Ohio State (3) and Minnesota (2) to take on each other in the Division I Women’s Volleyball Austin (Texas) Regional Semifinal. The Gophers will take on the Buckeyes on Thursday in Austin, Texas. Both teams have faced each other two times this season. The Gophers beat the Buckeyes in Columbus 3-1 less than two weeks ago during the final weekend of the regular season. The 21-9 Ohio State beat Gophers in Minneapolis in straight sets on 12th October. Minnesota, with a 22-8 overall record, ranks eighth in the nation and second in their country. While their opponent Ohio State ranks tenth in the nation and third in the region.
Viewing Information for NCAA DI Women’s Volleyball Regional Semifinal
Date: Thursday 08, December 2022
Start Time: 12 p.m. ET
Venue: Gregory Gym, Austin, Texas
TV Channel: ESPN 2
Live Streams: Watch Here
Ohio State Buckeyes vs Minnesota Gophers Preview
Talking about the Gophers first, they progressed to their eighth regional semi-finals by beating SE Louisiana and Northern Iowa last weekend. They have won five straight matches and nine of their last ten. They have progressed to the sweet 16 20 times and ten times to the Elite Eight. Talking about the upcoming game, the Gophers have a 16-2 record against the Buckeyes under Head Coach Hugh McCutcheon. Moreover, the Gophers lead 50-35 against Ohio State and are 5-2 when facing Ohio State at a neutral site.
This is Minnesota’s 27th NCAA Tournament appearance, with a 61-26 record. Last season, Minnesota made it to the regional finals but got hammered by Wisconsin, which went on to win the national championship.
The Gophers have hit .300 or more 11 times this year, going 11-0 in those matches.
Minnesota ranks second in hitting percentage at the Big Ten at .262, with ‘U’ at the top in the league with hitting .266. Minnesota made 19 blocks in a match 20 times this year and is 16-4 in those matches. Moreover, they played 15 of their 28 regular season games against the ranked opponent and are 8-7 in those fixtures.
Six of the past eight Big Ten Players of the Year have been Minnesota players, with Taylor Landfair (who ranks 18th in both points (4.93) and kills (4.37)) the latest addition to the coveted list, which was given the award this year, joined Stephanie Samedy (2020,21), (Sam Seliger-Swenson (2018), Sarah Wilhite (2016) and Daly Santana (2015). Furthermore, Minnesota’s Melani Shaffmaster ranks eighth in side history with 2,995 assists. Other Minnesota players Graduate libero ranks No. 3 all-time at the Gophers with 1,907 career digs. Christine Tan ranks No. 2 in Minnesota history with 1,927. CC MacGraw ranks No. 3 in Minnesota history with 1,907 digs and is only 93 digs away from becoming just the 10th player in B1G Volleyball history and the second Minnesota player ever to reach 2,000 in her career.
It is worth mentioning that the current season will be the last for their head coach Hugh McCutcheon as he announced two months ago.
Minnesota’s record in NCAA Tournaments is 61-26, but under their current manager, it’s 28-9, including a perfect 19-0 record in first and second-round matches.
Against Ohio State, Minnesota is 47-36 all-time, including a 16-2 mark under Hugh McCutcheon. Last week, Minnesota made a season-best 16 blocks against Northern Iowa in three sets, the first time they had more than 15, with the last time making 15 in a contest since the spring of 2021 against Pittsburgh.
On the other hand, Ohio State University is led by Jen Flynn Oldenberg, 64-19 so far for the Buckeyes. They dropped their final four regular season matches before rebounding with a pair of NCAA Tourney wins last weekend. With the top eight teams in each region being seeded this season, the Buckeyes earned a No. 3 seed in the tournament. They have made their 25th NCAA Tournament appearance and third-consecutive regional semifinal appearance, and 19th overall.
Emily Londot was named AVCA Northeast Player of the Year and joined the AVCA All-Region Team by Kylie Murr and Mac Podraza while Gabby Gonzales received an honorable mention.
Podraza was named the Big Ten Setter of the Year and Murr the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year at the post-regular season, with both players being the first in program history to win their awards.
During the regular season, the Buckeyes had the sixth-highest average home attendance (3,680), just 20 short of a sell-out.
ALSO READ:
How to watch Ohio State Buckeyes vs Minnesota Gophers Women’s Volleyball Round of Sweet 16 live online?
Since ESPN 2 will be televised the game live on tv, fans can watch Ohio State Buckeyes vs Minnesota Gophers live online on the WatchESPN app and ESPM +. But to be able to watch the game live on the WatchESPN app and ESPN +, the user needs to have cable or a provider to authenticate. If you want to go cableless, you need to get an OTT subscription.
There are most of OTTs in the United States that offer ESPN2 in their list, but the fuboTV, Sling, Hulu, and YouTube TV are the most popular and most recommended.
Or if you are looking for a service that can be accessed from anywhere. OolaTV is one that offers the live stream of NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Regional semifinal and Semifinal live streaming.
Start Time, Date, and Venue
The much-awaited regional semi-final will kick off at Gregory Gym at 11:00 am in Austin, Texas, and will broadcast nationally on ESPN2 and the Gopher Radio Network.
What TV Channel is Buckeyes vs Gophers on Today?
The Division I Women’s Volleyball Austin (Texas) Regional Semifinal will be televised live on ESPN 2. With access to ESPN 2, fans in the United States can watch Ohio State Buckeyes vs Minnesota Gophers live on TV.
It is worth mentioning that the winner of the match will progress to Saturday’s Elite Eight in Austin and will face the victorious side of Thursday’s game between #4 seed Marquette and #1 seed Texas.
Record heading to Regional Semifinal
Ohio State Buckeyes (21-9-0) headed to the sweet sixteen by defeating No. 6 USC with a score of 3-0.
On the Other hand, The Minnesota Gophers (22-8-0) defeated Northern Iowa in their last game where they scored 3-0 and headed to the regional semifinal.
