The now 29-1 Hawaii Rainbow Wahine are in the best postseason position they have ever been in since 2009. After a straight set victory over the two-time defending national champions Penn State last night, Hawaii will move on to the Elite Eight where they will face Minnesota in the Des Moines Regional.
Second seeded and No. 4 ranked Minnesota is now 29-4 after a sweep of Illinois last night. The Golden Gophers are the Big 10 Champions and are making the Regional Final for the first time since 2012. This is a big accomplishment for them as they failed to make the NCAA Tournament last season. They are coached by previous U.S. National Team coach Hugh McCutcheon. Leaders of their team are candidates for national accolades, senior outside hitter Daly Santana (Player) and setter Samantha Selinger-Swenson (Freshman).
This team is a large team with all front row players at 6'1" to 6'3" with the exception Selinger-Swenson at 5'11". They are a good blocking team who runs a fast offense and run a three middle blocker system. Santana is one of the hardest hitters in the country and their middles run the slides really well.
The winner of this Elite Eight match will move onto the NCAA National Semifinals in Omaha, Nebraska. Minnesota and Hawaii each have not been to the National Semifinals since 2009 where Hawaii lost in four to Penn State and Minnesota was swept by Texas. Look for this to be a good match folks!
Coverage:
Time: December 12th (6:30 PM EST / 1:30 PM HST)
Televised: ESPNU
Live Stats: GameTracker
Radio: ESPN1420
*Only people with cable providers that have ESPNU can watch it as it is not free
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