GOPHERS VOLLEYBALL PREVIEW

Sunday at Wisconsin, 3:50 p.m.

TV: FOX

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Jeff Day's preview:

Opening bell: The lone regular-season matchup between the Badgers and Gophers this season doubles as a showcase for college volleyball as they will follow the Vikings-Packers game on FOX. The teams split their matchups last season, with the Gophers handing Wisconsin its lone conference loss in 2022. It will be a more difficult task in 2023. The No. 2 Badgers (19-1, 10-1 Big Ten) have lost three sets in 11 Big Ten matches — all last week at No. 1 Nebraska. Minnesota (10-9, 6-5) continues to try and find a next level, they were the better team for long stretches at No. 16 Purdue on Thursday but came up short at crucial moments in a 28-26, 25-23, 25-16 loss.

Watch her: Few players in the country show as much effort on the court as Gophers sophomore Mckenna Wucherer, and she leads the team in kills and points per set. But defenses are keying on her. This month she hit .000 against Maryland, minus .023 against Northwestern, .138 against Rutgers and .033 against Purdue. The Gophers offense, and Wucherer, will need to find some variance to have success against the Badgers block, which can stake claim to being the best in the country.

Injuries: Nothing major.

Pregame reading: Gophers vs. Badgers volleyball rivalry fired up by transfer of ex-Minnesota star Carter Booth

Forecast: No volleyball analyst in the country will pick the Gophers to win. They played phenomenally at Nebraska earlier this month and were swept. They played two great sets at Purdue and were swept. Their best victory this season was in five sets over No. 9 Oregon on a neutral court, but that was nearly two months ago. If the Gophers have another level to reach in Big Ten play, they haven't shown it yet.

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