No. 17 Gophers Fend Off Fighting Hawks, Win Fifth Straight

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GREEN BAY, Wis. -- The No. 17 Minnesota volleyball team tallied a .433 hitting percentage en route to a three-set victory (25-16, 25-9, 25-13) over the North Dakota Fighting Hawks Friday at Kress Events Center. With the win, Minnesota has now swept five straight matches heading into its non-conference finale tomorrow against Chicago State.

Defensively, Minnesota held North Dakota (6-4, 0-0 Summit League) to just .034 hitting. Minnesota tallied eight blocks compared to just two for UND. The Gophers also posted eight service aces, including seven in the final two sets.

Julia Hanson finished with 11 kills on the day to lead the Golden Gophers (6-3, 0-0 Big Ten) offense while finishing with a hitting percentage of .476. The 'U' got 10 digs from Zeynep Palabiyik along with five blocks from Calissa Minatee to lead them defensively. Chloe Ng posted a career-high three service aces after subbing in for the Gophers in the second set.

North Dakota was paced by seven kills from Cala Cooper and 10 digs from Lizzie McCormick.

How It Happened
SET 1 | The Golden Gophers won the first point and never trailed to secure the first set 25-16. Minnesota opened up its biggest lead, nine points, to finish off the set.

SET 2 | Minnesota built on a set-one win by securing a dominant 25-9 victory in set two. The Gophers grabbed the set powered by a strong showing on the attacking end. Minnesota registered a .471 attack percentage with eight kills in the set win. The Gophers trailed 6-4 in the set before finishing on a 21-3 run. Chloe Ng totaled two of the three Gophers aces in the set.

SET 3 | Minnesota took set three to win in straight sets. The Gophers took control of the set early and never trailed to win 25-13. Minnesota ended on a strong note, opening up its biggest lead of the stanza, 12 points, to close out the set. The Minnesota offense also got a boost from four aces in the frame.

Game Notes
» Minnesota attackers combined to hit .433 in the match. It's the first time since Oct. 9, 2022 that Minnesota hit .400 in a match (.461 at Michigan St.).
» The Gophers held UND to .034 hitting, their third time this season holding a team under .100.
» Minnesota moved to 6-0 all-time in the series against North Dakota.
» Chloe Ng had a career-high three aces in the win. She had never recorded a collegiate ace before Friday.
» Julia Hanson had a match-high 11 kills for Minnesota. It was her
» Minnesota got a team-high 10 digs from Zeynep Palabiyik. It was Palabiyik's eighth match this season with 10+ digs.
» Minnesota attackers were helped by a match-high 19 assists from Melani Shaffmaster.
» Alex Acevedo posted nine kills on a career-best .444 hitting. She also had a career-best nine digs.

Up Next
Minnesota plays Chicago State tomorrow at noon at the Kress Center. Gopher Sports will again stream the match on YouTube.

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