COLUMBUS, Ohio - Sixth-seeded Stanford outlasted No. 2-seed Minnesota 26-24, 25-19, 22-25, 25-22 on Thursday night in the first of two NCAA semifinals at Nationwide Arena, moving one step closer to its seventh national championship.

Making its 20th NCAA Final Four appearance, Stanford (26-7) advances to its 15th national final, tops in the nation, and will next face fourth-seeded Texas on Saturday at 6 p.m. PT (ESPN2).

"I want to congratulate Minnesota. They're a great team. Matches like that can turn on one play," stated 2016 AVCA Coach of the Year John Dunning, who is in his 16th season at the helm of the Cardinal program. "I thought there were a few key ones that this one turned on and went our way. I thought in the third set they [Minnesota] were unbelievably scrappy to come back and win that set. But I thought we were tough. 

"People have been talking about our freshmen all week, about whether they're going to play like freshmen or not. And what I say is, 'yeah, they played like freshmen'. They're really good. They're poised for freshmen, and they can handle it and they're continuing to learn and handle it better. Looking forward to Saturday. I mean this is unbelievable stuff."

Stanford jumped out to an early advantage against Minnesota (29-5), seeded No. 2 in the postseason draw but ranked No. 1 in the country. The Cardinal, which improved to 8-0 all-time against Minnesota, also defeated the Golden Gophers in four sets back on Aug. 28 at Maples Pavilion in the second match of the season for both squads.

The Cardinal has been one of the country's hottest teams down the stretch, producing seven sweeps during its nine-match winning streak. It's the longest stretch since Stanford ripped off 28 straight victories to open the 2014 campaign.

Seeking its first NCAA title since 2004, Stanford once again received valuable contributions from throughout its lineup. Redshirt senior Inky Ajanaku and freshman Kathryn Plummer both totaled 15 kills, while freshman Audriana Fitzmorris added 10.

Both teams struggled on the attack, with Stanford hitting .188 while Minnesota checked in at .149. However, the Cardinal powered home 18.0 blocks, paced by Ajanaku (9) and Fitzmorris (8). Freshman libero Morgan Hentz accounted for 27 digs, marking the fifth time this season she has surpassed 20.

One of the most important blocks just might have been a solo one at 19-17 in the fourth by Plummer, the 2016 AVCA Freshman of the Year, to give Stanford the three-point cushion.

"Yeah, a couple points prior John told me act like you're another person and then dive in even more," said Plummer in the postmatch press conference. "So I was like, okay, I'm going to do it this time because it wasn't working before. So, I just had that in mind and I knew that my team needed that block."

The first set featured 12 ties and three lead changes. After alternating seven straight points, the Cardinal finally closed the frame with back-to-back points.

Stanford took control of the second set following an 11-11 tie. Gaining some separation midway through the set, the Cardinal won five of the final seven points.

Minnesota fought back in the third set, securing four of the last five points after a 21-21 tie.

The fourth set was all Stanford, which trailed only after the first point and ended the match with a kill from Fitzmorris.