Gophers Open Year 52 with Big Ten/Big 12 Challenge

MINNEAPOLIS --The No. 7 Minnesota Golden Gophers get their turn to host the Big Ten/Big 12 Challenge in 2023 at Maturi Pavilion. For the third straight season, the 'U' will compete against TCU and No. 15 Baylor to open up their campaign in the Big Ten/Big 12 Challenge. BTN will provide television coverage on both days of the event.

GAME 1 INFORMATION
No. 7 Minnesota vs. TCU
Friday, Aug. 25
7 p.m.
Maturi Pavilion
Minneapolis, Minn.
TV: BTN - Sloane Martin (Play-By-Play) and Emily Ehman (Analyst)
Radio: GopherSports.com - 102.5 FM (Tanner Hoops)
Live Stats

GAME 2 INFORMATION
No. 7 Minnesota vs. No. 15 Baylor
Saturday, Aug. 26
7 p.m.
Maturi Pavilion
Minneapolis, Minn.
TV: BTN - Sloane Martin (Play-By-Play) and Emily Ehman (Analyst)
Radio: GopherSports.com - 102.5 FM (Tanner Hoops)
Live Stats

ENTRANCE AND PARKING
Guests should enter from the main entrance on 19th Ave SE. Maroon Lot, Lot 37 and Lot 58 won't be operated for parking during the State Fair (Aug. 25-29). Campus parking suggestions: Fourth Street Ramp and University Ave Ramp ($10 event parking). For more information, please check the map link.

NOTES TO KNOW
52 -- Year 52 in the history of Golden Gopher volleyball kicks off this weekend in Minneapolis.
27 -- The 2022 season was the 27th year the Golden Gophers advanced to the NCAA tournament. The Gophers have been to eight-straight Sweet 16's of the NCAA tournament.
18 -- Minnesota's Taylor Landfair ranked 18th nationally in kills (4.35) and 19th in points (4.91) per set. She led the B1G in both.
10 -- Minnesota's final 2022 rank in the AVCA poll. The Gophers are one of three programs to finish in the top 10 in the last eight seasons.
8 -- The Gophers hosted the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament for the eighth straight year.
8 -- Melani Shaffmaster ranks 8th all-time in Minnesota history with 3,034 career assists.
8 -- For the first time in program history, all eight of the Gophers non-conference opponents in 2023 made the NCAA Tournament in the year prior.
6 -- Of the past eight Big Ten Players of the Year have been Minnesota Golden Gophers. Taylor Landfair (2022) joins Stephanie Samedy (2020-21), Sam Seliger-Swenson (2018), Sarah Wilhite (2016) and Daly Santana (2015) as award winners.
5 -- New Gopher head coaches are 5-3 all-time in their first game in charge of the Minnesota program.
4 -- Minnesota ranked 4th nationally in 2022 with 2.92 blocks per set.
2 -- Minnesota ranked No. 2 in the Big Ten in hitting percentage at .262. In Big Ten matches, the 'U' hit .266, which came in at No. 1 in the league.
1 -- The 2023 season will be Keegan Cook's first as head coach at Minnesota. He was named as the eighth full-time head coach of the University of Minnesota volleyball program in Dec. 2022. He replaces Hugh McCutcheon, who went 277-74 as Minnesota's head coach, making three Final Fours, five Elite Eights and 10 Sweet 16s during his time at the 'U.'
1 -- Taylor Landfair was the first sophomore to be named Big Ten Player of the Year since Wisconsin's Lauren Carlini in 2014.

SCOUTING TCU
• TCU is led by second-year head coach Jason Sullivan, who came to TCU after serving as an associate head coach at Baylor. In 2022, he led the Horned Frogs to their first NCAA Tournament in six seasons after they went 17-11 (11-5 Big 12). TCU defeated Washington, 3-1, in the first round of the tournament in 2022. They fell to Wisconsin in the second round to end their season.
• It was a stellar turnaround in Fort Worth after the Horned Frogs went just 8-18 (2-14 Big 12) in 2021.
• The Horned Frogs were picked to finish fourth in the Big 12 Preseason Poll behind only Texas, BYU and Baylor. They will be led by fifth year outside Audrey Nalls, who was a unanimous First Team All-Big 12 selection in 2022, averaging 3.85 kills per set. Four times she won Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week.

SCOUTING BAYLOR
• After winning a share of its first Big 12 title and making a Final Four run in 2019, Baylor made the Sweet 16 the past three years. They went 25-7 (12-4 Big 12) last year and earned a No. 15 seed in the NCAA Tournament. BU defeated Stephen F. Austin and Rice in the first two rounds before falling to No. 2 Louisville after that.
• The Bears are led by ninth-year head coach Ryan McGuyre. Sophomores Averi Carlson, who was named Big 12 Freshman of the Year in 2022, and second team all-league opposite Alle Sczech pace a young Bears roster. Three First Team All-Big 12 players from 2022 departed in outside Lauren Harrison and middle blockers Kara McGhee and Mallory Talbert.
• Baylor was voted to finish third in the 2023 Big 12 Preseason Coaches Poll behind defending champion Texas and new addition BYU. Carlson and Sczech were named Preseason All-Big 12 while blue chip outside Kyndal Stowers was picked as Co-Preseason Freshman of the Year. BU comes in at No. 15 in AVCA rankings.

MINNESOTA'S HISTORY VS. TCU AND BAYLOR
• Minnesota is 4-1 all-time against Baylor. The lone loss came in the 2021 season opener, a 3-1 defeat at the hands of the then No. 10 Bears.
• The Gophers opened 2022 with a 3-1 win over Baylor in Fort Worth, Texas (23-25, 25-16, 25-23, 25-17). Taylor Landfair tallied 15 kills while Melani Shaffmaster had 44 assists and six blocks.
• Minnesota also took down Baylor 3-2 in the 2021 Sweet 16 in Madison, Wis. They also won in 2010 and 1981.
• The Gophers are 4-0 all-time against TCU. The two teams have played the last two seasons in the Big 10/Big 12 Challenge, with the 'U' sweeping both times. The 'U' also beat TCU two other times, in 2005 and 2008.

GOPHERS RANKED SEVENTH IN PRESEASON AVCA POLL
• The Gophers enter the 2023 season with a No. 7 overall ranking in the Preseason AVCA poll. The 'U' finished 10th last year in the final poll, their eighth consecutive top-10 finish nationally. 14 of Minnesota's 28 games are versus opponents ranked in the AVCA Preseason top-25.

SINCE THE END OF THE 2022 SEASON
• The University of Minnesota announced on Dec. 12, 2022 that Keegan Cook had been named head volleyball coach. Cook is the eighth full-time head coach and ninth individual to lead the Gophers, which first competed in 1972. He is just the third full-time head coach to lead the program since 1996, following Hugh McCutcheon (2012-22, 277-74 record) and Mike Hebert (1996-2010, 381-137 record). Laura Bush served as interim head coach in 2011.
• In his eight seasons as Washington's head coach, Cook led the Huskies to four Pac-12 Championships and eight trips to the NCAA Tournament. Washington advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight four times and the Final Four once. Cook posted an overall record of 198-56 at Washington and went 107-33 in conference play. He coached 12 different student-athletes to a combined 18 AVCA All-America honors and earned conference and region Coach of the Year laurels.
• Coach Cook brought in Kristen Kelsay (associate head coach), Eric Barber (assistant coach) and Kylin Munoz (volunteer assistant coach) to complete his coaching staff.

NEW COACHING STAFF READY TO ROLL IN 2023
• First year head coach Keegan Cook comes to Dinkytown after a tremendously successful eight-year run at Washington.
• His staff consists of associate head coach Kristen Kelsay and assistant coaches Eric Barber and Kylin Muñoz. Kelsay coached at both Michigan State and Northwestern while Barber comes to Minnesota from UCLA. Muñoz last coached at Loyola Marymount and played for Cook when he was an assistant at Washington.

GOPHERS RETURN THREE ALL-BIG TEN PERFORMERS
• Joining Taylor Landfair on the All-Big Ten First Team was junior setter Melani Shaffmaster. It was Landfair's second First Team All-Big Ten selection (2020-21) and Shaffmaster's first.
• Graduate libero CC McGraw, who expired her eligibility, earned her third career All-Big Ten honor, making Second Team All-Big Ten. Mckenna Wucherer made the Big Ten All-Freshman Team.
• Ohio St. transfer Kylie Murr was First Team All-Big Ten in 2022 and was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year.

SHAFFMASTER SETTING THE TABLE
• A 6-foot-3 setter, Melani Shaffmaster ranked second in the Big Ten last year with 10.44 assists per set. She already ranks No. 8 in program history in assists (3,034).
• Mel earned B1G Setter of the Week and the Best Setter Award at the Big Ten/Big 12 Challenge after tallying 74 assists, averaging nearly 11 per set. She set a season-high with 53 assists on Oct. 2.
• Shaffmaster tallied 30+ assists 25 times, 40+ 11 times and 50+ three times in 2022.
• She was perhaps Minnesota's best all-around player, registering 10+ digs 14 times this year and 3+ blocks 19 times. She's posted 3+ kills 19 times as well.

LANDFAIR NAMED BIG TEN AND AVCA NORTH REGION PLAYER OF THE YEAR
• For the sixth time in the last eight seasons, Minnesota had the Big Ten Player of the Year. Redshirt sophomore outside Taylor Landfair came home with the award after a big time season in which she led the conference in kills (4.35) and points (4.92) per set. Her 27 double-figure kill matches led the league and ranked in the top-five nationally. She also had three matches with 25-or-more kills, a league best.
• Landfair earned AVCA North Region Player of the Year honors. She was 2020-21 AVCA North Region Freshman of the Year as well. She was also an AVCA/VB Mag First Team All-American in 2022.

NEWCOMERS READY FOR IMPACT
• In addition to 2022 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Kylie Murr, Phoebe Awoleye (Senior Middle, Loyola Marymount) and Lydia Grote (Senior Outside/Opposite, California) also came to campus ready to contribute. Awoleye was a First Team All-WCC selection in 2022 while Grote led Cal in kills and points. Awoleye (pronounced Ah-woh-lay-uh) and Grote (Growt) will each have two years left to play at Minnesota due to their COVID year.
• They're joined by two freshmen in outside/opposite Sydney Schnichels (Willmar, Minn.) and middle Calissa Minatee (Kansas City, Mo.). Each was ranked in the top-50 nationally by multiple recruiting outlets and played in the Under Armour All-American game in early January.
• Top-ranked Turkish libero Zeynep Palabiyik officially arrived on campus last Monday afternoon to complete the six-player newcomer group.

UP NEXT
Minnesota will take on No. 1 Texas, the defending national champions, on Tuesday, Aug. 29 at 7 p.m. on BTN.

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Players Mentioned

Phoebe Awoleye

Lydia Grote

Taylor Landfair

CC McGraw

Calissa Minatee

Kylie Murr

Zeynep Palabiyik

Sydney Schnichels

Melani Shaffmaster

Mckenna Wucherer