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Gophers Announce Full 2026 Schedule
5/28/2026 11:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Minnesota will play nine non-league matches and 17 league games
MINNEAPOLIS -- The Minnesota volleyball team has announced its 2026 schedule. The Gophers will compete in nine non-league games plus two exhibitions in 2026. They will then enter league play, where they will play 17 Big Ten Conference matches before having a chance to compete in the inaugural Big Ten Tournament in Fishers, Ind.
There will also be year two of the Big Ten | Discover Volleyball Challenge, which will consist of weekday matches in October adding up into points to win the title. Each team will compete in five designated Challenge matches, with the winner determined by the highest win total across the five matches. A trophy is awarded to the winning team.
Minnesota will unofficially start 2026 with two exhibition matches. First, they'll go to Texas on Monday, Aug. 10. After that, it will be a matchup at Iowa State on Saturday, Aug. 22. They'll then get into the start of their season on Aug. 28 in Sioux Falls, S.D.
Three of the nine non-conference matches will be at home while four will be played at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. The Gophers will open the season in Sioux Falls at the State Farm Volleyball Showcase on Friday, Aug. 28 against Arizona State. The Sun Devils, who finished No. 10 in the AVCA rankings last season, made the Sweet 16 before falling to Creighton. Arizona State went 28-4 (17-1 Big 12) and won the Big 12 conference last year. The match will be at either 7 or 9 p.m. on FOX or FS1.
"We're thrilled to compete against top teams spanning six competitive conferences with four of those teams returning as conference champions," said head coach Keegan Cook. "We're looking forward to bringing the team to Gopher fans and recruits in venues across the upper Midwest."
On Saturday, Aug. 29 they'll play Creighton, who finished No. 10 in the AVCA rankings and made the Elite Eight. The Bluejays went 28-6 (16-0 BIG EAST) last season and won both the regular season and tournament conference titles. They fell to national runner-up Kentucky in the Regional Finals. The match will be at either 5 or 7 p.m. on FOX or FS1.
Minnesota will then take on Florida and Auburn at the inaugural Big Ten/SEC Challenge on Tuesday, Sept. 1 and Wednesday, Sept. 2 in Madison, Wis. Match times and TV for both tilts are still to be determined. Florida went 16-12 (9-6 SEC) last season while Auburn went 17-11 (7-8 SEC). Florida fell to SMU in the second round of the NCAA Tournament while Auburn's season ended in the SEC Tournament.
The Gophers will then head home for the Diet Coke Classic from Sept. 11-13 at Maturi Pavilion. On Friday, Sept. 11, Minnesota will take on an opponent to be determined.
On Sunday, Sept. 13 the Gophers will take on the St. Thomas Tommies. The Tommies made their first NCAA Tournament ever last season, going 21-10 (11-5 Summit League) and winning the conference tournament. This match will be at 1 p.m. CT and B1G+ will stream.
The Gophers will then head back to the Sanford Pentagon on Friday, Sept. 18 and Saturday, Sept. 19 to take on South Dakota and South Dakota State on consecutive days. USD tallied a 20-9 (12-4 Summit League) record and made the conference tournament before falling in a five-set thriller to St. Thomas. The Jackrabbits went 23-5 (16-0 Summit League) and made the NCAA Tournament, where they fell 3-1 to Arizona in the first round. Match times and TV information for these South Dakota Lottery College Volleyball Classic matches will be announced at a later date.
"This is a non-conference schedule that once again wastes no time getting rolling from the very first exhibition match into a tremendous opening weekend event," said Cook. "This is a schedule that prepares us for the Big Ten season and the NCAA Tournament."
The 'U' begins Big Ten play on Thursday, Sept. 24 with a matchup at Illinois. They'll then come home to take on Oregon on Saturday, Sept. 26. Minnesota will be looking for its first win over the Ducks since they joined the conference in 2024. After the Oregon match, the Gophers stay home for matches against Northwestern on Thursday, Oct. 1 and Wisconsin on Sunday, Oct. 4.
Following the three-match home stand, Minnesota will hit the road for away matches at Rutgers on Friday, Oct. 9 and Ohio State on Sunday, Oct. 11. After having a few days off, the Gophers will be back home to host Michigan on Friday, Oct. 16 and Maryland on Saturday, Oct. 17 at the Pav.
The weekend after that, the Gophers will go to Purdue for a Friday night showdown on Oct. 23 before coming home to host Washington on Sunday, Oct. 25. To round out the month, the 'U' will make its second Los Angeles road trip in the past three seasons by playing UCLA on Friday, Oct. 30 and USC on Sunday, Nov. 1.
November will continue back home when the 'U' hosts Penn State on Friday the 6th. They'll head to Iowa for a road tilt on Sunday, Nov. 8 after that. The regular season will close out with home matches against Indiana (Wednesday, Nov. 11) and Michigan State on Saturday, Nov. 14. The 'U' will close out the year at Nebraska on Tuesday, Nov. 17. The Big Ten Tournament is set to begin on Friday, Nov. 20 with the championship slated for Wednesday, Nov. 25.
To round out the regular season and prepare the Gophers for postseason play, Minnesota will host High Point on Saturday, Nov. 28. Match time is TBD and B1G+ will stream. The Panthers went 18-10 (12-2 Big South) and made the NCAA Tournament before falling to Kansas in the first round.
Minnesota heads into the 2026 season after making the Sweet 16 for the first time since the 2022 season. The Gophers finished the year with a 24-10 (12-8 Big Ten) record, tied for sixth place in the Big Ten Conference.
The 'U' earned a final ranking of 15 from the AVCA. Led by Second Team All-American Julia Hanson, the 'U' withstood four season-ending injuries to starters and rallied for its first second weekend of the NCAA Tournament appearance under third-year head coach Keegan Cook.
Single match tickets will be on sale in July. Fans can join the waitlist for season tickets here.
2026 Schedule:
Monday, Aug. 10: Exhibition at #6 Texas - 1 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 22: Exhibition at Iowa State - 11 a.m.
Friday, Aug. 28: State Farm Showcase vs. #12 Arizona St. (Sioux Falls, S.D.) 7 or 9 p.m. on FOX or FS1
Saturday, Aug. 29: State Farm Showcase vs. #10 Creighton (Sioux Falls, S.D.) 7 or 9 p.m. on FOX or FS1
Tuesday, Sept. 1: Big Ten/SEC Challenge vs. RV Florida (Madison, WI)
Wednesday, Sept. 2: Big Ten/SEC Challenge vs. Auburn (Madison, WI)
Thursday, Sept. 11: Diet Coke Classic vs. TBD - 6 p.m. on B1G+
Sunday, Sept. 13: Diet Coke Classic vs. St. Thomas - 1 p.m. on B1G+
Friday, Sept. 18: College VB Classic vs. South Dakota (Sioux Falls, S.D.)
Saturday, Sept. 19: College VB Classic vs. South Dakota St. (Sioux Falls, S.D.)
Thursday, Sept. 24: at Illinois
Saturday, Sept. 26: vs. Oregon
Thursday, Oct. 1: vs. Northwestern (Big Ten | Discover Challenge Match)
Sunday, Oct. 4: vs. #5 Wisconsin
Friday, Oct. 9: at Rutgers (Big Ten | Discover Challenge Match)
Sunday, Oct. 11: at Ohio State
Friday, Oct. 16: vs. Michigan (Big Ten | Discover Challenge Match)
Saturday, Oct. 17: vs. Maryland
Friday, Oct. 23: at #8 Purdue - 6 p.m. CT (Big Ten | Discover Challenge Match)
Sunday, Oct. 25: vs. Washington
Friday, Oct. 30: at UCLA (Big Ten | Discover Challenge Match)
Sunday, Nov. 1: at #17 USC
Friday, Nov. 6: vs. Penn St.
Sunday, Nov. 8: at Iowa
Wednesday, Nov. 11: vs. #13 Indiana
Saturday, Nov. 14: vs. Michigan St.
Tuesday, Nov. 17: at #3 Nebraska
Saturday, Nov. 28: vs. High Point
2026 Big Ten Tournament (Top 15 Teams) in Fishers, Indiana: Times TBD
First Round: Friday, Nov. 20
Second Round: Saturday, Nov. 21
Quarters: Sunday, Nov. 22
Semis: Tuesday, Nov. 24
Finals: Wednesday, Nov. 25
*2025 AVCA Final Ranking
**Exhibition Match
Schedule Notes:
-Matches against 2025 NCAA Tournament Teams: 14
-Matches against teams that finished in the AVCA Top-25: 8
-Road/Neutral matches against teams that finished in the AVCA Top-25: 5
-Home matches against teams that finished in the AVCA Top-25: 3
-Matches against 2025 Sweet 16 Teams: 6
-Matches against 2025 Elite Eight Teams: 1
-Matches against 2025 Final Four Teams: 1
There will also be year two of the Big Ten | Discover Volleyball Challenge, which will consist of weekday matches in October adding up into points to win the title. Each team will compete in five designated Challenge matches, with the winner determined by the highest win total across the five matches. A trophy is awarded to the winning team.
Minnesota will unofficially start 2026 with two exhibition matches. First, they'll go to Texas on Monday, Aug. 10. After that, it will be a matchup at Iowa State on Saturday, Aug. 22. They'll then get into the start of their season on Aug. 28 in Sioux Falls, S.D.
Three of the nine non-conference matches will be at home while four will be played at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. The Gophers will open the season in Sioux Falls at the State Farm Volleyball Showcase on Friday, Aug. 28 against Arizona State. The Sun Devils, who finished No. 10 in the AVCA rankings last season, made the Sweet 16 before falling to Creighton. Arizona State went 28-4 (17-1 Big 12) and won the Big 12 conference last year. The match will be at either 7 or 9 p.m. on FOX or FS1.
"We're thrilled to compete against top teams spanning six competitive conferences with four of those teams returning as conference champions," said head coach Keegan Cook. "We're looking forward to bringing the team to Gopher fans and recruits in venues across the upper Midwest."
On Saturday, Aug. 29 they'll play Creighton, who finished No. 10 in the AVCA rankings and made the Elite Eight. The Bluejays went 28-6 (16-0 BIG EAST) last season and won both the regular season and tournament conference titles. They fell to national runner-up Kentucky in the Regional Finals. The match will be at either 5 or 7 p.m. on FOX or FS1.
Minnesota will then take on Florida and Auburn at the inaugural Big Ten/SEC Challenge on Tuesday, Sept. 1 and Wednesday, Sept. 2 in Madison, Wis. Match times and TV for both tilts are still to be determined. Florida went 16-12 (9-6 SEC) last season while Auburn went 17-11 (7-8 SEC). Florida fell to SMU in the second round of the NCAA Tournament while Auburn's season ended in the SEC Tournament.
The Gophers will then head home for the Diet Coke Classic from Sept. 11-13 at Maturi Pavilion. On Friday, Sept. 11, Minnesota will take on an opponent to be determined.
On Sunday, Sept. 13 the Gophers will take on the St. Thomas Tommies. The Tommies made their first NCAA Tournament ever last season, going 21-10 (11-5 Summit League) and winning the conference tournament. This match will be at 1 p.m. CT and B1G+ will stream.
The Gophers will then head back to the Sanford Pentagon on Friday, Sept. 18 and Saturday, Sept. 19 to take on South Dakota and South Dakota State on consecutive days. USD tallied a 20-9 (12-4 Summit League) record and made the conference tournament before falling in a five-set thriller to St. Thomas. The Jackrabbits went 23-5 (16-0 Summit League) and made the NCAA Tournament, where they fell 3-1 to Arizona in the first round. Match times and TV information for these South Dakota Lottery College Volleyball Classic matches will be announced at a later date.
"This is a non-conference schedule that once again wastes no time getting rolling from the very first exhibition match into a tremendous opening weekend event," said Cook. "This is a schedule that prepares us for the Big Ten season and the NCAA Tournament."
The 'U' begins Big Ten play on Thursday, Sept. 24 with a matchup at Illinois. They'll then come home to take on Oregon on Saturday, Sept. 26. Minnesota will be looking for its first win over the Ducks since they joined the conference in 2024. After the Oregon match, the Gophers stay home for matches against Northwestern on Thursday, Oct. 1 and Wisconsin on Sunday, Oct. 4.
Following the three-match home stand, Minnesota will hit the road for away matches at Rutgers on Friday, Oct. 9 and Ohio State on Sunday, Oct. 11. After having a few days off, the Gophers will be back home to host Michigan on Friday, Oct. 16 and Maryland on Saturday, Oct. 17 at the Pav.
The weekend after that, the Gophers will go to Purdue for a Friday night showdown on Oct. 23 before coming home to host Washington on Sunday, Oct. 25. To round out the month, the 'U' will make its second Los Angeles road trip in the past three seasons by playing UCLA on Friday, Oct. 30 and USC on Sunday, Nov. 1.
November will continue back home when the 'U' hosts Penn State on Friday the 6th. They'll head to Iowa for a road tilt on Sunday, Nov. 8 after that. The regular season will close out with home matches against Indiana (Wednesday, Nov. 11) and Michigan State on Saturday, Nov. 14. The 'U' will close out the year at Nebraska on Tuesday, Nov. 17. The Big Ten Tournament is set to begin on Friday, Nov. 20 with the championship slated for Wednesday, Nov. 25.
To round out the regular season and prepare the Gophers for postseason play, Minnesota will host High Point on Saturday, Nov. 28. Match time is TBD and B1G+ will stream. The Panthers went 18-10 (12-2 Big South) and made the NCAA Tournament before falling to Kansas in the first round.
Minnesota heads into the 2026 season after making the Sweet 16 for the first time since the 2022 season. The Gophers finished the year with a 24-10 (12-8 Big Ten) record, tied for sixth place in the Big Ten Conference.
The 'U' earned a final ranking of 15 from the AVCA. Led by Second Team All-American Julia Hanson, the 'U' withstood four season-ending injuries to starters and rallied for its first second weekend of the NCAA Tournament appearance under third-year head coach Keegan Cook.
Single match tickets will be on sale in July. Fans can join the waitlist for season tickets here.
2026 Schedule:
Monday, Aug. 10: Exhibition at #6 Texas - 1 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 22: Exhibition at Iowa State - 11 a.m.
Friday, Aug. 28: State Farm Showcase vs. #12 Arizona St. (Sioux Falls, S.D.) 7 or 9 p.m. on FOX or FS1
Saturday, Aug. 29: State Farm Showcase vs. #10 Creighton (Sioux Falls, S.D.) 7 or 9 p.m. on FOX or FS1
Tuesday, Sept. 1: Big Ten/SEC Challenge vs. RV Florida (Madison, WI)
Wednesday, Sept. 2: Big Ten/SEC Challenge vs. Auburn (Madison, WI)
Thursday, Sept. 11: Diet Coke Classic vs. TBD - 6 p.m. on B1G+
Sunday, Sept. 13: Diet Coke Classic vs. St. Thomas - 1 p.m. on B1G+
Friday, Sept. 18: College VB Classic vs. South Dakota (Sioux Falls, S.D.)
Saturday, Sept. 19: College VB Classic vs. South Dakota St. (Sioux Falls, S.D.)
Thursday, Sept. 24: at Illinois
Saturday, Sept. 26: vs. Oregon
Thursday, Oct. 1: vs. Northwestern (Big Ten | Discover Challenge Match)
Sunday, Oct. 4: vs. #5 Wisconsin
Friday, Oct. 9: at Rutgers (Big Ten | Discover Challenge Match)
Sunday, Oct. 11: at Ohio State
Friday, Oct. 16: vs. Michigan (Big Ten | Discover Challenge Match)
Saturday, Oct. 17: vs. Maryland
Friday, Oct. 23: at #8 Purdue - 6 p.m. CT (Big Ten | Discover Challenge Match)
Sunday, Oct. 25: vs. Washington
Friday, Oct. 30: at UCLA (Big Ten | Discover Challenge Match)
Sunday, Nov. 1: at #17 USC
Friday, Nov. 6: vs. Penn St.
Sunday, Nov. 8: at Iowa
Wednesday, Nov. 11: vs. #13 Indiana
Saturday, Nov. 14: vs. Michigan St.
Tuesday, Nov. 17: at #3 Nebraska
Saturday, Nov. 28: vs. High Point
2026 Big Ten Tournament (Top 15 Teams) in Fishers, Indiana: Times TBD
First Round: Friday, Nov. 20
Second Round: Saturday, Nov. 21
Quarters: Sunday, Nov. 22
Semis: Tuesday, Nov. 24
Finals: Wednesday, Nov. 25
*2025 AVCA Final Ranking
**Exhibition Match
Schedule Notes:
-Matches against 2025 NCAA Tournament Teams: 14
-Matches against teams that finished in the AVCA Top-25: 8
-Road/Neutral matches against teams that finished in the AVCA Top-25: 5
-Home matches against teams that finished in the AVCA Top-25: 3
-Matches against 2025 Sweet 16 Teams: 6
-Matches against 2025 Elite Eight Teams: 1
-Matches against 2025 Final Four Teams: 1
Highlights: Spring Exhibition
Monday, April 27
2025 Season Recap
Tuesday, January 27
Best of Julia Hanson
Monday, December 22
Gophers Preview NCAA Sweet Sixteen
Tuesday, December 09