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Calissa Minatee to Miss Rest of 2025 Season Due to Injury
9/17/2025 10:30:00 AM | Volleyball
Minatee got hurt on Sunday against South Dakota State
MINNEAPOLIS -- Minnesota junior middle blocker Calissa Minatee will miss the remainder of 2025 with a lower body injury, the program announced on Wednesday. She was injured during Sunday's match against South Dakota State.
"Unfortunately we're here again to announce Calissa Minatee's season-ending injury," said head coach Keegan Cook. "It's a tremendously disappointing moment for a student-athlete who was playing the best volleyball of her career. Calissa continues to exceed my expectations in every space of the student-athlete experience and this has been no different. Her discipline, intentionality and joy for the Gopher volleyball are still present even amidst this difficult moment."
A Kansas City, Mo., native, Minatee was having a breakout season in 2025. Starting in every match thus far, Minatee led the team with a .427 hitting percentage. She had two 10+ kill matches and four with seven-or-more. Minatee was averaging 1.71 kills and 1.04 blocks per set. She was also named to the Golden Gopher Invitational on Aug. 31 after three stellar matches of play. The junior has played in 56 matches during her career at the 'U.'
Minatee is the third Gophers starter to be out for the season due to injury. Outside Mckenna Wucherer (back) and libero Zeynep Palabiyik (knee) have also been lost for the year in the past month.
No. 12 Minnesota (8-1, 0-0 Big Ten) is back in action on Friday night at Loyola Chicago (3-6, 0-0 A10). The match is set for 6 p.m. CT on ESPN+.
"Unfortunately we're here again to announce Calissa Minatee's season-ending injury," said head coach Keegan Cook. "It's a tremendously disappointing moment for a student-athlete who was playing the best volleyball of her career. Calissa continues to exceed my expectations in every space of the student-athlete experience and this has been no different. Her discipline, intentionality and joy for the Gopher volleyball are still present even amidst this difficult moment."
A Kansas City, Mo., native, Minatee was having a breakout season in 2025. Starting in every match thus far, Minatee led the team with a .427 hitting percentage. She had two 10+ kill matches and four with seven-or-more. Minatee was averaging 1.71 kills and 1.04 blocks per set. She was also named to the Golden Gopher Invitational on Aug. 31 after three stellar matches of play. The junior has played in 56 matches during her career at the 'U.'
Minatee is the third Gophers starter to be out for the season due to injury. Outside Mckenna Wucherer (back) and libero Zeynep Palabiyik (knee) have also been lost for the year in the past month.
No. 12 Minnesota (8-1, 0-0 Big Ten) is back in action on Friday night at Loyola Chicago (3-6, 0-0 A10). The match is set for 6 p.m. CT on ESPN+.
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