Minnesota Falls to No. 9 Wisconsin in Three Games
The Minnesota volleyball team (18-12, 11-9) lost in three games to No. 9 Wisconsin (24-4, 17-3) by scores of 30-19, 30-17, 30-16 at the Wisconsin Fieldhouse on Saturday, Nov. 24. Minnesota finishes the Big Ten season tied for third with Purdue at 11-9.
Freshman Brook Dieter (Bloomington, Minn.) led the way with 10 kills, six digs and four blocks (three solo blocks. It was the third time in four matches that Dieter registered three solo blocks in a match. Lauren Gibbemeyer (St. Paul, Minn.) also had five kills and five blocks on the night.
Rachel Hartmann (St. Charles, Ill.) also had 26 assists, six digs and three blocks for the Golden Gophers.
Wisconsin outhit Minnesota .267 to .010, and had 46 kills to 28 for the Golden Gophers. Minnesota did outblock Wisconsin 10.0-to-7.0, but the Badgers had six service aces to none for the Golden Gophers.
Wisconsin jumped out to an early 8-4 lead in game one, but Minnesota answered with four of the next five points to cut it to 9-8. The Badgers responded by ripping off an 11-0 run to go up 20-8. Minnesota was able to cut it to 23-15 after a Dieter solo block. However, Wisconsin moved its lead back out to a 11 points at 28-17.
Rachelle Hagerty (Defiance, Ohio) answered with a kill, and Katie Vatterrodt (Bloomington, Ill.) and Jones combined on a block to cut it to 28-19. The Badgers finished off the game with the final two points to go up 1-0 in the match.
Wisconsin outhit Minnesota .216 to .097, and had 14 kills to 12 for the Golden Gophers. Both teams had four blocks in the first game. Dieter led Minnesota with four kills in the first game, while Hagerty finished with three kills in four swings.
The Badgers kept their momentum going in game two, as they jumped out to an 8-1 lead. Minnesota cut it to 9-6 with five of the next six points. Four of the five points came on blocks by the Golden Gophers. With the score at 14-10, Wisconsin scored eight of the next 10 points to take a 10-point lead at 22-12.
Minnesota scored three of the next four points to cut the lead to 22-15, but the Badgers answered with a 6-0 run to take a 28-15 lead. The Golden Gophers cut it to 28-17, but Wisconsin score the final two points to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
The Badgers outhit Minnesota .306 to .032 in the second game, and had 18 kills to seven for the Golden Gophers. Minnesota did have four blocks to none for the Badgers in the game, but Wisconsin also had three service aces. Gibbemeyer led the Golden Gophers with three kills and three blocks in the game.
Minnesota jumped out to a 7-5 lead in game three after Vatterrodt and Jones combined on a block. Wisconsin answered quickly with a 5-0 run to take the lead at 10-7. With score at 11-9, the Badgers rattled off seven of the next nine points to go up 18-11. Jones delivered a kill to make it 18-12. However, Wisconsin went on a 6-0 run to take a 24-12 lead. The Badgers ended up claiming the third game 30-16.
Wisconsin was led by Taylor Reineke who hit .667 (14-2-18) with 14 kills and three blocks. Brittney Dolgner also had 10 kills, despite hitting .074 (10-8-27).
Minnesota will tune in to ESPNU on Sunday, Nov. 25 at 7 p.m. (CT) to find out the pairings for the NCAA Tournament.
