The Gophers are tuning up for a big test to start the season with four straight matches away from home.
It starts with the Volleyball Showcase in Milwaukee, where they’ll play Stanford on Sept. 1 and Texas on Sept. 2. Those two opponents have combined to win four of the last six NCAA titles, including the last two for the Longhorns.
“That’s always been a benchmark for our program to compete for a national championship,” Cook said.
Minnesota volleyball’s expectations haven’t changed since former coach Hugh McCutcheon resigned for an administrative role in the department two years ago. But last year, the Gophers were in danger of missing their first NCAA tournament in a decade with a 6-8 start. They regrouped to win 10 of their last 14 Big Ten matches.
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“We’re here to win,” Grote said. “We’re looking for a national championship. At my other school, we were there to play volleyball and compete in the Pac-12, but this is just a different level.”
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