Takeaways from the high-octane Women’s College Volleyball Showcase

The GIST: Four of the country’s most elite teams — No. 1 Texas, No. 5 Stanford, No. 6 Wisconsin, and No. 18 Minnesota — went head-to-head at this weekend’s Women’s College Volleyball Showcase in Milwaukee, WI, offering an illuminating peek into the season ahead.

Minnesota logs huge upset over Texas: The always-competitive Gophers are often edged out of the national spotlight by their ultra-talented Big Ten counterparts, but with Monday’s massive five-set dub over the defending champs, Minnesota proved they can beat the best. Outside hitter (OH) Julia Hanson led Minne with 19 kills, putting the volleyball world on notice.

Wisconsin takes it in the teeth: Even with a hometown crowd, the Badgers had a brutal Labor Day weekend, dropping Sunday’s match against Texas and Monday’s tilt against Stanford to start the season 0-3. Ouch.

• There’s still hope for Wisco, though — all three of their season-opening losses came against Top-5 teams, and their schedule is considerably easier from here on out.

• Another silver lining? Reigning Player of the Year Sarah Franklin is in peak form, racking up a blistering 43 (!!!) kills across the weekend’s two matches. The Badgers have some kinks to work out, but Frank’s hitting is definitely not one of ’em.

Stanford emerges victorious: Of the four teams at the Showcase, only the Cardinal finished undefeated. Stanford always starts their season with the toughest possible schedule, and so far, it’s paying off — the vibes are higher than ever.

• Also higher than ever? OH Elia Rubin’s vertical. The Card’s star captured a 19-kill double-double (double-digit kills and digs) on Sunday, then followed that up with a 20-kill double-double on Monday. Holy moly.

• Up next, Stanford’s punishing pre-conference gauntlet continues against No. 23 Marquette on FloSports at 8 p.m. ET tonight. Can’t wait.