Gophers win a battle over Western Kentucky in first round of NCAA Tournament

All four sets were neck-and-neck as Minnesota picked up its first tourney win of the year.

The Gophers volleyball team celebrates scoring a point against Iowa on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, at Maturi Pavilion in Minneapolis. / Gopher Athletics

The sixth-seeded Gophers volleyball team will be dancing for at least another day following its four-set victory — 25-22, 25-20, 19-25, 25-23 — over Western Kentucky in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday in Lexington, Ky.

With the win, the Gophers will advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, where they'll face either third-seeded Kentucky or Cleveland State, whose game was later Thursday, on Friday at 6:30 p.m. back in Lexington.

The Gophers got the victory, but it wasn't without its battles. After winning the first two sets, it appeared they might get out with the sweep when Alex Acevedo's kill gave them a 19-18 lead in the third frame. It wasn't that easy for the U.

The Hilltoppers closed the third set on a 7-0 run to stave off the sweep and keep their hopes.

The Gophers fell behind 19-14 in the fourth set before scoring five unanswered to knot it up at 19-19. But the Hilltoppers jumped ahead again at 22-20 and also at 23-21. But the Gophers battled back, scoring the final four points. McKenna Wucherer started the run with a kill and then and ace. Julia Hanson got a kill after that, and Lydia Grote and Calissa Minatee combined for a block on Kaylee Cox's final attempt to officially advance Minnesota to the next round.

The first set was tied all the way to 21-21 before Callie Bauer's service error and Hanson and Minatee's block gave the Gophers a two-point edge. Izzy Van De Wiele's kill got the Hilltoppers back within one, but Minnesota closed it out off kills from Grote and Hanson to claim the set. After a back-and-forth start to the second, the U was able to take leads of 16-8 and 19-10 in the frame before eventually taking the 2-0 advantage when Grote's kill finished off the set.

Hanson led the Gophers with a team-high 13 kills and eight digs. Grote posted 13 kills.

Melanie Shaffmaster had a double-double with 29 assists and 15 digs, and she also added two blocks.