The No. 6 seeded Minnesota Golden Gophers will take to the road for the 2024 NCAA Tournament as they take on the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (28-6, 18-0 CUSA) on Thursday in Lexington, Ky. The first round match will begin at 4:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. CT and ESPN+ will televise. Should Minnesota (20-10, 13-7 B1G) advance, they’d play the winner of No. 3 Kentucky (20-7, 14-2 SEC) and Cleveland State (23-9, 11-7 Horizon) on Friday, Dec. 6 at 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT.
This season marks Minnesota’s 29th all-time NCAA Tournament appearance, including their 10th straight. The ‘U’ is 27-1 all-time in first round matchups.
WESTERN KENTUCKY GAME INFORMATION
No. 6 Minnesota vs. Western Kentucky
Thursday, Dec. 5
4:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. CT
Memorial Coliseum
Lexington, Ky.
TV: ESPN+ – Dick Gabriel (Play-By-Play) and Stephanie Niemer (Analyst)
Radio: GopherSports.com – Tanner Hoops (Play-By-Play)
Live Stats
HEADING INTO THE MATCH
Minnesota leads Western Kentucky, 1-0
First Meeting: 1984
Last Meeting: 1984
NOTES TO KNOW
52 — Melani Shaffmaster and Julia Hanson were named to the AVCA Top-52 Player of the Year Watch List earlier this year.
51 — Julia Hanson ranks No. 51 in the country and No. 7 in the Big Ten with 4.05 kills per set.
29 — The 2024 NCAA Tournament represents the 29th all-time postseason appearance for Minnesota volleyball.
27 — Minnesota is 27-1 all-time in the first round of NCAA’s. The Gophers lone first round loss in program history came in 2007, a 3-1 loss to Sacramento State in Stanford, Calif.
26 — The ‘U’ comes in at No. 26 in the country, holding opponents to just .162 for the year. Only 10 of Minnesota’s opponents have hit over .200 this season. Four have been below .100.
16 — Times this season Minnesota posted 10+ blocks as a team.
15 — Consecutive victories in the first round of NCAA Tournament matches for Minnesota.
13 — Straight matches with 10+ kills for Julia Hanson. She’s totaled 11 15+ kill matches and five 20+ kill matches during that span. She’s hit 20+ in five of the last six contests.
12 — The ‘U’ has won 12-or-more Big Ten games in every season except for one (2014) dating back to 1999.
12 — Thursday will be the 12th career NCAA Tournament match for Melani Shaffmaster (7-4). She’s led Minnesota to a pair of Sweet 16s and an Elite Eight during her five years as a Gopher.
10 — This will be Minnesota’s 10th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. They’ve made 25 of the last 26 (missed in 2014). They’ve made three Final Fours, four Sweet 16s and an Elite Eight since 2015.
9 — Minnesota matches have gone five sets (4-5), 15 sweeps (13-2) and six have been in four sets (3-3).
8 — Eight straight matches with double-digit digs for Zeynep Palabiyik (longest streak in 2024).
7 — Phoebe Awoleye ranks 7th among active DI players with 1.30 bps; ranks 3rd with 635 total blocks.
6 — Melani Shaffmaster now ranks sixth in Gophers history and fourth among active DI players with 5,030 career assists. She’s the second Gopher in the rally scoring era to reach 5,000 assists.
6 — If the season ended today, Phoebe Awoleye (1.50 bps) would rank No. 4 in Gopher history for a single season in blocks per set. She tallied 1.34 bps in 2023 (18th all-time at Minnesota).
5 — Shaffmaster has tallied double-doubles in six of her last eight matches. She’s got 16 this season.
4 — Minnesota ranks fourth in the Big Ten and 13th nationally with 313.0 total blocks in 2024.
3 — In B1G matches only, Minnesota ranks third with 2.76 blocks per set (210 blocks), behind UW, UO.
3 — Phoebe Awoleye ranks second in the Big Ten and 11th in the country with 1.50 blocks per set.
2 — The Gophers were 2-11 against ranked opponents in 2023. Minnesota is 2-8 in 2024 with wins over No. 1 Texas, No. 7 Wisconsin. Losses are against No. 2 Nebraska, No. 3 Penn State, No. 5 Stanford, No. 6 Wisconsin, No. 10 Purdue, No. 12 Oregon, No. 21 USC and No. 23 Baylor.
2 — Minnesota ranks second in the Big Ten (95th in the NCAA) with 15.42 digs per set.
1 — Phoebe Awoleye set the new NCAA high for blocks in a three-set match with 14 on Oct. 12 vs. Maryland. Her 14 blocks also tied a program record for stuffs in a single match.
1 — In Big Ten play (20 matches), Phoebe Awoleye led the Big Ten with 1.64 bps and first with 125 blocks. The next closest player in conference play to her had 100 blocks.
1 — Julia Hanson was named AVCA/Gamechanger National Player of the Week on Dec. 3 after averaging 5.63 kills per set in wins over Illinois and Ohio State. She’s the first Gopher to win the award since 202
LAST TIME OUT
• The then No. 15 Minnesota volleyball team added wins at Illinois and at home against Ohio State in four sets to end its 2024 regular season. The Gophers dropped set one at UI Wednesday before coming back to win 25-18, 25-22, 27-25 in the final three sets. Minnesota trailed 16-6 in set four before coming back. The ‘U’ split the first two sets on senior night vs. OSU before dominating the final two, winning 25-14, 25-15.
GOPHERS IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
• The 2024 season marks the 29th year the Gophers advanced to the NCAA tournament. With an at-large bid, the Gophers advanced to the tournament for the 10th straight season and 25th in the last 26 overall.
• The program has had 29 straight winning seasons, dating back to 1995. The ‘U’ has won 10-or-more Big Ten games in every season except for one dating back to 1999. The program has finished in the top six of the B1G standings every year since 2015.
• In the first round of NCAA Tournaments, Minnesota is 27-1 all-time. In round two, Minnesota is 20-7. The Gophers have won 15 straight first round matches, dating back to 2007 (3-1 loss vs. Sacramento State).
• The Gophers all-time record in NCAA Tournaments is 62-28. Minnesota has made the Final Four six times (2003, 2004, 2009, 2015, 2016, 2019).
ALL-TIME NCAA APPEARANCES (MINNESOTA IS 11TH ALL-TIME)
• 44: Penn State – 43: Stanford, Nebraska – 42: Hawaii – 41: Texas – 40: USC – 37: BYU – 35: Florida 33: Louisville – 30: UC Santa Barbara – 29: Minnesota – 28: Wisconsin – 27: Pepperdine
BIG TEN IN THE BIG DANCE
• Minnesota is one of nine Big Ten teams to make the 2024 NCAA tournament. Nebraska holds the No. 2 overall seed while Penn State (3) will also host a regional. Wisconsin, Purdue and Oregon are also hosting first and second round matchups after earning top 16 seeds. Illinois, USC and Washington also made the tournament.
• The 2024 Final Four will take place in Louisville, Ky., from Dec. 19-22.
COACH COOK IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
• Now in his 10th year as a head coach, Keegan Cook is 18-9 all-time as a head coach in the NCAA Tournament. He led his Washington teams to one Final Four, three Elite Eights and two Sweet 16s. Only once was his team eliminated in the first round (2022). He’s 1-1 in the tournament at Minnesota.
AWARDS GALORE FOR THE GOPHERS
• Minnesota had four players earn All-Big Ten honors, which were announced on Wednesday. Senior setter Melani Shaffmaster earned her second career First Team All-Big Ten honor while Lydia Grote and Julia Hanson earned their first career accolade as First Team All-B1G selections. Senior middle blocker Phoebe Awoleye made the second team after leading the league in blocks per set (1.64) in conference matches.
• In addition to being named First Team All-Big Ten, Julia Hanson was named both AVCA and Big Ten Player of on Dec. 2 after tallying 5.63 kills per set with 45 total kills against Illinois and Ohio State. It was her first ever AVCA honor and second Big Ten Player of the Week award this season.
• Awoleye was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week for the second time this year after totaling 10 blocks each (2.50 blocks per set) in matches at Illinois and versus Ohio State last week.
SCOUTING WESTERN KENTUCKY
• The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (28-6, 18-0 CUSA) are led by 30th-year head coach Travis Hudson. He’s led WKU to five straight conference titles, leading the Hilltoppers to a perfect 68-0 Conference USA record during that time frame. WKU has won at least one NCAA Tournament match in five straight seasons.
• The Hilltoppers fell to No. 9 Kentucky (3-1) in the preseason in addition to losses against Michigan State (3-1), No. 16 Tennessee (3-2), Marquette (3-2), No. 24 Dayton (3-0) and Illinois (3-1). They’re 0-3 vs. top-25 teams.
• WKU is led by Conference USA Player of the Year Kaylee Cox, who led the team with 3.72 kills and 2.66 digs per set. Callie Bauer, who averages nearly 11 assists per set, was named Setter of the Year. Kenadee Coyle and Izzy Van De Wiele both received First Team All-Conference USA honors as well.
MINNESOTA’S HISTORY VS. WESTERN KENTUCKY
• The Gophers lead the all-time series vs. Western Kentucky, 1-0. Minnesota defeated WKU 3-0 on Sept. 8, 1984 at the Central Florida Tournament in Orlando, Fla.
HANSON ON A HEATER IN BIG TEN PLAY
• Minnesota junior outside Julia Hanson is on an absolute tear throughout the past month. Named Big Ten Player of the Week on Oct. 28 and Dec. 2, the Savage, Minn., native has tallied 10+ kills in each of the last 13 matches, including 11 15+ kill bouts and five with 20+. She’s hit 20 in five of the last six matches.
• Hanson leads the team and ranks seventh in the Big Ten in kills per set (4.05). She’s also hitting .270 for the year, which trails only Wisconsin’s Sarah Franklin (.295) and Purdue’s Eva Hudson (.278) among B1G pins.
STREAKS TO WATCH
• Phoebe Awoleye has tallied multiple blocks in 18 of the last 20 matches. She’s posted seven-or-more blocks in 11 of the last 15 matches, including 97 total blocks in the last 14 contests.
• Calissa Minatee has earned five-or-more kills in 17 matches this season. Minnesota is 13-4 when she has 5+ kills.
• Julia Hanson has totaled 10+ kills in 25 of 30 matches this year, including 16 times in Big Ten play.
• Hanson has tallied 10+ kills in 13 consecutive matches. During that span, she’s averaged 4.78 kills per set on .289 hitting. She’s also totaled 2.13 digs and 0.48 blocks per set.
• Melani Shaffmaster has tallied double-doubles in 16 of 30 matches this season (75 in her career).
UNDER .200, 10+ BLOCKS CLUB
• The Minnesota defense has held 20 of its 30 opponents this year under .200 hitting. Teams are hitting just .162 against the Gophers on the year (tied for second in B1G).
• The Gophers have totaled 10+ blocks 16 times this season (high of 19 on Oct. 12).
• Since Nov. 1 (10 matches), only Oregon (.327) and Michigan (.216) have hit over .200 against the Gophers. The ‘U’ has held six straight teams under .200 hitting (4-2 record).
MINNESOTA MILESTONES
• Phoebe Awoleye passed 600 career blocks on Nov. 14 at NU. She ranks No. 4 among all active Division I players with 635 in her collegiate career.
• Melani Shaffmaster passed 5,000 assists on Nov. 29 vs. Illinois. She ranks fourth among all active Division I players in assists with 5,030. She could be the sixth Gopher ever to pass 5,000 in her career.
• Shaffmaster clinched her fourth straight season with 20+ service aces last weekend. She became the first Gophers setter to reach 400 kills last Sunday at Michigan (432 for her career).
• Lydia Grote (305) reached the 300-kill mark for the second time in her career.
• Julia Hanson clinched her first career 300+ kill season Nov. 7 vs. Washington. She hit 400 kills Nov. 23.
UP NEXT
Minnesota will take on the winner of No. 3 Kentucky and Cleveland State if it beats Western Kentucky. The second round match will take place at 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT on Friday, Dec. 6 in Lexington, Ky. ESPN+ will stream.
(info and stock photo courtesy of Gopher Sports)
