University of Minnesota Athletics
Saturday, October 15
3:00 PM
University of Minnesota
vs
Illinois
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Photo by: Christopher Mitchell
'U' Hosts Illinois for 'Dig Pink' Match Saturday
10/14/2022 10:01:00 AM | Volleyball
First serve is set for 3 p.m. on BTN
MINNEAPOLIS -- The No. 10 Minnesota Golden Gophers (9-6, 4-3 Big Ten) will look to bounce back from a loss to No. 6 Ohio State in three sets on Wednesday night when they host Illinois (9-8, 4-3 Big Ten) on Saturday, Oct. 15. BTN will provide streaming coverage with first serve set for 3 p.m. Central time. Connor Onion and Grace Loberg will be on the call.
ILLINOIS BROADCAST INFORMATION
No. 10 Minnesota vs. Illinois | 3 p.m. CT | BTN
Saturday, Oct. 15
Maturi Pavilion
Minneapolis, Minn.
Broadcasters: Connor Onion (Play-By-Play) and Grace Loberg (Analyst)
Radio: Tanner Hoops (Play-By-Play)
NUMBERS TO KNOW:
264 -- Minnesota head coach Hugh McCutcheon holds a 264-71 (.800) collegiate coaching record and has led Minnesota to two Big Ten Championships, three Final Fours, nine trips to the Sweet 16 and five to the Elite Eight. He joins Mike Hebert (1996-2011; 381-136 (.737)) and Stephanie Schleuder (1982-1994; 263-173 (.603)) as the third coach in Minnesota history to win 260 matches. Hebert also led the 'U' to three Final Fours.
26 --The 2021 season marked the 26th year the Golden Gophers advanced to the NCAA tournament. Minnesota has also advanced to the tournament in seven-straight seasons and nine of 10 seasons under head coach Hugh McCutcheon.
19 -- Of Minnesota's 28 scheduled games are against 2021 NCAA Tournament teams. 12 of those matches are against teams that advanced to the Sweet 16 or further.
16 -- 16 of the Gophers' 28 games are versus teams that finished in the AVCA Top-25. Seven of those matches are against teams that finished in the top-10.
10 -- Of Minnesota's first 15 matches are versus ranked opponents. The Gophers are 5-5 in those games.
9 -- Melani Shaffmaster now ranks 9th all-time in Minnesota history with 2,466 career assists.
7 -- Of Minnesota's eight non-conference matches were against teams that made the 2021 NCAA Tournament. Seven of the teams were ranked or receiving votes when Minnesota played.
6 -- Of the eight team's Minnesota played in non-conference competition were ranked at the time of their matchup.
5 -- Fifth-year senior libero CC McGraw ranks No. 5 all-time at Minnesota with 1,721 career digs. She's just 17 away from passing Jessica Granquist (2008-11) for No. 4 all-time.
4 -- Transfers were added to the mix in 2022. Arica Davis (MB, Ohio State), Elise McGhie (S, Kansas), Miranda Wucherer (S/RS, N. Kentucky) and Naya Gros (MB, Michigan State) are the additions.
3 -- Gophers earned All-Big Ten honors last season. Five-time First Team All-Big Ten honoree Stephanie Samedy departs, but CC McGraw (first team) and Jenna Wenaas (second team) return.
2 -- Hugh McCutcheon became the second winningest coach in Minnesota history with Sunday's win over Michigan State, his 264th win at the helm of Minnesota.
1 -- The number of matches Minnesota has played that have gone into five sets this season. The Gophers are 0-1 in five-set matches.
LAST TIME OUT
• Minnesota swept No. 24 Michigan (Oct. 7) and Michigan State (Oct. 9) this past weekend to continue their three-game win streak. Minnesota has won four of six since being swept in the Big Ten opener by Purdue.
• Taylor Landfair led the 'U' with 18 kills at Michigan and 12 at Michigan State, leading to Big Ten Player of the Week honors. Naya Gros hit a perfect 1.000 on seven kills versus her alma mater, Michigan State on Sunday.
• The Gophers then were swept by No. 6 Ohio State on Wednesday night. Landfair and Wucherer had 10 kills each for the 'U', which hit a season-low .097 compared to .284 for the Buckeyes.
MINNESOTA HOSTING DIG PINK GAME ON SATURDAY
• The Gophers will host their 'Dig Pink' match on Saturday to promote breast cancer awareness. The team will wear pink warmups and ribbons and pink poms will be available for students at entry.
SCOUTING ILLINOIS
• Illinois (9-8, 4-3 Big Ten) is led by sixth year head coach Chris Tamas, who is 108-60 during his tenure in Champaign. He led the Ilini to the 2018 Final Four and a 32-4 record during his best season thus far there.
• The Illini are led by Raina Terry, who ranks fourth in the B1G with 3.86 kills per set. Setter Diana Brown ranks third in assists with 10.35 per set while Caroline Barnes ranks ninth with 3.73 digs per set.
• UI went 0-3 against ranked teams in non-conference play and is 0-3 against ranked teams in Big Ten play. They've swept Northwestern, Rutgers, and Maryland, plus beat UMD 3-1 for their four league wins.
HISTORY VS. ILLINOIS
• The Gophers lead the all-time series vs. Illinois, 42-40-1, including a 13-2 record under Hugh. Minnesota has won six in-a-row and 10 of the last 11 against the Illini. The lone loss in that stretch came in 2017. The Gophers defeated Illinois in three sets last year in Champaign. They're 8-0 at home against Illinois under Hugh.
LANDFAIR NAMED BIG TEN PLAYER OF THE WEEK
• For the first time in her career, Taylor Landfair was named Big Ten Player of the Week on Oct. 12. Landfair averaged a team-best 5.00 kills per set in sweeps over No. 24 Michigan and Michigan State this past weekend. She also tallied 5.75 points, 1.17 digs and 0.67 blocks per set. Twice she won B1G Freshman of the Week.
MCGRAW MOVES HER WAY UP RECORD BOOKS
• CC McGraw ranks No. 5 in Gophers history with 1,721 digs. CC is now 279 digs away from becoming just the 10th player in B1G Volleyball history and second Gopher ever to reach 2,000 in her career.
• McGraw ranks 22nd among active Division I players in digs and first in the Big Ten.
• In three of her four seasons, McGraw has made Minnesota's top-20 list for most digs in the season. In 2018, she had 428 (18th), 450 (16th) in 2019 and a career-best 510 in 2021 (12th). She's the second Gopher to have three-or-more seasons with 400-or-more digs.
GROS PROVIDES A SPARK
• Graduate transfer Naya Gros played for four seasons at Michigan State University, where she appeared in 107 matches (386 sets) and averaged 1.80 kills per set on .290 hitting while adding 1.20 blocks per set. She had her best season as a Spartan in 2021, tallying a career-best 1.31 b/s.
• Naya came off the bench on Sept. 4 to provide a huge spark against Florida. In three sets played she tallied five kills and four blocks while hitting .444 in her first extended action in Minnesota.
• She posted season-highs in kills (12) and blocks (5) on Oct. 2 vs. Iowa in a Gophers win.
• Gros returned to MSU on Sunday with seven kills on 1.000 hitting to go with five blocks. She led the Gophers with seven blocks on Wednesday vs. OSU, leading the team with 1.42 per set on the year.
RECORD WATCH
• CC McGraw ranks No. 5 in Minnesota history with 1,721 digs. She's behind only Paula Gentil (2002-05) 2,791, Christine Tan (2006-09) 1,927, Dalianliz Rosado (2014-17) 1,870 and Jessica Granquist (2008-11) 1,737. With 17 digs Saturday, she can pass Granquist for No. 4.
• McGraw ranks in the top 25 at Minnesota in matches played (117). She is 16 games away from being inside the top 20 all-time.
• Melani Shaffmaster is ninth all-time at Minnesota in assists (2,466).
GOPHERS IN BIG TEN PLAY
• Under Hugh McCutcheon, Minnesota is 150-45 (.773) in Big Ten competition. In his 10 seasons prior in charge, the Gophers have had nine seasons above .500 in conference play. In nine of those seasons, the 'U' went 15-5 or better in conference play, with the best being 19-1 in 2018.
• The Gophers won Big Ten titles in 2016 and 2018 and have finished either first, second or third in eight of the last nine seasons.
BLOCK PARTY IN MINNESOTA
• In 2021, the Gophers ranked No. 7 in the B1G and No. 40 nationally in blocks with 289.5 and 2.47 per set.
• So far in 2022, Minnesota ranks No. 4 in the Big Ten and No. 7 nationally with 2.85 blocks per set.
• Naya Gros leads the Gophers and ranks 5th in the B1G with 1.42 blocks per set.
HUGH MCCUTCHEON'S TEAMS AFTER A LOSS
• In his career at Minnesota, coach McCutcheon's teams hold a 45-13 record coming off a loss. The Gophers are 4-1 coming off losses in 2022.
Follow along with the Gophers this season on Twitter (@GopherVBall), Instagram and TikTok (@gophervball).
ILLINOIS BROADCAST INFORMATION
No. 10 Minnesota vs. Illinois | 3 p.m. CT | BTN
Saturday, Oct. 15
Maturi Pavilion
Minneapolis, Minn.
Broadcasters: Connor Onion (Play-By-Play) and Grace Loberg (Analyst)
Radio: Tanner Hoops (Play-By-Play)
NUMBERS TO KNOW:
264 -- Minnesota head coach Hugh McCutcheon holds a 264-71 (.800) collegiate coaching record and has led Minnesota to two Big Ten Championships, three Final Fours, nine trips to the Sweet 16 and five to the Elite Eight. He joins Mike Hebert (1996-2011; 381-136 (.737)) and Stephanie Schleuder (1982-1994; 263-173 (.603)) as the third coach in Minnesota history to win 260 matches. Hebert also led the 'U' to three Final Fours.
26 --The 2021 season marked the 26th year the Golden Gophers advanced to the NCAA tournament. Minnesota has also advanced to the tournament in seven-straight seasons and nine of 10 seasons under head coach Hugh McCutcheon.
19 -- Of Minnesota's 28 scheduled games are against 2021 NCAA Tournament teams. 12 of those matches are against teams that advanced to the Sweet 16 or further.
16 -- 16 of the Gophers' 28 games are versus teams that finished in the AVCA Top-25. Seven of those matches are against teams that finished in the top-10.
10 -- Of Minnesota's first 15 matches are versus ranked opponents. The Gophers are 5-5 in those games.
9 -- Melani Shaffmaster now ranks 9th all-time in Minnesota history with 2,466 career assists.
7 -- Of Minnesota's eight non-conference matches were against teams that made the 2021 NCAA Tournament. Seven of the teams were ranked or receiving votes when Minnesota played.
6 -- Of the eight team's Minnesota played in non-conference competition were ranked at the time of their matchup.
5 -- Fifth-year senior libero CC McGraw ranks No. 5 all-time at Minnesota with 1,721 career digs. She's just 17 away from passing Jessica Granquist (2008-11) for No. 4 all-time.
4 -- Transfers were added to the mix in 2022. Arica Davis (MB, Ohio State), Elise McGhie (S, Kansas), Miranda Wucherer (S/RS, N. Kentucky) and Naya Gros (MB, Michigan State) are the additions.
3 -- Gophers earned All-Big Ten honors last season. Five-time First Team All-Big Ten honoree Stephanie Samedy departs, but CC McGraw (first team) and Jenna Wenaas (second team) return.
2 -- Hugh McCutcheon became the second winningest coach in Minnesota history with Sunday's win over Michigan State, his 264th win at the helm of Minnesota.
1 -- The number of matches Minnesota has played that have gone into five sets this season. The Gophers are 0-1 in five-set matches.
LAST TIME OUT
• Minnesota swept No. 24 Michigan (Oct. 7) and Michigan State (Oct. 9) this past weekend to continue their three-game win streak. Minnesota has won four of six since being swept in the Big Ten opener by Purdue.
• Taylor Landfair led the 'U' with 18 kills at Michigan and 12 at Michigan State, leading to Big Ten Player of the Week honors. Naya Gros hit a perfect 1.000 on seven kills versus her alma mater, Michigan State on Sunday.
• The Gophers then were swept by No. 6 Ohio State on Wednesday night. Landfair and Wucherer had 10 kills each for the 'U', which hit a season-low .097 compared to .284 for the Buckeyes.
MINNESOTA HOSTING DIG PINK GAME ON SATURDAY
• The Gophers will host their 'Dig Pink' match on Saturday to promote breast cancer awareness. The team will wear pink warmups and ribbons and pink poms will be available for students at entry.
SCOUTING ILLINOIS
• Illinois (9-8, 4-3 Big Ten) is led by sixth year head coach Chris Tamas, who is 108-60 during his tenure in Champaign. He led the Ilini to the 2018 Final Four and a 32-4 record during his best season thus far there.
• The Illini are led by Raina Terry, who ranks fourth in the B1G with 3.86 kills per set. Setter Diana Brown ranks third in assists with 10.35 per set while Caroline Barnes ranks ninth with 3.73 digs per set.
• UI went 0-3 against ranked teams in non-conference play and is 0-3 against ranked teams in Big Ten play. They've swept Northwestern, Rutgers, and Maryland, plus beat UMD 3-1 for their four league wins.
HISTORY VS. ILLINOIS
• The Gophers lead the all-time series vs. Illinois, 42-40-1, including a 13-2 record under Hugh. Minnesota has won six in-a-row and 10 of the last 11 against the Illini. The lone loss in that stretch came in 2017. The Gophers defeated Illinois in three sets last year in Champaign. They're 8-0 at home against Illinois under Hugh.
LANDFAIR NAMED BIG TEN PLAYER OF THE WEEK
• For the first time in her career, Taylor Landfair was named Big Ten Player of the Week on Oct. 12. Landfair averaged a team-best 5.00 kills per set in sweeps over No. 24 Michigan and Michigan State this past weekend. She also tallied 5.75 points, 1.17 digs and 0.67 blocks per set. Twice she won B1G Freshman of the Week.
MCGRAW MOVES HER WAY UP RECORD BOOKS
• CC McGraw ranks No. 5 in Gophers history with 1,721 digs. CC is now 279 digs away from becoming just the 10th player in B1G Volleyball history and second Gopher ever to reach 2,000 in her career.
• McGraw ranks 22nd among active Division I players in digs and first in the Big Ten.
• In three of her four seasons, McGraw has made Minnesota's top-20 list for most digs in the season. In 2018, she had 428 (18th), 450 (16th) in 2019 and a career-best 510 in 2021 (12th). She's the second Gopher to have three-or-more seasons with 400-or-more digs.
GROS PROVIDES A SPARK
• Graduate transfer Naya Gros played for four seasons at Michigan State University, where she appeared in 107 matches (386 sets) and averaged 1.80 kills per set on .290 hitting while adding 1.20 blocks per set. She had her best season as a Spartan in 2021, tallying a career-best 1.31 b/s.
• Naya came off the bench on Sept. 4 to provide a huge spark against Florida. In three sets played she tallied five kills and four blocks while hitting .444 in her first extended action in Minnesota.
• She posted season-highs in kills (12) and blocks (5) on Oct. 2 vs. Iowa in a Gophers win.
• Gros returned to MSU on Sunday with seven kills on 1.000 hitting to go with five blocks. She led the Gophers with seven blocks on Wednesday vs. OSU, leading the team with 1.42 per set on the year.
RECORD WATCH
• CC McGraw ranks No. 5 in Minnesota history with 1,721 digs. She's behind only Paula Gentil (2002-05) 2,791, Christine Tan (2006-09) 1,927, Dalianliz Rosado (2014-17) 1,870 and Jessica Granquist (2008-11) 1,737. With 17 digs Saturday, she can pass Granquist for No. 4.
• McGraw ranks in the top 25 at Minnesota in matches played (117). She is 16 games away from being inside the top 20 all-time.
• Melani Shaffmaster is ninth all-time at Minnesota in assists (2,466).
GOPHERS IN BIG TEN PLAY
• Under Hugh McCutcheon, Minnesota is 150-45 (.773) in Big Ten competition. In his 10 seasons prior in charge, the Gophers have had nine seasons above .500 in conference play. In nine of those seasons, the 'U' went 15-5 or better in conference play, with the best being 19-1 in 2018.
• The Gophers won Big Ten titles in 2016 and 2018 and have finished either first, second or third in eight of the last nine seasons.
BLOCK PARTY IN MINNESOTA
• In 2021, the Gophers ranked No. 7 in the B1G and No. 40 nationally in blocks with 289.5 and 2.47 per set.
• So far in 2022, Minnesota ranks No. 4 in the Big Ten and No. 7 nationally with 2.85 blocks per set.
• Naya Gros leads the Gophers and ranks 5th in the B1G with 1.42 blocks per set.
HUGH MCCUTCHEON'S TEAMS AFTER A LOSS
• In his career at Minnesota, coach McCutcheon's teams hold a 45-13 record coming off a loss. The Gophers are 4-1 coming off losses in 2022.
Follow along with the Gophers this season on Twitter (@GopherVBall), Instagram and TikTok (@gophervball).
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