Gopher volleyball sweeps Northwestern, Hanson leads with dominant 19-kill performance
MINNEAPOLIS — Gopher volleyball, led by outside hitter Julia Hanson, had a dominant night in a sweep of Northwestern on Wednesday.
They took care of the Wildcats (25-18, 25-19, 25-17) at Maturi Pavilion, bouncing back after a loss to Penn State on the road.
Outside hitter Hanson hit on a .529 clip with 19 kills on the night and only one error, showing her fearlessness to take strong swings even in tough situations.
The junior was also recently named in the second wave of the AVCA Player of the Year watchlist — one of 52 players nationally who could take home the award. Senior setter Melani Shaffmaster was named to the list earlier this year.
"Julia's growth is what I'm most proud of for her," head coach Keegan Cook said. "When you give her a vision and kind of get out of her way and let her get to work, it usually comes to fruition."
Overall the Gophers hit .351 on the evening, running an efficient offense and holding their opponent to just a .127 hitting percentage.
They'll head to Columbus over the weekend to face Ohio State, who is just 1-8 in Big Ten play but has the ability to push teams to their limit. Last week they went to five against Penn State, picking apart the third-best team in the country.
"You wouldn't be able to tell that they've had the struggles they've had. So kind of expecting a battle from them," Cook said.
As the Gophers enter the second half of conference play, they've got their eyes on the postseason. The NCAA selection committee on Sunday released their mid-season rankings, listing Minnesota at No. 16.
In order for the Gophers to host the first two rounds of the tournament, they'll have to remain at that spot or higher. Last year, the Gophers missed out on the opportunity to host, breaking an eight-year streak.
"Last year was kind of a shock for all of us, because in all the years past we kind of expected to host, just because it was the normal thing here," Shaffmaster said.
Still, Shaffmaster says she's excited the committee believes in them, and sees the fight they've put up against top-ranked teams, even if they always haven't come away with the outcome they've wanted.
There's still a lot of season to work with, and with players like Hanson and middle blocker Phoebe Awoleye having breakout seasons, the Gophers know their ceiling for what they can accomplish is high.