University of Minnesota Athletics
Friday, August 28
Sioux Falls, SD
8:00 PM
University of Minnesota
vs
Arizona State
Players Mentioned
Outside
/ Volleyball
Opposite
/ Volleyball
Outside
/ Volleyball
Middle Blocker
/ Volleyball
Libero/DS
/ Volleyball
Middle Blocker
/ Volleyball
Libero/DS
/ Volleyball
Setter
/ Volleyball
Libero/DS
/ Volleyball
Gophers Open Season vs. No. 12 Arizona State
8/25/2026 7:52:00 AM | Volleyball
Broadcast Information
TV: FOX/FOX 9+ (locally) (Aug. 28)
FS1 (Aug. 29)
Talent: Connor Onion (Play-By-Play), Anna Connelly (Analyst),
Michelle McMahon (Sideline - Friday)
Live Stats: GopherSports.com
Series Information
Minnesota trails Arizona State, 2-1, and leads Creighton, 6-2
First Meeting: 1973 (ASU), 1980 (Creighton)
Last Meeting: 2000 (ASU), 2023 (Creighton)
For the second-straight year, the No. 14 Minnesota Golden Gophers open the season at the AVCA First Serve at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. The Gophers will take on No. 12 Arizona State on Friday, Aug. 28 at approximately 8 p.m. CT. No. 13 Creighton and No. 9 Purdue play before Minnesota at 6 p.m. Both Friday matches will be televised on FOX. On Saturday, the Gophers take on Creighton at approximately 4 p.m., following the 2 p.m. Arizona State/USC tilt. Both Saturday matches will air on FS1.
Numbers to Know
260 -- Keegan Cook won his 260th career match on Dec. 6 vs. Iowa State. Now in his 12th year as a head coach, Cook enters his fourth season at the helm of Gopher Volleyball with a 62-34 Minnesota record. He was named the AVCA Region Coach of the Year in 2025.
55 -- The 2026 season marks the 55th year of Gopher volleyball.
30 -- The 2025 NCAA Tournament was the 30th all-time postseason appearance for Minnesota. That is the 11th most of any program in the country as the Gophers advanced to the Sweet 16 in 2025.
24 -- The Gophers went 24-10 in the 2025 season, including 14-4 at Maturi Pavilion.
22 -- Minnesota ranked 22nd nationally in blocks per set last season. The Gophers averaged 2.65 bps, third in the Big Ten.
16 -- Sweeps in 34 matches last year for the Golden Gophers. Minnesota also won seven matches in four sets (1-2 in five).
14 -- Minnesota Golden Gophers enter the season as No. 14 in the AVCA Preseason poll. The Gophers will open the 2026 season at the Sanford Pentagon, where they'll take on the No. 12 Arizona State Sun Devils and No. 13 Creighton Bluejays.
12 -- Returners to the Gopher squad from last season, including starting setter Stella Swenson and Kate Thibault, who played in all 119 sets in the 2025 season.
6 -- Minnesota ranked 6th in average attendance at 4,488 per match (avg.) in 2025. They ranked 4th overall (80,779 total fans).
4 -- The Gophers welcome four newcomers to this year's roster: freshmen OH Makenna Crosson, DS Madi Kraft and MB Elena Hoecke all joined the Gophers in January 2026. Lucie Blažková joins the Gophers after two seasons at Washington State.
2 -- This is the first of two trips for Gopher Volleyball at the Sanford Pentagon this year. Minnesota plays Arizona State and Creighton this weekend and follows with its second trip to Sioux Falls, S.D. Sept. 18-19 to play South Dakota and South Dakota State.
1 -- Minnesota had one player land a spot on the Preseason All-Big Ten team in Carly Gilk. She played in 29 matches as a freshman and averaged 2.31 kills, 1.68 digs, 0.59 blocks and 0.26 aces.
Gophers in Season Openers
• The Gophers are 42-12 all-time in season-opening games. The then No. 11 Minnesota volleyball team fell 3-1 to eventual NCAA champions Texas A&M. It marked the last time the Gophers played at the Sanford Pentagon, also part of the AVCA First Serve. The Aggies took home the victory 23-25, 25-21, 21-25, 21-25. Julia Hanson led Minnesota with 16 kills on .256 while Stella Swenson went for 39 assists, five blocks and four digs. Calissa Minatee had 10 kills and one block while Zeynep Palabiyik had 15 digs.
Gophers in the Rankings
• The 'U' entered the 2026 season with a No. 14 ranking in the Preseason AVCA poll (finished 15th in 2024). The Gophers have now been ranked in the preseason poll in 11 straight seasons and 25 of the last 27. The last time Minnesota was unranked in a preseason poll was before the 2015 season, in which they went on to make the Final Four.
Gilk Preseason All-Big Ten
• Gophers sophomore Carly Gilk was named to the Preseason All-Big Ten Team, one of 19 student-athletes receiving recognition. She played in 29 matches as a freshman, averaging 2.31 kills, 1.68 digs, 0.59 blocks and 0.26 aces per set while hitting .290. She made the Big Ten All-Freshman Team and was an AVCA All-Northwest Region selection.
About the State Farm Showcase
• Launched in 2024, the State Farm Women's Volleyball Showcase shines a national spotlight on the start of the college volleyball season through elite competition, premium television exposure and standout non-conference matchups. The five-match showcase will feature nationally televised contests across opening weekend
Scouting Arizona State.
• Arizona State was voted as the preseason No. 1 team by the coaches in the conference. Additionally, senior Noemie Glover was named the Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year, while three were on the preseason team. The Sun Devils are also No. 12 in the AVCA preseason poll and already pulled off an upset over No. 2 Texas this past weekend. The Sun Devils won back-to-back Big 12 titles and sit atop the preseason Conference poll for the first time in their three seasons as a Big 12 member. The Sun Devils were 28-4 last season and 17-1 in Big 12 play. They advanced to the Sweet 16 after defeating Coppin State and Utah State, but fell to Creighton to end the 2025 campaign.
• Arizona State is led by Glover, the reigning Big 12 Volleyball Player of the Year. Glover led the Sun Devils in total points, total kills, points per set, and kills per set in 2025. Her 4.23 kills per set (No. 8), 4.81 points per set (No. 8), and 423 kills (No. 10) all ranked inside the top 10 of all Big 12 players.
• Also landing spots on the Big 12 Volleyball Preseason Team were outsides Aniya Clinton and Una Vajagic. Clinton played at Kansas State for four years before becoming a Sun Devil and had 351 kills, good enough for second on the team. She was named a Second Team All-Big 12 selection last season. Vajagic is coming to ASU after spending two years at Wisconsin and is a member of the Serbian National Team. She started in all matches for the Badgers in 2025 and ranked second on the team in kills (307) and digs (275).
Scouting Creighton
• Creighton enters the season ranked 13th in the AVCA Division I Coaches Top 25 Preseason Poll. The Bluejays return three starters and nine letterwinners from a team that finished last year 28-6, won an unprecedented 12th straight regular-season BIG EAST title and finished the season ranked 10th in the country.
• The Bluejays graduated four seniors, including All-Americans Ava Martin, Kiara Reinhardt and Annalea Maeder, but have reloaded with seven newcomers while also getting back Ava TeStrake from injury. Jaya Johnson was an All-Big East selection when she averaged 2.40 kills, 1.06 digs and 0.81 blocks. After transferring from Ohio State in 2024, Eloise Brandewie joined the Bluejays and had 1.40 kills and 1.02 blocks in 100 sets last season. Abbey Hayes was named a Big East All-Freshman Team after she averaged 1.88 kills and 1.23 digs per set in 34 matches. Sydney Breissinger led Creighton with 366 digs last season. Like Minnesota's Gilk, Ayden Ames also won a gold medal with USA Volleyball's U21 Team at the Pan American Games. She joins the Creighton team after playing at Texas in 2025. Katie Dalton joins the Bluejays after being a Second Team All-Big 12 setter for Kansas.
Minnesota's History vs. ASU & Creighton
• Minnesota is 1-2 all-time vs. Arizona State. The teams played three times between 1983 and 2000 and have not played one another since.
• Minnesota is 6-2 all-time against Creighton. The Bluejays beat Minnesota in year one under coach Cook at the Pav in 2023. They then ended the Gophers' season at home in the 2023 NCAA Tournament Round of 32.
TV: FOX/FOX 9+ (locally) (Aug. 28)
FS1 (Aug. 29)
Talent: Connor Onion (Play-By-Play), Anna Connelly (Analyst),
Michelle McMahon (Sideline - Friday)
Live Stats: GopherSports.com
Series Information
Minnesota trails Arizona State, 2-1, and leads Creighton, 6-2
First Meeting: 1973 (ASU), 1980 (Creighton)
Last Meeting: 2000 (ASU), 2023 (Creighton)
For the second-straight year, the No. 14 Minnesota Golden Gophers open the season at the AVCA First Serve at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. The Gophers will take on No. 12 Arizona State on Friday, Aug. 28 at approximately 8 p.m. CT. No. 13 Creighton and No. 9 Purdue play before Minnesota at 6 p.m. Both Friday matches will be televised on FOX. On Saturday, the Gophers take on Creighton at approximately 4 p.m., following the 2 p.m. Arizona State/USC tilt. Both Saturday matches will air on FS1.
Numbers to Know
260 -- Keegan Cook won his 260th career match on Dec. 6 vs. Iowa State. Now in his 12th year as a head coach, Cook enters his fourth season at the helm of Gopher Volleyball with a 62-34 Minnesota record. He was named the AVCA Region Coach of the Year in 2025.
55 -- The 2026 season marks the 55th year of Gopher volleyball.
30 -- The 2025 NCAA Tournament was the 30th all-time postseason appearance for Minnesota. That is the 11th most of any program in the country as the Gophers advanced to the Sweet 16 in 2025.
24 -- The Gophers went 24-10 in the 2025 season, including 14-4 at Maturi Pavilion.
22 -- Minnesota ranked 22nd nationally in blocks per set last season. The Gophers averaged 2.65 bps, third in the Big Ten.
16 -- Sweeps in 34 matches last year for the Golden Gophers. Minnesota also won seven matches in four sets (1-2 in five).
14 -- Minnesota Golden Gophers enter the season as No. 14 in the AVCA Preseason poll. The Gophers will open the 2026 season at the Sanford Pentagon, where they'll take on the No. 12 Arizona State Sun Devils and No. 13 Creighton Bluejays.
12 -- Returners to the Gopher squad from last season, including starting setter Stella Swenson and Kate Thibault, who played in all 119 sets in the 2025 season.
6 -- Minnesota ranked 6th in average attendance at 4,488 per match (avg.) in 2025. They ranked 4th overall (80,779 total fans).
4 -- The Gophers welcome four newcomers to this year's roster: freshmen OH Makenna Crosson, DS Madi Kraft and MB Elena Hoecke all joined the Gophers in January 2026. Lucie Blažková joins the Gophers after two seasons at Washington State.
2 -- This is the first of two trips for Gopher Volleyball at the Sanford Pentagon this year. Minnesota plays Arizona State and Creighton this weekend and follows with its second trip to Sioux Falls, S.D. Sept. 18-19 to play South Dakota and South Dakota State.
1 -- Minnesota had one player land a spot on the Preseason All-Big Ten team in Carly Gilk. She played in 29 matches as a freshman and averaged 2.31 kills, 1.68 digs, 0.59 blocks and 0.26 aces.
Gophers in Season Openers
• The Gophers are 42-12 all-time in season-opening games. The then No. 11 Minnesota volleyball team fell 3-1 to eventual NCAA champions Texas A&M. It marked the last time the Gophers played at the Sanford Pentagon, also part of the AVCA First Serve. The Aggies took home the victory 23-25, 25-21, 21-25, 21-25. Julia Hanson led Minnesota with 16 kills on .256 while Stella Swenson went for 39 assists, five blocks and four digs. Calissa Minatee had 10 kills and one block while Zeynep Palabiyik had 15 digs.
Gophers in the Rankings
• The 'U' entered the 2026 season with a No. 14 ranking in the Preseason AVCA poll (finished 15th in 2024). The Gophers have now been ranked in the preseason poll in 11 straight seasons and 25 of the last 27. The last time Minnesota was unranked in a preseason poll was before the 2015 season, in which they went on to make the Final Four.
Gilk Preseason All-Big Ten
• Gophers sophomore Carly Gilk was named to the Preseason All-Big Ten Team, one of 19 student-athletes receiving recognition. She played in 29 matches as a freshman, averaging 2.31 kills, 1.68 digs, 0.59 blocks and 0.26 aces per set while hitting .290. She made the Big Ten All-Freshman Team and was an AVCA All-Northwest Region selection.
About the State Farm Showcase
• Launched in 2024, the State Farm Women's Volleyball Showcase shines a national spotlight on the start of the college volleyball season through elite competition, premium television exposure and standout non-conference matchups. The five-match showcase will feature nationally televised contests across opening weekend
Scouting Arizona State.
• Arizona State was voted as the preseason No. 1 team by the coaches in the conference. Additionally, senior Noemie Glover was named the Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year, while three were on the preseason team. The Sun Devils are also No. 12 in the AVCA preseason poll and already pulled off an upset over No. 2 Texas this past weekend. The Sun Devils won back-to-back Big 12 titles and sit atop the preseason Conference poll for the first time in their three seasons as a Big 12 member. The Sun Devils were 28-4 last season and 17-1 in Big 12 play. They advanced to the Sweet 16 after defeating Coppin State and Utah State, but fell to Creighton to end the 2025 campaign.
• Arizona State is led by Glover, the reigning Big 12 Volleyball Player of the Year. Glover led the Sun Devils in total points, total kills, points per set, and kills per set in 2025. Her 4.23 kills per set (No. 8), 4.81 points per set (No. 8), and 423 kills (No. 10) all ranked inside the top 10 of all Big 12 players.
• Also landing spots on the Big 12 Volleyball Preseason Team were outsides Aniya Clinton and Una Vajagic. Clinton played at Kansas State for four years before becoming a Sun Devil and had 351 kills, good enough for second on the team. She was named a Second Team All-Big 12 selection last season. Vajagic is coming to ASU after spending two years at Wisconsin and is a member of the Serbian National Team. She started in all matches for the Badgers in 2025 and ranked second on the team in kills (307) and digs (275).
Scouting Creighton
• Creighton enters the season ranked 13th in the AVCA Division I Coaches Top 25 Preseason Poll. The Bluejays return three starters and nine letterwinners from a team that finished last year 28-6, won an unprecedented 12th straight regular-season BIG EAST title and finished the season ranked 10th in the country.
• The Bluejays graduated four seniors, including All-Americans Ava Martin, Kiara Reinhardt and Annalea Maeder, but have reloaded with seven newcomers while also getting back Ava TeStrake from injury. Jaya Johnson was an All-Big East selection when she averaged 2.40 kills, 1.06 digs and 0.81 blocks. After transferring from Ohio State in 2024, Eloise Brandewie joined the Bluejays and had 1.40 kills and 1.02 blocks in 100 sets last season. Abbey Hayes was named a Big East All-Freshman Team after she averaged 1.88 kills and 1.23 digs per set in 34 matches. Sydney Breissinger led Creighton with 366 digs last season. Like Minnesota's Gilk, Ayden Ames also won a gold medal with USA Volleyball's U21 Team at the Pan American Games. She joins the Creighton team after playing at Texas in 2025. Katie Dalton joins the Bluejays after being a Second Team All-Big 12 setter for Kansas.
Minnesota's History vs. ASU & Creighton
• Minnesota is 1-2 all-time vs. Arizona State. The teams played three times between 1983 and 2000 and have not played one another since.
• Minnesota is 6-2 all-time against Creighton. The Bluejays beat Minnesota in year one under coach Cook at the Pav in 2023. They then ended the Gophers' season at home in the 2023 NCAA Tournament Round of 32.
Tuesday, August 25
Monday, August 24
Wednesday, August 05
Tuesday, August 04