Once a Royal…

In 2015, the Minnesota Golden Gophers women’s volleyball team had a record of 30-5 as they went 15-0 at home and had a 15-match win streak in the midst of conference play. They dominated the Big Ten Tournament, and were taken down in only one set during the NCAA Tournament until they were defeated by the University of Texas, in the NCAA Tournament semi-finals.

Samantha Seliger-Swenson, class of 2015 graduate, was a part of the Golden Gophers’ success. The 2014 Minnesota Miss Baden Volleyball took her talents to another level in her freshman season, as she was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year, American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) North Region Freshman of the Year, and Second Team AVCA All-American.

Seliger-Swenson, who started all 35 matches for the Golden Gophers, is most impressed by the team accomplishments.

“I am so proud of the run that we had as a team – winning fifteen matches in a row mid-season, winning the Big Ten, and making it to the Final Four,” Seliger-Swenson said. “Really, the most important thing about a team is the chemistry and connection that you have, so having a run like this as a team is huge for me.”

In her time as a Royal, Seliger-Swenson broke and still holds eight HHS records and was a four-time girls volleyball team MVP. She also broke three state records, including season assists (1327) and career aces (61). At the U, she shattered her personal season assists record when she recorded 1510 assists in her first season as a Golden Gopher.

During her senior year at HHS, Seliger-Swenson won the Athena Award, an award which recognizes one outstanding female student athlete per year.

Seliger-Swenson believes that Hopkins set her up for successful future academically and athletically.

“Athletically, Hopkins has so much pride and everyone supports each other, while at the same time, they put a huge emphasis on being a student-athlete and that academics come first,” Seliger-Swenson said. “[That emphasis] really prepared me for college, because school is very important and should be coming first.”

Seliger-Swenson had the unique experience of playing under her mother, Vicki Seliger-Swenson, who has been the Royals girls volleyball head coach since 2006.

“Having my mom as my coach was definitely a blessing because she was very hard on me, but at the same time she knows me very well. We had the personal connection, so she knew how to coach me,” Samantha said.