MATCH STATS
- #2 Minnesota def. Tennessee 3-0 (25-22, 25-15, 25-20
- Minnesota moves to 5-0; Tennessee falls to 4-2
- Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Attendance: 4,862
- Box Score
No. 2 Minnesota hit nearly .400 in a sweep of Tennessee Saturday night to win the Diet Coke Classic title and move to 5-0 on the season.
The Gophers dominated the offensive phase of the match, posting 58 kills to UT’s 39. Minnesota also won the block (7-5) and the serve (3-0) and outdid the Vols 51-33 in digs.
The Gophers had just one set under .400 for the night, hitting at a .409 clip in Set 1, .353 in Set 2 and .424 in the finale. For its part, Tennessee hit .264 on the night, including two sets of .300 or better.
Freshman opposite and tournament MVP Stephanie Samedy and redshirt freshman middle blocker Regan Pittman paced the Gopher attack with 17 and 15 kills respectively. Samedy rounded out a double double with 10 digs, while Pittman added a team-best leading five blocks. Senior libero Dalianliz Rosado led the backcourt with 12 digs.
Redshirt sophomore outside hitter Breana Jeter and senior outside Kendra Turner tallied 10 kills apiece to lead Tennessee. Sophomore middle Alyssa Andreno put up four blocks to lead the Vols, while junior outside Stephanie Spencer chipped in three stuffs. Junior libero Brooke Schumacher managed a team-best 14 digs.
Samedy set the tone early with four kills in the first 13 points as the Gophers took an 8-5 lead. Minnesota held the Vols at bay over the next several points, eventually going ahead by four at 16-12 on a Pittman kill. The Vols scored eight of the next 10 to jump ahead 20-18. Four UM miscues and kills by four different players guided the rally. The Gophers responded with a 4-0 run of its own including two Jasmine Martin kills. A block by Martin put Minnesota on the hill at 24-22 and a Maddie Beal kill wrapped up the 25-22 win.
Tennessee kicked off Set 2 on a 5-1 run, spreading the ball around to four different players. The Gophers chipped away until a 4-0 run turned an 8-5 deficit into a 9-8 UM advantage. Pittman tallied three of the four kills in the run. The teams tied at 9, 10 and 11 before Minnesota managed a 15-12 lead on a block by Samedy and Pittman. Tennessee was within two at 17-15, but that sparked an 8-0 final run by the Gophers. Alexis Hart downed three kills, including the final two, while Pittman managed two kills and a block in the closing rally.
The teams played to a 7-all tie in Set 3, but UT got kills from Kanisha Jimenez, Eric Treiber and Jeter to go up 10-7. The Gophers scored seven of the next nine to take a 14-12 lead. Martin tallied three kills in the stretch, while Molly Lohman added an ace. Tennessee countered with a 4-1 run to regain the lead at 16-15. Two Samedy kills helped Minnesota to a 21-18 edge. Pittman and Samedy turned in a kill and a block each as the Gophers scored four of the final five points for a 25-20 win.
PRESS RELEASES
Courtesy: Minnesota Athletics
The No. 2 University of Minnesota volleyball program won its home tournament with a 3-0 (25-22, 25-15, 25-20) over Tennessee, to conclude the Diet Coke Classic, tonight at Maturi Pavilion. With the win, the Golden Gophers improve to 5-0 on the season and remain undefeated at home in the last 39 straight matches. The home win streak spans over four seasons, dating back to 2014.
Stephanie Samedy was named the tournament’s most valuable player when she accumulated 43 kills, averaged 4.78 kills per set and hit .363. Samantha Seliger-Swenson added 126 sets and averaged 14.00 per set. Molly Lohman added a hitting clip of .625.
Against Tennessee, Samedy had 17 kills and hit .371, while Regan Pittman had 15 kills and hit .684 and a team-best five blocks. Outside hitters Alexis Hart and Jasmyn Martin had nine and eight kills, respectively. Seliger-Swenson posted a season-high 49 assists, while Dalianliz Rosado posted 12 digs. As a team, the Gophers hit .396 against the Volunteers, added seven blocks, 51 digs and three aces. Tennessee hit .264 in the match, had 33 digs and 5.5 blocks.
Minnesota has a short turnaround this week as it plays in Austin, Texas, Sept. 7-8. The Gophers battle Denver and Corpus-Christi on Sept. 7, and faces No. 4 Texas, Sept. 8. The Longhorn Network will televise all matches as a part of the American Campus Classic.
Set Breakdown
First Set: Minnesota built a 12-9 lead with back-to-back kills from Samedy as the Volunteers called a timeout. Taylor Morgan pushed the score to 14-11 in favor of the Gophers with a kill, while a Pittman kill added a 16-12 lead. Tennessee, however, battled back and tied the set at 16-16 off a Gopher attack error. The two teams traded points until the Vols took a 20-18 lead. The Gophers, however, responded and rattled off four-straight points and took a 22-20 lead off four-straight kills (Samedy, two by Martin and Pittman). The run forced Tennessee to call a timeout. The Gophers pushed it to set point on a solo block, while Maddie Beal finished off the set with a kill.
Second Set: The Gophers hit .429 in the second set for a 25-15 win. After tying at 11, the Gophers took a 15-12 lead after a Samedy/Pittman block attempt as the Vols used its first timeout. An ace by Lauren Barnes pushed the Gopher lead to four (19-15), while a Tennessee attack error gave the Gophers a 20-15 lead. The attack error forced the Vols to call their second timeout of the set. Minnesota, however, continued to cushion the lead with a block and four-straight kills to close out the second set and take a 2-0 lead.
Third Set: Minnesota hit .424 to Tennessee’s .312 to win the set and match, 3-0. The two teams traded two-points leads before Tennessee took a 10-7 lead as the Gophers called a timeout. Minnesota responded out of its timeout and tied the set at 11 off a Tennessee attack error. Minnesota and Tennessee continued to battle within two points. The Gophers took an 18-16 lead after Samedy added her 14th kill of the match. A Samedy/Lohman block pushed the Gopher lead to 20-17 and forced Tennessee to use its second timeout. A Lohman kill put the Gophers at a 22-19 advantage. Pittman and Samedy combined for a block for match point, while Pittman added the final kill for a 25-20 set and match win.
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