University of Minnesota Athletics
Saturday, October 5
Los Angeles, CA
10:00 PM
University of Minnesota
9-5,2-2Big Ten
1
at
3
Southern California
11-3,3-1Big Ten
1
2
3
4
F
Minnesota
23
25
11
18
1
Southern California
25
22
25
25
3
Team Stats
MINN
USC
Kills
42
58
Errors
23
18
Attempts
130
125
Hitting %
.146
.320
Points
54.0
79.0
Assists
39
56
Aces
6
8
Blocks
6
13
Game Leaders
Kills
16
Aces
1
Blocks
1
Kills
9
Aces
1
Blocks
2
Kills
4
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
3
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Players Mentioned
Opposite
/ Volleyball
Middle Blocker
/ VolleyballOutside/Opposite
/ VolleyballOutside
/ Volleyball
Libero/DS
/ VolleyballSetter
/ Volleyball
No. 12 Gophers Fall in Four to No. 21 Trojans
10/6/2024 1:15:00 AM | Volleyball
Minnesota leaves California with a weekend split
LOS ANGELES, Calif. --The No. 12 Minnesota volleyball team fell in four sets to No. 21 USC (23-25, 25-22, 11-25, 18-25) on Saturday night at the Galen Center.
The Gophers (9-5, 2-2 Big Ten) were outhit .320 to .146 on the night and the Trojans had three players with 10+ kills. USC outblocked (13 to 6) and outdug (58 to 36) Minnesota as well.
Lydia Grote led Minnesota with 16 kills while Julia Hanson had nine kills with eight digs. Melani Shaffmaster distributed 33 assists to go with four kills and two blocks.
Ally Batenhorst led USC (11-3, 3-1 Big Ten) with 19 kills and three aces while Adonia Faumuina posted 12 kills with eight digs and five blocks.
How It Happened
SET 1 | Minnesota started strong, scoring five of the first seven to grab an early lead. An ace from Zeynep Palabiyik bookended the start. USC responded with eight of the next 12, taking a 10-9 lead . The two teams battled back and forth for the next eight points, with Minnesota grabbing a 13-11 lead before a 4-1 USC run as the Trojans took a 15-14 lead into the media break. A kill from Minatee and an ace from Grote sparked a 6-2 spurt from the visitors, leading to a USC timeout with Minnesota winning 20-17. The Trojans scored six of the next eight to go up 23-22, forcing the 'U' into a timeout. Minnesota would tie it up at 23-all before USC finished out set one, 25-23.
SET 2 | The Gophers bounced back to win set two, 25-22. The two teams went back and forth for the first 18 points before the visitors went up two after an ace from Acevedo and a kill from Grote. The Trojans answered back with a couple points before a kill from Kali Engeman put the 'U' up 15-14 going into the media break. USC would take a two-point lead at 21-19, leading to a timeout from Minnesota. The momentum shifted after the break, with the Gophers scoring six of the final seven to close the set with a 25-22 win. Engeman and Shaffmaster combined for the final stuff on set point.
SET 3 | USC responded with force, scoring eight of the first 10 points before Minnesota called a timeout. An ace from Hanson cut the lead to five at 9-4, but Minnesota would get no closer. USC scored five straight points to go up 14-4, taking firm control of the set. The Trojans would lead by as many as 13 at 23-10 before closing it out, 25-11.
SET 4 | The two teams split the first 12 points before a USC hitting error and a kill from Lauren Crowl put Minnesota up 8-6. The Gophers led by as many as three at 13-10 before the Trojans made their push. An 8-2 USC run put the home team up 18-15 and forced a Gophers timeout. Minnesota closed it the deficit to two at 19-17 before USC ended the match on a 6-1 run to win, 25-18.
Game Notes
» The 'U' falls 2-5-1 all-time against USC. This was the two teams' first meeting since 2017 and first ever at the Galen Center.
» Melani Shaffmaster had a team-high 33 assists to go along with four digs, four kills and two blocks.
» Lydia Grote posted a team-best 16 kills, her eighth match this season with 10+.
Up Next
Minnesota (9-5, 2-2 Big Ten) takes on Indiana (8-5, 1-2 Big Ten) on Friday, Oct. 11 at Maturi Pavilion. First serve is set for 6:30 p.m. CT on B1G+.
Highlights: Gophers 3, Ohio State 0
Sunday, October 12
Highlights: Gophers 0, UCLA 3
Wednesday, October 08
Highlights: Gophers 3, Northwestern 1
Sunday, October 05
Highlights: Gophers 1, Michigan 3
Wednesday, October 01