Stephanie Samedy was a star from her first match as a freshman, but the team, Samedy’s freshman & sophomore years, belonged to Samantha Seliger-Swenson. With apologies to Regan Pittman, Samedy was probably the Gopher’s best player last season, but with the injuries and a “gap” setter, 2019 was a disjointed year, despite their Final Four finish.
But this first pair of matches made it clear – this is Samedy’s Team! Other Gophers contributed to the 152 points the squad racked up in a 6-set sweep of the Spartans, and Samedy made errors here and there. But every time the Gophers were at risk of losing a set, as they were in 3 of the 6 sets, they turned to Samedy. And she delivered every time!
Pittman played well, Junior left-side Adanna Rollins actually had one more kill than Samedy (24 to 23), and a higher kill-%, and transfer middle Katie Myers tied Samedy with 8 blocks. But when sets were on the line, Shaffmaster and anyone else who happen to play the 2-ball, tried to get the ball to Samedy, and Samedy rewarded their efforts.