The Minnesota Golden Gophers, ranked No. 24, are preparing to face off against the Northwestern Wildcats on Sunday. The game will take place at Maturi Pavilion in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The match is scheduled to begin at 12:30 p.m. CT and will be broadcasted on B1G+.
Here are some key details about the upcoming game:
– Date: Sunday, October 15
– Time: 12:30 p.m. CT
– Location: Maturi Pavilion, Minneapolis, Minn.
– TV/Stream: B1G+ – Emma Carpenter (Play-By-Play) and Meredith Nelson-Uram (Analyst)
– Live Stats
Here are some notable facts to know about the Minnesota Golden Gophers:
– Coach Keegan Cook recently achieved his 200th career win as a head coach.
– Phoebe Awoleye is currently ranked 29th in the nation and 4th in the Big Ten in blocks per set.
– Mckenna Wucherer leads the team and ranks 15th in the Big Ten with 3.37 kills per set.
– Minnesota had a winning streak of 13 matches against Northwestern before suffering a defeat last year.
– Melani Shaffmaster ranks 8th in Gophers history with 3,489 career assists.
– The team has played eight ranked opponents in their first 12 games, but will now face six consecutive unranked opponents before playing No. 15 Purdue on October 26.
– Minnesota has had six Big Ten Players of the Year in the past eight years.
– In Big Ten games, Minnesota ranks in the top five in hitting percentage, kills, opponent hitting percentage, and opponent kills.
– Melani Shaffmaster ranks third in the Big Ten with 9.62 assists per set against Big Ten teams.
– Kylie Murr ranks third in the Big Ten in digs per set with 4.19.
– Minnesota ranks third in the Big Ten in conference games in service aces per set with 1.48.
– The team has a 2-6 record against ranked opponents this season.
– Taylor Landfair, a junior outside hitter, was the 2022 Big Ten Player of the Year and an AVCA First Team All-American.
In their last game, the Golden Gophers defeated Michigan in three sets, breaking a three-game losing streak. They had impressive performances from Grote, Landfair, and Wucherer, who all reached double digits in kills. The team hit a season-best .387 in the match.
The Minnesota Golden Gophers are currently ranked 24th in the AVCA poll. They have a strong home record, with a 108-17 record at home since 2015.
The Northwestern Wildcats, led by head coach Shane Davis, have had some notable wins this season, including victories over No. 13 San Diego, Illinois State, and Yale. They have also beaten No. 17 Purdue and Michigan State in Big Ten play.
Minnesota has a history of success against Northwestern, with a 62-20 all-time record. However, Northwestern defeated the Gophers in five sets last year. In their last meeting in 2021, Minnesota came from two sets down to win the match.
Melani Shaffmaster, the Gophers’ senior setter, ranks second among all Big Ten setters in kills per set this season.
Phoebe Awoleye, a senior LMU transfer, has been a strong presence at the net for the Gophers. She currently ranks 29th nationally in blocks per set.
Arica Davis has been dominant at the net in recent games, registering 18 blocks in her last three matches.
Minnesota has been successful at home, with a record of 108-17 since 2015. They have only lost non-conference home matches to Oregon, Texas, Pepperdine, Stanford, and Creighton.
The team has been improving their serving game, with an average of 7.00 service aces per match in their last nine games.
Freshman Zeynep Palabiyik has been making an impact as a server, tallying five aces in her last four matches.
Taylor Landfair, the 2022 Big Ten Player of the Year, has been performing well in Big Ten play, averaging 3.00 kills per set.
Up next, Minnesota will host Rutgers and Michigan State in their upcoming matches.
