In a busy weekend for Minnesota athletics, the Gophers certainly got off on the right foot. Both the Minnesota men’s basketball, volleyball and soccer teams picked up wins Friday, and all three still have some challenges to go. Starting at Williams Arena, the men’s basketball team had little trouble handling Concordia St. Paul picking up a 76-51 win to open up the season Sophomore guard Al Nolen led all scorers with 17 points on the night. Head coach Tubby Smith talked very highly of Nolen’s leadership and play making abilities after the game. Read more about it on the Daily Sports Blog. The Minnesota volleyball team had a tough battle last night in Madison but came away with a hard fought 3-2 win over the Badgers. Sophomore Lauren Gibbemeyer led the Gophers with 16 kills and nine blocks to help take down Wisconsin 18-25, 25-18, 25-27, 31-29, 19-17. Finally, the soccer team earned a first round NCAA tournament win over Marquette. The Gophers took a 2-0 lead before giving up a late goal to the Golden Eagles, bringing the game to a 2-1 final score. Read more about the game from a pair of blog posts in the Upon Further Review blog.