RADFORD HEADS TO TWIN CITIES FOR NCAA FIRST ROUND

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MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – 13 years since its last trip to the NCAA Women's Volleyball Tournament, Radford finally returns to the "Big Dance" Friday night when the Highlanders travel to Minneapolis, Minn. for a first-round match against the No. 10 national seed Golden Gophers. First serve is set for 8 p.m. ET from the Sports Pavilion.

SCOUTING THE GOLDEN GOPHERS
» For the second year in a row, the Big South champion will travel to the Twin Cities. Liberty was sent to Minneapolis last year. Iowa State and Colorado will collide in the other opening round contest at 5:30 p.m. ET. The winner of the two opening round matches will play Saturday at 8 p.m. ET.
» Minnesota, which will host the first and second rounds for the fifth time in the last six years, brings a 27-6 overall record into the postseason. The Golden Gophers finished third in the Big Ten at 15-5. They also posted an impressive 11-2 mark at home.
» Under the direction of second-year head coach Hugh McCutcheon, Minnesota enters the NCAA Tournament on a four-match winning streak. McCutcheon previously served as the head coach for the United States men's and women's national volleyball teams, highlighted by a 2008 Olympic gold medal for the men's squad and 2012 Olympic silver medal by the women's team.
» Tori Dixon reeled in her third-straight All-Big Ten honor earlier this week. She leads the Gophers in sets played (114), kills (414), kills per set (3.63), hitting percentage (.363), total blocks (151) and points (516.5). A preseason All-Big Ten selection, Dixon was a three-time all-tournament pick in nonconference play following the UAB/Samford, Diet Coke Classic and Dartmouth Duels tournaments. A middle blocker who attacks at all three front row rotations, Dixon attempted nearly double of any other Big Ten middle blocker and maintained a .393 hitting clip, good for fourth in league standings. The senior also ranked third in the conference in blocks per set (1.32) and fourth in points (4.53). In 32 matches played this season, Dixon led the Gophers in kills 18 times and in blocks 17 times and received five Big Ten weekly awards.
» Fellow classmate Ashley Wittman joined Dixon as an All-Big Ten selection. The 6-foot outside hitter ranked second on the team in kills (380), kills per set (3.36) and points (431.5) and first in attempts (963) and digs. A six-rotation student-athlete, Wittman also led Minnesota with 14 double-doubles. A preseason All-Big Ten pick, Wittman received all-tournament honors three times in nonconference play: the UAB/Samford Tournament, the Diet Coke Classic and the Dartmouth Duels. Named the Big Ten Player of the Week twice this season, Wittman also received one defensive player of the week honor. She ranks ninth in the league in kills and points and in conference play was the only position player to rank in the top 10 in digs (275). Wittman led the Gophers in match kills 10 times and in digs 18 times.
» Backing Dixon at the net is Hannah Tapp, a Big 10 All-Freshman performer. Tapp landed a spot on the all-freshman team after a stellar rookie season. Playing in 108 sets, the 6-foot, 2-inch middle blocker ranks second on the team in blocks (141) and blocks per set (1.31). Making a name for herself in the league, Tapp ranked fifth amongst Big Ten blockers and fourth against conference opponents. She led the Gophers in match blocks 13 times this year. Hitting .385 this season, Tapp has recorded 102 kills, which ranks fifth on the team.
» Alexandra Palmer is Minnesota's primary setter, having dished out 1,038 assists in her 113 sets played. Back at the service line, Daly Santana has delivered a team-best 41 aces for the Gophers.

MINNESOTA SERIES AT A GLANCE
» The first and only collision between RU and Minnesota on the volleyball court occurred in 2001 in a neutral site match in Charlottesville, Va. The Gophers, who were ranked 15th in the nation, took that encounter, 3-1.
» In addition to playing Minnesota, the Highlanders also battled tournament host UVa and 10th-ranked Stanford. That season, Radford was 1-6 through its first seven matches. However, the Highlanders prevailed in their next 23 and ended the season at 24-7.

SCOUTING THE HIGHLANDERS
» Radford enters the match with a 25-9 record after defeating Coastal Carolina to claim its fifth Big South Tournament title in program history.
» Rachel Wiechecki (497), Cheyanne James (377) and Emma Deininger (293) pace the Highlanders offensively in kills.
» Wiechecki has racked up 51 aces, in addition to ranking second in the league for kills per set (3.77) and eighth in digs per set (3.55). She also leads the league with her 21 double-doubles.
» Jena Braden guides the team in assists having registered 1,123 so far this year.
» Deininger leads the team in total blocks (143), which is the highest mark in the Big South and is a program single-season record.

DRAWING A CROWD
» The Sports Pavilion, which has a capacity of around 5,700, has established itself as one of the premier volleyball home court advantages in the nation. Remodeled and reopened in 1993, the multi-purpose facility serves as the home for Minnesota's volleyball, wrestling and gymnastics teams.
» "The Pav" has been the home of Golden Gopher volleyball since 1994 with it quickly becoming one of the top collegiate volleyball venues in the country. In the past four seasons, the Gophers have ranked fourth nationally in home match attendance among NCAA Division I schools. Minnesota has ranked among the nation's top five in attendance in each of the past six seasons, and have ranked among the top 10 in each of the last 11 seasons.
» In 2013, Minnesota is averaging 4,241 for attendance. The Golden Gophers attracted over 4,000 fans to the Sports Pavilion on eight occasions, in addition to topping the 5,000 mark versus No. 16 Michigan, No. 11 Nebraska and No. 2 Penn State.

RECORD WATCH
» A number of current Highlanders are making their marks on the program's record books. Wiechecki continues to chase the top mark for career kills, which is currently held by Divona Cox who cranked 1,066 kills from 2002-05.
» The junior, who has 1,014 career kills, joined Cox as the only Highlanders to record 1,000+ kills for a career in the rally scoring era. She is also second in career kills per set (3.07), second in double-doubles (38), tied for second in aces (113) and fifth in digs (952).
» Braden is third all-time in the assists' department with 2,162, while Rachel Flores is 10th with 375.
» Defensively, Deininger (336) and Miedema (188) are second and sixth, respectively, in total blocks. In addition, Deininger is second in block assists (296), while Miedema is sixth (176). Deininger also knows how to get it done offensively as the junior is seventh all-time in career kills with 703.

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