University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
7-1
Iowa State
5-3
Gophers Win Diet Coke Classic
9/13/2014 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
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The No. 19 University of Minnesota won the 2014 Diet Coke Classic with a 3-1 win over Iowa State, tonight at the Sports Pavilion. The Golden Gophers (7-1) defeated ISU 25-16, 25-20, 20-25 and 25-23.
The tournament champions were led by the tournament MVP, Daly Santana, who had a 17 kills and eight digs. During the tournament, Santana had a team-high 51 kills to average 4.25 per set. She also contributed three assists, five aces, 33 digs and eight blocks. Sarah Wilhite had 48 kills during the three-day tournament to average 4.00 kps, 35 digs and 13 blocks. Alyssa Goehner was also named all-tournament when she had a team-high 37 digs, eight assists and three aces.
In the Iowa State match alone, Wilhite had a match-high 18 kills and hit .356, while collecting 11 digs. Santana had 17 kills in 41 attempts, followed by Hannah Tapp, who had 12 kills, hit .304 and had nine blocks. Paige Tapp led the Gophers with a .700 attack percentage (8-1-10).
The Gophers close out the non-conference portion of the season at the Rocket Invite, Sept. 19-20, hosted by Toledo.
Set Breakdown
Set 1: Minnesota took a 1-0 lead off a 25-16 first set win. After the two teams tied at 8-8, Minnesota took a 10-8 lead off a Cyclone attack error and an ace by Sarah Wilhite. With the score at 11-10, Minnesota went on an 8-1 run, capped off by a block from Paige Tapp and Wilhite. With a 20-13 lead, the Gophers added two of their five blocks for the 23rd and 24th points, while ISU had an attack error for a 1-0 lead.
Set 2: Minnesota capitalized on a .438 hitting clip to propel a 25-20 second set win. Minnesota had 17 kills in 32 attempts to ISU's 13 kills in 33 attempts and four errors. Iowa State took an early timeout as the Gophers lead, 5-3. Minnesota, however, added to its lead as Santana had a kill for the 10th point and an ace as the Gophers went up, 12-7. Minnesota went up 17-11 on a block from Handley and Hannah Tapp, which forced Iowa State to take its second timeout. The Gophers would eventually go up 21-14 on a Paige Tapp kill. The Gophers would had a block from Wilhite and Hannah Tapp for set point as Hannah Tapp added her seventh kill of the night to close it out.
Set 3: Iowa State hit .325 and committed just one hitting error to win, 25-20 and cut the Gopher lead to 2-1. With a tie score at 13-13, the Cyclones went on a 6-2 run to push a 19-15 lead. The Gophers called a timeout and came out of the break with Santana kill and then a Santana ace for a19-17 deficit. However, the Cyclones went up 23-20 on a block, followed by a kill from Alexis Conaway and an ace to win the third set.
Set 4: Despite Iowa State hitting .308 in the fourth set and holding a 14-11 lead, the Gophers came back and won the set while hitting. 371 in the fourth and deciding set. The Cyclones led 11-8 and 14-1 as Minnesota called a timeout. Minnesota would come back and tie the set at 16 on a Gopher block and then took a short lead on another Gopher block. The two teams tied again at 20, 21, 22 and 23 before the Gophers put it away with a block from Santana and Paige Tapp and a unblocked kill from Santana for set and match point.
