MINNEAPOLIS — The No. 22 ranked Minnesota Golden Gophers (17-7, 7-6 B1G) are back home on Saturday, Nov. 8 to host the No. 1 ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers (23-0, 13-0 B1G). The match is set for 2:30 p.m. central time and Peacock will stream. The two teams have split the last 10 meetings in the series, while the Huskers have won three straight. Minnesota last beat Nebraska in 2022 in a sweep in Lincoln (Nebraska’s last home loss). The Gophers defeated Nebraska in a five-set thriller at Maturi Pavilion in 2021.
GAME INFORMATION
No. 22 Minnesota vs. No. 1 Nebraska
Saturday, Nov. 8
2:30 p.m. CT
Minneapolis, Minn. (Maturi Pavilion)
TV: Peacock – Kevin Barnett (Play-By-Play), Holly McPeak (Analyst), Heather Cox (Sideline)
Radio: GopherSports.com – Tanner Hoops (Play-By-Play)
Live Stats
NOTES TO KNOW
Minnesota trails Nebraska, 39-12 (NU has won three straight)
First Meeting: 1975
Last Meeting: 2024
PARKING INFORMATION
Individuals arriving without a parking pass are encouraged to park in the Oak Street or Washington Avenue Ramps, or surface lots surrounding Huntington Bank Stadium (Maroon Lot, Gold Lot, etc.). For volleyball on Saturday, November 8; day of parking will be $12 all day (generally it is $10).
HEADING INTO THE MATCH
253 — Keegan Cook won his 250th career match as a head coach Oct. 12 vs. Ohio St.
121 — Kills in the last six matches for Julia Hanson. She’s averaging 4.84 kills, 1.52 digs, 0.36 aces, 0.76 blocks and 5.70 points per set in those matches, hitting .354.
32 — Minnesota ranks 53rd nationally (1st B1G) with 226 blocks.
40 — Minnesota ranks 40th nationally and third in the Big Ten with 1.79 aces per set.
27 — Julia Hanson had 27 10+ kill matches in 2024 (87%). She’s 19 for 23 so far this season (missed Loyola Chicago match).
23 — The ‘U’ ranks 23rd nationally and third in the Big Ten with 2.63 blocks per set.
19 — Minnesota ranks 19th nationally (6th B1G) in hitting % (.276).
14 — The Gophers are 14-5 with McKenna Garr as the starting libero. She’s had 15 10+ dig matches since starting.
11 — Sweeps in 24 matches for the Golden Gophers. They’ve won six matches in four sets (0-2 in five).
11 — Times this season Minnesota posted 10+ blocks as a team. They’re 8-3 when going for 10-or-more blocks (losses at Oregon, Purdue, Wisconsin).
10 — 2024 was Minnesota’s 10th straight NCAA Tournament. They’ve made 25 of the last 26 (missed 2014). They’ve made three Final Fours, four Sweet 16s and an Elite Eight since 2015.
10 — Minnesota is 10-2 at home this season. Only losses were to UCLA and USC.
8 — Minnesota has made eight Sweet 16’s in the last 10 years.
8 — Lourdes Myers ranks 8th in the Big Ten with 1.22 blocks per set, a team-best.
6 — Myers is sixth in the Big Ten in total blocks with 101. That figure ranks 73rd nationally.
5 — Minnesota ranks fifth nationally in attendance at 4,467 per match (avg.).
5 — Gophers head coach Keegan Cook is 5-24 against AVCA Top-25 ranked opponents in three seasons.
4 — During Big Ten play, Julia Hanson ranks fourth in the league in kills per set with 4.19.
4 — Stella Swenson ranks fourth in the Big Ten in total assists with 833.
4 — Julia Hanson is fourth in the Big Ten with 4.16 kills per set.
4 — Julia Hanson is fourth in the B1G with 4.82 points per set.
4 — During Big Ten play, Carly Gilk ranks fourth in the B1G in aces (19). Julia Hanson ranks fifth with 18.
4 — Minnesota has lost four starters to season-ending injuries in outsides Alex Acevedo and Mckenna Wucherer, middle Calissa Minatee and libero Zeynep Palabiyik.
3 — Straight 20+ kill matches for Julia Hanson. She’s the first Gopher to do so since Stephanie Samedy in 2021.
3 — Minnesota ranks third in the Big Ten with 154 service aces.
3 — Julia Hanson took home her third career Big Ten Player of the Week award Sept. 1. She was named the Golden Gopher Invitational Tournament MVP and to the all-tournament team.
2 — Julia Hanson and Stella Swenson were named to the 47-player AVCA Player of the Year Watch List.
1 — During league play, the Gophers rank first with 2.04 aces per set. They hold 100 aces (1st in B1G).
1 — The Gophers rank first in the Big Ten in total blocks with 226.
1 — Hanson was named as one of the 30 players to the AVCA Preseason Player of the Year Watch List.
1 — Minnesota is 1-4 aginst its five ranked opponents this season, with those being No. 9 Texas A&M, No. 23 Indiana, No. 11 Purdue, No. 22 USC and No. 11 Wisconsin. The Gophers will play ranked opponents in their next two matches with No. 1 Nebraska and No. 25 Penn State.
LAST TIME OUT
• The the No. 22 Minnesota volleyball team fell to the No. 11 Wisconsin Badgers in four sets on Wednesday night at UW Field House. The set scores were 25-20, 25-22, 18-25, 25-16. Julia Hanson paced the Gophers with 21 kills while Jordan Taylor had six kills and seven blocks. Minnesota had 11 blocks and seven aces, hitting .267 for the match compared to .311 for UW. Mimi Colyer had 22 kills for the Badgers.
GOPHERS IN THE RANKINGS
• The Gophers entered the 2025 season with a No. 11 overall ranking in the Preseason AVCA poll.
• After week nine, the ‘U’ moved down to No. 22 on Monday, their lowest ranking of the season.
• Minnesota finished 18th in the final AVCA poll last season.
• Minnesota was ranked as high as 12 last year (Sept. 30) and as low as 19 (Sept. 9).
SCOUTING NEBRASKA
• No. 1 Nebraska (23-0, 13-0 B1G) is led by first-year head coach Dani Busboom Kelly. The Huskers are looking to win their third consecutive Big Ten title in 2024. NU went to the Final Four in each of the last two seasons, including the national title match in 2023.
• NU was picked to finish first in the 2025 Big Ten Preseason Poll. Outside Harper Murray, setter Bergen Reilly and middles Rebekah Allick and Andi Jackson were all named to the Preseason All-Big Ten team.
• Nebraska leads the Big Ten with 14.52 kps, hitting a scorching .344 across 23 matches. Harper Murray leads the team with 3.62 kps while Reilly paces the offense with 10.06 aps. Rebekah Allick averages 1.35 bps
HISTORY VS. NEBRASKA
• Minnesota is 12-39 all-time against the Huskers. Nebraska took the lone matchup last year in Lincoln, earning a victory in four sets (12-25, 25-22, 22-25, 19-25). Julia Hanson went for 20 kills to lead Minnesota.
• NU won the two matchups in 2023, taking them in three sets in Lincoln and four sets in Minneapolis. Coach Cook will be looking for his first win against the Huskers in tomorrow’s matchup.
• Minnesota has won five of the last 10 in the series, including their first sweep in Lincoln since 1980 in 2022. Nebraska has not lost a home game since that match on Nov. 26, 2022. Then a Gopher, Taylor Landfair led Minnesota with 15 kills that night. The Gophers last won in Minneapolis in 2021, a five-set thriller (25-22, 28-30, 25-21, 23-25, 15-9). Stephanie Samedy paced Minnesota with 20 kills and 26 digs.
HANSON HEATING UP IN FINAL SEASON
• Minnesota senior outside Julia Hanson is playing the best volleyball of her career as the team enters the home stretch of its 2025 season. The unanimous 2024 All-Big Ten First Team selection was an AVCA All-America (HM) as well.
• Hanson posted 23 kills last Wednesday vs. Illinois on a blistering .583 hitting. She has four 20+ kill matches this season and 19 with 10+ kills. She’s on her way to all-conference honors once again. She had 26 kills (career-high) vs. USC and 21 Wednesday vs. Wisconsin.
• In her last six matches, Julia is averaging 4.84 kills, 1.52 digs, 0.36 aces, 0.76 blocks and 5.70 points per set in those matches, hitting .354. She has 121 kills in that timeframe and has 912 for her career.
ACES GALORE IN CONFERENCE PLAY
• In 13 conference matches thus far, the Gophers have totaled 100 aces for a league-best 2.04 aces per set. The next closest serving team to Minnesota is Oregon, with 90 aces and 1.91 aces per set.
• Overall, Minnesota ranks third in the Big Ten with 1.79 aces per set. Their 154 aces rank fourth.
• In conference matches, Carly Gilk ranks fourth in the league with 19 aces while Julia Hanson is fifth (18).
STREAKS TO WATCH
• Julia Hanson has tallied 10+ kills in 19 of her 23 matches this year, including six straight with 10+. She’s totaled 121 kills in her last six matches, including three straight with 20+ (career-high 26 vs. USC).
• McKenna Garr has totaled 10+ digs in 16 of her 23 matches, including 15 of 19 as starting libero.
• Lourdes Myers has multiple blocks in 21 of her 24 matches, including 13 matches with four-or-more.
• Stella Swenson has hit 30+ assists in 17 of 24 matches on the year. She also has six double-doubles after tallying 44 assists and 14 digs on Saturday vs. USC.
• Carly Gilk has registered 10+ digs in three of the last four matches. She’s done so five times this season.
• Jordan Taylor has tallied 35 kills in her last five matches, hitting .462 with 1.71 kills per set during that time.
HISTORY AGAINST NO. 1 RANKED OPPONENTS
• The last time Minnesota defeated a team ranked No. 1 in the country was Sept. 2, 2024, when the ‘U’ defeated No. 1 Texas, the two-time defending champs at the time. The match took place in Milwaukee, Wis., at the State Farm Women’s Volleyball Showcase. Minnesota won in five sets (22-25, 25-19, 25-20, 13-25, 15-7).
• Prior to that, the Gophers defeated then No. 1 ranked Stanford in the Big Ten/Pac-12 Challenge on Sept. 14, 2019. The win snapped Stanford’s 37-match winning streak.
• The last time Minnesota defeated a No. 1 ranked team at home was Nov. 23, 2016, a five-set win over Nebraska.
MINNESOTA MILESTONES
• Julia Hanson clinched her first career 300+ kill season Nov. 7, 2024 vs. Washington. She hit 400 kills Nov. 23 and had 473 for the season. She needs 109 more this year to reach 1,000 for her career.
• Lourdes Myers reached 400 kills and 300 blocks during matches vs. MSU and Rutgers in September. She’s just 30 kills away from 500 in her career.
SCHEDULE HEATING UP
• Minnesota opened the 2025 season against No. 9 Texas A&M, falling in four sets in Sioux Falls, S.D. Since then, the Gophers have picked up 17 victories in 21 matches, including their first ranked victory over then No. 23 Indiana in four sets. The Gophers are 1-3 vs. ranked opponents in 2025.
• Minnesota is in the midst of playing ranked opponents in six of seven matches from Oct. 24 through Nov. 14.
• They played No. 23 Indiana and No. 11 Purdue two weeks back, No. 22 USC Saturday and No. 11 Wisconsin on Wednesday. On Saturday it’s No. 1 Nebraska before No. 25 Penn St Nov. 14. Minnesota finishes the year with two matches at home vs. Purdue and Wisconsin as well. Of their seven remaining matches, four are versus top-25 teams.
HITTING .300-OR-BETTER
• Minnesota ranks in the top six in the Big Ten with a .276 hitting percentage. The ‘U’ has hit .300-or-better 10 times this season, including a season-best .523 in a sweep over Ball State on Aug. 30. The Gophers performance against Ball State was the seventh-best match for any team in the country this year in terms of hitting percentage.
• Minnesota hit .412 against No. 23 Indiana in a four set win last Friday night. They last hit .400 in a Big Ten match on 10/12/24 vs. Maryland (.430). They also hit .337 in last Wednesday’s win over the Illini. Minnesota has hit .300-or-better four times in Big Ten play.
RPI RANKINGS
• Minnesota entered November with a No. 12 ranking in RPI ratings. The Gophers are 10-2 at home, 7-4 on the road and 0-1 in neutral site matches in 2025.
MINNESOTA KEEPS STACKING ATTENDANCE NUMBERS
• In 2025, Minnesota ranks sixth nationally in average attendance with 4,453 fans per match.
INJURIES AFFECTING MINNESOTA
• Minnesota is down four starters this season after the losses of outside Alex Acevedo, middle blocker Calissa Minatee, outside Mckenna Wucherer and libero Zeynep Palabiyik. Acevedo and Minatee are out with lower body injuries and Wucherer is out with a back injury while Palabiyik tore her ACL on Aug. 31. All plan on being back for Minnesota during the 2026 season.
• Combined, the four have played in 225 matches during their careers at the ‘U.’ Wucherer has been in the top three on the team in kills per set the last three years while Palabiyik has led the team in digs last year and this year. Minatee was the team’s most efficient hitter in 2025, hitting .421 in nine matches. Acevedo ranked second on the team with 2.64 kills per set and was the team’s most efficient server at 0.35 aces per set.
UP NEXT
Minnesota will host No. 25 Penn State next Friday, Nov. 14 at Maturi Pavilion. The match will be televised on BTN at 7 p.m. CT.
