University of Minnesota Athletics
Sunday, September 13
Minneapolis, MN
1:00 PM
University of Minnesota
4-2,0-0Big Ten
3
vs
0
St. Thomas
2-5,0-0Summit League
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Thomas (MN) | 22 | 20 | 22 | 0 |
| Minnesota | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
Players Mentioned
Outside
/ Volleyball
Libero/DS
/ Volleyball
Setter
/ Volleyball
Outside
/ VolleyballTeam Stats
UST
MINN
Kills
29
42
Errors
18
13
Attempts
82
84
Hitting %
.134
.345
Points
41.0
57.0
Assists
28
41
Aces
9
7
Blocks
3
8
Game Leaders
Kills
18
Aces
2
Blocks
3
Kills
10
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
4
Aces
0
Blocks
5
Kills
3
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Photo by: Claudia Staut
Gophers Sweep St. Thomas To Close Out Diet Coke Classic
9/13/2026 3:50:00 PM | Volleyball
The No. 13 University of Minnesota earned a 3-0 sweep over St. Thomas, today at Maturi Pavilion to close out the Diet Coke Classic. With the win, Minnesota improves to 4-2, while St. Thomas drops to 2-5.
Mckenna Wucherer added another strong performance when she had 18 kills, committed just two errors and hit .615 on the day. Kelly Kinney also had 10 kills, while Lucie Blazkova added four and hit .429. She also led the team with five blocks. Stella Swenson added 34 assists, as Wucherer and Zeynep Palabiyik had eight digs.
As a team, Minnesota hit .345 to the Tommies' .134. The Gophers also had a 31-23 lead in digs and an 8-3 advantage in blocks.
Match Notes:
• Minnesota now leads the St. Thomas all-time series at 4-0. Minnesota and St. Thomas first played in 2021, also in the Diet Coke Classic, where the Gophers won 3-0. The Gophers also opened the home season in 2024 against the Tommies with a three-set win. In 2025, Minnesota hosted St. Thomas was part of the Golden Gopher Invitational and earned a 3-1 victory. The 2026 season marks the third-straight year the Gophers and St. Thomas has faced each other.
• In six matches this season, Wucherer is averaging 4.80 kills per set and has 17 aces this season. In the Diet Coke Classic, she averaged 4.33 kps, had eight aces and hit .479.
• Lucie Blazkova made her third start of her Gopher career, with the others coming against Arizona State and Auburn.
Up Next:
Minnesota is back in Sioux Falls, S.D., as the Gophers participate in the SD Lottery College Volleyball Classic, Sept. 18-19 at the Sanford Pentagon. The Gophers face South Dakota at 7 p.m. on Sept. 18, and South Dakota State on Sept. 19 at 2:30 p.m. Minnesota opens the Big Ten season on Sept. 24 at 7 p.m., against Illinois in Champaign, Ill.
Set Breakdown:
Set 1: The Gophers hit .478 and had three aces for a 25-22 set win. Minnesota took an early 6-3 lead off a kill from Kinney. An ace by Crosson gave the Gophers their 12th point of the season for a 12-8 lead, while a Wucherer ace put the Gophers at 14-9. Minnesota built a 17-10 lead, however the Tommies chipped away at the Gopher lead to 21-20 and again at 23-22. The Gophers however, closed out the set with a kill from Wucherer for set point and a kill from Kinney to give the Gophers a 1-0 lead.
Set 2: The Gophers had 13 kills in 28 swings and four blocks to take a 25-20 set win. Kinney added back-to-back kills to give the Gophers an 11-6 lead in the second. A block by Wucherer and Blazkova push the lead to 14-7, while another block from Wucherer and Hoecke put the Gophers up, 17-9. Blazkova put the Gophers up, 21-13. St. Thomas rattled off three straight, but stopped the run off Blazkova block. A Wucherer kill put it at 24-19, while a St. Thomas service error gave the Gophers a 2-0 lead.
Set 3: St. Thomas took its first lead of the match to open the third, 4-0, as Minnesota called a timeout. The Gophers took their second timeout as St. Thomas led, 10-5. Minnesota responded out of the break and cut the Tommie lead to one, 9-10, off a block from Gilk and Blazkova. Kinney added a kill to tie up the set at 10-10. After the teams tied at 13, the Gophers went on a 5-0 run to take an 18-13 lead. Despite St. Thomas breaking the run, the Gophers had an ace by Gilk for 21-18 lead. St. Thomas fought back and cut the Gopher lead to one twice in the set.
Mckenna Wucherer added another strong performance when she had 18 kills, committed just two errors and hit .615 on the day. Kelly Kinney also had 10 kills, while Lucie Blazkova added four and hit .429. She also led the team with five blocks. Stella Swenson added 34 assists, as Wucherer and Zeynep Palabiyik had eight digs.
As a team, Minnesota hit .345 to the Tommies' .134. The Gophers also had a 31-23 lead in digs and an 8-3 advantage in blocks.
Match Notes:
• Minnesota now leads the St. Thomas all-time series at 4-0. Minnesota and St. Thomas first played in 2021, also in the Diet Coke Classic, where the Gophers won 3-0. The Gophers also opened the home season in 2024 against the Tommies with a three-set win. In 2025, Minnesota hosted St. Thomas was part of the Golden Gopher Invitational and earned a 3-1 victory. The 2026 season marks the third-straight year the Gophers and St. Thomas has faced each other.
• In six matches this season, Wucherer is averaging 4.80 kills per set and has 17 aces this season. In the Diet Coke Classic, she averaged 4.33 kps, had eight aces and hit .479.
• Lucie Blazkova made her third start of her Gopher career, with the others coming against Arizona State and Auburn.
Up Next:
Minnesota is back in Sioux Falls, S.D., as the Gophers participate in the SD Lottery College Volleyball Classic, Sept. 18-19 at the Sanford Pentagon. The Gophers face South Dakota at 7 p.m. on Sept. 18, and South Dakota State on Sept. 19 at 2:30 p.m. Minnesota opens the Big Ten season on Sept. 24 at 7 p.m., against Illinois in Champaign, Ill.
Set Breakdown:
Set 1: The Gophers hit .478 and had three aces for a 25-22 set win. Minnesota took an early 6-3 lead off a kill from Kinney. An ace by Crosson gave the Gophers their 12th point of the season for a 12-8 lead, while a Wucherer ace put the Gophers at 14-9. Minnesota built a 17-10 lead, however the Tommies chipped away at the Gopher lead to 21-20 and again at 23-22. The Gophers however, closed out the set with a kill from Wucherer for set point and a kill from Kinney to give the Gophers a 1-0 lead.
Set 2: The Gophers had 13 kills in 28 swings and four blocks to take a 25-20 set win. Kinney added back-to-back kills to give the Gophers an 11-6 lead in the second. A block by Wucherer and Blazkova push the lead to 14-7, while another block from Wucherer and Hoecke put the Gophers up, 17-9. Blazkova put the Gophers up, 21-13. St. Thomas rattled off three straight, but stopped the run off Blazkova block. A Wucherer kill put it at 24-19, while a St. Thomas service error gave the Gophers a 2-0 lead.
Set 3: St. Thomas took its first lead of the match to open the third, 4-0, as Minnesota called a timeout. The Gophers took their second timeout as St. Thomas led, 10-5. Minnesota responded out of the break and cut the Tommie lead to one, 9-10, off a block from Gilk and Blazkova. Kinney added a kill to tie up the set at 10-10. After the teams tied at 13, the Gophers went on a 5-0 run to take an 18-13 lead. Despite St. Thomas breaking the run, the Gophers had an ace by Gilk for 21-18 lead. St. Thomas fought back and cut the Gopher lead to one twice in the set.
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