University of Minnesota Athletics
Sunday, August 31
Minneapolis, MN
3:00 PM
University of Minnesota
3-1,0-0Big Ten
3
vs
1
St. Thomas
0-3,0-0Summit League
1
2
3
4
F
St. Thomas (MN)
22
20
25
18
1
Minnesota
25
25
23
25
3
Team Stats
UST
MINN
Kills
52
46
Errors
27
18
Attempts
142
118
Hitting %
.176
.237
Points
63.0
65.0
Assists
48
44
Aces
4
10
Blocks
7
9
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
18
Aces
1
Blocks
1
Kills
11
Aces
2
Blocks
2
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
5
Kills
5
Aces
1
Blocks
2
Players Mentioned
Outside
/ Volleyball
Outside
/ VolleyballOutside
/ Volleyball
Middle Blocker
/ Volleyball
Libero/DS
/ Volleyball
Setter
/ Volleyball
Middle Blocker
/ Volleyball
Libero/DS
/ Volleyball
Photo by: Claudia Staut
No. 11 Closes Weekend with 3-1 Win Over Tommies
8/31/2025 6:21:00 PM | Volleyball
Julia Hanson had 18 kills on her way to tournament MVP
MINNEAPOLIS -- The No. 11 Minnesota volleyball team beat the St. Thomas Tommies in four sets on Sunday afternoon to complete the Golden Gopher Invitational. The Gophers took the win 25-22, 25-20, 21-25, 25-18 to advance to 3-1 (0-0 Big Ten) on the season. Minnesota went a perfect 3-0 to win the Golden Gopher Invitational.
"Really impressed with St. Thomas, especially defensively," said head coach Keegan Cook. "I really like the film we're going to get from this match. We were really measured in that fourth set to put it away. Kelly Kinney had some big swings and was flexible moving from outside to opposite."
Julia Hanson led Minnesota with 18 kills while Kelly Kinney had 11. Stella Swenson paced the offense with 37 assists to go with 11 digs. Calissa Minatee led the defense with five blocks.
Hanson was named tournament MVP and joined Minatee, Swenson and libero Zeynep Palabiyik on the Golden Gopher Invitational All-Tournament Team.
The Gophers (3-1, 0-0 Big Ten) outhit the Tommies (0-3, 0-0 Summit) .237 to .176 and led the ace (10 to 4) and blocks (9 to 7) battle. UST had more kills (52 to 46) and the two teams tied with 49 digs.
Tezra Rudzitis paced the Tommies (0-3, 0-0 Summit) with 18 kills while Anya Schmidt had 12 kills and 12 digs.
How It Happened
SET 1 | It was a back and forth start to the match as the two teams split the first 14 points. A 4-0 run after that paced by kills from Hanson and Kinney made it 11-7 Gophers, forcing a Tommies timeout. Minnesota would lead by between four and five before a mini UST spurt cut the lead to 19-16, leading to a Minnesota timeout. Minnesota scored the next two before four straight from UST cut the deficit to one at 21-20, forcing Minnesota's final timeout of the frame. A Tommies service error and a kill from Hanson made it 23-20, forcing another Tommies timeout. Minnesota would eventually close it out, 25-22. The 'U' hit .188 for the set, led by three kills each from Gilk, Hanson and Taylor.
SET 2 | Set two was just as competitive early on, with neither team leading by more than two through the first 20 points. Minnesota called its first timeout when UST took a 10-9 lead through the first third. The Gophers went up by as many as three at 18-15 before four straight Tommies points gave them a 19-18 lead, forcing a Minnesota timeout. A kill from Kinney and a block from Minatee gave the Gophers a 20-19 lead and UST responded with a timeout. Two aces from Swenson and two kills from Kinney made it 24-20, causing the final UST timeout. Minnesota would win the set, 25-20. Hanson had seven kills in the second frame alone after going for three in the first.
SET 3 | Minnesota led most of the way early on in the set, going up by as many as three at 12-9 and 13-10. The Tommies would respond with a 6-0 run to go up 16-13. The Gophers would cut the lead to one at 17-16 after a kill and an ace from Gilk. UST would go back up three, 19-16 after a pair of kills. Minnesota called a timeout, trailing 21-19. A service error brought it to 21-20 before a UST kill and block made it 23-20, leading to coach Cook's final timeout. The Tommies would eventually close out the set, 25-23.
SET 4 | Minnesota started hot in set four, scoring seven of the first 10. The Tommies would fight back, tallying six of the next eight to bring the lead to just one at 10-9. A 5-0 Gophers run brought the lead up to six at 15-9 heading into the media timeout. Alex Acevedo had a pair of aces in the spurt. She added her third ace of the frame in the same service run, helping the Gophers go up 18-10, leading to a Tommies timeout. Minnesota would maintain a steady pace, taking a 23-15 lead before UST called its final timeout. The Gophers would close it out, 25-18.
Game Notes
» The 'U' is now 3-0 all-time against St. Thomas (2021, 2024, 2025).
» The Tommies took home their first set win against the Gophers in their three matchups.
» Stella Swenson posted 37 assists, 11 digs and three blocks. It was her second career double-double.
» Kelly Kinney had a career-high 11 kills on over .300 hitting.
» Julia Hanson had 18 kills to lead Minnesota. She's had 10-or-more kills in 19 consecutive matches dating back to last season.
» Zeynep Palabiyik suffered a lower body injury in the third set and missed the rest of the match. She's day-to-day.
» Calissa Minatee had a team-high five blocks to go with seven kills.
» The Gophers posted a season-best 9.0 blocks.
» Jordan Taylor had a career-best four kills with two blocks.
» Kate Thibault had 11 digs, her second match of the weekend with 10+.
» Minnesota started four freshmen and played five today. Garr, Gilk, Swenson and Taylor all started.
Golden Gopher Invitational All-Tournament Team
OH: Noelle VanOort (BSU)
OH: Julia Hanson (MN)
S: Stella Swenson (MN)
L: Zeynep Palabiyik (MN)
MB: Chloe Leluge (CP)
MB: Calissa Minatee (MN)
OPP: Tezra Rudzitis (UST)
Up Next
Minnesota travels to Nashville, Tenn., to take on Vanderbilt on Friday, Sept. 5.
"Really impressed with St. Thomas, especially defensively," said head coach Keegan Cook. "I really like the film we're going to get from this match. We were really measured in that fourth set to put it away. Kelly Kinney had some big swings and was flexible moving from outside to opposite."
Julia Hanson led Minnesota with 18 kills while Kelly Kinney had 11. Stella Swenson paced the offense with 37 assists to go with 11 digs. Calissa Minatee led the defense with five blocks.
Hanson was named tournament MVP and joined Minatee, Swenson and libero Zeynep Palabiyik on the Golden Gopher Invitational All-Tournament Team.
The Gophers (3-1, 0-0 Big Ten) outhit the Tommies (0-3, 0-0 Summit) .237 to .176 and led the ace (10 to 4) and blocks (9 to 7) battle. UST had more kills (52 to 46) and the two teams tied with 49 digs.
Tezra Rudzitis paced the Tommies (0-3, 0-0 Summit) with 18 kills while Anya Schmidt had 12 kills and 12 digs.
How It Happened
SET 1 | It was a back and forth start to the match as the two teams split the first 14 points. A 4-0 run after that paced by kills from Hanson and Kinney made it 11-7 Gophers, forcing a Tommies timeout. Minnesota would lead by between four and five before a mini UST spurt cut the lead to 19-16, leading to a Minnesota timeout. Minnesota scored the next two before four straight from UST cut the deficit to one at 21-20, forcing Minnesota's final timeout of the frame. A Tommies service error and a kill from Hanson made it 23-20, forcing another Tommies timeout. Minnesota would eventually close it out, 25-22. The 'U' hit .188 for the set, led by three kills each from Gilk, Hanson and Taylor.
SET 2 | Set two was just as competitive early on, with neither team leading by more than two through the first 20 points. Minnesota called its first timeout when UST took a 10-9 lead through the first third. The Gophers went up by as many as three at 18-15 before four straight Tommies points gave them a 19-18 lead, forcing a Minnesota timeout. A kill from Kinney and a block from Minatee gave the Gophers a 20-19 lead and UST responded with a timeout. Two aces from Swenson and two kills from Kinney made it 24-20, causing the final UST timeout. Minnesota would win the set, 25-20. Hanson had seven kills in the second frame alone after going for three in the first.
SET 3 | Minnesota led most of the way early on in the set, going up by as many as three at 12-9 and 13-10. The Tommies would respond with a 6-0 run to go up 16-13. The Gophers would cut the lead to one at 17-16 after a kill and an ace from Gilk. UST would go back up three, 19-16 after a pair of kills. Minnesota called a timeout, trailing 21-19. A service error brought it to 21-20 before a UST kill and block made it 23-20, leading to coach Cook's final timeout. The Tommies would eventually close out the set, 25-23.
SET 4 | Minnesota started hot in set four, scoring seven of the first 10. The Tommies would fight back, tallying six of the next eight to bring the lead to just one at 10-9. A 5-0 Gophers run brought the lead up to six at 15-9 heading into the media timeout. Alex Acevedo had a pair of aces in the spurt. She added her third ace of the frame in the same service run, helping the Gophers go up 18-10, leading to a Tommies timeout. Minnesota would maintain a steady pace, taking a 23-15 lead before UST called its final timeout. The Gophers would close it out, 25-18.
Game Notes
» The 'U' is now 3-0 all-time against St. Thomas (2021, 2024, 2025).
» The Tommies took home their first set win against the Gophers in their three matchups.
» Stella Swenson posted 37 assists, 11 digs and three blocks. It was her second career double-double.
» Kelly Kinney had a career-high 11 kills on over .300 hitting.
» Julia Hanson had 18 kills to lead Minnesota. She's had 10-or-more kills in 19 consecutive matches dating back to last season.
» Zeynep Palabiyik suffered a lower body injury in the third set and missed the rest of the match. She's day-to-day.
» Calissa Minatee had a team-high five blocks to go with seven kills.
» The Gophers posted a season-best 9.0 blocks.
» Jordan Taylor had a career-best four kills with two blocks.
» Kate Thibault had 11 digs, her second match of the weekend with 10+.
» Minnesota started four freshmen and played five today. Garr, Gilk, Swenson and Taylor all started.
Golden Gopher Invitational All-Tournament Team
OH: Noelle VanOort (BSU)
OH: Julia Hanson (MN)
S: Stella Swenson (MN)
L: Zeynep Palabiyik (MN)
MB: Chloe Leluge (CP)
MB: Calissa Minatee (MN)
OPP: Tezra Rudzitis (UST)
Up Next
Minnesota travels to Nashville, Tenn., to take on Vanderbilt on Friday, Sept. 5.
Highlights: Gophers 3, Vanderbilt 0
Friday, September 05
Highlights: Gophers 3, St. Thomas 1
Sunday, August 31
Highlights: Gophers 3, Ball State 0
Saturday, August 30
Highlights: Gophers 3, Cal Poly 1
Friday, August 29