The No. 16 Minnesota Golden Gophers enter conference play after earning six straight sweeps to end their preseason slate. They’ll play host to the No. 7 Wisconsin Badgers for the first time at home since 2022.
It’ll be a ‘Gold Out’ at Maturi Pavilion. Big Ten Network will provide television coverage, with Sloane Martin and Emily Ehman on the call. Tanner Hoops will have the radio broadcast on GopherSports.com. The ‘U’ won its 2022 home opener against then No. 6 Wisconsin in straight sets.
GAME INFORMATION
No. 16 Minnesota vs. No. 7 Wisconsin
Wednesday, Sept. 25
8 p.m. CT
Maturi Pavilion
Minneapolis, Minn.
NOTES TO KNOW
Minnesota leads Wisconsin, 53-38.
Streak: Wisconsin, Won Two Straight
First Meeting: 1975
Last Meeting: 2023
HEADING INTO THE MATCH
4,000 — Redshirt Senior setter Melani Shaffmaster passed 4,000 career assists with her 27th assist Sept. 1 vs. Stanford. She is the eighth Gopher ever to reach 4,000 and one of three Gophers in history to record 4,000 career assists, 1,000 digs and 300 kills.
500 — Phoebe Awoleye reached 500 career blocks Sept. 13 vs. Auburn. She is one of four active Division I players in the nation to reach the 500-block mark. She currently holds 510.
31 — Minnesota is 31-12 all-time at the Pav against Wisconsin. The Gophers have won 11 of the last 15 at home in the series, including a 3-0 sweep in their last meeting in 2022.
29 — Libero Zeynep Palabiyik posted a career-best 29 digs Sept. 6 at No. 23 Baylor. She has five matches with 20+ digs (B1G best) in 2024 and ranks 1st in the B1G with 4.42 dps.
29 — Minnesota is 29-13 all-time in Big Ten lidlifters.
21 — Melani Shaffmaster is one of 21 players in the country to register a triple-double this season. She had a career-high 10 kills with 47 assists and 21 digs on Sept. 7 vs. TCU. She’s the first Gopher to register a triple double since Sarah Wilhite did so in September of 2014.
19 — Melani Shaffmaster led the Big Ten with 19 double doubles last season. She has 65 in her career, the most of any B1G setter (6 in 2024). Shaffmaster was named to the AVCA Top-36 Player of the Year Watch List on Sept. 19. The three-time All-B1G honoree is looking to earn her first All-America honor in 2024.
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). The Gophers are 27-1 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
14 — Of the 31 Gophers home wins in the series against Wisconsin have been sweeps.
12 — Minnesota has won its last 12 home openers. Its last loss was in 2011, a 3-2 defeat to Illinois.
9 — Phoebe Awoleye ranks 9th among active DI players with 1.23 bps; ranks 4th with 510 total blocks.
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 4,287 career assists.
6 — Minnesota ranks sixth in the B1G with 2.63 blocks per set. They’ve had 10+ blocks in five matches.
5 — The Gophers ranks fifth in the B1G with 1.82 service aces per set.
4 — Melani Shaffmaster ranks fourth among active DI players with 4,287 career assists. She’s one of four athletes in the country that has totaled 4,000 assists and 1,000 digs.
4 — The first four Gophers matches went five sets (1-3 record), but the last six have all been sweeps.
2 — The Gophers were just 2-11 against ranked opponents in 2023, taking wins over No. 15 Baylor and No. 6 Oregon. Minnesota is 1-2 this year with a win over No. 1 Texas.
1 — Minnesota ranks first in the Big Ten with 17.29 digs per set. The second place team is Wisconsin at 15.57 dps. Opposing teams are hitting just .120 against the Gophers (1st in the B1G).
LAST TIME OUT
• No. 16 Minnesota is coming off a 3-0 week, with three sweeps at the Capital Credit Union Classic in Green Bay, Wis. The Gophers beat Green Bay, North Dakota and Chicago State in the three-day event. 15 of the 17 rostered players appeared in matches. Julia Hanson and Phoebe Awoleye were named to the all-tournament team while Hanson won MVP after notching 33 kills on .461 hitting in the three-day event.
GOPHERS RANKED 16TH THIS WEEK
• The Gophers entered the 2024 season with a No. 18 overall ranking in the Preseason AVCA poll.
• The Gophers have been ranked in the preseason poll in nine straight seasons and 23 of the last 25.
• Minnesota has been ranked all four weeks of the AVCA Top-25 poll in 2024.
• 18th was Minnesota’s lowest preseason ranking since coming in at No. 22 in 2006. They came in at 16 on Sept. 23, moving up one spot from the No. 17 ranking last week.
SCOUTING WISCONSIN
• Wisconsin is led by 12th-year head coach Kelly Sheffield. He’s led the Badgers to five Final Fours since he’s been at the helm, including a national title in 2021. Wisconsin has won four of the last five Big Ten regular season titles and is coming off its fourth Final Four appearance since 2019.
• The Badgers (6-3, 0-0 B1G) enter Wednesday’s matchup on a six-game winning streak after losing their first three matches to top-10 ranked teams in Louisville, Texas and Stanford. The Badgers will be searching for their first top-15 win of the season in their conference opener.
• UW is led by reigning AVCA/Big Ten Player of the Year Sarah Franklin, who paces the team with 4.63 kills and 2.51 digs per set. Opposite/middle Devyn Robinson leads the team on defense with 1.21 blocks per set.
MINNESOTA’S HISTORY VS. WISCONSIN
• Minnesota is 53-38 all-time versus Wisconsin. The Gophers broke a six-game losing streak in the series in 2022 with a 3-0 sweep on Sept. 25 at the Pav. Prior to the six-game slide, the Gophers had won eight straight in the series from 2015-18. Last year, Wisconsin took the lone match in Madison, 3-0.
• All-time at the Pav, Minnesota is 31-12 against the Badgers. Minnesota has won 11 of the past 15 matchups at home against Wisconsin. 14 of the Gophers 31 home wins in the series have been sweeps.
• Four times previously in the series history have the teams opened up conference play at the Pav. Minnesota has won all four of those matchups (1995, 1999, 2009, 2022), winning 12 of the 13 sets (three sweeps).
GOPHERS IN BIG TEN OPENERS
• Minnesota is 29-13 in B1G openers and has won its last 12 conference home openers.
• The Gophers last loss in a Big Ten home opener was a 3-2 defeat to Illinois in 2011.
• Minnesota swept then No. 6 Wisconsin in its 2022 home opener at the Pav.
(info and stock photo courtesy of Gopher Sports)
