University of Minnesota Athletics
Minnesota Volleyball Heads to Golden Bear Classic
9/6/2007 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
 The Minnesota volleyball team will head to Berkeley, Calif. for the Golden Bear Classic on Sept. 7-8. Minnesota will open the tournament against Eastern Kentucky on Friday, Sept. 7 at 6:30 p.m. (CT). The Golden Gophers will then face Utah State on Saturday, Sept. 8 at 2 p.m. (CT). Minnesota will wrap up the tournament on Sept. 8 at 9 p.m. (CT) against No. 15 California. The Golden Gophers’ match with California will be broadcast live on ComcastSportsNet West, which can be seen on channel 656 on DiRECTV. Minnesota will also have all three of its matches webcast on gophersports.com. Eastern Kentucky enters the week with a 1-4 overall record, while Utah State is 2-4. California brings a 5-1 record into the week. Minnesota is 2-2 after falling in five games to Ohio University last week, losing in four to Stanford and winning in four over San Diego. This will be Minnesota’s final road trip before the Golden Gophers head to Iowa on Sept. 26. Minnesota will return home to host the Gopher Invitational next week, before opening up Big Ten play at home against Purdue (Sept. 21) and Indiana (Sept. 23).
 This will be Minnesota’s first regular-season trip to California since 2001. The Golden Gophers last trip to the state of California during the regular-season came when they went to the San Diego Invitational on Sept. 7-8, 2001. Minnesota went 3-1, with wins over San Jose State, Seton Hall and Brown. The Golden Gophers lost to San Diego in five games in that tournament. Minnesota has been to California three different times for NCAA Tournament play in that same span. In 2002, Minnesota lost to Arizona in Palo Alto, Calif. in the NCAA Regional Semifinals. The Golden Gophers defeated Pepperdine and Washington in the NCAA Regionals in Long Beach, Calif. to advance to the program’s first Final Four in 2003. Minnesota was in the 2004 Final Four, which was also held in Long Beach, Calif. The Golden Gophers defeated USC in the National Semifinals, before falling to Stanford in the National Championship.
 Minnesota has faced off against the Pac-10 Conference 10 times since 2002. Some of the most historical Golden Gopher victories have come over Pac-10 opponents in that span. In 2002, Minnesota defeated No. 7 UCLA in the Diet Coke Classic for its then highest ranking victory since 1993. The Golden Gophers defeated Washington in the 2003 NCAA Regional Finals to advance to the Final Four for the first time in the program’s history. In 2004, Minnesota knocked off USC in the National Semifinals to advance to the National Title match. With that win, the Golden Gophers snapped USC’s record streak of 16 straight NCAA Tournament victories. Minnesota has lost seven times to the Pac-10 since 2002 with the majority of those losses coming at the hands of Stanford and USC. Minnesota lost to No. 2 Stanford this past week in four games in the Diet Coke Classic on Sept. 1. The Golden Gophers also lost to the Cardinal in the National Championship in 2004 and in the NACWAA Championship when Stanford was ranked No. 1 in 2002. Minnesota lost to No. 1 USC in the National Semifinals in 2003 and in the NACWAA Classic Championship in 2004, before exacting revenge on the Women of Troy in the 2004 National Semifinals. Minnesota also lost to UCLA in the Hawaiian Airlines Tournament in 2003 and to Arizona in the NCAA Regional Semifinals in 2002.
 This will be Minnesota’s first regular-season trip to California since 2001. The Golden Gophers last trip to the state of California during the regular-season came when they went to the San Diego Invitational on Sept. 7-8, 2001. Minnesota went 3-1, with wins over San Jose State, Seton Hall and Brown. The Golden Gophers lost to San Diego in five games in that tournament. Minnesota has been to California three different times for NCAA Tournament play in that same span. In 2002, Minnesota lost to Arizona in Palo Alto, Calif. in the NCAA Regional Semifinals. The Golden Gophers defeated Pepperdine and Washington in the NCAA Regionals in Long Beach, Calif. to advance to the program’s first Final Four in 2003. Minnesota was in the 2004 Final Four, which was also held in Long Beach, Calif. The Golden Gophers defeated USC in the National Semifinals, before falling to Stanford in the National Championship.
 Minnesota has faced off against the Pac-10 Conference 10 times since 2002. Some of the most historical Golden Gopher victories have come over Pac-10 opponents in that span. In 2002, Minnesota defeated No. 7 UCLA in the Diet Coke Classic for its then highest ranking victory since 1993. The Golden Gophers defeated Washington in the 2003 NCAA Regional Finals to advance to the Final Four for the first time in the program’s history. In 2004, Minnesota knocked off USC in the National Semifinals to advance to the National Title match. With that win, the Golden Gophers snapped USC’s record streak of 16 straight NCAA Tournament victories. Minnesota has lost seven times to the Pac-10 since 2002 with the majority of those losses coming at the hands of Stanford and USC. Minnesota lost to No. 2 Stanford this past week in four games in the Diet Coke Classic on Sept. 1. The Golden Gophers also lost to the Cardinal in the National Championship in 2004 and in the NACWAA Championship when Stanford was ranked No. 1 in 2002. Minnesota lost to No. 1 USC in the National Semifinals in 2003 and in the NACWAA Classic Championship in 2004, before exacting revenge on the Women of Troy in the 2004 National Semifinals. Minnesota also lost to UCLA in the Hawaiian Airlines Tournament in 2003 and to Arizona in the NCAA Regional Semifinals in 2002.
2025 Season Recap
Tuesday, January 27
Best of Julia Hanson
Monday, December 22
Gophers Preview NCAA Sweet Sixteen
Tuesday, December 09
Cinematic Recap: Gophers Reach Sweet Sixteen
Tuesday, December 09