Match Results
- #4 Minnesota (1-0) def. #11 North Carolina (0-1) 3-0, (25-16, 25-7, 25-20)
- Madison, Wisconsin
- Big Ten/ACC Challenge
- Match Stats
#4 Minnesota had no troubles with their opening match of the season, showing their top-five worth with a dominant 3-0 victory over #11 North Carolina at the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.
SWEEP! A golden start to the season for the #Gophers! pic.twitter.com/P6DIq7famw
— Minnesota Volleyball (@GopherVBall) August 25, 2017
The Gophers took a strong lead in the first set of 9-4 which solidified the remaining of the set, with them keeping the pressure on the Tar Heels, taking them out 25-16 in the first. The second set was pure dominance for Minnesota, as they started out with a 6-0 run, and extended that lead to 19-4 late. The Tar Heels could not out match the strength of Minnesota’s attack that hit .318 in the set. Eventually, the Gophers took the second 25-7 and the match lead 2-0.
In the final set of the match, Minnesota trailed mid-set 14-11, making a comeback to complete the sweep. The Gophers tied things up at 17-17 and were able to capitalize the remainder of the set to take the match 25-20.
The underlying factor in the win was the attacking, Minnesota hit for .281 in the match, while the Tar Heels ended with a low .009 hitting percentage.
What a way to start the season! pic.twitter.com/iRidTDMT5S
— Minnesota Volleyball (@GopherVBall) August 25, 2017
For the Gophers, Stephanie Samedy led the offense with a double-double of 14 kills and 12 digs while Alexis Hart added nine kills and four digs. Dalianliz Rosado picked up a team-best 14 digs while Samantha Seliger-Swenson dished out 35 assists and three aces on the night.
Leading the Tar Heels was Taylor Leath with nine kills and six digs while Holly Carlton dished out 24 assists. From the back row, Mia Fradenburg picked up a match-best 16 digs.
Press Release
Courtesy of Minnesota Athletics
The No. 4 University of Minnesota volleyball team opened the 2017 season with a 3-0 win over No. 11 North Carolina, tonight in Madison, Wis. As a part of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, the Golden Gophers defeated the Tar Heels, 25-16, 25-7, 25-20.
Minnesota finished the match hitting .281 to UNC’s .009. The Gophers added 38 kills, had 11.5 blocks, five aces and 51 digs. Stephanie Samedy opened her Gopher career with a match-high 14 kills, while Alexis Hart had nine. Molly Lohman, Regan Pittman and Jasmyn Martin all had five. Lohman also led the Gophers with seven blocks. Samantha Seliger-Swenson had 35 assists, three aces and five digs. Rosado had a team-best 14 digs, followed by Samedy with 12. It was also the first collegiate start for Pittman.
Minnesota plays Louisville at 4 p.m. tomorrow night to close out the tournament.
Set Breakdown:
First Set: The Gophers opened the match with a 25-16 first set win. Samedy had six kills in her first collegiate set, while Hart added four. Minnesota hit .364 to UNC’s .139 and added 3.5 blocks. Minnesota held a 7-3 lead after a Tar Heel attack error. After a Hart kill, UNC called a timeout as Minnesota added an early 9-4 lead. The Gophers took a 16-10 advantage off a triple block from Martin, Samedy and Pittman and later an 18-12 lead as Pittman provided back-to-back kills. Samedy added her sixth kill of the set for set point, while a UNC attack error put the Gophers up, 1-0.
Second Set: Minnesota hit .318 and had four blocks for a 25-7 set win. Minnesota opened the second set with an 8-1 lead as Hart added another kill. Minnesota went on a 6-0 run, capped off by a Samedy ace and a Pittman kill for 15-3. A Hart kill later placed the Gopher lead to 19-4. Lohman and Hart added a block for the 21-5 point. The Gophers closed out the set with another block from Lohman/Samedy for the 23-6 lead, a UNC attack error and a Lohman kill for the 2-0 lead.
Third set: The Gophers came from behind to win the third set and sweep the Tar Heels, 25-20. Minnesota trailed 14-11 in the third set as the Gophers called their first timeout of the match. Minnesota erased the deficit and came back to tie the set at 17-17 off a Samedy/Pittman block. After the two teams tied again at 18-18, Minnesota added a three-point run for a 21-18 lead. It would be all the Gophers would need in order to secure the sweep. A kill by Martin placed the Gophers at set point, while Hart added the match’s final kill and the 25-20 set win.
Press Release
Courtesy of North Carolina Athletics
No. 11 North Carolina struggled in the 2017 season opener, falling 3-0 (25-16, 25-7, 25-20) to No. 4 Minnesota in the first match of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, hosted by Wisconsin. The 2016 National Semifinalist handed the Tar Heels their first 3-0 loss since Sept. 27, 2015, behind a double-double from freshman opposite hitter Stephanie Samedy.
Sophomore Mia Fradenburg did solid work in her first appearance at libero, leading the match with 16 digs to go with two assists and an ace. Redshirt freshman Holly Carlton directed the Tar Heel offense for the first time, putting up 24 assists, five digs, three blocks and two aces.
However, after leading the ACC with their best season hitting percentage since the early 1980s last year, the Tar Heels hit a measly .009, with just 27 kills and 26 errors, their worst match clip in over a decade. Taylor Leath led the offense with nine kills to go with six digs, followed by Taylor Borup with five of each.
An early run for the Golden Gophers gave Minnesota a 10-4 lead to open the match. Back-to-back kills by Leath cut the deficit in half, 10-7, but a service error and a block helped UM push further in front, 21-14. Carlton served up her first career ace to make it 21-16, but Minnesota won the next four straight to take the opener, 25-16.
The second set was all Minnesota, as the Gophers opened with a 5-0 lead and ran away with the set, 25-7. It marked the first time since 2015 that Carolina had been held to single digits, as UNC made an unprecedented 12 attack errors to hit -.242.
Carolina won the first point after intermission, and back-to-back blocks by Carlton and Beth Nordhorngave UNC its first real lead, 9-7. A kill by Leath put Carlton back to serve, as she kicked off a 5-0 run with an ace to make it 15-11. However, Minnesota pushed back, as two kills and a block by Samedy put the Gophers back in front, 18-17. Samedy hit one out of bounds to tie it 18-18, but UM then won five straight to make it 23-18. Taylor Fricano subbed in a slammed two kills for Carolina, but Alexis Hart finished off the season opener, as Minnesota completed the sweep, 25-20.
The Tar Heels return to UW Field House on Saturday, Aug. 26, to face the host No. 7 Wisconsin Badgers in the final match of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The match will be streamed live on BTN Plus, with opening serve set for 8 p.m. ET.
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