Gopher volleyball survives first round of NCAA Tournament, faces Kentucky
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Gopher volleyball barely scraped by a fierce Western Kentucky team on Thursday evening to advance to the round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament.
The WKU Hilltoppers out-played No. 6 Minnesota in almost every phase of the game. They hit .250 to Minnesota's .186, logged more digs and racked up 59 kills compared to Minnesota's 50. But in the end they had 18 service errors, and Minnesota was able to push through to a four-set victory (25-22, 25-20, 19-25, 25-23).
"Feeling fortunate to get to coach my team another night," head coach Keegan Cook said after the match. "But certainly as dissatisfied as I could be with a NCAA win, and these guys know that. I feel fortunate that I can tell them that, and they're mature enough to handle it."
The Gophers took the first two sets, but a late spurt in set three kept the Hilltoppers in the match.
"I think we just kinda laid down is my impression of what happened," senior setter Melani Shaffmaster said. "At the end of the day, we can't get stuck in rotation for eight points."
The Gophers trailed 23-22 in set four but an ace by Mckenna Wucherer — who hasn't consistently served for most of the season — gave Minnesota the momentum to close out.
"I thought they were better than us for long stretches," Cook said. But the serve-and-pass game, which Minnesota has struggled with this year, was able to get them through, he noted.
On Friday the Gophers will play No. 3 Kentucky, who dominated Cleveland State (25-15, 25-14, 25-16). The Cats won the SEC Championships for the eighth straight season, led by sophomore outside hitter Brookyn DeLeye and senior setter Emma Grome.
Last year the Gophers lost in the second round to Creighton. But as the team continues to grow under Cook's tenure, they're hoping to advance to the Sweet 16.
