Minnesota junior outside Julia Hanson has been named Big Ten Player of the Week, the conference announced on Monday.
The Savage, Minn., native and former Prior Lake High School standout had a monster week in leading the No. 15 Gophers (14-6, 7-3 B1G) to wins over Northwestern and Ohio State.
She posted 19 kills on .529 hitting with four digs and a block in a sweep over Northwestern Wednesday night. Hanson then led the ‘U’ with 21 kills (second-ever 20+ kill match), seven digs, two blocks and an ace in a comeback five-set win at Ohio State on Sunday.
Hanson posted averages of 5.31 points, 5.00 kills, 1.38 digs and 0.38 blocks per set in the two matches. For the season, she leads the team and ranks top-10 in the Big Ten with 3.56 kills per set.
She continues her breakout season in which she’s posted 15 10+ kill contests and two 20+ kill matches. Prior to 2024, she had only registered double-digit kills twice in two years. Earlier this season, she made the Big Ten/Big 12 Challenge All-Tournament Team and was named the MVP of the Capital Credit Union Classic in Green Bay, Wis.
She’s the first Big Ten Player of the Week for Minnesota since Nov. 7, 2022.
The Gophers are back in action on Friday, Nov. 1 at Michigan State (8-13, 1-9 B1G). The match is set for 6 p.m. ET/5 p.m. CT on B1G+.
(info and photo courtesy of Gopher Sports)
