Gophers volleyball looks to keep momentum going after upsetting No. 1 Texas

Gophers volleyball coach Keegan Cook had never been doused by water bottles, but he was prepared to change after being sprayed in the locker room following Monday’s upset against No. 1 Texas in Milwaukee.

“I had extra clothes packed,” Cook said Thursday, with a smile. “Just seeing their faces and sharing that moment with them was a good time.”

A drenched Cook celebrating the Gophers’ five-set victory against the two-time defending NCAA champion Longhorns will be an everlasting memory for the team.

Wisconsin native Mckenna Wucherer especially felt like she was dreaming after scoring the final point of the match in front of a hundred friends and family members in attendance from nearby Brookfield.

The Fiserv Forum crowd chanted, “Mckenna, Mckenna, Mckenna” as she embraced her teammates.

“It was super cool,” Wucherer said. “I was kind of just looking around, really admiring where I was and who I was with. It was an incredible experience I’ll remember forever.”

Moving on from that emotional night won’t be easy.

Building on their signature win is the next challenge for the No. 18 Gophers (1-1), who continue a tough road stretch Friday vs. No. 23 Baylor and Saturday vs. TCU in the Big Ten/Big 12 Challenge in Waco, Texas.

Cook’s players still feel like underdogs. It doesn’t matter that they took No. 5 Stanford to five sets in last Sunday’s opening loss in Milwaukee. Sure, the Gophers gained national respect by beating the No. 1 team in the country for the first time since 2019, but they don’t feel like they’ve arrived yet.

“It’s not really a statement to each other,” Cook said. “But something happens when you win. Belief becomes real. You can feel it. I think they felt it during Stanford. It was no longer trying to convince them of what they could do. They knew what they could do – and they showed it.”

Wucherer and fellow junior Julia Hanson, who had a team-high 19 kills vs. Texas, have started the season looking as formidable as any outside hitter tandem in the Big Ten. Minnesota’s defense has also made strides with 14 blocks in consecutive matches.

Fifth-year senior setter Melani Shaffmaster, who had 40 assists and 17 digs Monday, said beating Texas was tied for the best victory she’s experienced in recent program history.

In 2022, the Gophers swept No. 6 Wisconsin at Maturi Pavilion in the Big Ten home opener to snap a six-match losing streak in the Border Battle.

“The Wisconsin win here a couple years ago was pretty big,” Shaffmaster said. “[Monday’s win] is probably tied with the Wisconsin win. Texas isn’t like our border rival, but I hadn’t beaten them since I’ve been here.”

Upsetting the Badgers happened in Hugh McCutcheon’s last season as Minnesota’s coach. The Gophers had two marquee wins early in Cook’s first season last year, beating then-No. 15 Baylor and No. 6 Oregon, but they entered Big Ten play with a 4-4 record. They had to fight and claw just to finish last year 17-13, so being consistent in nonconference play this season is vital for the Gophers.

Undefeated Baylor will be playing on its home court Friday for the fourth time this season. The Golden Bears surely are looking to avenge losing to the Gophers last year in a three-set sweep in Minneapolis.

TCU is unranked but won a set against No. 2 Nebraska in a recent loss this year. The Horned Frogs feature All-Big 12 and All-America outside hitter Melanie Parra.

“It’s going to be about focusing on the scouting report,” Shaffmaster said. “Worrying about what we can do offensively and defensively against the [opponents] we’re playing. We can keep in our minds what happened [vs. Texas]. It was fun and exciting, but we have to let it go at the same time to keep performing like that every night.”