The NCAA volleyball tournament is underway and the No. 2-seeded Minnesota Gophers start on the road to the Final Four Friday night when they host Southeastern Louisiana at 7 p.m.
Under head coach Hugh McCutchen, who is retiring after the season, the Gophers have are a combined 17-0 in the first and second rounds of the NCAA tournament.
If the Gophers beat Southeastern Louisiana, they advance to play the winner of No. 7 Florida State and Northern Iowa at 7 p.m. Saturday. If they get through that match, they’ll move onto the third round where No. 3 Ohio State or No. 6 USC will likely be waiting.
Minnesota has not faced Florida State or USC, but they split their two meetings with Ohio State during the regular season, most recently winning 3-1 on Nov. 25.
Win three matches and Minnesota would reach the NCAA quarterfinals, where there is a very good chance the No. 1 Texas Longhorns would be waiting. Texas beat Minnesota in four exciting sets in Austin, Texas back on Aug. 31.
Texas has been dominant. They’re 23-1 and have dropped just 11 sets all season, one to the Gophers more than three months ago.
That right there is the road to the Final Four. If the top seeds take care of business, Minnesota will have to go through Southeastern Louisiana, Florida State, Ohio State or USC and then most likely Texas.
Minnesota has been to the Final Four six times: 2003, 2004, 2009, 2015, 2016, 2019.
