University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
26-4, 15-4Big Ten
Rutgers
5-26, 0-19Big Ten
Gophers Earn a 3-0 Sweep Over Rutgers
11/24/2017 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
The No. 8 University of Minnesota volleyball team defeated Rutgers in straight sets, 25-18, 25-8 and 25-16 in front of 5,366 fans. With the win, the Gophers improve to 26-4 overall and 15-4 in the Big Ten.
Stephanie Samedy and Alexis Hart led the Gophers with 14 kills each, while Samedy hit a team best .667. Hart hit .407, while Maddie Beal had four kills in four attempts. Regan Pittman hit .444 with six kills in nine total attempts and led the team with three blocks. Samantha Seliger-Swenson tallied 37 assists and had two service aces, while Dalianliz Rosado posted 13 digs.
As a team, the Gophers had eight services aces, three of which came from Molly Lohman. Minnesota hit .500 and had 47 kills to lift the team to the three set victory.
Minnesota returns to Maturi Pavilion tomorrow to take on top ranked Penn State. The match will be shown live on the Big Ten Network at 7:30 p.m.
Set Breakdown:
First Set: The Gophers hit .609 in the first set to win it, 25-18. Minnesota took a 14-11 lead off a block from Maddie Beal and Pittman as Rutgers called a timeout. As the Gophers took a 22-16 lead off a Lohman kill, the Scarlet Knights called their second timeout of the set. The Gophers closed out the set with a Samedy kill, a Rutgers double contact and a Samedy kill to win it, 25-18.
Second Set: The Gophers had four aces and hit .579 to take the second set, 25-8. Minnesota opened the second set with a 10-3 kill off an overpass kill from Pittman. Rutgers called a timeout after back-to-back aces from Lauren Barnes and a 13-4 lead. A Hart kill later put the Gophers up, 17-6, while a Samedy kill put Minnesota up, 19-8. A Hart kill put the Gophers up, 21-8, which led to a Rutgers timeout. Hart finished off the set with a kill to take a 2-0 lead.
Third Set: Trailing early in the set, Minnesota took the lead for good at the 6-5 mark of the set. The Gophers took a 14-8 lead off a Hart kill, which caused Rutgers to call a timeout. Samedy later put the Gophers up, 16-10 off a kill, while Pittman pushed the score to 18-12. Taylor Morgan added a kill at 20-14. Minnesota went on a 5-2 run to finish off the set and the match, 3-0.
