The Gopher volleyball team is going back to the Final 4 as they defeated the UCLA Bruins in straight sets on Saturday at the NCAA Tournament.
UCLA got off to a great start and the Gophers didn’t pull ahead until late in the first set but completed the comeback with a 25-23 win.
Minnesota won the second set 25-20 and held off the Bruins for a 25-22 win completing the sweep.
Big Ten Conference Player of the Year Sarah Wilhite led the way with 15 kills.
Nebraska, Texas and Stanford will join the Gophers at the Final 4 in Columbus, Ohio with the Gophers squaring off with against Stanford next Thursday, Dec. 15.
They will be hoping to go one better than last year, when they fell short in the semi-finals, beaten 3-1 by No. 3 Texas.
This group is going to the Final Four!! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/YZROgG9joJ
— Minnesota Volleyball (@GopherVBall) December 11, 2016
Incredible unbeaten home record
It means the Gophers are undefeated at the Sports Pavilion for the second season in a row, with an incredible 36-0 run stretching back to Oct. 25, 2014. In 2014, Minnesota finished with just four home wins.
They advanced to the final four thanks in part to tournament MVP Sarah Wilhite, who led the Gophers with 15 kills and eight digs, while Alexis Hart had 11 kills and Hannah and Paige Tapp both had seven kills and 11 blocks between them.
You can read a recap of the game here.
