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No. 14 Gophers Sweep Hoosiers at the Pav
10/11/2024 7:57:00 PM | Volleyball
Phoebe Awoleye totaled a season-best 10 blocks
MINNEAPOLIS --The No. 14 Minnesota volleyball team defeated the Indiana Hoosiers (25-18, 25-19, 25-19) on Friday night at Maturi Pavilion.
"We had a lot of balance and a lot of our strengths showed up tonight," said head coach Keegan Cook. "We wanted to have a chance to compete and play a little cleaner than we did last weekend and be a little more ready physically. It will be a quick turnaround but this group is looking good."
The Gophers (10-5, 3-2 Big Ten) hit .358 for the evening and held IU to .198, tallying 12 blocks as a team. Five different Minnesota players had six-or-more kills.
A balanced Gophers attack was paced by 35 assists and 10 digs from Melani Shaffmaster while Phoebe Awoleye posted a season-best 10 blocks. Lydia Grote led the hitters with 13 kills on a season-best .565 hitting and no errors.
Camryn Haworth led Indiana (9-6, 2-3 Big Ten) with 28 assists and nine digs while Candela Alonso-Corcelles had 14 kills and six digs.
How It Happened
SET 1 | Minnesota took set one, 25-18. The two teams split the first 14 points before the Gophers went on a 4-2 spurt to go up 11-9. Back-to-back kills from Minatee and Hanson gave the 'U' a 17-14 lead before an IU kill cut the lead to two. The Hoosiers would get no closer the rest of the set as Minnesota extended its lead to a set-high five at 21-16 before IU called a timeout. The Gophers would extend their lead to as many as seven, closing it out at 25-18 on a kill from Hanson. Minnesota hit a blistering .364 in set one with 16 kills.
SET 2 | The Gophers won in set two, 25-19. They accelerated in the second set, scoring eight of the first 11 points to take a commanding lead. Indiana would respond by scoring seven of the next 11 to make it a two-point game at 12-10. A 6-3 Minnesota run, led by a kill and two blocks by Wucherer and Awoleye, made it 18-13, leading to an IU timeout. The Hoosiers cut it to three at 21-18 with a pair of kills but would get no closer. Minatee, Hanson and Shaffmaster posted kills before Hanson ended it with an ace.
SET 3 | Minnesota took the third and final set, 25-19. The two teams split the first 18 points before a 9-2 Gophers run gave the home team a firm advantage. Minnesota led by as many as seven at 18-11 before the Hoosiers made a run, cutting it to 19-17 before the Gophers called time. The 'U' accelerated to the finish line, scoring six of the next eight to win it 25-19.
Game Notes
» The 'U' is now 62-16 all-time against the Hoosiers.
» Minnesota has now won 14 straight matches against IU. The Hoosiers haven't won a set at Minnesota since 1999. The 'U' has won 25 straight home tilts against Indiana (33-5 all-time).
» The Gophers posted 12 blocks as a team, their eighth time this year with 10+.
» Lydia Grote posted 13 kills, her eighth match this season with 10+. It was her fifth straight with 10+.
» Calissa Minatee put down eight kills on .417 hitting.
» Phoebe Awoleye posted a season-best 10 blocks to lead the defense. Her career-high is 11.
» Melani Shaffmaster had a team-high 35 assists to go along with 10 digs for her eighth double-double of the season (67th of her career).
» Mckenna Wucherer returned to action for the first time since the Wisconsin match on Sept. 25 and tallied seven kills while tying a career-best with five blocks.
Up Next
Minnesota (10-5, 3-2 Big Ten) hosts Maryland (10-6, 1-4 Big Ten) on Saturday, Oct. 12 at Maturi Pavilion. First serve is set for 5 p.m. CT on BTN.