The Gophers volleyball team has lost only once in a first-round NCAA tournament game, but Thursday’s challenge was anything but easy.
Western Kentucky came into the match with a fifth straight Conference USA title and the nation’s longest winning streak, 24 games. So, it’s no surprise the Hilltoppers gave Minnesota everything they had.
In the end, though, Minnesota found a way, rallying from a 23-21 deficit in the fourth set to close out Western Kentucky in four sets (25-20, 25-21, 19-25, 25-23) on Thursday afternoon in Lexington, Ky.
Julia Hanson, who finished with a set-high 39 attack points, gave Minnesota set point, 24-23, on her 13th kill. After a Hilltoppers timeout, Lydia Grote and Calissa Minatee combined to block a spike attempt by Western Kentucky’s star attacker Kaylee Cox for the final point.
“Western Kentucky is a great team. They are awesome, they have everything together,” Hanson told ESPN after the game. “You can never count out the Gophers. … It’s just one point at a time.”
Sixth seed and 15th-ranked Minnesota (21-10) advanced to face the winner of the late game between No. 3 seed Kentucky and unseeded Cleveland State. The winner of that match will advance to the Sweet 16.
Minnesota is now 28-1 all-time in the first-round NCAA tournament games. The Gophers’ lone loss in program history was in 2007, a 3-1 loss to Sacramento State in Stanford, Calif.
Western Kentucky bowed out at 28-7 with their first loss since a 3-1 setback to Illinois on Sept. 14. Freshman outside hitter Alivia Skidmore led all players with 17 kills, and Cox finished with 12.
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