Gophers volleyball continues to face top-ranked opponents week after week, and with the end of the season in sight, this last stretch could decide the Big Ten regular season champion.

The No. 11 Gophers volleyball team currently sits third in the Big Ten with a 9-3 conference record. They also are coming off three consecutive wins to bring them to 14-6 overall, including wins over then-No. 6 Ohio State and No. 6 Nebraska.

“I think it’s all about trying to do the things you can do well, and try to stop them from doing the things they want to do. It’s a little bit of cat and mouse, but our defensive stuff is going to matter. We’re going to have to dig some balls and try and create some opportunities for points,” Gophers head coach Hugh McCutcheon said.

Minnesota has gotten a lot of help on offense from redshirt seniors Stephanie Samedy and Airi Miyabe, as well as sophomore Jenna Wenaas.

The three are leading the team in kills with Samedy dominating with 343. Wenaas is second on the team in kills per set with 3.20 while Miyabe just grabbed her eighth straight double-digit kill match against Nebraska.

The Gophers will still have to face four top-25 teams in Ohio State, Purdue, Wisconsin and Penn State, as well as Illinois, the first team ranked outside of the top 25.

Out of those five teams the Gophers have faced three of them previously. The Gophers most recently took down Ohio State in four sets. However, they were on the wrong side of a sweep against Wisconsin and Penn State last time out.

“Every one [match] matters,” McCuthceon said. “We’re absolutely aware of the importance of the home stretch here.”