesota's top recruiting class included four freshmen and a graduate transfer. The Golden Gophers' class had Taylor Landfair (6-4 outsider hitter from Plainfield, Ill.), Melani Shaffmaster (6-3 setter from New Castle, Ind.) and Jenna Wenaas (6-1 outside hitter from Frisco, Texas).
The Golden Gophers added grad transfer Katie Myers (6-2 middle blocker from Westerville, Ohio) to strengthen their roster and all four return this fall.
Each is expected to be in Minnesota's starting lineup and contribute significantly in 2021.
Landfair was ranked as VolleyballMag.com's No. 1 recruit, while Wenaas was named the fifth-ranked recruit and Shaffmaster was No. 6.

Just 1⃣ day until our open scrimmage and 1⃣ week until our season opens against No. 10 Baylor!#Gophers fans, what are you most looking forward to this season? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/a8sH9eH1hO
— Minnesota Volleyball (@GopherVBall) August 20, 2021

5. The Newcomers:

The University of Minnesota announced four additions to its 2021 roster. The Golden Gophers welcome Lauren Crowl (Eagan, Minn.), Natalie Glenn (Southlake, Texas), Skylar Gray (Maple Grove, Minn.) and Anna Wolf (River Falls, Wis.) to the program.
An opposite, Crowl was a Third Team Under Armour All-American in addition to being named First Team MSHSL All-State and Star Tribune All-Metro in 2020. Fellow Minnesota native Skylar Gray was also a First MSHSL Team All-State selection at Maple Grove High School. She was a four-time all-conference selection and is the Crimson's all-time leading scorer.
Outside Natalie Glenn comes to the Gophers from Carroll High School in Texas, where she was a Second Team Under Armour All-American and tallied nearly 2,000 career kills.
Finally, River Falls, Wis., native Anna Wolf adds depth and skill to Minnesota's middle blocker spot. She enrolled in January 2021 but didn't suit up in the spring. Wolf was one of PrepVolleyball.com's Top 50 junior recruits and she made WIAA First Team All-State as a senior.

Make sure to follow the Golden Gophers Volleyball team on Twitter, Instagram and Tik Tok @GopherVBall to catch up with the latest happenings in the program.

Upcoming Events

Players Mentioned

Lauren Crowl

Natalie Glenn

Skylar Gray

Taylor Landfair

CC McGraw

Katie Myers

Regan Pittman

Stephanie Samedy

Melani Shaffmaster

Jenna Wenaas

Anna Wolf