Gophers volleyball officially releases loaded 2024 schedule

Minnesota will be challenged during the regular season.

The Gophers volleyball team officially released its 2024 regular-season schedule on Thursday. The Gophers will have 10 nonconference games before a 20-game Big Ten slate.

Heading into Year 2 under coach Keegan Cook, the Gophers will play 10 teams that finished last season ranked in the top 25, six teams that ranked in the top 10 and 12 teams that played in last year's NCAA Tournament. The U will look to continue to build after finishing last season with a 17-13 record and an exit in the Round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament.

Nonconference:

The Gophers will play only three true home games in the nonconference portion of their schedule. They will have two true road games and then five other games on a neutral court.

The nonconference schedule is tournament heavy, including the Intersport Volleyball Showcase, the Big Ten/Big 12 Challenge, the Diet Coke Classic and a multi-team event in Green Bay, Wis.

The slate features several top programs, including defending national champion Texas.

• Aug. 24: vs. Iowa State (exhibition at Maturi Pavilion)
• Sept. 1: vs. Stanford (Intersport Volleyball Showcase in Milwaukee)
• Sept. 2: vs. Texas (Intersport Volleyball Showcase in Milwaukee)
• Sept. 6: vs. Baylor (Big Ten/Big 12 Challenge in Waco, Texas)
• Sept. 7: vs. TCU (Big Ten/Big 12 Challenge in Waco, Texas)
• Sept. 10: vs. St. Thomas
• Sept. 12: TBD (Diet Coke Classic at Maturi Pavilion)
• Sept. 13: vs. Auburn (Diet Coke Classic at Maturi Pavilion)
• Sept. 19: vs. Green Bay (multi-team event in Green Bay, Wis.)
• Sept. 20: vs. North Dakota (multi-team event in Green Bay, Wis.)
• Sept. 21: vs. Chicago State (multi-team event in Green Bay, Wis.)

Big Ten

The Big Ten slate will be brutal as always. It'll begin with the first two matchups against border rival Wisconsin and features a road matchup against Nebraska, last year's national title runner-up.

• Sept. 25: vs. Wisconsin
• Sept. 28: vs. Purdue
• Oct. 4: at UCLA
• Oct. 5: at Southern California
• Oct. 11: vs. Indiana
• Oct. 12: vs. Maryland
• Oct. 18: at Rutgers
• Oct. 20: at Penn State
• Oct. 23: vs. Northwestern
• Oct. 27: at Ohio State
• Nov. 1: at Michigan State
• Nov. 3: at Michigan
• Nov. 7: vs. Washington
• Nov. 9: vs. Oregon
• Nov. 14: at Nebraska
• Nov. 17: vs. Michigan
• Nov. 20: at Wisconsin
• Nov. 23: vs. Iowa
• Nov. 27: at Illinois
• Nov. 29: vs. Ohio State