University of Minnesota Athletics
2015 Final Four
The 2015 Gopher Volleyball season marked one of the most historic seasons in program history. Minnesota went from a 19-12 team in 2014 and missing the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1997, to a 30-5 overall record, a Big Ten champion and its first Final Four appearance since 2009.
After opening the season, 0-2 at the Stanford tournament, the Gophers rebounded and finished the non-conference schedule with an 8-2 record. Minnesota opened the Big Ten season in Columbus, Ohio, where the Gophers won, 3-2. The Gophers fell in a five-set decision to the Penn State Nittany Lions.
That PSU loss would be the last Gopher loss for the 15 matches. The Gophers went on a tear and set a school record for the most consecutive Big Ten wins in a season and tied the school record for longest winning streak. Minnesota dropped just two sets in the next four matches to improve to 5-1 in the Big Ten. Playing border rival Wisconsin in back-to-back matches, followed by Nebraska, the Gophers won all three, 3-2, 3-1 and 3-1, including two of which were on the road in Madison, Wis., and Lincoln, Neb. The Gophers continued their dominance and dropped just one set in the next four matches with wins over Iowa, Indiana, Purdue and Michigan State.
With a win over Michigan and Northwestern, the Gophers welcomed No. 1 Penn State to the Pavilion. The Gophers continued to show they were a national powerhouse as they swept the Nittany Lions, 25-23. 25-20. 25-21 in front of 5,535 fans. The win placed Minnesota as the No. 3 team in the nation. The Gophers went from receiving votes in the AVCA poll at the start of the season, to being ranked as high as No. 3 the end of the year.
After another win over Maryland, the Gophers traveled to Purdue. The 15-match win streak was snapped by the Boilermakers in a five-set win. It was just the second conference loss by the Gophers that season. It would prove to be the last as Minnesota finished league action 18-2. With a win over Ohio State at home on senior night, the victory solidified a share of the conference title. However, a road win at Indiana gave the Gophers the championship trophy outright, Minnesota’s first Big Ten title since 2002.
Daly Santana was named Big Ten Player of the Year and Seliger-Swenson was named Freshman of the Year. Santana was first Gopher to earn the award since Cassie Busse (2003), while Seliger-Swenson garnered Minnesota's first Freshman of the Year award since Katrien DeDecker (1993).
For the first time in program history, Minnesota received its highest NCAA seed in the tournament. The Golden Gophers were seeded No. 2 as they entered the second season and was positioned in the Des Moines Regional. Minnesota made quick work of the First and Second Round as the Gophers defeated Jackson State and Marquette, 3-0. The Gophers moved onto the regional facing a familiar foe, Illinois. However, the Gophers dispatched the Illini, 3-0, at the Sweet 16. Hawaii was the next opponent, but the Gophers defeated the Rainbow Wahine, 3-1, en route to the Final Four.
The Gophers advanced to their first Final Four since 2009, and first under head coach Hugh McCutcheon. Although the Gophers dropped a four-set match to Texas, the Gophers finished a great season at 30-5.
The post season accolades followed such a historic season. McCutcheon was named the AVCA National Coach of the Year, AVCA North Region Coach of the Year and Big Ten Coach of the Year. He was the first Gopher head coach to receive the AVCA National Coach of the Year Award. It was the second time in four years he received the regional coaching accolade and became the second Gopher coach to claim Big Ten Coach of the Year honors (Mike Hebert, 1999, 2002).
Minnesota garnered four All-America honors in Daly Santana (First Team), Hannah Tapp (First Team), Samantha Seliger-Swenson (Second Team) and Paige Tapp (Third Team), the most in school history.