Nine NCAA Tournament selections (2012-13, 2015-21)
2015, 2016 and 2019Â NCAA Final Four appearances
2015 and 2018Â Big Ten Champions
2015 and 2018 Big Ten Coach of the Year
2018 AVCA Coach of the Year
Nine Sweet 16's and Five Elite Eight's in 10 seasons at Minnesota
Five Big Ten Players of the Year (five of last seven have been Gophers)
One AVCA/ESPNw National Player of the Year (Sarah Wilhite, 2016)
35 All-Big Ten selections
26 All-America honors (12 first team)
255 wins (eighth-most of any Division I program in last 10 years)
25 NCAA Tournament wins (sixth most of any program in last 10 years)
Nine Sweet 16 appearances (fourth most of any program in last 10 years)
Five Elite Eight appearances (sixth most of any program in last 10 years)
Three Final Four appearances (fifth most of any program in last 10 years)
Season-By-Season Production: 2012 – On Aug. 31, 2012, head coach Hugh McCutcheon took over the Golden Gopher program and earned his first-career collegiate win as the Gophers opened the home season against LIU Brooklyn. The Gophers earned a 3-1 win over then No. 4 Texas in the non-conference season and finished the year with a 27-8 overall record (15-5 B1G).
Coach McCutcheon talks to his team before an NCAA Tournament match against Creighton at Maturi Pavilion
 Season Highlights:
Started 13-2, including a 3-0 start to Big Ten play. Hugh's first Big Ten win came against Illinois on Sept. 21, a 3-0 win.
The Gophers cleaned up at the Pav, going 16-1 and dropping just one home match, which came against No. 1 Penn State.
Minnesota finished the season winning seven consecutive games before falling to PSU in the Elite 8.
Advanced to the Elite Eight after beating Liberty (3-0) and Creighton (3-1) at Maturi Pavilion in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament.
Defeated Purdue (3-1) in the Sweet 16.
Katherine Harms and Tori Dixon each received All-America honors while Ashley Wittman (Honorable Mention) and Daly Santana (All-Freshman) joined them in garnering All-Big Ten honors.
Tori Dixon, Katherine Harms and Daly Santana each made the NCAA All-Regional Team.
Dixon set the Gophers single-season record for highest attacking percentage (.436).
Hugh's first match on the sidelines at Maturi Pavilion. Minnesota swept LIU-Brooklyn on Aug. 31, 2012. 2013 – In coach McCutcheon's second season, Minnesota went 29-7 (15-5). The Gophers advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 after they fell to Stanford in the Regional Semifinal. Regardless, they improved to 5-2 in NCAA Tournament play under coach McCutcheon.
 Season Highlights:
Minnesota started the season 8-0, including five wins away from home, before dropping a five-set thriller at No. 19 Kentucky for its first loss.
After the loss to UK, the Gophers reeled off six more wins in-a-row to improve to 14-1 (2-0 Big Ten). The 'U' ended the regular season at 27-6, falling twice each to Nebraska and Penn State and once to Wisconsin.
The Gophers won six straight games, including NCAA Tournament wins over Radford (3-0) and Colorado (3-2) before falling to Stanford in the Sweet 16 in the Lexington Regional.
Top moments of the season included sweeps over Iowa, Ohio State and Michigan and a Senior Night win over Wisconsin.
A five-set, come-from-behind win at Purdue was one of the thrilling matches of the season.
Tori Dixon was a First Team All-American and Ashley Wittman made the second team. Adrianna Nora was named All-America honorable mention.
Hannah Tapp made the Big Ten All-Freshman Team, joining Dixon and Wittman as All-Big Ten honorees.
First Team All-American Tori Dixon was honored on Senior Night at the Pav, a win over Wisconsin. 2014 – In a year of rebuilding, Minnesota missed the tournament for the first time since 1997. Despite going 3-1 in the final four matches of the season, the Gophers posted a 19-12 record and a 9-11 mark in conference action. The 2014 season would prove to pave the way for consecutive Final Four appearances in the years to follow.
 Season Highlights:
The Gophers started the season 11-1, winning key non-conference matches against Notre Dame, Boston College and Iowa State. The 'U' lost its first non-conference home game under Hugh, a 3-1 defeat to Louisville.
After opening Big Ten play with a win over Ohio State, the Gophers hit a cold stretch, losing six of their next eight matches to fall to 13-7.
They closed the season with a 5-4 month of November, including wins over Michigan State, Maryland and Purdue.
Paige Tapp was named a Third Team All-American while Daly Santana made honorable mention.
Tapp and Santana also made the All-Big Ten teams.
Middle blocker Paige Tapp was named a Third Team All-American in 2014 for the Gophers. 2015 – The Gopher volleyball team returned to its rightful place as a national power in 2015. After a year of training and development, the Gophers made their way to a 30-5 (18-2) season and the 2015 Big Ten Championship. Minnesota would go on to earn the No. 2 national seed and make its way to the Final Four for the fifth time in program history and first under coach McCutcheon.
2015 Big Ten Player of the Year Daly Santana celebrates with fellow All-Americans Samantha Seliger-Swenson (left) and Paige Tapp (right). Season Highlights:
After starting 0-2, Minnesota reeled off nine straight wins before falling at Penn State. They didn't lose again from Sept. 30-Nov. 18, winning 15 straight matches (school record).
The Gophers won six straight matches to close the season before falling in four sets in the Final Four to Texas in a hard fought battle (24-26, 25-27, 25-23, 21-25).
The Gophers earned wins over Wisconsin (twice), at Nebraska and home against Penn State, the first win over the Nittany Lions under coach McCutcheon.
Gophers solidified the Big Ten championship outright with a 3-0 win over Indiana in the final conference match of the season.
Daly Santana was named Big Ten Player of the Year, starting a string of five Gophers winning the award in an eight-year span.
The Gophers received the No. 2 overall seed, their highest seed ever in the NCAA Tournament.
Minnesota's road to the Final Four included wins over Jackson State (First Round), Marquette (Second Round), Illinois (Sweet 16) and Hawaii (Elite 8).
Hugh was named AVCA National Coach of the Year and Big Ten Coach of the Year.
Santana, Hannah Tapp, Samantha Seliger-Swenson and Paige Tapp were named All-Americans.
Seliger-Swenson made All-Big Ten and All-Freshman while Santana and both Tapp sisters made All-Big Ten.
Minnesota celebrates an Elite Eight win over Hawaii, advancing to its first Final Four under Hugh. 2016 – Minnesota again had another banner season with its second-straight NCAA Final Four appearance. The Gophers finished the year with a 29-5 overall record (17-3 Big Ten) and a No. 4 AVCA final ranking. It's the first time since 2003-04 that the Gophers made consecutive Final Fours.
Minnesota and Stanford battle at the 2016 Final Four in Columbus, Ohio. Season Highlights:
The Gophers went 8-1 in non-conference action, taking down No. 16 Florida State, No. 11 UNC, Texas A&M and Louisville. Minnesota won both the San Juan Challenge and went 2-0 in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge in Chapel Hill, N.C.
Minnesota won its first four league games to move to 12-1, dropping just one of its first 13 sets played in Big Ten contests.
The 'U' dropped just three conference tilts, which were all on the road and all came in five sets. The losses came to No. 15 Penn State, No. 14 Michigan State and No. 1 Nebraska.
Coach McCutcheon and company worked their way up to No. 1 in AVCA rankings on Oct. 3, but that top ranking lasted just one week after Minnesota fell to Penn State on Oct. 5.
After falling at Nebraska on Oct. 23, the Gophers finished the conference season with a 10-match win streak, including four-straight five-set wins over ranked Michigan State, Michigan, Nebraska and Wisconsin.
In the win over Nebraska, the Gophers were down 0-2 as Nebraska was up 23-20 before it mounted the comeback for a reverse sweep.
The No. 2 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, Minnesota defeated North Dakota (First Round), Hawaii (Second Round), Missouri (Third Round) and UCLA (Fourth Round) to punch its ticket to the Final Four.
Sarah Wilhite was named AVCA and ESPNw National Player of the Year, Minnesota's first and only recipient.
She was also named Big Ten Player of the Year, Minnesota's second straight year taking home the award.
In addition to the three above, Alexis Hart (All-Freshman) and Molly Lohman (honorable mention) earned All-Big Ten honors.
Wilhite was named Most Outstanding Player of the Minneapolis Regional.
Sara Wilhite was named AVCA and ESPNw National Player of the Year in 2016.
2017 - Â Minnesota went 28-6 (15-5 Big Ten) in the 2017 season. Minnesota made the Sweet 16 for the third straight year and fifth time under coach McCutcheon before falling to USC to end the season.
Season Highlights:
The Gophers went 11-0 in non-conference action, including a 3-1 win over then-No. 5 Texas on the road.
The 'U' also took down UNC and Louisville for another perfect ACC/Big Ten Challenge before beating West Virginia, Tennessee, Oregon State and Boise State to cap a perfect non-league slate.
Minnesota started the season 12-0 before falling to Michigan State in the second game of Big Ten play. After falling to Nebraska to drop to 1-2 in Big Ten play, the Gophers went on an 11-match Big Ten win streak from Sept. 30-Nov. 4, moving to 24-2 (12-2).
A 3-3 conclusion to the regular season saw Minnesota defeat Indiana, Northwestern and Rutgers while dropping tilts against Purdue, Illinois and Penn State.
Nonetheless, the 'U' earned a No. 7 seed in the NCAA Tournament and took down North Dakota and Northern Iowa in the first two rounds at Maturi Pavilion.
The Gophers then advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 that season when it traveled to Gainesville, Fla., and fell to USC (3-0) to end the season.
Stephanie Samedy, Samantha Seliger-Swenson and Alexis Hart all earned All-America honors that season. The true freshman Samedy made First Team All-America while SSS made the second team and Hart made third team.
All three made the All-Big Ten team.
Dalianliz Rosado (17) and her teammates celebrate a second round NCAA Tournament win over Northern Iowa. 2018 – One of the best regular seasons in Gophers program history, Minnesota earned its second Big Ten regular season title in the past four years with a 27-4 (19-1 Big Ten) record. The Gophers earned the No. 2 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament but were upset at home against Oregon to end their season in the Sweet 16.
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The 2018 Golden Gophers had one of the best regular seasons in program history and earned a No. 2 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. Season Highlights:
Minnesota started the season 5-0, including wins over Florida State and UNC at the Target Center in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, Minnesota's third straight undefeated challenge.
The Gophers dropped two matches in non-conference play, dropping four-set losses to Oregon and Stanford at the Big Ten/Pac-12 Challenge in Palo Alto, Calif.
The 'U' would rebound with a straight set victory over Green Bay in the Gopher Fall classic, moving into conference play with a 6-2 record.
The Gophers went on a tear after that and didn't drop a Big Ten match until Nov. 23, a five-set loss at Penn State, for their only conference loss.
The 2018 team set a school record with a 19-match win streak from Sept. 13-Nov. 17.
The Big Ten championship marked Minnesota's second in four years and the first since 2015.
With the No. 2 overall seed, Minnesota advanced to the Sweet 16 and fell to Oregon, 3-1, to end the season. After winning the first set, 25-21, Minnesota fell in a marathon second set, 41-39. Oregon would take the final three sets to advance to the Elite Eight.
Head coach Hugh McCutcheon was also inducted into the International Volleyball Hall of Fame in addition to being named Big Ten and AVCA Coach of the Year.
Pittman, Samedy and Seliger-Swenson all made First Team All-Big Ten while Alexis Hart, Taylor Morgan and Adanna Rollins made the second team. CC McGraw was named to the All-Freshman Team.
The school's first four-time All-American, Samantha Seliger-Swenson was named 2018 B1G Player of the Year
 2019 – Minnesota made its third Final Four appearance in 2019 under Hugh McCutcheon, going 27-6 (17-3 Big Ten) overall. Minnesota would fall to future national champion Stanford in the national semifinal.
The Gophers getting set to compete in the 2019 Final Four in Pittsburgh, Pa. Season Highlights:
After a season battling injuries and adversity, the Gophers advanced to their sixth Final Four in program history.
They started the non-conference slate 2-2, beating UNC and Florida but falling to Florida State and Texas.
In winning the Big Ten/Pac-12 Challenge, the Gophers accomplished their first program win over No. 1 Stanford in non-conference action. They also took down Oregon in straight sets, avenging the 2018 defeat in the Sweet 16.
Minnesota won 13 of its first 14 Big Ten matches and closed the season on a three-match winning streak, including its first win over Penn State in State College since 2004.
Although the Gophers were without their starting setter, Kylie Miller, Minnesota still managed to produce a 27-6 season and 17-3 in the Big Ten, which tied for second in league standings.
Receiving the No. 7 overall seed, Minnesota defeated Fairfield (First Round), Creighton (Second Round), Florida (Third Round) and Louisville (Fourth Round) to advance to the NCAA Championships in Pittsburgh.
Minnesota fell to eventual champion Stanford in the National Semifinal in three sets.
All three in addition to CC McGraw and Taylor Morgan made the All-Big Ten team.
Renovations of Maturi Pavilion also occurred this season, which included a new weight room, athletic medicine area, locker room and club room added to the facility as well as central air conditioning in the Pav.
All-American CC McGraw (right) and Minnesota celebrate after beating Louisville to go back to the Final Four. 2020-21 – Perhaps the most challenging season of the Hugh McCutcheon era, Minnesota battled through a global pandemic, injuries and plenty of turbulence to a 16-3 (15-2 Big Ten) record in the spring 2021 season. The Gophers received the No. 3 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament and made the Sweet 16 for the eighth time under Hugh.
 Season Highlights:
With a mix of experienced veterans and the No. 1 overall recruiting class, the Gophers had high hopes for 2020-21.
In the Big Ten-only spring season, the Gophers started the season with nine straight victories, including two-match sweeps over Purdue and Penn State.
In one of her all-time historic performances, Stephanie Samedy had 28 kills and 26 digs (both then career-highs) in a five set win at Purdue on Feb. 5.
The Gophers defeated then No. 4 Nebraska 3-1 to move to 9-0 in the first matchup between the teams before the Huskers took battle No. 2.
Because of COVID-related issues, the Gophers had their next four matches against Michigan and Ohio State postponed.
The 'U' completed its regular season by winning six of its final seven matches, cementing a top-three seed in the NCAA Tournament.
All-American libero CC McGraw missed the final eight matches of the year due to injury problems.
The No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament, Minnesota started off with a convincing win over Ga. Tech. Unfortunately, the season would end the next match against Pitt, a 3-2 defeat in the Sweet 16.
Stephanie Samedy was named Big Ten Player of the Year and a First Team All-American for the third time in her career. Taylor Landfair and Regan Pittman made All-America honorable mention.
Minnesota battled through a global pandemic to finish 16-3 (15-2), earning a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament. 2021 – Minnesota finished year 10 of the Hugh McCutcheon era with a 23-9 (15-5 Big Ten) record and a third place finish in the conference. The Gophers earned the No. 12 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament and made the regional final for the fifth time under Hugh before falling to the eventual national champions on their home court.
The Gophers took down No. 5 Baylor in an all-time classic Sweet 16 battle in Madison, Wis.
 Season Highlights:
Returning a trio of All-Americans and five players who started matches in the past, the Gophers receiving a top-10 AVCA preseason ranking.
They started the season slow, dropping three of their first four matches to top-10 ranked teams to fall to 1-3.
Victories over Stanford and Oregon to win the Big Ten/Pac-12 Challenge got them back on the right track as they went on to finish non-conference play 5-3.
The 'U' started 3-2 in Big Ten play before reeling off nine of its next 10 from Oct. 9-Nov. 11.
Top moments of that run were two victories over then No. 6 Ohio State, a five-set thriller victory over then No. 6 Nebraska, and a sweep on the road at No. 25 Illinois.
Minnesota's big win at the end of the season came at No. 15 Penn State in four sets. The Gophers' second win in State College since 2004.
The match of the year came against No. 5 Wisconsin at the Pav on Nov. 21, Senior Day. Stephanie Samedy had a historic performance, going for 31 kills (third 30+ kill match of 2021) with 20 digs. Despite her efforts, Minnesota fell to the future national champions.
Earning the No. 12 seed in the NCAA Tournament, Minnesota hosted the first and second rounds of the regional for the ninth time in 10 years under Hugh.
The Gophers defeated South Dakota and Stanford in sweeps. It was the first time in program history Minnesota defeated Stanford twice in the same season. Minnesota has taken three of the last four in the series.
In the Sweet 16, Minnesota and Baylor battled down to the wire in Madison just three months after playing to open the 2021 season in the Big Ten/Big 12 Challenge. After losing the first time, Minnesota rallied back from a 2-1 deficit to take the final two sets and advance to the Elite Eight. Minnesota fell to Wisconsin to end the season.
Stephanie Samedy won back-to-back Big Ten Player of the Year awards after a historic season that saw her average nearly five kills per set. She also earned AVCA North Region Player of the Year and was a first team All-American for the fourth time in her career.
CC McGraw earned All-America honorable mention while Jenna Wenaas made second team All-Big Ten in a breakout sophomore season.
The Gophers finished No. 7 in the AVCA final rankings, their seventh straight season being ranked in the top-10.
Stephanie Samedy earned her fourth All-America honor and second straight Big Ten Player of the Year award. 2022 – Minnesota will begin year 11 of the coach McCutcheon era on Aug. 26 against Baylor in a rematch of the five-set 2021 Sweet 16 battle. Minnesota returns starting outsides Taylor Landfair and Jenna Wenaas, All-American libero CC McGraw, defensive specialist Rachel Kilkelly and middle blocker Ellie Husemann, amongst others. The Gophers also added another top-10 recruiting class, including No. 1 overall player Mckenna Wucherer (outside, Brookfield, Wis.), Colorado Gatorade Player of the Year Carter Booth (middle, Denver, Colo.) and Star Tribune Player of the Year Julia Hanson (outside, Prior Lake, Minn.). The Gophers also added transfer middle blockers Naya Gros (grad transfer, Michigan State) and Arica Davis (sophomore, Ohio State) in addition to setters Elise McGhie (junior, Kansas) and Miranda Wucherer (grad transfer, Northern Kentucky).
 2022 Notes to Know:
CC McGraw is a two-time AVCA All-America honorable mention and a two-time First Team All-Big Ten selection. She ranks No. 5 all-time at Minnesota with 1,554 digs.
Jenna Wenaas had a breakout sophomore season, finishing second on the team with 3.28 kills per set and making the All-Big Ten Second Team.
Freshman All-American and 2020 No. 1 overall recruit Taylor Landfair sat out most of the 2021 season with an abdominal injury. She'll be back starting on the pin in 2022 as a third year player.
Senior middle Ellie Husemann finished first on the team and ninth in the Big Ten in blocks per set (1.27) in 2021. She'll add to a middle group with a trio of instant impact newcomers.
Senior Rachel Kilkelly played in 112 of 117 possible sets last year, reeling in 1.93 digs per set. She also filled in at libero when McGraw missed two matches due to illness.
The Gophers promoted former video coordinator Jen Houk to assistant coach.
Coach McCutcheon also hired Sanky Sanny from Morgan State as the new video coordinator while Pedro Mendes was named volunteer assistant.
Associate head coach Matt Houk returns for his eighth season and fourth in his current title in 2022.
Minnesota will play 16 matches against teams that finished in the AVCA top-25 and seven that finished in the top-10.
Seven of Minnesota's eight non-conference matchups are vs. 2021 NCAA Tournament teams. 12 of 20 conference games are against tournament teams.
For the third time in the last four seasons, Minnesota will partake in the Big Ten/Pac-12 Challenge. The 'U' has won four straight matchups in the challenge and is 4-2 all-time. They won last year's challenge with victories over Oregon and Stanford.
Minnesota plays in the Big Ten/Big 12 Challenge for the second year in-a-row. The Gophers fell to Baylor before taking down TCU in Madison, Wis. to open 2021.
The 'U' hosts defending champs Wisconsin in the league home opener on Sept. 25. Minnesota is 10-0 in Big Ten home openers under Hugh McCutcheon.
Two-time All-American CC McGraw comes back to lead Minnesota for her fifth year in 2022.
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