No. 20 'U' Makes Midwest Swing to Indiana

MINNEAPOLIS -- The No. 20 ranked Minnesota Golden Gophers (15-4, 5-3 B1G) will make a Midwest road swing to Indiana to take on the No. 23 Indiana Hoosiers (15-3, 6-2 B1G) and the No. 11 Purdue Boilermakers (15-3, 6-2 B1G). Friday's match is set for 5 p.m. CT on BTN while Sunday's at PU is set for noon CT on B1G+. Minnesota is looking to win at IU since their last meeting in 2023 and at Purdue for the first time since 2021.

GAME INFORMATION
No. 20 Minnesota at No. 23 Indiana
Friday, Oct. 24
5 p.m. CT/6 p.m. ET
Bloomington, Ind. (Wilkinson Hall)
TV: BTN - Jack Kizer (Play-By-Play), Mac Podraza (Analyst)
Live Stats

GAME INFORMATION
No. 20 Minnesota at No. 11 Purdue
Sunday, Oct. 25
Noon p.m. CT/1 p.m. ET
West Lafayette, Ind. (Holloway Gymnasium)
TV: B1G+ - TBA
Live Stats

NOTES TO KNOW
Minnesota leads 63-16 vs. Indiana and 57-36 vs. Purdue
First Meeting: 1975 (Both)
Last Meeting: 2024 (Both)

HEADING INTO THE MATCH
250 -- Keegan Cook won his 250th career match as a head coach last Sunday against Ohio St.
77 -- Minnesota ranks 97th nationally and sixth in the Big Ten with 1.63 aces per set.
75 -- Minnesota ranks 75th nationally and fifth in the Big Ten with 172.0 total blocks.
27 -- Julia Hanson had 27 10+ kill matches in 2024 (87%). She's 14 for 18 so far this season (missed Loyola Chicago match).
25 -- The 'U' ranks 25th nationally and sixth in the Big Ten with 2.65 blocks per set.
21 -- Minnesota hasn't won at PU since the 2021 spring season.
20 -- The Gophers rank 20th nationally in hitting percentage (.275). They place fifth in the Big Ten.
19 -- Minnesota has won 19 of the last 20 vs. Indiana. They've won 14 straight and their last loss came in 2014.
12 -- The Gophers are 12-2 with McKenna Garr as the starting libero and she has registered over 4.35 digs per set during those matches. She's had 12 10+ dig matches since starting.
11 -- During Big Ten matches, McKenna Garr ranks 11th in the Big Ten with 3.21 digs per set.
10 -- Last year was Minnesota's 10th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. They've made 25 of the last 26 (missed 2014). They've made three Final Fours, four Sweet 16s and an Elite Eight since 2015.
10 -- Sweeps in 19 matches for the Golden Gophers. They've won five matches in four sets (have not played five sets).
9 -- During B1G matches, Julia Hanson ranks 9th in the league in aces per set (0.41). She has 11 aces in league play.
8 -- Times this season Minnesota posted 10+ blocks as a team. They're 7-1 when going for 10-or-more blocks (loss at Oregon).
8 -- Minnesota has made eight Sweet 16's in the last 10 years.
7 -- Minnesota ranks 7th nationally in attendance at 4,400 (avg.).
7 -- During league play, Julia Hanson ranks seventh in the Big Ten with 0.47 aces per set.
7 -- Juluia Hanson is seventh in the B1G with 4.46 points per set.
6 -- Julia Hanson is sixth in the Big Ten with 3.85 kills per set.
5 -- The Gophers are No. 5 in the Big Ten with 13.43 digs per set.
5 -- Jordan Taylor ranks 44th nationally and fifth in the Big Ten with 1.30 blocks per set. She leads all Big Ten freshmen in both blocks and blocks per set.
4 -- Gophers head coach Keegan Cook is 4-21 against AVCA Top-25 ranked opponents in three seasons.
4 -- Minnesota has lost four starters to season-ending injuries in outsides Alex Acevedo and Mckenna Wucherer, middle Calissa Minatee and libero Zeynep Palabiyik.
3 -- Julia Hanson took home her third career Big Ten Player of the Week award Sept. 1. She was named the Golden Gopher Invitational Tournament MVP an to the all-tournament team.
2 -- During league play, the Gophers rank first with 1.86 aces per set. They hold 52 aces (2nd in B1G).
2 -- Julia Hanson and Stella Swenson were named to the 47-player AVCA Player of the Year Watch List.
1 -- Hanson was named as one of the 30 players to the AVCA Preseason Player of the Year Watch List.
1 -- Minnesota has played just one ranked opponent this season, with that being No. 9 Texas A&M.

LAST TIME OUT
• The then No. 18 Minnesota volleyball team bounced back from a four-set loss at Oregon on Friday with a four set win at Washington on Saturday. Julia Hanson went for 15 kills while Lourdes Myers posted 12 kills with nine blocks. Carly Gilk had 11 kills on .550 as the Gophers came back to win 14-25, 25-17, 25-20, 25-12.

GOPHERS IN THE RANKINGS
• The Gophers entered the 2025 season with a No. 11 overall ranking in the Preseason AVCA poll.
• After week seven, the 'U' moved down two spots to No. 20 after being ranked 18th last week.
• Minnesota finished 18th in the final AVCA poll last season.
• Minnesota was ranked as high as 12 last year (Sept. 30) and as low as 19 (Sept. 9).

SCOUTING INDIANA
• No. 23 IU is led by eighth-year head coach Steve Aird. At 15-3 (6-2 Big Ten), the Hoosiers are off to one of their best conference starts in program history. They hold notable wins over No. 14 Miami, No. 17 USC, and No. 24 UCLA.
• IU was picked to finish 11th in the Big Ten Preseason Poll but is on track to make the program's first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2010. IU ranks in the top three of the B1G in hitting percentage (.292) and are led offensively by opposite Avry Tatum (3.37 kps) and setter Teodora Kričković (10.75 aps).
• For the first time since Oct. 3, 1997, there will be an all top-25 volleyball matchup played in Bloomington (vs. No. 20 Minnesota, Oct. 24). Indiana is looking for its first top-25 home win since a 3-1 win over Purdue in 2023.

SCOUTING PURDUE
• No. 11 Purdue is led by 24th-year head coach Dave Shondell, who's led the Boilermakers to 19 NCAA Tournaments, including four Elite Eights, in his tenure. Despite losing their two star outside hitters from 2024, PU is still ranked in the top 15 in the country and enters the match with a 15-3 (6-2 Big Ten) record.
• Purdue was chosen to finish seventh in the B1G Preseason Coaches Poll. PU has beaten No. 15 Kansas, No. 10 SMU, No. 24 UCLA, No. 17 USC and No. 22 Indiana this season. They hold six total top-25 wins.
• Kenna Wollard (4.66 kps) leads the team in kills while setter Taylor Anderson (10.56 aps) runs the offense.

MINNESOTA'S HISTORY VS. INDIANA AND PURDUE
• Minnesota is 63-16 against Indiana all-time. The Gophers have won 19 of the last 20 in the series. The 'U' has won 14 straight overall in the series, dating back to 2014. They last played at IU in 2023, a five-set win for Minnesota in which Julia Hanson led the team to victory (13-25, 32-30, 19-25, 25-23, 15-12) with a then career-high 19 kills.
• Minnesota is 57-36 all-time against Purdue. Purdue is on a three-match winning streak in the series after winning a five set match in the Pav last year. Minnesota has won six of the last 10 matchups in the series, but PU has won five of the past six, dating back to the fall 2021 season.

ACES GALORE IN CONFERENCE PLAY
• In eight conference matches thus far, the Gophers have totaled 52 aces for a league-best 1.85 aces per set in Big Ten play. Their 52 aces are second to only Oregon's, who have totaled 61 in nine league games.

STREAKS TO WATCH
• Julia Hanson tallied 10+ kills in 15 consecutive matches to end last year. She's 14-for-18 this year, including eight with 15+.
• McKenna Garr has totaled 10+ digs in 13 of her 18 matches, including 12 of 14 as starting libero.
• Lourdes Myers has multiple blocks in 16 of her 19 matches, including nine matches with four-or-more.
• Stella Swenson has hit 30+ assists in 12 of 19 matches on the year. She also has fif3 double-doubles after tallying 31 assists and 11 digs on Saturday at Washington.
• Jordan Taylor has hit five-or-more blocks in seven of 10 matches since becoming a starter. She tied her career-best with eight on Friday at Oregon.

SCHEDULE HEATING UP THIS WEEKEND
• Minnesota opened the 2025 season against No. 9 Texas A&M, falling in four sets in Sioux Falls, S.D. Since then, the Gophers have won 13 of their 14 matches, albeit against no ranked opponents in that time.
• Minnesota will play ranked opponents in six of their next seven matches from Oct. 24 through Nov. 14.
• They'll play No. 23 Indiana, No. 11 Purdue, No. 25 USC, No. 12 Wisconsin, No. 1 Nebraska and No. 19 Penn St during that stretch. Minnesota finishes the season with two matches at home vs. Purdue and Wisconsin as well. Of their 14 remaining matches, eight are against top-25 opponents.

SWENSON STARTS STRONG IN 2025
• Named Big Ten Setter of the Week in just her second week as the Minnesota starter, Swenson is off to a strong start, averaging 9.55 assists (10th in B1G), 2.20 digs, 0.66 kills, 0.55 blocks and 0.25 aces per set. She's tallied five double-doubles thus far and two 40+ assist matches.
• Minnesota's offense ranks fifth in the Big Ten with a .275 hitting percentage through 19 matches.

TAYLOR TAKING STEPS
• Jordan Taylor made her mark since entering the starting lineup Sept. 21.
• Since becoming a starter, Taylor is averaging over 1.60 kills and 1.50 blocks per set.
• Taylor leads the team with 1.30 blocks per set and has gone for five-or-more blocks seven times
• She holds a career-high of eight blocks, which she's hit vs. Marquette, Northwestern and Oregon.

MYERS RETURNS TO PURDUE
• Before Minnesota, Myers spent four years at Purdue, redshirting in 2021 before playing from 2022-24. She helped the Boilermakers make Sweet 16s in 2023 and 2024 after they went to the Round of 32 in 2022. Statistically, Myers averaged 1.31 kills (.342), 1.0 blocks and 0.24 digs per set in her three years in West Lafayette. She had her best season in 2024, hitting .356 with 1.28 kills and 1.06 blocks per set.
• Myers posted four-or-more blocks 16 times and six-or-more blocks four times last season. She earned five-or-more kills in 17 matches. She ranked 25th in the Big Ten in blocks per set last season.
• So far in her year as a Gopher, Myers is leading the Minnesota middles, averaging 1.85 kills and 1.18 blocks per set. She ranks 11th in the B1G with 72.0 total blocks. She had the best match of her season on Oct. 18 at Washington, going for 12 kills and a career-high nine blocks.

INJURIES AFFECTING MINNESOTA
• Minnesota is down four starters this season after the losses of outside Alex Acevedo, middle blocker Calissa Minatee, outside Mckenna Wucherer and libero Zeynep Palabiyik. Acevedo and Minatee are out with lower body injuries and Wucherer is out with a back injury while Palabiyik tore her ACL on Aug. 31. All plan on being back for Minnesota during the 2026 season.
• Combined, the four have played in 225 matches during their careers at the 'U.' Wucherer has been in the top three on the team in kills per set the last three years while Palabiyik has led the team in digs last year and this year. Minatee was the team's most efficient hitter in 2025, hitting .421 in nine matches. Acevedo ranked second on the team with 2.64 kills per set and was the team's most efficient server at 0.35 aces per set.

UP NEXT
Minnesota will host Illinois on Wednesday, Oct. 29 at 7 p.m. The match will be televised on BTN.

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Players Mentioned

Alex Acevedo

McKenna Garr

Carly Gilk

Julia Hanson

Calissa Minatee

Zeynep Palabiyik

Stella Swenson

Jordan Taylor

Mckenna Wucherer