Gopher volleyball falls in season opener against No. 5 Stanford, will face No. 1 Texas Monday
MILWAUKEE, Wis. — Gopher women's volleyball fell in their season opener to No. 5-ranked Stanford on Sunday afternoon but not without showing tenacity and growth compared to the end of last season.
The No. 18 team fell 3-2 (28-26, 23-25, 25-16, 13-25, 13-25) at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, and though they out-hit Stanford .302 to .222, the difference-maker was the serving. The Gophers gave up 23 serves and had nine aces, compared to Stanford's even 12 errors to 12 aces.
The Gophers were led by Mckenna Wucherer, who in front of a home crowd took 44 swings and had a .250 attack percentage. She's playing with composure and making aggressive attempts after increasing her range in the off-season. She's taking on more responsibility in serve receive and out-of-system attacks compared to last year.
The team also looked more comfortable at the net: they out-blocked Stanford 14-4. It's one of the areas head coach Keegan Cook is looking to improve on this season, and already the difference is striking. Middles are closing the block more frequently, and the 14 blocks already ties the team's season-best performance from last year against Michigan.
Cook is also hoping to get the middles more involved, and while both of them took double-digit attempts and had hitting percentages of at least .300, they only took about 16% of total attempts combined.
The Gophers continue to struggle to close out sets; after they were up 24-19, Stanford was able to go on a 6-0 service run before the Gophers were finally able to close out 28-26. After leading at the halfway mark of set 5, the Gophers errored late, giving Stanford the opportunity to take the set and the match.
Minnesota will have to turn around quickly to face their second opponent on Monday: back-to-back national champion and No. 1-ranked Texas. The Longhorns defeated No. 3 Wisconsin in a dominant fashion on Sunday, holding one of the most physical teams to a .153 hitting percentage. The Gophers will have to contend with a balanced offense and a strong defensive line.
Cook doesn't shy away from opening the season against tough opponents: last year six of their eight non-conference games were against top-15 teams. Though it's just the beginning of the season he's thinking about the end, preparing the team by playing in front of large crowds in professional venues, against national championship-caliber teams.
First serve against the Longhorns is at 6:30 p.m. on Monday.