Gophers volleyball team advances to Sweet 16

The University of Minnesota volleyball team has advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament after a pair of victories over the weekend.

The Gophers swept Bryant 3-0 on Friday night to open the tournament at Maturi Pavilion on the U of M campus, then swept South Carolina 3-0 on Saturday night in the second round.

Minnesota is the No. 2 seed in the tournament.

The Gophers now will host Oregon at 3:30 p.m. Friday at Maturi Pavilion in a regional semifinal match; it's Minnesota's ninth regional semifinal appearance in the past 10 years.

The winner of that match advances to Saturday's regional final, with a berth in a national semifinal on the line.

This year's national semifinals and championship match will take place at Target Center in Minneapolis on December 13 and 15.