University of Minnesota Athletics
Wednesday, November 27
Urbana-Champaign, IL
7:00 PM
University of Minnesota
19-10,12-7Big Ten
3
at
1
Illinois
18-11,10-9Big Ten
1
2
3
4
F
Minnesota
20
25
25
27
3
Illinois
25
18
22
25
1
Team Stats
MINN
Illini
Kills
55
53
Errors
19
26
Attempts
128
137
Hitting %
.281
.197
Points
76.0
70.0
Assists
44
49
Aces
5
9
Blocks
16
8
Game Leaders
Kills
22
Aces
1
Blocks
3
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
6
Kills
7
Aces
2
Blocks
7
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
5
Players Mentioned
Middle Blocker
/ VolleyballOutside/Opposite
/ VolleyballOutside
/ Volleyball
Setter
/ VolleyballMiddle Blocker
/ Volleyball
Libero/DS
/ VolleyballSetter
/ Volleyball
Furious Fourth Set Rally Helps 'U' Close Out Illinois
11/27/2024 9:36:00 PM | Volleyball
The Gophers trailed 18-10 in the fourth set before coming back
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- The No. 15 Minnesota volleyball team rallied to take down the Illinois Fighting Illini in four sets (20-25, 25-18, 25-22, 27-25) on Wednesday night at Huff Hall. It was Minnesota's 10th straight win in the series against Illinois.
Minnesota executed a furious comeback to get back in the match and take down the Illini in the fourth set. The Gophers trailed 16-6 before finishing on a 21-9 run to earn the win. The 'U' also trailed 18-13 in set three before a late 7-0 spurt helped it gain control.
"People, values, volleyball," said head coach Keegan Cook. "I told our team when we were down in the fourth set, that how we finish the set is going to say a lot about us. It didn't necessarily mean winning it, but I loved the way we responded. Illinois is a very good team and we're happy to get the win tonight."
Julia Hanson led the Gophers with 22 kills and seven digs while Melani Shaffmaster went for 35 assists, seven digs and six kills. Phoebe Awoleye (10 blocks) and Zeynep Palabiyik (15 digs) paced the defense.
The Gophers (19-10, 12-7 Big Ten) hit .281 for the night with 55 kills while Illinois (18-11, 10-9 B1G) hit .197 with 53 kills.
Raina Terry paced Illinois with 20 kills and six digs while Brooke Mosher went for 42 assists and nine digs. Christina Martinez Mundo tallied six service aces to go with 10 digs.
How It Happened
SET 1 | The Illini started strong, scoring the first four points, including two aces. Minnesota would bounce back, scoring five of the next six to tie it up. Awoleye, Hanson, Shaffmster and Wucherer had kills in the spurt. The two teams went back and forth for the next six points before a 4-0 run from the Illini made it 12-8, forcing a Minnesota timeout. The Illini would score two more to cap off a 6-0 run before the 'U' scored again. The Gophers would get as close as five at 16-11 after a Grote kill and a Palabiyik ace, but four out of five after that put UI up 20-12. A kill from Hanson and two straight blocks from Awoleye and Shaffmaster cut the lead to 20-15, forcing a timeout from the hosts. Illinois would eventually close out the set, 25-20. UI hit .364 in the first frame and had three players with four kills each. Minnesota hit .267 and got three kills each from Hanson and Minatee.
SET 2 | Minnesota started as the aggressor in set two, scoring four of the first six. The Illini would get back within one at 5-4 before an 8-2 spurt made it 12-6. Minatee had a pair of kills while Hanson had two in the run. Illinois called a timeout to try and spur the momentum. The Illini cut the deficit to four at 13-9 before a kill and an ace from Hanson made the lead six at 15-9 again. The Gophers would get the lead back up to six at 19-13, forcing UI's final timeout of the frame. UI kept fighting back, getting the deficit to five at 22-17 before coach Cook called his first timeout of the frame. The 'U' would eventually close out the set, 25-18, getting two kills from Hanson and a block from Awoleye and Wucherer.
SET 3 | The Gophers took an early 6-3 lead in the third set, getting a kill and a pair of aces from Grote in addition to two blocks from Awoleye and Hanson. The Illini would cut it to one at 7-6 after a pair of kills before a Minatee kill and a couple UI errors put Minnesota up 11-8. A 4-0 spurt from the home team, which included two service aces from Christina Martinez Mundo, put Illinois up 12-11. The Gophers would tie it at 12 after a Hanson kill before a 3-0 UI run put them up 15-12, leading to a timeout from coach Cook. UI's lead would spike up to as many as five at 18-13 before an error and a pair of Wucherer kills made it 18-16, forcing a timeout. The Gophers refused to slow down after the break, scoring the next four to take a 20-18 lead, capping a 7-0 run. The Illini got back within one at 20-19 and 21-20 before a kill from Grote and a block from Minatee and Grote made it 23-20, forcing another UI timeout. The 'U' eventually closed it out, winning 25-22. Hanson finished the set with a kill. Minnesota finished out the frame on a 12-4 run after trailing 18-13. Elise McGhie was at the service line for a key 7-0 run that turned a five-point deficit into a lead.
SET 4 | The Illini came out hot in set four, scoring five of the first six points to go up 5-1. The Illini went up by five at 8-3 before a couple kills from Minatee helped cut the deficit back to four at 10-6. Consecutive kills from UI after that made it 12-6, forcing a Minnesota timeout. Illinois refused to slow down, scoring four straight after the break to take a commanding 16-6 lead. Three UI attacking errors made it 16-9, leading to their first timeout of the set. The Illini would go up eight again at 18-10 after a pair of kills from Terry before a 4-0 run gave the Gophers hope, trailing 18-13. The 'U' kept chipping away, running the deficit to as few as three at 21-18 after Hanson's 20th kill and a block from Grote and Minatee. It got cut once again to two at 22-20, leading to an Illini timeout. Illinois went up 24-20, but the Gophers fought back to tie it up at 24-all. An Illini kill made it 25-24, leading to another timeout from Minnesota. The Gophers responded, closing out with a 3-0 run to win the set, 27-25, and the match, 3-1.
Game Notes
» The Gophers are now 46-40-1 all-time against Illinois. Minnesota has won 10 straight and 14 of the last 15 in the series.
» Calissa Minatee posted nine kills on the match. The 'U' is 13-4 when she goes for five-or-more kills.
» Minnesota clinched their 10th straight season winning 12-or-more Big Ten matches.
» Lydia Grote posted multiple aces (two) for the third straight match and 10th time this season.
» Minnesota posted 10+ blocks for the 15th time this season. Their 16 blocks tied a season-high.
» Julia Hanson had 22 kills for her 24th match of the year with 10+. She's had 10-or-more kills in 12 consecutive matches. It was her sixth 20+ kill match, including her fourth in her last five contests.
» Zeynep Palabiyik posted a team-high 15 digs for her 23rd match of the year with 10+. It was her sixth straight in double figures, her longest streak of her career. She also had two aces, her fourth time this year with multiple aces in a match.
» Melani Shaffmaster dished out 35 assists with seven digs, six kills and five blocks.
» Phoebe Awoleye went for a team-high 10 blocks, her third 10+ block match of 2024.
Up Next
Minnesota (19-10, 12-7 Big Ten) hosts Ohio State (14-14, 7-11 B1G) on Wednesday, Nov. 27 at 6 p.m. CT on FS1. It will be the Gophers final regular season match of 2024.
Minnesota executed a furious comeback to get back in the match and take down the Illini in the fourth set. The Gophers trailed 16-6 before finishing on a 21-9 run to earn the win. The 'U' also trailed 18-13 in set three before a late 7-0 spurt helped it gain control.
"People, values, volleyball," said head coach Keegan Cook. "I told our team when we were down in the fourth set, that how we finish the set is going to say a lot about us. It didn't necessarily mean winning it, but I loved the way we responded. Illinois is a very good team and we're happy to get the win tonight."
Julia Hanson led the Gophers with 22 kills and seven digs while Melani Shaffmaster went for 35 assists, seven digs and six kills. Phoebe Awoleye (10 blocks) and Zeynep Palabiyik (15 digs) paced the defense.
The Gophers (19-10, 12-7 Big Ten) hit .281 for the night with 55 kills while Illinois (18-11, 10-9 B1G) hit .197 with 53 kills.
Raina Terry paced Illinois with 20 kills and six digs while Brooke Mosher went for 42 assists and nine digs. Christina Martinez Mundo tallied six service aces to go with 10 digs.
How It Happened
SET 1 | The Illini started strong, scoring the first four points, including two aces. Minnesota would bounce back, scoring five of the next six to tie it up. Awoleye, Hanson, Shaffmster and Wucherer had kills in the spurt. The two teams went back and forth for the next six points before a 4-0 run from the Illini made it 12-8, forcing a Minnesota timeout. The Illini would score two more to cap off a 6-0 run before the 'U' scored again. The Gophers would get as close as five at 16-11 after a Grote kill and a Palabiyik ace, but four out of five after that put UI up 20-12. A kill from Hanson and two straight blocks from Awoleye and Shaffmaster cut the lead to 20-15, forcing a timeout from the hosts. Illinois would eventually close out the set, 25-20. UI hit .364 in the first frame and had three players with four kills each. Minnesota hit .267 and got three kills each from Hanson and Minatee.
SET 2 | Minnesota started as the aggressor in set two, scoring four of the first six. The Illini would get back within one at 5-4 before an 8-2 spurt made it 12-6. Minatee had a pair of kills while Hanson had two in the run. Illinois called a timeout to try and spur the momentum. The Illini cut the deficit to four at 13-9 before a kill and an ace from Hanson made the lead six at 15-9 again. The Gophers would get the lead back up to six at 19-13, forcing UI's final timeout of the frame. UI kept fighting back, getting the deficit to five at 22-17 before coach Cook called his first timeout of the frame. The 'U' would eventually close out the set, 25-18, getting two kills from Hanson and a block from Awoleye and Wucherer.
SET 3 | The Gophers took an early 6-3 lead in the third set, getting a kill and a pair of aces from Grote in addition to two blocks from Awoleye and Hanson. The Illini would cut it to one at 7-6 after a pair of kills before a Minatee kill and a couple UI errors put Minnesota up 11-8. A 4-0 spurt from the home team, which included two service aces from Christina Martinez Mundo, put Illinois up 12-11. The Gophers would tie it at 12 after a Hanson kill before a 3-0 UI run put them up 15-12, leading to a timeout from coach Cook. UI's lead would spike up to as many as five at 18-13 before an error and a pair of Wucherer kills made it 18-16, forcing a timeout. The Gophers refused to slow down after the break, scoring the next four to take a 20-18 lead, capping a 7-0 run. The Illini got back within one at 20-19 and 21-20 before a kill from Grote and a block from Minatee and Grote made it 23-20, forcing another UI timeout. The 'U' eventually closed it out, winning 25-22. Hanson finished the set with a kill. Minnesota finished out the frame on a 12-4 run after trailing 18-13. Elise McGhie was at the service line for a key 7-0 run that turned a five-point deficit into a lead.
SET 4 | The Illini came out hot in set four, scoring five of the first six points to go up 5-1. The Illini went up by five at 8-3 before a couple kills from Minatee helped cut the deficit back to four at 10-6. Consecutive kills from UI after that made it 12-6, forcing a Minnesota timeout. Illinois refused to slow down, scoring four straight after the break to take a commanding 16-6 lead. Three UI attacking errors made it 16-9, leading to their first timeout of the set. The Illini would go up eight again at 18-10 after a pair of kills from Terry before a 4-0 run gave the Gophers hope, trailing 18-13. The 'U' kept chipping away, running the deficit to as few as three at 21-18 after Hanson's 20th kill and a block from Grote and Minatee. It got cut once again to two at 22-20, leading to an Illini timeout. Illinois went up 24-20, but the Gophers fought back to tie it up at 24-all. An Illini kill made it 25-24, leading to another timeout from Minnesota. The Gophers responded, closing out with a 3-0 run to win the set, 27-25, and the match, 3-1.
Game Notes
» The Gophers are now 46-40-1 all-time against Illinois. Minnesota has won 10 straight and 14 of the last 15 in the series.
» Calissa Minatee posted nine kills on the match. The 'U' is 13-4 when she goes for five-or-more kills.
» Minnesota clinched their 10th straight season winning 12-or-more Big Ten matches.
» Lydia Grote posted multiple aces (two) for the third straight match and 10th time this season.
» Minnesota posted 10+ blocks for the 15th time this season. Their 16 blocks tied a season-high.
» Julia Hanson had 22 kills for her 24th match of the year with 10+. She's had 10-or-more kills in 12 consecutive matches. It was her sixth 20+ kill match, including her fourth in her last five contests.
» Zeynep Palabiyik posted a team-high 15 digs for her 23rd match of the year with 10+. It was her sixth straight in double figures, her longest streak of her career. She also had two aces, her fourth time this year with multiple aces in a match.
» Melani Shaffmaster dished out 35 assists with seven digs, six kills and five blocks.
» Phoebe Awoleye went for a team-high 10 blocks, her third 10+ block match of 2024.
Up Next
Minnesota (19-10, 12-7 Big Ten) hosts Ohio State (14-14, 7-11 B1G) on Wednesday, Nov. 27 at 6 p.m. CT on FS1. It will be the Gophers final regular season match of 2024.
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