The University of Minnesota volleyball program has announced the addition of redshirt freshman Alex Acevedo to the team. Acevedo (Nampa, Idaho / Skyview H.S.) heads to Dinkytown after spending the past season at the University of Oregon. She’ll have four years of eligibility left after redshirting in 2023.
“As always, nothing is more important than finding our people,” said head coach Keegan Cook. “Alex is an unexpected but welcome arrival to our program. She gives us immediate depth at a critical position along with four years of future development. She’s a determined, disciplined, and dynamic athlete who we are eager to get on campus and begin teaching.”
As a true freshman in 2023, she redshirted at Oregon on a team that finished 29-6 (16-4 Pac-12) and made the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament.
“I’m so excited to join the Golden Gophers,” said Acevedo. “The university and volleyball team have everything I am looking for and I’m so thankful for the opportunity to help this program compete in the Big Ten!”
In her senior year of high school, she led the Skyview Hawks (22-5) to their third consecutive 4A state championship, recording 339 kills, 151 digs and 33 blocks and a .400 hitting percentage. She had 26 kills and three blocks in the championship match. Acevedo was named the 2022-23 Gatorade (Idaho) State Player of the Year for her efforts.
She was also named Idaho’s 4A Player of the Year by coaches in the state and was rated as the No. 13 recruit in the Class of 2024 by PrepVolleyball.com. Acevedo stepped into the national spotlight at the GEICO Volleyball Invitational and responded with 42 kills in the two-match showcase. In the weekend opener against Papillion-La Vista South (Neb.), she had a season-high 27 kills, nine digs and three blocks.
The daughter of Nada and Eric Acevedo, she also has a younger brother, Jovan. Her mom played basketball collegiately at Southern Oregon University. In high school, she was a 4.0 GPA student who has volunteered locally on behalf of multiple charitable organizations, including the Family Access Network and the U.S. Marine Corps Toys for Tots program. She also served as a buddy/mentor for her brother this year at the Idaho Special Olympics.
In 2023, the ‘U’ went 17-13 (12-8 Big Ten) and went to the NCAA Tournament’s Round of 32. The Gophers won an NCAA Tournament match for the ninth straight season and finished fifth in the conference standings in year one under head coach Keegan Cook.
Alex Acevedo
(info and photo courtesy of Gopher Sports)
