University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
Wisconsin
Gophers Defeat Wisconsin in Five Sets
10/19/2011 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Oct. 19, 2011
The No. 14 University of Minnesota volleyball team earned a five-set road win over Wisconsin, tonight in Madison. The Golden Gophers (12-6 overall and 5-4 in the Big Ten) had four athletes with double-digit kills in Ashley Wittman (21), Tori Dixon (15), Ariana Filho (14) and Katherine Harms (13). With the Gophers trailing, 7-9 in the fifth set, Wittman added five kills, including the final two points to lead the Gophers to the win.
Filho hit .433, while Dixon had a .306 hitting percentage. Mia Tabberson had 61 assists in 171 attempts as well as 14 digs. Jessica Granquist and Wittman each had 23 digs, Hailey Cowles had 11 and Harms had 10. Filho also led the Gophers in blocks with three.
Wisconsin took the first set, 25-22 when it outhit the Gophers, .312 to .205. The two teams went through six tie scores and four lead changes before Wisconsin took the lead late and held onto the lead for the win. In the second set, Minnesota had four-point runs twice to drive Minnesota's set win, 25-23. Tied at 11-11, Minnesota jumped out to a 16-12 lead, with two kills each from Dixon and Wittman, forcing the Badgers to take a timeout. The Badgers battled back, but Minnesota then went up, 20-16 as UW took its second timeout. The Gophers had a kill from Harms and closed out the set with a kill from Wittman to even the match at 1-1 into the break.
The Gophers added a 25-18 win in the third set to go up, 2-1. Tied at 8-8, Dixon delivered two aces, while Wittman had a kill to rally from 4-7 and jump up, 13-9. The Gophers went on a 5-2 run to put the set at 18-13 before Wisconsin took a timeout. Minnesota continued to add points and earned a 25-18 win in the third set. Harms led the Gophers in the third set with four kills, while Dixon and Filho each had three. In all Minnesota had 14 kills in the set to Wisconsin's eight.
In the fourth set, Minnesota was trailing, but the Gophers had back-to-back kills by Dixon, a Wisconsin ball-handling error by the Badgers and a kill by Wittman to put Minnesota up, 17-14. However, Wisconsin responded with three-straight kills to tie it up at 18 all. Wisconsin went up 23-19 and never looked back, forcing a set five. The Badgers outhit the Gophers, .306 to .250 in the set.
Trailing 7-9 in the fifth set, Minnesota took a timeout and out of break, Dixon delivered a left side-kill to pull Minnesota within one. Wittman then had back-to-back kills at 10-9, forcing Wisconsin to take the timeout. After an attack error by the Badgers and a Wisconsin timeout, Minnesota finished off the Badgers with a kill by Wittman, an ace by Cowles and back-to-back kills by Wittman to close out the set and match.
Minnesota will travel to Purdue on Saturday. The match is set for 6 p.m. CT.
