The Minnesota volleyball team (28-9) was ranked No. 4 in the final AVCA Top 25 poll on Tuesday, Dec. 22. The Golden Gophers received 1300 points this week in the poll.

It marks the third time in school history that the Golden Gophers have finished No. 4 or higher in the final poll. Minnesota also finished No. 4 in 2003 and No. 2 in 2004. The Golden Gophers have been ranked No. 6 or higher in the final poll four times since 2003. Minnesota is one of only five teams in the nation to be ranked No. 6 or better four times since 2003. The Golden Gophers are joined by Nebraska (6), Penn State (5), Stanford (4) and Washington (4) on that list.

Minnesota has also been ranked for 32 consecutive weeks in the top 25. The school record came from Oct. 20, 2003 to Sept. 4, 2006 when it was ranked in 40 straight polls. The Golden Gophers were one of only six teams in the nation this year to have been ranked No. 13 or higher in every poll this year.

Minnesota advanced to its third National Semifinal in school history after defeating Louisville (3-1), Tennessee (3-0), Colorado State (3-1) and Florida State (3-1) in the NCAA Tournament. The Golden Gophers were knocked out of the National Semifinals by Texas in three sets.

The Golden Gophers were joined in the final version of this year's top five by Penn State (1), Texas (2), Hawai'i (3) and Nebraska (5). Minnesota ended the season having played seven of the top 11 teams in the poll this season, including Penn State, Texas, Nebraska, Iowa, Michigan, Illinois and Florida State.

Minnesota and Penn State were both in the National Semifinals, marking the first time since 1994 when the Nittany Lions and Ohio State made it that there were two Big Ten teams in the event. This year and 1994 are the only two teams in the Big Ten's history that it has been represented by a pair of programs in the National Semifinals.