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Gophers to Finish Spring Season vs. Illinois
4/19/2024 11:22:00 AM | Volleyball
The match is set for tomorrow at 1 p.m. in Waterloo, Wis.
MINNEAPOLIS -- The University of Minnesota women's volleyball team closes out its spring season with an exhibition against Illinois at Waterloo H.S. in Waterloo, Wis. on Saturday. Doors open at 12 p.m. for the 1 p.m. scrimmage. There is no charge for the event and fans must reserve their seats here.
EVENT INFORMATION
Minnesota vs. Illinois
Saturday, April 20 at 1 p.m.
Waterloo H.S.
Waterloo, Wis.
Stream/Stats: NONE
FORMAT
Minnesota and Illinois will play four sets up to 25 points, regardless of who wins the first three.
SCOUTING MINNESOTA
• Minnesota has been practicing since January and has played three exhibitions so far, versus St. Thomas (March 22), April 5 (Iowa State) and Marquette (April 13).
• Julia Hanson (.520) and Mckenna Wucherer (.406) led the team with 15 kills each against MU last Saturday. Calissa Minatee and Lydia Grote combined for 15 kills while Phoebe Awoleye led the defense with nine blocks. Libero Zeynep Palabiyik paced the back row with 12 digs while Melani Shaffmaster had 30 assists, eight digs and four blocks. As a team, Minnesota posted 13 blocks and hit .356.
• The Gophers hold a 13-player roster this spring and will add middle blocker transfer Kali Engeman (Georgia Tech) this summer.
• Freshmen early enrollees Olivia and Stella Swenson (Plymouth, Minn./Wayzata H.S.) have each been training and playing with the team this spring and are set to compete on Saturday.
• After walking on Senior Day last year, middle blocker Phoebe Awoleye decided to return for her fifth season in 2024. She averaged a team-best 1.34 blocks per set with 0.81 kills per set last season. She anchors a middle group with sophomore Calissa Minatee, who played in 15 matches as a true freshman.
SCOUTING ILLINOIS
• The Illinois Fighting Illini finished 16-14 (11-9 Big Ten) and in seventh place in the conference last season. The top win of the season for UI came on Oct. 28 against a top-15 ranked Purdue team that ended up making the Sweet 16. The Gophers defeated Illinois in three sets at Maturi Pavilion on Nov. 24 in their lone matchup.
• Head coach Chris Tamas enters his eighth season as head coach of the Fighting Illini volleyball program in 2024. In his seven seasons at the helm of the program, Tamas owns an overall record of 131-81 (.618), including a 80-58 (.560) mark in Big Ten competition. In 2018, he led Illinois to the program's fourth Final Four in program history.
• Illinois is led by fifth-year senior Raina Terry, a two-time First Team All-Big Ten honoree. Terry closed out her senior campaign in 2023 leading the conference with 618 total points and finishing second with 539 total kills. The outside hitter's 4.69 kills per set ranked sixth nationally and second in the conference, while her 5.37 points per set were seventh in the country and second in the league. Terry tallied 13.18 attacks per set and 1,516 total attacks, both placing her third in the nation and atop the Big Ten.
GOPHERS ANNOUNCE FOREIGN TOUR TO EUROPE THIS SPRING
• The Minnesota volleyball team will embark on a 12-day trip to Europe from May 12-24. The Gophers will train and play matches in Turkey (May 13-17), Slovenia (May 17-19) and Italy (May 20-23). NCAA programs are allowed to take foreign trips once every four years, and this will be Minnesota's first-ever trip abroad since going to Japan in 2019.
• Competition-wise, the Gophers will play Vakifbank TBC (May 14), Fenerbahce (May 15) and Eczacibsi (May 16), three extremely competitive teams in Turkey. They will then take on an opponent to be determined in Slovenia on May 19, and they will close the trip out with an exhibition tilt against an Italian Volleyball Federation team in Milan, Italy on May 23.
• Sightseeing opportunities in Turkey will include a boat tour in Bosphorus and trips to Hagia Sophia, Sultanahmet Mosque and the Grand Bazaar. In Slovenia, the team will ride the chairlift up the Pohorje Mountain for dinner at Marjan's Hut and ride back down on the Alpine Slide. They will also take a private gondola ride up the Pohorje Mountain the next night and have dinner at the Doppler Winery. In Italy, they will travel to Venice on May 20. They will sight-see in the Venice city center, ride water taxis to Piazza San Marco and Doge's Palace while exploring the city on foot. The next day, the team will go to Verona and sight-see at Lake Garda. The Gophers will also travel to Lake Como before heading to Milan to close out the trip.
MINNESOTA VOLLEYBALL IN 2023
• In the first year of the Keegan Cook era in 2023, the 'U' went 17-13 (12-8 Big Ten) and went to the NCAA Tournament's Round of 32. The Gophers won an NCAA Tournament match for the ninth straight season and finished fifth in the conference standings.
• Top wins of the season for Minnesota included a non-conference victory at Stanford against then No. 5 Oregon and a win at home over then No. 15 Baylor in the Big Ten/Big 12 Challenge.
• The Gophers had four All-Big Ten honorees, including Second Team All-B1G honorees Lydia Grote (outside/opposite) and setter Melani Shaffmaster (setter) who each elected to return for their fifth year in 2024.
• Five Minnesota athletes made the AVCA All-Region North Region team, including Grote, Shaffmaster and junior outside Mckenna Wucherer.
NEWS SINCE THE BEGINNING OF 2024
• Multiple Gophers made the Academic All-Big Ten Team, including Lauren Crowl, Skylar Gray, Julia Hanson, Elise McGhie, Chloe Ng, Melani Shaffmaster and Mckenna Wucherer. Hanson and Wucherer were each named to the CSC Academic All-District Team.
• Former assistant coaches Eric Barber and Kylin Munoz departed at the end of last season. A former volunteer assistant in 2022, Pedro Mendes came back to Minnesota in January of 2024 to become a full-time assistant coach. He spent the 2023 season with Northwestern. A former player under Keegan Cook at Washington, Crissy Jones Schoonderwoerd also joined the Gophers staff as an assistant coach. She spent the 2023 season at California, where she served as the program's interim head coach.
• 2024 Minnesota signee Stella Swenson of Wayzata High School was announced as the 2023-24 Gatorade Minnesota Volleyball Player of the Year. Swenson is the first Gatorade Minnesota Volleyball Player of the Year to be chosen from Wayzata High School. The award, which celebrates the nation's top high school athletes for excellence on the court, in the classroom and in the community, distinguishes Swenson as Minnesota's best high school volleyball player. The 6-foot-2 setter led the Trojans (34-0) to the Class AAAA state title this past season, recording 877 assists en route to winning the Minnesota Volleyball Coaches Association Ms. Baden Award as the state's best player.
• Intersport and FOX announced a partnership to bring nationally prominent women's volleyball programs to network television during Labor Day Weekend when Minnesota, Stanford, Texas and Wisconsin meet for an early season showcase event, which will be staged at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wis. The inaugural showcase will be contested Sept. 1-2, 2024, with Wisconsin facing Texas and Stanford taking on Minnesota on Sept. 1. Matchups the following day will feature Wisconsin-Stanford and Texas-Minnesota. Two of the four games will be broadcast on FOX while the remaining two will air on FS1. Tickets are now on sale for the event.
UP NEXT
Minnesota will travel to Europe for its foreign tour from May 12-24 in Turkey, Slovenia and Italy.
EVENT INFORMATION
Minnesota vs. Illinois
Saturday, April 20 at 1 p.m.
Waterloo H.S.
Waterloo, Wis.
Stream/Stats: NONE
FORMAT
Minnesota and Illinois will play four sets up to 25 points, regardless of who wins the first three.
SCOUTING MINNESOTA
• Minnesota has been practicing since January and has played three exhibitions so far, versus St. Thomas (March 22), April 5 (Iowa State) and Marquette (April 13).
• Julia Hanson (.520) and Mckenna Wucherer (.406) led the team with 15 kills each against MU last Saturday. Calissa Minatee and Lydia Grote combined for 15 kills while Phoebe Awoleye led the defense with nine blocks. Libero Zeynep Palabiyik paced the back row with 12 digs while Melani Shaffmaster had 30 assists, eight digs and four blocks. As a team, Minnesota posted 13 blocks and hit .356.
• The Gophers hold a 13-player roster this spring and will add middle blocker transfer Kali Engeman (Georgia Tech) this summer.
• Freshmen early enrollees Olivia and Stella Swenson (Plymouth, Minn./Wayzata H.S.) have each been training and playing with the team this spring and are set to compete on Saturday.
• After walking on Senior Day last year, middle blocker Phoebe Awoleye decided to return for her fifth season in 2024. She averaged a team-best 1.34 blocks per set with 0.81 kills per set last season. She anchors a middle group with sophomore Calissa Minatee, who played in 15 matches as a true freshman.
SCOUTING ILLINOIS
• The Illinois Fighting Illini finished 16-14 (11-9 Big Ten) and in seventh place in the conference last season. The top win of the season for UI came on Oct. 28 against a top-15 ranked Purdue team that ended up making the Sweet 16. The Gophers defeated Illinois in three sets at Maturi Pavilion on Nov. 24 in their lone matchup.
• Head coach Chris Tamas enters his eighth season as head coach of the Fighting Illini volleyball program in 2024. In his seven seasons at the helm of the program, Tamas owns an overall record of 131-81 (.618), including a 80-58 (.560) mark in Big Ten competition. In 2018, he led Illinois to the program's fourth Final Four in program history.
• Illinois is led by fifth-year senior Raina Terry, a two-time First Team All-Big Ten honoree. Terry closed out her senior campaign in 2023 leading the conference with 618 total points and finishing second with 539 total kills. The outside hitter's 4.69 kills per set ranked sixth nationally and second in the conference, while her 5.37 points per set were seventh in the country and second in the league. Terry tallied 13.18 attacks per set and 1,516 total attacks, both placing her third in the nation and atop the Big Ten.
GOPHERS ANNOUNCE FOREIGN TOUR TO EUROPE THIS SPRING
• The Minnesota volleyball team will embark on a 12-day trip to Europe from May 12-24. The Gophers will train and play matches in Turkey (May 13-17), Slovenia (May 17-19) and Italy (May 20-23). NCAA programs are allowed to take foreign trips once every four years, and this will be Minnesota's first-ever trip abroad since going to Japan in 2019.
• Competition-wise, the Gophers will play Vakifbank TBC (May 14), Fenerbahce (May 15) and Eczacibsi (May 16), three extremely competitive teams in Turkey. They will then take on an opponent to be determined in Slovenia on May 19, and they will close the trip out with an exhibition tilt against an Italian Volleyball Federation team in Milan, Italy on May 23.
• Sightseeing opportunities in Turkey will include a boat tour in Bosphorus and trips to Hagia Sophia, Sultanahmet Mosque and the Grand Bazaar. In Slovenia, the team will ride the chairlift up the Pohorje Mountain for dinner at Marjan's Hut and ride back down on the Alpine Slide. They will also take a private gondola ride up the Pohorje Mountain the next night and have dinner at the Doppler Winery. In Italy, they will travel to Venice on May 20. They will sight-see in the Venice city center, ride water taxis to Piazza San Marco and Doge's Palace while exploring the city on foot. The next day, the team will go to Verona and sight-see at Lake Garda. The Gophers will also travel to Lake Como before heading to Milan to close out the trip.
MINNESOTA VOLLEYBALL IN 2023
• In the first year of the Keegan Cook era in 2023, the 'U' went 17-13 (12-8 Big Ten) and went to the NCAA Tournament's Round of 32. The Gophers won an NCAA Tournament match for the ninth straight season and finished fifth in the conference standings.
• Top wins of the season for Minnesota included a non-conference victory at Stanford against then No. 5 Oregon and a win at home over then No. 15 Baylor in the Big Ten/Big 12 Challenge.
• The Gophers had four All-Big Ten honorees, including Second Team All-B1G honorees Lydia Grote (outside/opposite) and setter Melani Shaffmaster (setter) who each elected to return for their fifth year in 2024.
• Five Minnesota athletes made the AVCA All-Region North Region team, including Grote, Shaffmaster and junior outside Mckenna Wucherer.
NEWS SINCE THE BEGINNING OF 2024
• Multiple Gophers made the Academic All-Big Ten Team, including Lauren Crowl, Skylar Gray, Julia Hanson, Elise McGhie, Chloe Ng, Melani Shaffmaster and Mckenna Wucherer. Hanson and Wucherer were each named to the CSC Academic All-District Team.
• Former assistant coaches Eric Barber and Kylin Munoz departed at the end of last season. A former volunteer assistant in 2022, Pedro Mendes came back to Minnesota in January of 2024 to become a full-time assistant coach. He spent the 2023 season with Northwestern. A former player under Keegan Cook at Washington, Crissy Jones Schoonderwoerd also joined the Gophers staff as an assistant coach. She spent the 2023 season at California, where she served as the program's interim head coach.
• 2024 Minnesota signee Stella Swenson of Wayzata High School was announced as the 2023-24 Gatorade Minnesota Volleyball Player of the Year. Swenson is the first Gatorade Minnesota Volleyball Player of the Year to be chosen from Wayzata High School. The award, which celebrates the nation's top high school athletes for excellence on the court, in the classroom and in the community, distinguishes Swenson as Minnesota's best high school volleyball player. The 6-foot-2 setter led the Trojans (34-0) to the Class AAAA state title this past season, recording 877 assists en route to winning the Minnesota Volleyball Coaches Association Ms. Baden Award as the state's best player.
• Intersport and FOX announced a partnership to bring nationally prominent women's volleyball programs to network television during Labor Day Weekend when Minnesota, Stanford, Texas and Wisconsin meet for an early season showcase event, which will be staged at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wis. The inaugural showcase will be contested Sept. 1-2, 2024, with Wisconsin facing Texas and Stanford taking on Minnesota on Sept. 1. Matchups the following day will feature Wisconsin-Stanford and Texas-Minnesota. Two of the four games will be broadcast on FOX while the remaining two will air on FS1. Tickets are now on sale for the event.
UP NEXT
Minnesota will travel to Europe for its foreign tour from May 12-24 in Turkey, Slovenia and Italy.
2025 Season Recap
Tuesday, January 27
Best of Julia Hanson
Monday, December 22
Gophers Preview NCAA Sweet Sixteen
Tuesday, December 09
Cinematic Recap: Gophers Reach Sweet Sixteen
Tuesday, December 09