OMAHA, Neb. --The Minnesota Golden Gophers (16-12, 12-8Big Ten) get set to compete in their 28th NCAA Tournament all-time. They'll take on the No. 6 seed in the Pittsburgh Region, the Utah State Aggies(24-6, 17-1 Mountain West). No. 3 seeded Creighton (27-4, 16-2 BIG EAST) will host the first two rounds of this regional, with Colgate (22-7, 13-3 Patriot League) being the fourth team. Minnesota and Utah State play at 4 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 1 while Creighton and Colgate play at 6:30 p.m. Both matches will take place at CU's D.J. Sokol Arena and ESPN+ will provide streaming coverage.
UTAH STATE MATCHINFORMATION
Minnesota vs. No. 6 Utah State
Friday, Dec. 1
4 p.m. CT
D.J. Sokol Arena
Omaha, Neb.
TV/Stream: ESPN+ - Jon Schriner (Play-By-Play), Shannon Smolinski (Analyst) and Ana Bellinghausen (Sideline)
Radio: 102.5 FM - Tanner Hoops (Play-By-Play)
Live Stats
SERIESINFORMATION
Minnesota trails Utah State, 4-2
First Meeting: 1979 (3-0 Loss)
Last Meeting: 2007 (3-0 Win)
NOTES TO KNOW
2,300 -- On Nov. 12 at Indiana, Kylie Murr became the second player in B1G history to reach 2,300 digs (2,374). The only player with more was former Gopher Paula Gentil (2000-05; 2,791)
1,000 -- Minnesota's Taylor Landfair reached 1,000 career kills on Nov. 3 at Ohio State. She currently ranks 22nd all-time at the 'U' with 1,112. She averages 3.20 per set on the year.
999 -- Lydia Grote enters Friday's match with 999 career kills. She posted 727 in her three years at California (272 in 2023).
213 -- Keegan Cook won his 200th career match as a head coach on Aug. 26 vs. Baylor. He won his 214th Friday vs. Illinois.
130 -- Minnesota had been ranked in 130 straight AVCA polls, dating back to Sept. 7, 2015, before the Oct. 16 poll. The 'U' is unranked for the seventh straight week (16 votes received).
28 -- 2023 will be the Gophers' 28th all-time NCAA appearance. Only 10 schools have made more postseason trips than the 'U'.
28 -- The 'U' clinched its 28th straight winning season with a win over OSU on Nov. 18 The last time they didn't have a winning season was in 1995 (13-17, 7-13 Big Ten). In the 52-year history of Gopher volleyball, the team has had only five losing seasons.
28 -- Kylie Murr is the only Big Ten player to post double digit digs in every match this season. She's done so 28 times. Dating back to last season, she has 37 straight 10+ dig match games.
24 -- The 'U' will be making its 24th NCAA Tournament in the last 25 seasons, including its ninth straight.
18 -- Melani Shaffmaster leads the Big Ten with 18 double doubles this season. She has 58 in her career.
16 -- It's been 16 years since Minnesota and Utah St. last played. The Gophers took a 3-0 sweep in 2007.
14 -- The Gophers have won at least one postseason match in 14 straight NCAA Tournaments. The last time they were eliminated in the first round was in 2007 (3-1 loss to Sacramento State). All-time, the Gophers are 26-1 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
13 -- When making the NCAA Tournament, the 'U' has made at least the Sweet 16 13 straight times.
12 -- Phoebe Awoleye ranks No. 12 among active DI players with 1.19 blocks per set.
10 -- Taylor Landfair ranked 10th in the Big Ten in kills per set during conference play with 3.51.
9 -- The Gophers have had nine straight seasons winning over half of their B1G games, dating back to 2014 (9-11). Minnesota has had winning conference seasons in 21 of the last 22 seasons.
8 -- Melani Shaffmaster ranks 8th all-time in Gophers history with 3,928 career assists. She ranks 16th among active DI players. Her 10.00 assists per set put her at No. 24.
4 -- Melani Shaffmaster became the fourth Gopher all-time to reach 3,500 career assists and 1,000 digs with her ninth dig of the match on Oct. 22 versus Michigan St.
2 -- This will be the second time in program history Minnesota plays a Mountain West opponent in the NCAA Tournament. The Gophers defeated Colorado State in four sets on Dec. 11, 2009.
2 -- The Gophers are 2-10 against ranked opponents this season, taking wins over then No. 15 Baylor and No. 6 Oregon. Minnesota is searching for its first ranked win since Sept. 8 vs. Oregon.
2 -- Melani Shaffmaster has posted 40+ assists six times in 2023 (Minnesota is 5-1 when she has 40+).
1 -- Minnesota will be on the road to start an NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2009 (Knoxville Regional). The last time they started on the road, they went on to make the Final Four.
LAST TIME OUT
• The 'U' defeated Illinois in straight sets (25-20, 25-21, 25-17) on Friday night to clinch their spot in the NCAA Tournament. Taylor Landfair paced the team with 15 kills while Arica Davis had a season-high of nine. Minnesota then fell to No. 1 Nebraska in four sets (19-25, 18-25, 25-21, 23-25) Saturday. Mckenna Wucherer went for 16 kills while Melani Shaffmaster tallied her 18th double double with 37 assists and 17 digs (season-high).
MINNESOTA QUALIFIES FOR 28TH NCAA APPEARANCE IN PROGRAM HISTORY
• The 2023 season marks the 28th year the Golden Gophers have advanced to the NCAA tournament. Receiving an at-large bid this year, the Gophers have now advanced to the tournament in nine straight seasons and 24 of the last 25 overall. As a program, Minnesota has had 28 straight winning seasons, dating back to 1995.
• Minnesota has hosted the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament each of the past eight years and in 12 of the last 13 seasons (missed NCAA's in 2014). The last time Minnesota made the NCAA's and didn't host the first two rounds was in 2009. Minnesota went on to make the Final Four that season after traveling to Knoxville, Tenn., for the first two rounds before hosting Colorado State and Florida State in a regional at the Pav.
SCOUTING UTAH STATE
• Utah State (24-6, 17-1 MW) is led by fourth-year head coach Rob Neilson. They won the regular season Mountain West title before falling 3-1 to Fresno State in the conference tournament title game last week.
• Common opponents with Minnesota included Nebraska (3-0 loss), TCU (3-0 loss) and N. Iowa (3-0 win).
• The Aggies will make their sixth-ever NCAA Tournament appearance in 2023. Utah State has appeared in five NCAA Tournaments (2022, 2010, 2005, 2001, 2002), holding a 2-5 record.
• USU had four All-Mountain West honorees in 2023, led by senior outsides Shelby Capllonch (3.28 kps) and Tatum Stall (3.40 kps). Freshman libero Kambree Rodriguez made the team as well after posting 3.14 dps.
SERIES HISTORY
• The Gophers trail the all-time series against Utah State, 4-2. Their first matchup was in 1979, a 3-0 loss at Williams Arena. The other five matches were all at neutral sites. They played four times between 1980-86,and then not again until Sept. 8, 2007. In their last matchup, the Gophers swept the Aggies in Berkeley, Calif.
TWO GOPHERS ON THEIR LAST GO-AROUND
• Minnesota honored middle Phoebe Awoleye and libero Kylie Murr on Senior Night against Illinois.
• A Marietta, Ga., Awoleye native will graduate with her master's in sports management this spring. After transferring from Loyola Marymount, Phoebe has started in all 26 matches for Minnesota in 2023, leading the team with 1.33 blocks per set. In her career, she's accumulated over 500 kills and 452 blocks. After her time at Minnesota, Phoebe intends to pursue a career as a sports agent.
• In her one season as a Gopher, Murr accumulated over 400 digs and 130 assists. She's totaled over 2,300 career digs, which ranks second all-time in Big Ten history. Murr is pursuing her master's in sports management and will play volleyball professionally after Minnesota. She eventually plans to be a volleyball coach.
GOPHERS AND NCAA TOURNAMENT EXPERIENCE
• Minnesota has five returning players that have played in NCAA Tournament games for the Gophers. Overall, seven players have had postseason experience. Senior setter Melani Shaffmaster leads the bunch with nine NCAA games played at Minnesota, followed by Taylor Landfair (5), Arica Davis (3), Elise McGhie (3) and Mckenna Wucherer (3). Davis, an OSU transfer, also played in three tournament matches in 2021 as a Buckeye.
• OSU transfer Kylie Murr racked up nine NCAA Tournament matches played from 2020-22 in Columbus. LMU transfer Phoebe Awoleye played in one postseason match in 2022.
• Minnesota returners Lauren Crowl (2021-22), Julia Hanson (2022) and Chloe Ng (2022) have yet to appear in an NCAA Tournament match. California transfer Lydia Grote and freshmen Calissa Minatee, Zeynep Palabiyik and Sydney Schnichels are also getting their first taste of the NCAA Tournament this weekend.
'U' TESTED AGAINST NCAA COMPETITION
• Of Minnesota's 28 regular season matches, 14 of them came against teams that made the 2023 NCAA Tournament. The Gophers held a 4-10 record this season against teams that made the postseason..
NCAA TOURNAMENT STREAK
• Minnesota has made nine straight NCAA Tournaments. The only other teams in the Minnesota Athletic Department to make the NCAA Tournament every year from 2015-23 are women's hockey (16 straight) and softball (10).
• Since 1999, volleyball has made 24 NCAA Tournaments. In that same time, women's soccer (7) and men's (7) and women's (9) basketball have combined for 23 trips.
• Since 1999, men's hockey has made 16 NCAA appearances while women's has made 20.
• There are 13 schools that have appeared in 13 of the last 14 NCAA Tournaments, a group that includes Minnesota, Creighton, Florida State, Hawai'i, Purdue, San Diego, Stanford and Washington.
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 (3,928).
• With 8.85 assists per set in 2023, Mel ranks 9th in the Big Ten. Her 9.29 ps in conference games, however, are seventh best in the B1G.
• In 2023, she's posted 30+ assists 17 times, 10+ digs 18 times and 3+ blocks 12 times.
• Melani ranks 16th among active Division I players with 3,928 career assists.
• On Oct. 22 vs. MSU, Mel became the fourth Gopher all-time to record 3,500 assists and 1,000 digs. She joined Sharon Oesterling (1986-89), Samantha Seliger-Swenson (2015-18) and Lindsey Taatjes (2001-04) on the list.
SERVING STEPS UP FOR THE MAROON AND GOLD
• One of head coach Keegan's Cook's points of emphasis is to be a tough serving team to compete against. In their first six games, Minnesota had five-or-less service aces in each match (21 total).
• In their last 22 matches, however, the 'U' has tallied 136 service aces, an average of 6.2 per match. The Gophers tied a season-best with 12 on Oct. 15 versus Northwestern.
• The Gophers have had four matches with 10+ aces this season, including two in the last nine games (12 vs. Northwestern on Oct. 15); (10 vs. MSU on Oct. 22).
• Minnesota ranked fifth in the Big Ten in service aces (1.47 aces per set). In Big Ten play only, the Gophers ranked fourth with 1.51.
GOPHERS OFF AND LOOKING FOR SUCCESS IN OMAHA
• Minnesota has played three NCAA Tournament games all-time in Omaha, Neb., posting a 1-2 record. They fell in the 2015 national semifinals to Texas, 3-1, at CHI Health Center. The Gophers went 1-1 in the spring 2020-21 NCAA Tournament that took place in Omaha as well. They have never played at Creighton's D.J. Sokol Arena, which opened in 2009.
• The Gophers are 6-1 all-time against Creighton, playing just once (Aug. 29, 2008) on Creighton's campus. The Gophers emerged with a sweep in that meeting. The match was played at Omaha Civic Auditorium (9,377) in Omaha, Neb.
• Minnesota and CU have met three times in the NCAA Tournament, all at Maturi Pavilion. The Gophers won in three (25-19, 30-28, 25-20) on Dec. 4, 2010 (second round), in four on Dec. 1, 2012 (20-25, 25-17, 25-23, 25-17) and in five on Dec. 7, 2019 (25-13, 19-25, 15-25, 26-24, 15-10).
ALL-TIME NCAA APPEARANCES
• 43: Penn State - 42: Stanford, Nebraska - 41: Hawaii - 40: Texas - 39: USC - 36: BYU -34: Florida
• 32: Louisville - 30: UC Santa Barbara - 28: Minnesota - 27: Pepperdine, Wisconsin
GOPHERS IN NOVEMBER
• Minnesota won six of eight matches in November, playing its best volleyball of the season when it matters most.
• In the last 12 years, the Gophers are 71-21 (.763) in the month of November. Since 2015, Minnesota is 52-12 (.813) in November, including a 25-7 (.781) record at home and a 27-5 (.844) record on the road.
GOPHERS MAKE IT THROUGH DAUNTING SCHEDULE IN 2023
• The Gophers went through a gauntlet of schedule once again. In addition to playing 20 conference games in the always difficult Big Ten slate, they played in eight non-conference matches. All eight of the Gophers non-conference opponents made the 2023 NCAA Tournament. They played ranked opponents in six of their eight non-conference matchups, which is the most ranked teams that any team in the country played in the preseason. They went 2-4 in those matches and 0-6 versus ranked teams in B1G play. The Gophers fell to No. 1 Nebraska (2x), No. 15 Penn State, No. 16 Purdue (2x) and No. 2 Wisconsin. The 'U' is 2-10 against ranked opponents so far in 2023.
• Eight of the first 12 games were against teams ranked in the top-15.
• Record against NCAA Top 100: 13-11 - Record against NCAA Top 50: 6-10
LANDFAIR ROUNDING INTO FORM IN BIG TEN PLAY
• 2022 Big Ten Player of the Year and First Team All-American Taylor Landfair had her best showing of the season to kick off Big Ten play on Sept. 21 at Iowa. She led the team with 18 kills (tied her season-high) on a 2023-best .405 hitting. She also totaled season-bests in digs (11), assists (6) and blocks (4).
• In conference play (20 games), Landfair is hitting .268 with 3.51 kills, 2.28 digs and 0.47 blocks per set. She's hit double digits in kills in 15 B1G matches, hitting over .300 in nine of the 20 matches. In eight preseason games, Landfair hit just .123 with 2.47 kills, 1.66 digs and 0.44 blocks per set.
• Landfair holds 1,112 career kills after reaching 1,000 on Nov. 3 at Ohio State. She's one of 30 players all-time to hit the mark at Minnesota. Among active Division I players, she ranks 29th in career kills. Among Big Ten players, she ranks ninth. Landfair ranks 22nd all-time at Minnesota in kills.
• Taylor posted a season-best 25 kills with nine digs on .392 hitting in a four-set win over Northwestern on Nov. 5 in her return to her home state of Illinois.
GOPHERSPLAY IN MOST-WATCHED COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL MATCH OF ALL-TIME
• On Sunday, Oct. 29, the matchup between Minnesota and Wisconsin on FOX drew 1.659 million viewers, making it the most-watched college volleyball game of all time.
UP NEXT
• With a win on Friday, Minnesota would play either No. 3 Creighton (27-4, 16-2 BIG EAST) or Colgate (22-7, 13-3 Patriot League) on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. at D.J. Sokol Arena. ESPN+ would stream once again.
