The Minnesota volleyball team opens its home schedule with the Nike Invitational on Friday, Sept. 5 and Saturday, Sept. 6. Minnesota will play host to a field that includes Dayton (3-0), Kansas (2-1) and Marquette (1-2). The Golden Gophers will start off the tournament against Kansas on Friday, Sept. 5 at 7:30 p.m. Minnesota will take on Dayton on Saturday, Sept. 6 at 12:30 p.m. and finish off the tournament with a match against Marquette on Sept. 6 at 7:30 p.m. The Golden Gophers won last year's Nike Invitational going 3-0 against Ball State, North Carolina and Oregon State. In that tournament Lindsey Taatjes was named MVP, while Erin Martin and Cassie Busse were named to the All-Tournament Team.

Minnesota is 6-1 in home openers under head coach Mike Hebert. Last year the Golden Gophers opened the home campaign by defeating No. 8 Pepperdine in the State Farm Women's Volleyball Classic. In 2001 the Golden Gophers defeated Marquette, who will be in this weekend's Nike Invitational, to start the season. Minnesota has also defeated Tennessee (2000), Montana State (1999), Wisconsin-Green Bay (1998) and UW-Milwaukee (1997) in home openers with Hebert as the coach. The only loss came in Hebert's first year in the program, when the Golden Gophers lost to No. 19 Georgia Tech in the Diet Coke Classic on Sept. 13, 1996.

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