The Gophers will need to play with a sense of urgency when they travel to Pittsburgh to take on the top-seeded Panthers in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA volleyball tournament on Thursday night, head coach Keegan Cook said.

The fourth-ranked Panthers (28-4, 18-2 ACC) are itching to get back to the Final Four, and the Gophers’ coach told his young team they must “meet that mentality.”

One of the freshmen who has helped No. 17 Minnesota (24-9, 12-8 Big Ten) survive a rash of injuries to key veterans is unfazed by the challenge.

“I go into it like any other game,” first-year outside hitter Kelly Kinney said, “swinging for everything and just not playing afraid because this could be my last game.”

One of Minnesota’s five first-year starters, Kinney is averaging 12.7 kills over the Gophers’ past

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