Gophers volleyball gets championship lesson in four-set loss to Texas

Kylie Murr saw the trajectory of the ball and started sprinting.

Texas attacker Madisen Skinner went up for a kill in the third set that the Gophers managed to get a finger on, which sent the ball skittering sideways along the net. Melani Shaffmaster stumbled trying to reverse course, so Murr lunged after the deflection from the back row.

The ball landed, just out of Murr's reach.

It was that kind of match at a sold-out Maturi Pavilion as No. 7 Texas defeated No. 5 Minnesota 25-14, 23-25, 25-17, 25-23 on Tuesday night.

The Gophers haven't shied away from their championship aspirations this season. They got a good glimpse at what it will take.

Texas, who won the NCAA title last season, was crisp, assured and powerful — Minnesota was relentless and clawing but, time and again, the Gophers came up short. Receiving errors stacked up as the offense went flying around out of system, leading to 23 attack errors and a .156 hitting percentage. At awful times, serves hit the net.

The Gophers' fight couldn't overcome their faults.

"We have December intangibles, is what I told them, but we've got some August fundamentals," coach Keegan Cook said. "There are some things that they need to get passionate about, but I don't question their fight."

It made for a chaotic, thrilling match that ultimately left the crowd of 5,253 quietly shuffling out.

They had plenty of opportunities to get loud, especially in the second set when the Gophers refused to fold after being dismantled in the first.

Trailing 23-21, Murr took to the service line. The Gophers rattled off two points and Texas coach Jerritt Elliott called timeout to try to settle the Longhorns. Murr took the line again and delivered the first ace of the night for Minnesota. After a moment of delirium, Murr lined up again, and the Gophers took the set.

For the rest of the night, the battles went to Texas.

The Longhorns' loss to Long Beach State last weekend was shocking after they opened the season ranked No. 1 in the country. But they had been missing senior Asjia O'Neal, the first-team All-America middle blocker. She was back in the lineup Tuesday night, doing no favors to the Gophers with seven kills and eight blocks.

Skinner was as advertised on the outside, the preseason Big 12 player of the year finishing with 16 kills, 11 digs and three aces. Ella Swindle had 42 assists on 106 attempts, and Jenna Wenaas, returning to the Pavilion after transferring from Minnesota to Texas in the offseason, had 13 kills and three blocks.

It made for a complete performance in a hostile place.

"I thought they had a lot of poise, a lot of touches that were patient that created pressure," Cook said.

The pressure put Minnesota in tough positions all night. Mckenna Wucherer was indefatigable as she led the Gophers with 14 kills, but it took a career-high 55 attacks. Taylor Landfair had 11 kills and 10 digs, but she was targeted 50 times by the Longhorns on the serve and committed seven receiving errors.

"I saw how much better we can be and how much better we need to be," Cook said. "There were some things — serving, passing, floor defense — that we were learning at times in that match but we have not grasped onto yet."

Their next three matches are away from home vs. No. 8 Florida, No. 6 Oregon and No. 2 Stanford. At the very least, the championship lessons will continue.