Gophers head on the road after good start at home

Starting off the year with a home record of 5-1 , the Gophers women’s volleyball team is ready to take their dominance on the road.
Next stop—Durham, N.C., where the team will take on Duke, Delaware, and North Carolina Central in the Duke Invitational .
This is the Gophers’ first road trip of the season, after winning both the Gopher Invite and the Diet Coke Classic at home .
Their only loss came last Saturday in a five game decision against No. 22 Northern Iowa , dropping the Gophers from No. 8 to No. 12 in this week’s AVCA Top 25 . None of the teams they will face in Durham are nationally ranked.
Head coach Mike Hebert said the team has been prepping for the Duke Invitational the same way they would for a home series and is very confident heading out on the road.
“We’ve always been a good road team and I think we keep things on an even field whether we’re here at the pavilion or on the road,” he said. “We’re not too concerned about that.”
Of the three teams they’ll face this weekend, the Gophers are the most familiar with Duke, Hebert said. They had the opportunity to watch them play last year during the first round of the NCAA tournament, where Tennessee beat Duke 3-1 .
“We’ve seen them play and they’re a good team,” Hebert said. “They have a lot of talent. Are we worried about them? No, we’re not a worrying team. But I think that’s probably the best team out there, despite us.”
Named to the Diet Coke Classic All-Tournament Team for her performance last weekend , junior Jessica Granquist picked up some more honors this week, earning the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week .
“It definitely boosts my confidence, knowing that my whole team helped me out in getting that award,” Granquist said. “It just makes me want to work harder.”
After the Duke Invitational, the Gophers have one more road tournament before opening the Big Ten season with Michigan State on Sept. 25 . Four Big Ten teams are ranked in the top-25, including defending national champion Penn State at No. 1 and Illinois at No. 3.
“Once the conference starts things get a little more serious, a little more intense,” Hebert said. “The matches are tougher and they mean a lot more.”
After graduating early from UCLA, junior Stephanie Nucci transferred to the University to play with the Gophers while pursuing her graduate’s degree. She spent the summer getting acclimated to the team with the rest of the new players and said she’s ready to experience a Big Ten match-up.
“The tradition here is so amazing, it’s definitely different than anything I’ve experienced,” Nucci said. “…They keep talking about Wisconsin and how cool that match up is because we are in Williams arena and it draws a big crowd. So I’m pretty excited.”
Both Hebert and Granquist said they are excited to play Illinois, which swept No. 2 Texas last weekend .
“It’s great for them, just makes me want to play them even more,” Granquist said.
Minnesota went 1-1 with Illinois last year , andare set to host the Fighting Illini at the Sports Pavilion on Oct. 22 .
“I think Illinois is probably peaking right about now with the group they’ve had together for a few years,” Hebert said. “We can’t wait to get them here in our own building.”