University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
24-6, 12-5Big Ten
Michigan
17-11, 7-10Big Ten
Gophers Sweep No. 18 Michigan
11/22/2013 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
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Nov. 22, 2013
The No. 11 University of Minnesota volleyball team defeated No. 18 Michigan, 3-0, tonight in Ann Arbor, Mich. Winning by scores of 25-18, 25-23, 25-19, the Golden Gophers improve to 24-6 overall and 12-5 in the Big Ten.
Minnesota hit .385 as a team, while it held Michigan to a .233 clip. Minnesota led in kills (53-43), blocks (12.5-6.0), digs (49-47) and assists (45-42).
Minnesota was led by the senior duo Tori Dixon and Ashley Wittman as they each had 15 kills. Wittman added a double-double with 10 digs. Dixon and Karlie Hauer led the Gophers with six blocks. Daly Santana also had 10 kills and hit .320, while Lindsey Lawmaster added a match-high 13 digs. Alexandra Palmer and Katie Schau split time as the setter and had 20 and 17 assists, respectively.
Notables:
-Minnesota had a 12.5 blocks in three sets tonight. That marks the Gophers' conference best, bettering 12.0 against Purdue earlier this year.
-Minnesota hit .385, which ranked third-best against conference opponents. Minnesota hit .393 and .410 against Indiana earlier this year.
-Wittman added her 13th double-double of the year.
-Dixon has now hit over .500 12 times this season. She had 15-0-27. It marked the second time this season she did not commit and error and twice in three matches.
First Set: Minnesota used 21 kills and hit .452 to take the first set, 25-18. Despite Michigan holding a .343 clip, the Gophers had a 73 percent sideout mark to Michigan’s 54. Dixon led the Gophers in the first set with six kills and hit .600. Wittman had five kill in eight attempts, while Nora hit .667 in the first set. After the two teams were tied at 7-7, Minnesota rattled off three-straight on a kill from Tapp, a kill from Dixon and a block. Tapp put the Gophers up, 19-14 with a kill, which forced the Wolverines to call a timeout. Leading 17-14, Minnesota would put up three-straight points on a kill from Wittman, a block from Tapp and Nora and a kill from Tapp. The Gophers would then close out the set with kills from Dixon and Wittman to go up, 1-0.
Second Set: The Gophers hit .312 in the second set and utilized 19 kills to Michigan’s 16 to win the second set and take a 2-0 lead. Wittman had seven kills to Dixon’s six as the seniors paced the Gophers in the second set. Minnesota opened the second set with a 10-4 lead. In that span, the Gophers had seven kills, an ace and a block. The Gophers would then go up, 17-11 on a Minnesota block and a Michigan ball-handling error. Michigan would battle back and use a 7-1 run as the Gophers led, 19-18. Minnesota responded with kills from Santana and Nora to go up, 23-20. Dixon would put the Gophers at set point and a 24-21 lead. Michigan earned back-to-back kills from Molly Toon to put the score at 24-23, but Minnesota closed out the set with a block from Dixon and Hauer.
Third Set: Minnesota finished off the Wolverines by hitting .407 in the third set. The Gophers provided six blocks in the final set as Michigan hit .057. Minnesota opened the third set with an 11-4, capped off by a block from Dixon and Hauer. Tapp and Wittman made it 15-6 on a block. Lawmaster had a kill, her first of the year, to put the Gophers up, 20-12. Michigan battled back and went on a 4-0 run to cut the Gopher lead to 21-16. Minnesota, however, called a timeout and finished off the set and match with a kill from Santana, a block, and a kill from Wittman to win its 24th game of the season.
