The No. 15 Minnesota volleyball team took down the Michigan Wolverines in three sets (25-23, 25-19, 25-21) on Sunday afternoon at Cliff Keen Arena. The Gophers have now won four straight conference matches and seven of their past eight.
“There was never a time when it felt like our team wasn’t together today,” said redshirt senior Lydia Grote. “We had the same goals in mind and were very consistent in our mindset. We have two big matches coming up versus Washington and Oregon this week and we plan to have that same mindset – just digging every ball and swinging hard. We just have to keep working at it.”
The Gophers (16-6, 9-3 Big Ten) hit .277 for the night, getting three different players in double figures in kills while Melani Shaffmaster tallied 31 assists to pace the offense.
Lydia Grote led the Gophers with 13 kills while Julia Hanson had 12 and a career-best four service aces. Calissa Minatee led the defense, which had nine blocks, with five of her own.
Valentina Vaulet led Michigan (16-7, 6-6 Big Ten) with 12 kills and six digs while Morgan Burke posted a double-double with 31 assists and 12 digs.
How It Happened
SET 1 | Michigan came out hot, scoring six of the first nine points. The Gophers would respond, tallying four of the next five, paced by two straight blocks, to tie it up at 7-7. The Wolverines got a trio of kills to go up 11-8 before the Gophers answered with three straight, including a stuff from Grote and Awoleye. The ‘U’ took its first lead of the set at 15-14 heading into the media break. A 3-0 spurt by the Wolverines put the home team up 17-15 and coach Cook called his first timeout. A 5-3 Gophers run put the visitors up 20-19 after Wucherer’s second kill of the set. UM would retake the lead at 22-21 before Minnesota took it back at 24-23, leading to Michigan’s second timeout of the set. Grote then finished off set one with an ace after her kill at 24-23 put her team up one. She finished the first frame with four kills and two blocks as well.
SET 2 | The two teams went back and forth to begin set two, splitting the first 14 points. Minnesota went on the first mini run of the set, scoring three straight to go up 10-7 after kills from Shaffmaster, Grote and Wucherer. Michigan called its first timeout of the set after the third point. Michigan would slice the lead to just one at 13-12 before three more points in-a-row from the ‘U’ made it 16-12, forcing Michigan’s final timeout of the frame. After a service error, the visitors kept their momentum going, scoring three straight to take a set-high six point lead at 19-13. The ‘U’ would go up by as many as eight at 23-15 before UM tallied three in-a-row, forcing a Gophers timeout. The Wolverines would get it to as few as four at 23-19 before kills from Grote and Hanson ended it, 25-19. Grote (9 kills) and Wucherer (8) paced the Minnesota offense through two sets.
SET 3 | The Wolverines again went up early in set three, scoring four of the first six points. Minnesota would respond, tallying six of the next seven to go up 8-5 and force a UM timeout. Hanson had a pair of aces and a kill in the spurt. Michigan tied it up at 8-8 before three straight ‘U’ points made it 11-8, visitors. The Wolverines would score five of six after that to retake the lead at 13-12. UM would come back to take the lead at 13-12 before the Gophers got hot, scoring six of the next eight to go up 18-15. Michigan would never lead again, although the cut Minnesota’s advantage to just one three separate times. Two straight kills from Hanson ended the match with Minnesota taking the set, 25-21.
Game Notes
» The ‘U’ is now 64-16 all-time against Michigan. Minnesota has won 13 of the last 14 in the series, with the loss coming in 2021, a five-set loss in Ann Arbor. The Gophers have swept Michigan five straight times.
» Minnesota has now won four consecutive matches and seven of the last eight, moving to 9-3 in the Big Ten.
» Calissa Minatee posted five blocks, her 17th match this year with three-or-more blocks.
» Phoebe Awoleye tallied four blocks, her 15th this year with four-or-more.
» Julia Hanson set a new career-high with four service aces. She also had 12 kills for her 17th match of the year with 10+.
» Lydia Grote posted her 12th 10+ kill match of the season, going for a team-high 13 kills.
» Mckenna Wucherer posted 11 kills for her third consecutive 10+ kill match and seventh of the season.
» The Gophers earned their 11th sweep of the season, including their sixth of Big Ten play.
» Melani Shaffmaster tallied three kills and now sits at 402 in her career. She is the first Gophers setter to hit 400 in her career.
Up Next
Minnesota (16-6, 9-3 Big Ten) hosts Washington (17-4, 7-4 B1G) on Thursday night at Maturi Pavilion.
(info and stock photo courtesy of Gopher Sports)
