Gophers volleyball team narrows focus preparing for No. 6 Nebraska after sweep by Penn State

After the Gophers volleyball team was swept at home by No. 14 Penn State eight days ago, sophomore setter Melani Shaffmaster said she and her teammates had a conversation.

"We talked about how important it was that we focus on ourselves," said Shaffmaster. "It's about us and to not worry about who we're playing."

Two nights after losing to the Nittany Lions, the Gophers lost the first set to No. 6 Ohio State before regrouping for a 3-1 victory.

The Gophers, ranked No. 11, will face another ranked opponent when they play host to No. 6 Nebraska on at 7 p.m. Saturday. The Gophers (13-6, 8-3 Big Ten) are coming off a 3-0 victory at Indiana on Wednesday, while the Cornhuskers (16-4, 10-1) suffered their first conference loss on Wednesday at Wisconsin.

"Both teams will be playing to win," Gophers coach Hugh McCutcheon said. "We just need to go out and play hard and compete with composure."

McCutcheon said the Cornhuskers "are good. They have a lot of good arms and they play good volleyball. They'll come out and compete."

The Gophers rank No. 1 in the Big Ten in digs, while the Cornhuskers are No. 2.

The Cornhuskers are led by junior outside hitter Madi Kubik, who has 225 kills and freshman Lindsay Krause, who has 170.

Krause, a 6-4 outside hitter is part of the Cornhuskers' six-member freshmen class — a group including Kennedi Orr of Eagan — which was ranked No. 1 in the country by Volleyball Magazine.

"We just need to focus on our side of the net," said Shaffmaster. "And follow our scouting report."

After Saturday's match — the Gophers' fourth in nine days — Minnesota will have four days off before a Nov. 4 rematch at Ohio State.

The Gophers and Nebraska split two matches in Lincoln, Neb., during the 2020-21 spring season with Minnesota winning the first match, 3-1, and the Cornhuskers sweeping the second.