No. 20 'U' Sets Up For No. 22 Southern Cal

MINNEAPOLIS -- The No. 20 ranked Minnesota Golden Gophers (17-5, 7-4 B1G) are looking to complete their two-match home swing with a contest against the No. 22 USC Trojans (16-5, 7-4 B1G) on Saturday night. The match is set for 8 p.m. CT and B1G+ will stream. Fans can also listen to the radio broadcast on GopherSports.com.

TRAFFIC/PARKING INFO
Gopher Football hosts Michigan State at Huntington Bank Stadium at 2:30pm on Saturday, November 1. Fans arriving on campus for the 8 p.m. match vs. USC may encounter traffic congestion due to fans departing campus at the conclusion of the football game. Fans will be permitted into all available parking lots as other vehicles vacate facilities from football parking. The University Ave and Fourth Street parking ramps are available parking locations should lots surrounding Maturi Pavilion be unavailable due to the conclusion of the football game.

GAME INFORMATION
No. 20 Minnesota vs. No. 22 USC
Saturday, Nov. 1
8 p.m. CT
Minneapolis, Minn. (Maturi Pavilion)
TV: B1G+ - Bob Brainerd (Play-By-Play), Michelle Wenzel (Analyst)
Radio: GopherSports.com - Tanner Hoops (Play-By-Play)
Live Stats

NOTES TO KNOW
Minnesota trails 2-5-1 against USC
First Meeting: 1979
Last Meeting: 2024

HEADING INTO THE MATCH
253 -- Keegan Cook won his 250th career match as a head coach Oct. 12 vs. Ohio St. He is now up to 253 after Wednesday's win over Illinois.
62 -- Minnesota ranks 62nd nationally and third in the Big Ten with 1.71 aces per set.
35 -- Minnesota ranks 35th nationally with 206.5 total blocks.
27 -- Julia Hanson had 27 10+ kill matches in 2024 (87%). She's 17 for 21 so far this season (missed Loyola Chicago match).
19 -- The 'U' ranks 19th nationally and fourth in the Big Ten with 2.68 blocks per set.
16 -- Jordan Taylor ranks 16th in the Big Ten with 1.17 blocks per set.
15 -- The Gophers rank 15th nationally in hitting percentage (.282). They place fifth in the Big Ten.
14 -- The Gophers are 14-3 with McKenna Garr as the starting libero and she has registered over 3.50 digs per set during those matches. She's had 13 10+ dig matches since starting.
11 -- During Big Ten matches, McKenna Garr ranks 11th in the Big Ten with 2.94 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.
11 -- Sweeps in 22 matches for the Golden Gophers. They've won six matches in four sets (0-1 in five).
10 -- Minnesota is 10-1 at home this season. Only loss was Oct. 8 vs. UCLA.
10 -- Times this season Minnesota posted 10+ blocks as a team. They're 8-2 when going for 10-or-more blocks (losses at Oregon and Purdue).8 -- Minnesota has made eight Sweet 16's in the last 10 years.
7 -- Lourdes Myers ranks 7th in the Big Ten with 1.26 blocks per set, a team-best.
6 -- Myers is sixth in the Big Ten in total blocks with 748. That figure ranks 73rd nationally.
7 -- The Gophers are No. 7 in the Big Ten with 13.17 digs per set.
6 -- During Big Ten play, Julia Hanson ranks sixth in the league in kills per set with 3.95.
6 -- Minnesota ranks sixth nationally in attendance at 4,453 (avg.).
6 -- Stella Swenson ranks sixth in the Big Ten in total assists with 748.
5 -- Julia Hanson is fifth in the Big Ten with 4.03 kills per set.
5 -- Julia Hanson is fifth in the B1G with 4.70 points per set.
4 -- During Big Ten play, Julia Hanson ranks fourth among all players in service aces with 16.
4 -- Minnesota ranks fourth in the Big Ten with 132 service aces.
4 -- Gophers head coach Keegan Cook is 5-22 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 and to the all-tournament team.
2 -- The Gophers rank second in the Big Ten in total blocks with 206.5.
2 -- During league play, the Gophers rank first with 1.95 aces per set. They hold 78 aces (1st 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 is 1-2 aginst three ranked opponents this season, with those being No. 9 Texas A&M, No. 23 Indiana and No. 11 Purdue. The Gophers will play ranked opponents in their next four matches with No. 22 USC, No. 12 Wisconsin, No. 1 Nebraska and No. 19 Penn State.

LAST TIME OUT
• The No. 20 Minnesota volleyball team swept RV Illinois on Wednesday night, 26-24, 25-12, 25-22. Julia Hanson had a career night, posting a season-best of 23 kills on .583. The Gophers hit .337 as a team and posted 11 blocks, picking up their 11th sweep of the year.

GOPHERS IN THE RANKINGS
• The Gophers entered the 2025 season with a No. 11 overall ranking in the Preseason AVCA poll.
• After week nine, the 'U' stayed at No. 20 for the second straight 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 USC
• No. 22 USC (16-5, 7-4 B1G) is led by sixth-year head coach Brad Keller. The Trojans have made the NCAA Tournament in four straight seasons. In 2024, USC went 22-10 (13-7 Big Ten) in their first year in the Big Ten Conference before falling to Texas in the 2nd Round of the NCAA Tournament.
• USC was picked to finish sixth in the Big Ten Preseason Poll. So far this year, USC is 2-3 against ranked teams. Notably, they took down then No. 9 Wisconsin at the UW Field House in Four sets. They also beat No. 13 Creighton.
• London Wijay leads USC with 3.24 kills per set while Reese Messer paces the offense with 10.68 assists per set, a figure that puts her in third place in the Big Ten.

HISTORY VS. USC
• The Gophers trail the all-time series vs. USC, 2-5-1. Last year, they lost in four sets at USC in their first matchup as Big Ten foes. Minnesota last defeated USC in 2004, a 3-1 Final Four victory in Long Beach, Calif., that helped them advance to the NCAA Championship match for the only time in program history. In the two teams last meeting before 2024, USC defeated the Gophers 3-0 in the 2017 Sweet 16 in Gainesville, Fla.

GOPHERS PLAYING BEST BALL OF THE SEASON
• After falling 3-1 at Oregon on Friday, Oct. 17, the Gophers 'circled the wagons' and have played four of their best matches of the season. They took road victories at Washington (Oct. 18) and No. 23 Indiana (Oct. 24) before falling by just two points in a five set thriller at No. 11 Purdue (Oct. 26). The Gophers led 2-0 in that one and had match point opportunities in the third and fifth sets. They then swept Illinois on Wednesday night at the Pav.
• During the past four, Minnesota is hitting .310 as a team, averaging 13.38 kills, 2.91 blocks and 2.00 aces per set.

ACES GALORE IN CONFERENCE PLAY
• In 11 conference matches thus far, the Gophers have totaled 78 aces for a league-best 1.95 aces per set. The next closest serving team to Minnesota is Oregon, with 66 aces and 1.78 aces per set.
• Overall, Minnesota ranks third in the Big Ten with 1.71 aces per set. Their 132 aces rank fourth.

STREAKS TO WATCH
• Julia Hanson tallied 10+ kills in 15 consecutive matches to end last year. She's 17-for-21 this year, including four straight with 10+. She's totaled 74 kills in her last four matches.
• McKenna Garr has totaled 10+ digs in 14 of her 21 matches, including 13 of 17 as starting libero.
• Lourdes Myers has multiple blocks in 19 of her 22 matches, including 11 matches with four-or-more.
• Stella Swenson has hit 30+ assists in 15 of 22 matches on the year. She also has five double-doubles after tallying 31 assists and 11 digs last Saturday at Washington.
• Carly Gilk has registered 10+ digs in two straight matches. She's done so four times this season.
• Jordan Taylor has tallied 23 kills in her last three matches, hitting over .400 in each game.

SCHEDULE HEATING UP
• Minesota opened the 2025 season against No. 9 Texas A&M, falling in four sets in Sioux Falls, S.D. Since then, the Gophers have picked up 17 victories in 21 matches, including their first ranked victory over then No. 23 Indiana in four sets. The Gophers are 1-2 vs. ranked opponents in 2025.
• Minnesota is in the midst of playing ranked opponents in six of seven matches from Oct. 24 through Nov. 14.
• They played No. 23 Indiana and No. 11 Purdue last week. Up next are No. 22 USC, No. 12 Wisconsin, No. 1 Nebraska and No. 19 Penn St during the stretch. Minnesota finishes the season with two matches at home vs. Purdue and Wisconsin as well. Of their nine remaining matches, six are against top-25 opponents.

HANSON'S PATIENCE PAYING OFF
• A senior out of Savage, Minn., Julia Hanson patiently waited for her chance to shine on the outside for Minnesota. She played situationally as a freshman in 2022, appearing in 10 matches (1.38 kills per set) and all 30 matches in 2023, but notching just 0.64 kills and 1.08 digs per set.
• She's stepped up multiple times in big games when her team has needed her most. On Nov. 12, 2023 at Indiana, she tallied a career-high 19 kills with six digs and an ace. She came off the bench to play front row and led the team in kills in a crucial win in Bloomington.
• She shined as a full-time starter in 2024, posting 10+ kills 27 times and aces in 19 matches. Hanson posted seven 20+ kill contests and six double-doubles. She was named to the Big Ten/Big 12 Challenge All-Tournament team in addition to winning MVP of the Capital Credit Union Classic. She earned Big Ten Player of the Week twice last season (Oct. 28 and Dec. 2).
• Julia led the team and ranked seventh in the Big Ten with 4.01 kills per set in 2024.
• In 2025, Hanson ranks fifth in the Big Ten in points per set (4.70), in kills per set (4.03) and fourth in kills (294). She has 17 10+ kill matches and 10 with 15-or-more.

SWENSON STARTING 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 9.71 assists (9th in B1G), 2.10 digs, 0.64 kills, 0.62 blocks and 0.29 aces per set. She's tallied five double-doubles thus far and four 40+ assist matches.
• Minnesota's offense ranks fifth in the Big Ten with a .282 hitting percentage through 22 matches.

STARTING LINEUP COMBOS
• Minnesota has used 13 different starting lineup combinations this season as it navigates injuries and youth. Four starters are out for the season due to injuries and two more regulars have missed at least one match due to injury. 13 of the 16 players on the roster have started at least one match.

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 travel to No. 12 Wisconsin (15-3, 8-2 B1G) on Wednesday, Nov. 5. The match is set for 7 p.m. on FS1.

Upcoming Events

Players Mentioned

Alex Acevedo

McKenna Garr

Carly Gilk

Julia Hanson

Calissa Minatee

Zeynep Palabiyik

Stella Swenson

Jordan Taylor

Mckenna Wucherer