There might be a new coach calling the shots this season, but so far at tournament time things have turned out the same.
The Gophers continued their dominance in the opening round of the NCAA volleyball tournament Friday, improving their all-time record in the first round to 16-1 with a 3-0 sweep against North Dakota State.
The 25-17, 25-21, 26-24 victory over the Bison at the Sports Pavilion marked the third time in four years the Gophers eliminated their nearby foe in the tournament.
"Each year they've gotten a little bit closer," said Gophers interim coach Laura Bush, an assistant at Minnesota the past three seasons. "I'm sure they'd like to upend a Big Ten team like Minnesota, but it's nice for us to come out of this one with a win."
The 13th-seeded Gophers hardly had a cakewalk Friday night.
The Bison (26-8), who received an at-large bid to the tournament, showed they weren't ready to get back on a northbound bus just yet after falling behind 2-0 in the match.
In the third set, NDSU battled the Gophers to 19 tie scores, taking advantage of six errors.
"They were heating up every time they were taking swings," Bush said. "We knew they weren't going to fold, and they didn't. And our players responded well."
