University of Minnesota Athletics
Minnesota Ranked No. 9 in AVCA Poll
9/14/2009 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
The Minnesota volleyball team (7-2) was ranked No. 9 in the AVCA Top 25 on Monday, Sept. 14. The Golden Gophers received 995 points in the poll.
It marked the first time since the opening two weeks of the 2007 poll that Minnesota has been ranked in the top 10 in consecutive weeks. In 2007, the Golden Gophers were ranked No. 9 in the preseason poll and on Aug. 27.
This past week, Minnesota lost in three sets to No. 3 Washington 25-21, 25-19, 25-23. The Golden Gophers' 23 points in the third set and 21 points in the first set were the first and third-highest totals in a set against a Washington team that was won all 24 sets this year.
The Golden Gophers also defeated South Florida in three sets on the road by scores of 25-12, 25-17, 25-10. On the first night of the tournament, the Bulls took No. 4 Florida to four sets.
Minnesota is one of five Big Ten teams in the poll. The conference has three teams in the top nine and five teams among the top 17 in the nation. Penn State is No. 1, Michigan is No. 6, Illinois is No. 14 and Michigan State is No. 17. The Big Ten has more teams in the top nine than any other conference in the nation.
The Golden Gophers will be back in action when they face No. 12 Oregon on Friday, Sept. 18 at 6 p.m. at the Pioneer Classic in Denver. Minnesota will also face Georgia Tech on Saturday, Sept. 19 at 2 p.m. and Denver at 8:30 p.m. later that night.
