Gophers volleyball Head Coach Keegan Cook faced a familiar foe on Thursday when his team took on Washington.
Cook stood at the helm of Washington volleyball for eight seasons. Before taking on that job, he was an assistant coach for two seasons at Washington. Cook led the Huskies to eight straight NCAA tournament appearances, winning AVCA Region Coach of the Year three times.
Although the Gophers outhit the Huskies .248 to .123 and tallied 16 blocks, the team struggled to return Husky serves as they tallied 13 reception errors and service aces allowed. Meanwhile, the Huskies had six reception errors.
The Gophers’ errors led the Huskies to upset Minnesota 3-1 in Minneapolis.
Before the game, Cook said he was excited to play his former team but also acknowledged the mixed emotions.
“There’s the joyful side of it to see them doing well and players you recruited who developed,” Cook said. “There’s a competitive side of it, wanting to keep our momentum going and beat a good team.”
Minnesota did not have much time to reflect after their loss against Washington. Two days later, the Gophers had a sold-out top-15 matchup at Maturi Pavilion.
The Gophers were swept by No.12 Oregon on Saturday.
Cook said postgame Oregon’s offense was too much for the Gophers. He added Oregon’s serves and passes were at a high level.
“The margins are really thin between good and great,” Cook said.
The Gophers hit .127 and the Ducks hit .327, the highest-hitting percentage Minnesota allowed in the 2024 season.
Gophers outside hitter Julia Hanson led the team with 18 kills and setter Melani Shaffmaster added 31 assists and 11 digs.
Cook said both teams they faced had distinct play styles. Washington had a stellar serving defense and Oregon‘s offense was elite against them.
“If you haven’t experienced them it can be overwhelming at first,” Cook said. “It’s a different animal.”
In both matches, Cook said he saw his team begin to figure out their opponent’s style of play in the latter half. However, it was not enough to swing the game in their favor.
The Gophers were on a four-match win streak coming into the two matches, sweeping three out of their last four matches.
The last two games were against recent additions to the Big Ten from the West Coast. Cook talked about the new schools and how their addition to the Big Ten increased the level of play across the conference.
“It’s just high quality,” Cook said. “Teams with significant experience, championship experience.”
Gophers outside hitter/opposite Lydia Grote said it was good to see her team put together a winning streak late into the season.
“This is when we start to pull a lot of things together and you can see it in our program,” Grote said on Wednesday. “You could see the flow we had.”
The Gophers will take on No. 2 Nebraska in Lincoln, Nebraska on Thursday leaving only five games left in the regular season. The Gophers will play three of their last six games at home, finishing the season on Nov. 29 against the Ohio State Buckeyes.
