The University of Minnesota volleyball team will open its 2022 season ranked No. 5 in the nation after the American Volleyball Coaches Association released its preseason poll on Monday.
It's a slight improvement from the end of the 2021 season which saw the Gophers ranked No. 7 in the year-end AVCA poll after reaching the Elite Eight, where they lost in three sets to Wisconsin.
Three Big Ten teams are ranked in the Top 5 to open the season with Nebraska the preseason No. 1 team in the country and Wisconsin at No. 3. The conference had seven teams ranked overall.
The preseason poll means the Gophers enter the season with No. 1 Nebraska as their regular season finale on Nov. 26 and No. 2 Texas as their third match of the year on Aug. 31 in Austin. The No. 3 Badgers are on the schedule twice, Sept. 25 at Maturi Pavilion and Oct. 29 in Madison.
Overall the Gophers have 15 teams ranked in the Top 25 on their 28 match schedule, starting with their season opener vs. No. 16 Baylor in the Big Ten/Big 12 Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas on Aug. 26. The Gophers ended the Bears season last year in a five-set thriller in the Sweet 16.
2022 University of Minnesota volleyball schedule
Nonconference
Aug. 26 vs. No. 16 Baylor (Big Ten/Big 12 Challenge)
Aug. 27 at TCU (Big Ten/Big 12 Challenge)
Aug. 31 at No. 2 Texas
Sept. 4 vs. No. 15 Florida
Sept. 9 vs. No. 19 Oregon (Big Ten/Pac 12 Challenge)
Sept. 10 vs. No. 14 Stanford (Big Ten/Pac 12 Challenge)
Sept. 15 vs. Pepperdine (Diet Coke Classic)
Sept. 17 vs. Washington State (Diet Coke Classic)
Conference
Sept. 23 at No. 13 Purdue
Sept. 25 vs. No. 3 Wisconsin
Sept. 28 vs. Northwestern
Oct. 1 vs. Iowa
Oct. 7 at Michigan
Oct. 9 at Michigan State
Oct. 12 vs. No. 7 Ohio State
Oct. 15 vs. No. 17 Illinois
Oct. 19 at Iowa
Oct. 22 vs. No. 13 Purdue
Oct. 26 vs. Michigan State
Oct. 29 at No. 3 Wisconsin
Nov. 4 vs. Michigan
Nov. 6 at No. 17 Illinois
Nov. 11 vs. Maryland
Nov. 13 vs. Indiana
Nov. 18 at No. 20 Penn State
Nov. 19 at Rutgers
Nov. 25 at No. 7 Ohio State
Nov. 26 at No. 1 Nebraska
