University of Minnesota Athletics
Friday, August 27
Madison, WI
8:30 PM
University of Minnesota
vs
Baylor
Players Mentioned
Outside
/ Volleyball
Opposite
/ Volleyball
Setter
/ Volleyball
Gophers Set for Big Ten/Big 12 Challenge
8/25/2021 12:00:00 PM | Volleyball
Minnesota takes on No. 10 Baylor Friday and TCU on Saturday
MADISON, Wisconsin -- The No. 7 ranked Minnesota Golden Gophers open the 2021 season with the Big Ten/Big 12 Challenge in Madison, Wis. The Gophers will take on No. 10 Baylor on Friday, Aug. 27 at 8:30 p.m. in their lidlifter before playing TCU on Saturday night. Minnesota is led by head coach Hugh McCutcheon, who enters his tenth year at the helm of the program with a 232-56 (.808) overall record. The Gophers have been to three Final Fours, four Sweet 16's and an Elite Eight in his nine seasons in charge of the program.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Friday: No. 7 Minnesota vs. No. 10 Baylor | 8:30 p.m. | ESPNU
Saturday: No. 7 Minnesota vs. TCU | 8:30 p.m. | BTN
SERIES INFORMATION
• Minnesota is 2-0 all-time against both Baylor and TCU.
• Last Meeting (Baylor): 2010 Last Meeting (TCU): 2008
• First Meeting (Baylor): 1981 First Meeting (TCU): 2005
SCOUTING THE BEARS
• After winning a share of its first Big 12 championship and making a Final Four run in 2019, Baylor took a step back in 2020-21 in a year affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Seeded 12th, the Bears advanced to the Sweet 16 before falling to Nebraska.
• The Bears are led by seventh-year head coach Ryan McGuyre, who says about his 23-athlete roster, "Because of the skill level, this is for sure our most talented team."
• Baylor returns a trio of All-Americans in Yossiana Pressley, Hannah Sedwick and Lauren Harrison. McGuyre also added All-American outside hitter Avery Skinner off a national championship team at Kentucky. Pressley was both the 2019 AVCA and ESPNW Player of the Year.
SCOUTING THE HORNED FROGS
• The Horned Frogs are led by seventh-year head coach Jill Kramer. She led TCU to consecutive NCAA Tournaments during her first couple years in Fort Worth in 2015/2016 and is looking to get her team back there for the first time in five seasons.
• In a year marred by the COVID-19 pandemic, TCU went just 4-17 (3-13 Big 12) in 2020-21. The Horned Frogs will be led by junior McKayla Myers (2.48 k/s), sophomore Taylor Raiola (2.60 k/s) and junior McKenzie Nichols (10.10 a/s).
• Junior Julia Adams was named to the Preseason All-Big 12 Team after she led the Horned Frogs in kills (238) and points (259) in 71 sets last season, earning 2020-21 All-Big 12 Second Team honors.
2020-21 RUNDOWN
• The 2020-21 season marked the 25th year the Golden Gophers advanced to the NCAA tournament. Minnesota has also advanced to the tournament in six-straight seasons and eight of nine seasons under tenth-year head coach Hugh McCutcheon. Minnesota has had a top-10 seed the past six seasons. The Gophers were the No. 2 seed in 2015, 2016 and 2018, No. 3 last year, and the No. 7 seed in both 2017 and 2019.
• Minnesota went 16-3 (15-2 Big Ten) in the 2020-21 spring season and entered the NCAA Tournament as the No. 3 seed nationally. The Golden Gophers defeated Georgia Tech in round one before falling to Pittsburgh in five sets in the Sweet 16. The Gophers also finished as the Big Ten runner-up during the regular season.
• Four-time AVCA All-American and reigning Big Ten Player of the year Stephanie Samedy returns for her fifth year in the maroon and gold this fall. CC McGraw, who was named First Team All-Big Ten and AVCA All-America Honorable Mention in 2019, returns as another key piece for a Gophers team looking to take another step from last year.
• Sophomore Taylor Landfair was the nation's No. 1 recruit in the class of 2020 and made the All-Big Ten First Team, AVCA All-America Honorable Mention and was named the AVCA North Region Freshman of the Year in 2020-21. Fellow sophomore Melani Shaffmaster is back after being named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team and leading Minnesota in assists (649) from the setter position.
GOPHERS IN SEASON OPENERS
• All-time, Minnesota is 39-9 in season openers, including an 8-1 record in openers under Hugh McCutcheon.
• The Gophers have opened away from home in eight of nine seasons under coach McCutcheon, tallying a 7-1 record in those games. Their only season opening loss under Hugh came on Aug. 30, 2015 in the Stanford Invite against Texas A&M, a five-set defeat.
• All-time, Minnesota is also 39-9 in road/neutral site openers.
GOPHERS IN NON-CONFERENCE PLAY
• Under Hugh McCutcheon, Minnesota is a superb 92-18 (.836) in non-conference competition.
• Of their 18 non-conferece losses, six have come to Stanford (1-6) and three have come to Texas (1-3).
• Minnesota has played ranked non-conference opponents in all nine seasons under coach McCutcheon. In their last full non-con slate in 2019, the Gophers went 10-3 in out-of-conference play, going 3-2 against ranked opponents.
SAMEDY RETURNS AS REIGNING BIG TEN PLAYER OF THE YEAR
• After an outstanding 2021 spring season, senior opposite hitter Stephanie Samedy was named the Big Ten Player of the Year. It marks Samedy's first-ever player of the year and Minnesota's seventh in school history. Of the seven, four have come under head coach Hugh McCutcheon. Samedy averaged a league-best 4.15 kills per set and 4.69 points per set.
• Samedy garnered American Volleyball Coaches Association First Team All-America honors in 2020-21, the fourth All-America honor of her career, including three on the first team. She also won the 2020-21 Senior CLASS Award. The award, 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.
• She currently ranks 12th among NCAA active leaders in career kills (1,485), 14th in total attacks (3,882), 59th in sets (407) and 82nd in digs (1,127).
CHALLENGING SCHEDULE AWAITS MINNESOTA
• 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 is set to take on seven teams ranked in the AVCA preseason top-10 (second most top-10 games in the country). The Gophers have 13 ranked opponents out of 28 games on their schedule.
LANDFAIR AND SAMEDY MAKE PRESEASON ALL-BIG TEN
• Sophomore Taylor Landfair and redshirt senior Stephanie Samedy both landed a spot on the Preseason All-Big Ten team. It is Landfair's first preseason all-league honor and Samedy's fourth.
• The Gophers, ranked No. 7 by the AVCA preseason poll, are tabbed to finish fourth in the league standings, which was voted on by the conference coaches. Wisconsin was predicted to win the conference, followed by Nebraska, Penn State, Minnesota and Purdue to round out the top five.
WHAT'S NEXT
• Minnesota will host No. 1 Texas for its home opener on Wednesday, Sept. 1 at 7 p.m. Central time on BTN.
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.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Friday: No. 7 Minnesota vs. No. 10 Baylor | 8:30 p.m. | ESPNU
Saturday: No. 7 Minnesota vs. TCU | 8:30 p.m. | BTN
SERIES INFORMATION
• Minnesota is 2-0 all-time against both Baylor and TCU.
• Last Meeting (Baylor): 2010 Last Meeting (TCU): 2008
• First Meeting (Baylor): 1981 First Meeting (TCU): 2005
SCOUTING THE BEARS
• After winning a share of its first Big 12 championship and making a Final Four run in 2019, Baylor took a step back in 2020-21 in a year affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Seeded 12th, the Bears advanced to the Sweet 16 before falling to Nebraska.
• The Bears are led by seventh-year head coach Ryan McGuyre, who says about his 23-athlete roster, "Because of the skill level, this is for sure our most talented team."
• Baylor returns a trio of All-Americans in Yossiana Pressley, Hannah Sedwick and Lauren Harrison. McGuyre also added All-American outside hitter Avery Skinner off a national championship team at Kentucky. Pressley was both the 2019 AVCA and ESPNW Player of the Year.
SCOUTING THE HORNED FROGS
• The Horned Frogs are led by seventh-year head coach Jill Kramer. She led TCU to consecutive NCAA Tournaments during her first couple years in Fort Worth in 2015/2016 and is looking to get her team back there for the first time in five seasons.
• In a year marred by the COVID-19 pandemic, TCU went just 4-17 (3-13 Big 12) in 2020-21. The Horned Frogs will be led by junior McKayla Myers (2.48 k/s), sophomore Taylor Raiola (2.60 k/s) and junior McKenzie Nichols (10.10 a/s).
• Junior Julia Adams was named to the Preseason All-Big 12 Team after she led the Horned Frogs in kills (238) and points (259) in 71 sets last season, earning 2020-21 All-Big 12 Second Team honors.
2020-21 RUNDOWN
• The 2020-21 season marked the 25th year the Golden Gophers advanced to the NCAA tournament. Minnesota has also advanced to the tournament in six-straight seasons and eight of nine seasons under tenth-year head coach Hugh McCutcheon. Minnesota has had a top-10 seed the past six seasons. The Gophers were the No. 2 seed in 2015, 2016 and 2018, No. 3 last year, and the No. 7 seed in both 2017 and 2019.
• Minnesota went 16-3 (15-2 Big Ten) in the 2020-21 spring season and entered the NCAA Tournament as the No. 3 seed nationally. The Golden Gophers defeated Georgia Tech in round one before falling to Pittsburgh in five sets in the Sweet 16. The Gophers also finished as the Big Ten runner-up during the regular season.
• Four-time AVCA All-American and reigning Big Ten Player of the year Stephanie Samedy returns for her fifth year in the maroon and gold this fall. CC McGraw, who was named First Team All-Big Ten and AVCA All-America Honorable Mention in 2019, returns as another key piece for a Gophers team looking to take another step from last year.
• Sophomore Taylor Landfair was the nation's No. 1 recruit in the class of 2020 and made the All-Big Ten First Team, AVCA All-America Honorable Mention and was named the AVCA North Region Freshman of the Year in 2020-21. Fellow sophomore Melani Shaffmaster is back after being named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team and leading Minnesota in assists (649) from the setter position.
GOPHERS IN SEASON OPENERS
• All-time, Minnesota is 39-9 in season openers, including an 8-1 record in openers under Hugh McCutcheon.
• The Gophers have opened away from home in eight of nine seasons under coach McCutcheon, tallying a 7-1 record in those games. Their only season opening loss under Hugh came on Aug. 30, 2015 in the Stanford Invite against Texas A&M, a five-set defeat.
• All-time, Minnesota is also 39-9 in road/neutral site openers.
GOPHERS IN NON-CONFERENCE PLAY
• Under Hugh McCutcheon, Minnesota is a superb 92-18 (.836) in non-conference competition.
• Of their 18 non-conferece losses, six have come to Stanford (1-6) and three have come to Texas (1-3).
• Minnesota has played ranked non-conference opponents in all nine seasons under coach McCutcheon. In their last full non-con slate in 2019, the Gophers went 10-3 in out-of-conference play, going 3-2 against ranked opponents.
SAMEDY RETURNS AS REIGNING BIG TEN PLAYER OF THE YEAR
• After an outstanding 2021 spring season, senior opposite hitter Stephanie Samedy was named the Big Ten Player of the Year. It marks Samedy's first-ever player of the year and Minnesota's seventh in school history. Of the seven, four have come under head coach Hugh McCutcheon. Samedy averaged a league-best 4.15 kills per set and 4.69 points per set.
• Samedy garnered American Volleyball Coaches Association First Team All-America honors in 2020-21, the fourth All-America honor of her career, including three on the first team. She also won the 2020-21 Senior CLASS Award. The award, 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.
• She currently ranks 12th among NCAA active leaders in career kills (1,485), 14th in total attacks (3,882), 59th in sets (407) and 82nd in digs (1,127).
CHALLENGING SCHEDULE AWAITS MINNESOTA
• 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 is set to take on seven teams ranked in the AVCA preseason top-10 (second most top-10 games in the country). The Gophers have 13 ranked opponents out of 28 games on their schedule.
LANDFAIR AND SAMEDY MAKE PRESEASON ALL-BIG TEN
• Sophomore Taylor Landfair and redshirt senior Stephanie Samedy both landed a spot on the Preseason All-Big Ten team. It is Landfair's first preseason all-league honor and Samedy's fourth.
• The Gophers, ranked No. 7 by the AVCA preseason poll, are tabbed to finish fourth in the league standings, which was voted on by the conference coaches. Wisconsin was predicted to win the conference, followed by Nebraska, Penn State, Minnesota and Purdue to round out the top five.
WHAT'S NEXT
• Minnesota will host No. 1 Texas for its home opener on Wednesday, Sept. 1 at 7 p.m. Central time on BTN.
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.
Cinematic Recap: Gophers Sweep Illini
Thursday, October 30
Highlights: Gophers 3, Illinois 0
Wednesday, October 29
Highlights: Gophers 2, Purdue 3
Sunday, October 26
Highlights: Gophers 3, Indiana 1
Friday, October 24