Defending champ Stanford sweeps Minnesota to reach final

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Katherine Plummer had 26 kills and defending champion Stanford swept Minnesota 25-19, 25-22, 25-22 on Thursday night to reach the NCAA women’s volleyball final.

Stanford (29-4) will face Wisconsin on Saturday night, seeking their third in four years and ninth overall. The Cardinal also beat the Gophers (27-6) in the 2016 semifinals.

Plummer, the reigning AVCA player of the year, hit .340% on 50 total touches and also had nine digs and five blocks. Morgan Hentz had 23 digs, Meghan McClure added 15 and the Cardinal held Minnesota to a .164 hitting percentage.

Stephane Samedy led Minnesota with 13 kills, and Alexis Hart had 12. CC McGraw had 17 digs.

Stanford has been to the title game 16 times, going 8-8. It won back-to-back titles in 1996 and 1997.