University of Minnesota Athletics
Thursday, September 24
Urbana-Champaign, IL
7:00 PM
University of Minnesota
at
Illinois
Photo by: Claudia Staut
Gophers Open Big Ten Play at Illinois and Hosting No. 20 Oregon
9/23/2026 7:58:00 AM | Volleyball
BROADCAST INFORMATION
ILLINOIS
B1G+ I Live Stats
OREGON
B1G+ I Listen I Live Stats
OPENGATE AND NEW BAG POLICY AT MATURI PAVILION
New this year, gate entrance will hold a consistent security clearance in all our Gopher facilities. Please see HERE for prohibited items. New bag policy as well as additional match day information can be found HERE.
SERIES INFORMATION
Minnesota leads Illinois, 47-40-1 and tied with Oregon, 6-6
First Meeting: 1976 (Illinois), 1988 (Oregon)
Last Meeting: 2025 (H v Illinois), 2025 (at Oregon)
BIG TEN OPENERS
• Minnesota has won 13 of 14 Big Ten openers since 2012, and last three straight. The Gophers' only blemish came in 2022 when they fell to then No. 11 Purdue in three sets, 18-25, 23-25, 30-32. The Gophers last opened the Big Ten season against Illinois in 2012 when they defeated the Illini, 3-0, also in Champaign, Ill.
NUMBERS TO KNOW
50 -- Number of kills Mckenna Wucherer had last weekend in a two-match tournament against South Dakota and South Dakota State. She also had two double-doubles with 26 digs.
15 -- Minnesota Golden Gophers enter the week as No. 15 in the AVCA Sept. 7 Coaches' poll. The Gophers opened the 2026 season as the No. 14 team in the AVCA Preseason poll.
15 -- The Gophers rank 15th nationally in aces per set at 2.14. That also puts Minnesota second in the Big Ten. This season, Minnesota has 60 aces.
14 -- Minnesota is ranked 14th nationally in hitting percentage as a team at .299. That ranks sixth in the Big Ten heading into conference play.
6 -- Minnesota ranked 6th in average attendance at 4,488 per match (avg.) in 2025. They ranked 4th overall (80,779 total fans).
4 -- Stella Swenson ranks fourth in the Big Ten in assists per set at 10.96
5 -- The Gophers enter the week with a five-match win streak. Minnesota defeated Auburn, 3-1, on Sept. 2, then followed with 3-0 wins over Miami and St. Thomas during the Diet Coke Classic (Sept. 11 & 13). The Gophers earned a pair of four-set wins over South Dakota and South Dakota State last weekend.
2 -- Mckenna Wucherer has received two Big Ten Player of the Week awards in this young 2026 campaign.
WUCHERER RECEIVES B1G ACCOLADES
• Mckenna Wucherer has been named the Big Ten Player of the Week twice this season, her first honors of her collegiate career. Last weekend, Wucherer produced back-to-back career-high kill nights when she had 25 in both matches during the SD Lottery Challenge. On Friday, Wucherer broke her previous best of 21, which she had held three times in her career, two of which came this season. Along with her 25 kills, Wucherer also established a career-best 15 digs. On the night, she hit .417 (25-5-48). Wucherer had 29 of Minnesota's 78 points. She followed that performance with another 25-kill performance and hit .413. She also completed her second double-double in as many days when she had 11 digs. She provided 27 points in the win. On the weekend, the fifth-year had 50 kills, averaged 6.25 kills per set, hit .415, added four aces, 26 digs and four blocks. She scored 56 points over two days.
• Wucherer had an outstanding weekend as a part of the 2026 Allstate Big Ten/SEC Challenge. In those two matches vs. Florida and Auburn, Wucherer produced back-to-back 21-kill nights, which tied a then-career high. On the week, Wucherer had 42 kills, averaged 5.25 kills per set and hit .350. She also had six aces, 20 digs and five blocks. Against then-No. 17 Florida, Wucherer hit .388 in 49 swings and committed just two errors. In the win over Auburn, Wucherer added another 21-kill night and produced four aces, including two in the fourth and final set. Her 21 kills vs. Auburn was also a match high.
GOOD TO BE HOME
• Minnesota returns to Maturi Pavilion on Saturday, Sept. 26, when it hosts Oregon at 6 p.m., marking just the second time this season the Gophers have played at home. Minnesota was on the road for back-to-back events to start the season at the State Farm College Volleyball Showcase in Sioux Falls, S.D., Aug. 28-29 and at the Big Ten/SEC Challenge in Madison, Wis., Sept. 1-2. After hosting the Diet Coke Classic, the Gophers returned to the Pentagon in Sioux Falls before Big Ten play.
• Minnesota went 14-4 last year at Maturi Pavilion and drew an average of 4,488 fans. The Gophers have already claimed a sellout for the Oct. 4 match vs. Wisconsin. In Keegan Cook's tenure, the Gophers have posted 10 or more home wins in each of his seasons here since 2023 and a 34-12 mark at the Pav.
LAST TIME OUT
• Minnesota earned back-to-back four-set wins over South Dakota and South Dakota State last weekend as part of the SD Lottery Challenge. The Gophers won, 25-15,24-26,25-17,25-14. Wucherer established a career-high 25 kills in the four-set win over South Dakota and hit .615.
• The Gophers followed with another four-set win on Saturday, 25-22,25-14,20-25,25-17. Wucherer added another 25-kill performance.
MINNESOTA'S HISTORY VS. ILLINOIS/OREGON
• Minnesota is 47-40-1 all-time against Illinois, dating back to 1976. The Gophers hold an 11-match win streak over the Illini and 15 of the last 16. The last loss to Illinois was came on Nov. 18, 2017,, in a four-set decision at Huff Hall in Champaign, Ill. The Gophers earned a 3-0 win (26-24, 25-12, 25-22) the last time these two teams met on Oct. 29, 2025, at Maturi Pavlion. Julia Hanson had 23 kills and hit .583 in that match, while Jordan Taylor had seven.
• Minnesota is 6-6 all time against Oregon; however, the Ducks have won the past two and both as members of the Big Ten Conference. The Ducks won in four sets in the two teams' last meeting, 25-19, 23-25, 25-14, 25-18 on Oct. 17, 2025, in Eugene, Ore. Kelly Kinney had a team-best 11 kills, while Jordan Taylor posted eight blocks. The Gophers are looking for their first win over Oregon since 2023, when Minnesota won in five as part of the Big Ten/Pac 12 Challenge in Palo Alto, Calif. Mckenna Wucherer added a career-best 21 kills and completed the double-double with 10 digs.
SCOUTING ILLINOIS
• Illinois enters Big Ten play with an 8-3 record and a four-match win streak. The Illini fell to Cincinnati, Tennessee and Marquette this season, then won the next four over Marquette, Eastern Illinois, Arkansas and Arkansas State. Illinois was predicted to finish 10th in the Big Ten Preseason Coaches' poll.
• Illinois has three in triple-digit kills. Paityn Chapman leads the team with 143 kills, while Alyssa Aguayo has 113 and Taylor de Boer has 109. Kenna Phelan has 390 assists on the season to average 10.26 per set. Talita Goncalves has 155 digs to average 4.08 per set. Kristina Starostenko has played in 37 sets and averages 0.84 blocks per set.
• As a team, the Illini are averaging 13.71 kills per set and hitting .302. The Illini average 1.55 aces, 14.08 digs and 2.04 blocks per set.
SCOUTING OREGON
• Oregon moved up in the AVCA poll to No. 20 this week and enters Big Ten play with a 9-1 record. The Ducks' only blemish on the nonconference season was at Arizona State, where they fell in four sets. Since that loss on Sept. 11, the Ducks have a four-match win streak. Oregon was predicted to finish eighth in the Big Ten Preseason Coaches' poll.
• The Ducks landed two individuals on the Preseason All-Big Ten team in Valentina Vaulet Alanah Clemente. Vaulet leads the team with 127 kills this season and averages 3.63 kills per set. She also has a team-best 18 aces. Clemente ranks second on the team with 82 kills to average 2.93 kps. Dalia Vîrlan has 68 kills, is hitting .421 and has a team-best 36 blocks. Marina Crownover averages 9.80 assists, while Reese Sheppard has 111 digs for 3.17 digs per set.
• As a team, Oregon averages 14.29 kills per set and is hitting .275 on the year. Their 14.29 kps ranks second in the league and 14th nationally. They average 1.86 aces, 13.63 digs and 2.11 blocks per set.
UP NEXT
• Minnesota is home for the second and third straight matches when it hosts Northwestern on Oct. 1 at 7 p.m. and No. 6 Wisconsin on Sunday, Oct. 4 at 5 p.m. The match against the Wildcats will be streamed on B1G+, followed by a Big Ten Network match between the Gophers and Badgers on Oct. 4.
ILLINOIS
B1G+ I Live Stats
OREGON
B1G+ I Listen I Live Stats
OPENGATE AND NEW BAG POLICY AT MATURI PAVILION
New this year, gate entrance will hold a consistent security clearance in all our Gopher facilities. Please see HERE for prohibited items. New bag policy as well as additional match day information can be found HERE.
SERIES INFORMATION
Minnesota leads Illinois, 47-40-1 and tied with Oregon, 6-6
First Meeting: 1976 (Illinois), 1988 (Oregon)
Last Meeting: 2025 (H v Illinois), 2025 (at Oregon)
BIG TEN OPENERS
• Minnesota has won 13 of 14 Big Ten openers since 2012, and last three straight. The Gophers' only blemish came in 2022 when they fell to then No. 11 Purdue in three sets, 18-25, 23-25, 30-32. The Gophers last opened the Big Ten season against Illinois in 2012 when they defeated the Illini, 3-0, also in Champaign, Ill.
NUMBERS TO KNOW
50 -- Number of kills Mckenna Wucherer had last weekend in a two-match tournament against South Dakota and South Dakota State. She also had two double-doubles with 26 digs.
15 -- Minnesota Golden Gophers enter the week as No. 15 in the AVCA Sept. 7 Coaches' poll. The Gophers opened the 2026 season as the No. 14 team in the AVCA Preseason poll.
15 -- The Gophers rank 15th nationally in aces per set at 2.14. That also puts Minnesota second in the Big Ten. This season, Minnesota has 60 aces.
14 -- Minnesota is ranked 14th nationally in hitting percentage as a team at .299. That ranks sixth in the Big Ten heading into conference play.
6 -- Minnesota ranked 6th in average attendance at 4,488 per match (avg.) in 2025. They ranked 4th overall (80,779 total fans).
4 -- Stella Swenson ranks fourth in the Big Ten in assists per set at 10.96
5 -- The Gophers enter the week with a five-match win streak. Minnesota defeated Auburn, 3-1, on Sept. 2, then followed with 3-0 wins over Miami and St. Thomas during the Diet Coke Classic (Sept. 11 & 13). The Gophers earned a pair of four-set wins over South Dakota and South Dakota State last weekend.
2 -- Mckenna Wucherer has received two Big Ten Player of the Week awards in this young 2026 campaign.
WUCHERER RECEIVES B1G ACCOLADES
• Mckenna Wucherer has been named the Big Ten Player of the Week twice this season, her first honors of her collegiate career. Last weekend, Wucherer produced back-to-back career-high kill nights when she had 25 in both matches during the SD Lottery Challenge. On Friday, Wucherer broke her previous best of 21, which she had held three times in her career, two of which came this season. Along with her 25 kills, Wucherer also established a career-best 15 digs. On the night, she hit .417 (25-5-48). Wucherer had 29 of Minnesota's 78 points. She followed that performance with another 25-kill performance and hit .413. She also completed her second double-double in as many days when she had 11 digs. She provided 27 points in the win. On the weekend, the fifth-year had 50 kills, averaged 6.25 kills per set, hit .415, added four aces, 26 digs and four blocks. She scored 56 points over two days.
• Wucherer had an outstanding weekend as a part of the 2026 Allstate Big Ten/SEC Challenge. In those two matches vs. Florida and Auburn, Wucherer produced back-to-back 21-kill nights, which tied a then-career high. On the week, Wucherer had 42 kills, averaged 5.25 kills per set and hit .350. She also had six aces, 20 digs and five blocks. Against then-No. 17 Florida, Wucherer hit .388 in 49 swings and committed just two errors. In the win over Auburn, Wucherer added another 21-kill night and produced four aces, including two in the fourth and final set. Her 21 kills vs. Auburn was also a match high.
GOOD TO BE HOME
• Minnesota returns to Maturi Pavilion on Saturday, Sept. 26, when it hosts Oregon at 6 p.m., marking just the second time this season the Gophers have played at home. Minnesota was on the road for back-to-back events to start the season at the State Farm College Volleyball Showcase in Sioux Falls, S.D., Aug. 28-29 and at the Big Ten/SEC Challenge in Madison, Wis., Sept. 1-2. After hosting the Diet Coke Classic, the Gophers returned to the Pentagon in Sioux Falls before Big Ten play.
• Minnesota went 14-4 last year at Maturi Pavilion and drew an average of 4,488 fans. The Gophers have already claimed a sellout for the Oct. 4 match vs. Wisconsin. In Keegan Cook's tenure, the Gophers have posted 10 or more home wins in each of his seasons here since 2023 and a 34-12 mark at the Pav.
LAST TIME OUT
• Minnesota earned back-to-back four-set wins over South Dakota and South Dakota State last weekend as part of the SD Lottery Challenge. The Gophers won, 25-15,24-26,25-17,25-14. Wucherer established a career-high 25 kills in the four-set win over South Dakota and hit .615.
• The Gophers followed with another four-set win on Saturday, 25-22,25-14,20-25,25-17. Wucherer added another 25-kill performance.
MINNESOTA'S HISTORY VS. ILLINOIS/OREGON
• Minnesota is 47-40-1 all-time against Illinois, dating back to 1976. The Gophers hold an 11-match win streak over the Illini and 15 of the last 16. The last loss to Illinois was came on Nov. 18, 2017,, in a four-set decision at Huff Hall in Champaign, Ill. The Gophers earned a 3-0 win (26-24, 25-12, 25-22) the last time these two teams met on Oct. 29, 2025, at Maturi Pavlion. Julia Hanson had 23 kills and hit .583 in that match, while Jordan Taylor had seven.
• Minnesota is 6-6 all time against Oregon; however, the Ducks have won the past two and both as members of the Big Ten Conference. The Ducks won in four sets in the two teams' last meeting, 25-19, 23-25, 25-14, 25-18 on Oct. 17, 2025, in Eugene, Ore. Kelly Kinney had a team-best 11 kills, while Jordan Taylor posted eight blocks. The Gophers are looking for their first win over Oregon since 2023, when Minnesota won in five as part of the Big Ten/Pac 12 Challenge in Palo Alto, Calif. Mckenna Wucherer added a career-best 21 kills and completed the double-double with 10 digs.
SCOUTING ILLINOIS
• Illinois enters Big Ten play with an 8-3 record and a four-match win streak. The Illini fell to Cincinnati, Tennessee and Marquette this season, then won the next four over Marquette, Eastern Illinois, Arkansas and Arkansas State. Illinois was predicted to finish 10th in the Big Ten Preseason Coaches' poll.
• Illinois has three in triple-digit kills. Paityn Chapman leads the team with 143 kills, while Alyssa Aguayo has 113 and Taylor de Boer has 109. Kenna Phelan has 390 assists on the season to average 10.26 per set. Talita Goncalves has 155 digs to average 4.08 per set. Kristina Starostenko has played in 37 sets and averages 0.84 blocks per set.
• As a team, the Illini are averaging 13.71 kills per set and hitting .302. The Illini average 1.55 aces, 14.08 digs and 2.04 blocks per set.
SCOUTING OREGON
• Oregon moved up in the AVCA poll to No. 20 this week and enters Big Ten play with a 9-1 record. The Ducks' only blemish on the nonconference season was at Arizona State, where they fell in four sets. Since that loss on Sept. 11, the Ducks have a four-match win streak. Oregon was predicted to finish eighth in the Big Ten Preseason Coaches' poll.
• The Ducks landed two individuals on the Preseason All-Big Ten team in Valentina Vaulet Alanah Clemente. Vaulet leads the team with 127 kills this season and averages 3.63 kills per set. She also has a team-best 18 aces. Clemente ranks second on the team with 82 kills to average 2.93 kps. Dalia Vîrlan has 68 kills, is hitting .421 and has a team-best 36 blocks. Marina Crownover averages 9.80 assists, while Reese Sheppard has 111 digs for 3.17 digs per set.
• As a team, Oregon averages 14.29 kills per set and is hitting .275 on the year. Their 14.29 kps ranks second in the league and 14th nationally. They average 1.86 aces, 13.63 digs and 2.11 blocks per set.
UP NEXT
• Minnesota is home for the second and third straight matches when it hosts Northwestern on Oct. 1 at 7 p.m. and No. 6 Wisconsin on Sunday, Oct. 4 at 5 p.m. The match against the Wildcats will be streamed on B1G+, followed by a Big Ten Network match between the Gophers and Badgers on Oct. 4.
Players Mentioned
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Outside
/ VolleyballWednesday, September 16
Sunday, September 13
Friday, September 11
Friday, September 11