Gophers’ Taylor Landfair named Big Ten Player of the Year

By KSTP

The University of Minnesota volleyball team is already riding high after being named the No. 8 overall seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament. Wednesday, the team got more good news.

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Redshirt sophomore outside hitter Taylor Landfair has been named the Big Ten Player of the Year.

Landfair is the sixth Gopher in the last eight years to win the award, joining Stephanie Samedy (2020 and 2021), Samantha Seliger-Swenson (2018), Sarah Wilhite (2016) and Daly Santana (2015).

Additionally, freshman middle Carter Booth and junior setter Melani Shaffmaster were named First Team All-Big Ten, graduate libero CC McGraw was named to the Second Team and won the team’s sportsmanship award, and Booth and Mckenna Wucherer were named to the conference’s All-Freshman Team.

Landfair led the Big Ten in points (4.99) and kills (4.43) per set, with both numbers ranking in the top-20 nationally.

Nine players have now won the conference’s player of the year award in program history, trailing only Penn State (14) all-time.

The Gophers open postseason play on Friday at 7 p.m. against SE Louisiana in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. If they win, Minnesota would play the winner of No. 7 Florida State and Northern Iowa on Saturday night.