Match Stats
- No. 2 Minnesota def No. 1 Nebraska 3-2, (21-25, 22-25, 28-26, 25-17, 17-15)
- Minnesota improves to 24-4, 16-3 B1G, Nebraska falls to 26-2, 17-2 B1G
- Hosted by Minnesota
In an epic showdown, No. 2 Minnesota fights a 0-2 deficit to take down No. 1 Nebraska right before Selection Sunday.
The Gophers snapped a Husker 14-game win streak with the five set battle, also making it the first time they have beaten Nebraska in five matches.
The first set started with a Nebraska 7-3 lead, a few Sarah Wilhite kills lessened the Husker lead, making it a one point Husker lead at 13-12. a back and forth battle to the end of the match ended the first set at 25-21. The second set was led by Minnesota late, holding a 21-17 lead, but the Huskers fought back on a 8-1 run to take the set 25-22.
The third set was a back and forth showdown, with the set tied at 24, 25 and 26, but a kill by Alexis Hart and a Nebraska error gave the Gophers the third set 28-26. The fourth set started with a Minnesota 5-0 run, another 4-2 run extended the Gophers lead the 9-2. Minnesota kept the lead the entire set, taking it 25-17.
The fifth set was no different than the rest of the match, a battle. The Gophers opened the set on a 4-1 run, but the Huskers fought back to tie the set up at 5-5. Minnesota held a three point led for most of the set after that, but Nebraska kept coming back, making it a one point set at 12-11 Minnesota up. From there the set was tied at 13, 14 and 15, but a block by Wilhite and Molly Lohman ended the match in favor of the Gophers 17-15.
Sarah Wilhite recorded a double-double of 19 kills and a career-best 25 digs for Minnesota. Setter Samantha Seliger-Swenson also posted a double-double with 59 assists and 19 digs. Three more Gophers added double-digit kills, Hannah Tapp with 16, Alexis Hart posted 13 and Paige Tapp contributed 11 kills and four blocks. Molly Lohman added nine kills and seven blocks.
Adding to the 100 digs the Gophers picked up in the match was Dalianliz Rosado with 20, Katie Schau had 15 and Alyssa Goehner with 14.
For the Huskers, Kadie Rolfzen posted a double-double with 20 kills and 10 digs on a .333 hitting percentage. Mikaela Foecke and Andie Malloy each put down 12 kills, while Briana Holman added 11.
Setter Kelly Hunter handed out 48 assists and 12 digs for a double-double. Libero Justine Wong-Orantes picked up a match high 26 digs.
Press Release
Courtesy of Minnesota Athletics
The No. 2 ranked University of Minnesota volleyball team came back from a 2-0 deficit and trailed 23-20 in the third set to come back and defeat No. 1 Nebraska in five sets Wednesday night, 21-25, 22-25, 28-26, 25-17, 17-15. The win was in front of a sellout crowd of 5401 at the Sports Pavilion.
Minnesota improves to 24-4 overall, 16-3 in the Big Ten, and remains undefeated at home. Nebraska falls to 26-2 and 17-2, just its second loss this season. The Gopher win snapped a Husker 14-match win streak. It was also the first time Nebraska in the five matches.
As a team, the Gophers had 72 kills, 100 digs, and ten blocks. Sarah Wilhite accomplished a double-double with 19 kills and career-high 25 digs. Samantha Seliger-Swenson also added a double-double, with 59 assists and 19 digs. Hannah Tapp had 16 kills with three blocks, Alexis Hart had 13 kills, and Paige Tapp had 11 kills with four blocks. Molly Lohman added nine kills, swinging .533, had and a team-high seven blocks. Dalianliz Rosado had 20 digs, Katie Schau had 15, and Alyssa Goehner had 14.
The Gophers will finish out the Big Ten season at home against No. 3 Wisconsin on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
Set Breakdown:
Set 1: Nebraska hit .265 to Minnesota’s .167 to take the first set 25-21. The Cornhuskers started the set up 7-3, earning four points straight, forcing Minnesota to take its first timeout. A few kills from Wilhite helped to shrink the deficit, and a P Tapp kill forced the Huskers to take their first timeout at 13-12, with Nebraska up by one. A five-point run on P Tapp’s service rotation and a kill from Hart tied up the set at 15, and H Tapp evened the score at 18 and 19. After a few back and forth rallies, Nebraska took over the lead at 23-21, causing Minnesota to take a second timeout. The Huskers would finish out the set.
Set 2: The Cornhuskers hit .178 to the Gophers’ .087 to win the second set 22-25. The set stayed close at the start, until Minnesota pulled ahead for a 13-10 lead, forcing Nebraska to take its first timeout. The Gophers would push the lead to five, but the Huskers slowly decreased the spread to two at 19-17. Two points by Minnesota, one from Hart, forced Nebraska to take its second timeout down 21-17. Two points, this time by Nebraska, caused the Gophers to take their first timeout, still up 21-19. The Huskers continued their run to tie up the set at 21 and 22, and take over the lead at 23 to force a second Minnesota timeout. Nebraska continued the 8-1run to end the set.
Set 3: Minnesota hit .306 to Nebraska’s .220 to win the set 28-26 and stay in the match. Minnesota opened the third set with an ace from Seliger-Swenson. Nebraska responded with a 6-2 run, forcing the Gophers to take a timeout at 6-4. The teams would trade possession, until the Huskers pulled forward for a 15-12 lead. Minnesota would grab three consecutive points, tying the set at 15 and forcing a Nebraska timeout. The Gophers increased their lead to 19-17, but the Huskers took a three-point run of their own, forcing a Minnesota timeout down 20-19. Wilhite broke the streak at 22-20, the Gophers tied it up at 23, and a block by Lohman and Hart forced a Nebraska timeout down 24-23. The set was tied at 24, 25 and 26, but a kill by Hart and a Husker error ended the set for Minnesota.
Set 4: The Gophers hit .304 to Nebraska’s .128 to take the fourth set 25-18 and tie up the match. Minnesota opened set four with a 5-0 run, forcing Nebraska to take a timeout. After a couple long rallies and another run by the Gophers, the Huskers took a second timeout down 9-2. Minnesota continued to hold a strong lead throughout the rest of the set, up by eight a few different times. Nebraska came back at the end of the set, but the Gophers would take the set.
Set 5: Minnesota hit .138 to Nebraska’s .097 to take the set 17-15 and the match. The Gophers opened the fifth set on a 4-1 run, but Nebraska would rally back to tie it up at 5-5, forcing Minnesota to take a timeout. The Gophers added two points, forcing a Nebraska timeout. Minnesota held a three-point lead three different times, but Nebraska cut the lead short to one, forcing the Gophers to take a timeout up 12-11. Minnesota tallied another point, forcing a Husker timeout at 13-11. The set was tied at 13, 14 and 15, but a block by Wilhite and Lohman ended the match.
Press Release
Courtesy of Nebraska Athletics
MINNEAPOLIS – The Nebraska volleyball team will have to wait until Saturday to try and clinch the Big Ten title after No. 2 Minnesota rallied from a 2-0 deficit to defeat the Huskers, 3-2, in front of a crowd of 5,401 at Sports Pavilion on Wednesday night.
Nebraska won the first two sets, 25-21, 25-22. The Huskers held a 23-20 lead in the third set and had match point once, but Minnesota won 28-26 and then took the fourth set, 25-17. A nailbiter of a fifth set ended up in favor of the Gophers, 17-15.
The Huskers (26-2, 17-2 Big Ten) are now tied with Wisconsin for first place in the Big Ten standings and still control their own destiny. Nebraska can clinch at least a share of the Big Ten title with a win over Michigan on Saturday night at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. A Nebraska win combined with a Wisconsin loss at Minnesota would give the Huskers the outright title.
Nebraska’s 14-match overall winning streak and 17-match road winning streak were erased at the hands of the Gophers, who kept their hopes of sharing the Big Ten title alive.
Kadie Rolfzen had 20 kills, 10 digs and hit .333 to lead the Huskers. Mikaela Foecke and Andie Malloy chipped in 12 kills, and Briana Holman had 11 kills and six blocks. Amber Rolfzen led the team with seven blocks and had six kills.
Kelly Hunter had 48 assists and 12 digs, and Justine Wong-Orantes had 26 digs.
Minnesota was led by Sarah Wilhite‘s 19 kills and 25 digs. The Gophers had a .200 to .183 hitting advantage and a 100-86 edge in digs. The Huskers outblocked Minnesota, 15-10.
Although Nebraska had a 7-2 advantage in service aces, they committed 11 service errors.
Set 1: The Huskers went up 7-3 with a 5-0 run on the serve of Kadie Rolfzen, which included an ace. Foecke smashed a kill for a 10-5 lead, but the Gophers ran off three points to pull within 10-8. Minnesota cut it to 13-12 before Kadie Rolfzen blasted a cross-court kill after a Husker timeout. A block by the Rolfzen twins made it 15-12, but Minnesota rallied to take a 17-15 lead with a 5-0 run of its own. Malloy snapped the run with a kill and Kadie Rolfzen served an ace to level the set at 17-17. The teams sided out on eight straight rallies, the last of which came on a Holman blast that made it 22-21 and began a 4-0 Husker run to end the set. A Kadie Rolfzen kill made it 23-21 and forced a Minnesota timeout. The Huskers grabbed set point at 24-21, and an ace by Foecke earned the Big Red the 25-21 win. NU outhit the Gophers .265 to .167, but Minnesota hung tough behind its defense, which produced 30 digs.
Set 2: The teams put on a defensive clinic early as neither team could gain separation. The Huskers committed three service errors, however, allowing Minnesota to claim a 10-8 advantage, the first two-point advantage for either team. Minnesota went ahead 15-10 with three straight kills and a Husker hitting error. Amber Rolfzen and Foecke pulled NU within 15-12, and a block by the duo made it 15-13 Gophers. Minnesota led 18-14 before Foecke got a kill and Holman hammered back an overpass to get back within two, 18-16. But Minnesota had an answer each time the Huskers cut it to two and eventually built a 21-17 lead. The Huskers’ comeback attempt after a timeout began with a Holman kill and a Minnesota hitting error, making it 21-19 Gophers. Minnesota took a timeout, but Maloney bump set Malloy for a kill, and Minnesota hit wide, tying the set at 21-21. Wong-Orantes continued to serve, but Minnesota got its first block of the match to go up 22-21. A block by the Rolfzens knotted the set before Malloy snuck a kill through blockers for a 23-22 Husker lead, their first since leading 6-5. After another Minnesota timeout, Amber Rolfzen and Malloy teamed up for a stuff block and set point, 24-22. The Huskers took the 25-22 win on another kill by Malloy, which came after Wong-Orantes kept alive a powerful hit from the Gophers.
Set 3: Nebraska rallied from 4-2 down to a 6-4 lead with a 4-0 run thanks to a Kadie Rolfzen kill, two Minnesota errors and a block by Hunter and Amber Rolfzen. Minnesota drew even at 6-6 before a sideout battle ensued. The Huskers answered each tie with a kill, and Foecke posted a kill before an ace by Annika Albrecht for a 15-12 Husker lead. The Gophers scored three straight to level the score at 15-15 and force a Nebraska timeout. They continued their run after the timeout with a Hannah Tapp kill for a 16-15 lead. Amber Rolfzen ended Minnesota’s serve with a kill, and a block by Hunter and Holman put NU back in front, 17-16. The Gophers regained a 19-17 lead before serving long. Kadie Rolfzen terminated to make it 19-19, and Holman tacked on a kill for a 20-19 Husker lead. Hunter fed Holman for another kill after a Minnesota timeout, and Holman and Kadie Rolfzen combined for a block and a 22-19 Husker lead, capping a 5-0 run. Kadie Rolfzen swung NU to a 23-20 lead, but Minnesota scored four straight points, two off blocks, to take a 24-23 lead. The Huskers called timeout, and Holman fought off Minnesota’s set point with her 10th kill. Wong-Orantes served an ace for match point for the Huskers, but Minnesota found the floor to make it 25-25. The Gophers picked up set point again with a block, but Kadie Rolfzen came up with a clutch kill to keep the set going. But Hart got a kill for the Gophers and the Huskers committed an attacking error to give Minnesota the 28-26 win.
Set 4: The Gophers carried their momentum into the fourth set, taking a 5-0 lead. Minnesota built the lead to eight at 15-7, but kills by Holman and Kadie Rolfzen, and an ace serve by Kenzie Maloney trimmed it to five, 15-10. The Huskers could get no closer though, as Minnesota rebuilt its lead to 18-11. Olivia Boender came off the bench and hammered a kill to make it 19-13, but the Gophers maintained control throughout the set, forcing a fifth with a 25-18 win.
Set 5: Minnesota sprinted out to a 4-1 advantage. A kill by Malloy after a long rally, and a block by Malloy and Amber Rolfzen pulled the Huskers within 5-4. Hunter won a joust to bring the Huskers back even at 5-5, and Minnesota took a timeout. The Gophers rejected a Husker attack and got a kill from Wilhite to go back ahead 7-5 and force a Husker timeout. A dump by Hunter was followed by a Wilhite kill to give Minnesota an 8-6 lead as the teams changed sides. Wilhite continued to attack and put Minnesota ahead 10-7 before committing a hitting error. Nebraska trailed 12-9 when Malloy got a kill, and Kadie Rolfzen blasted an overpass after a tough Wong-Orantes serve to cut it to 12-11. A Husker hitting error gave Minnesota a 13-11 lead, but Kadie Rolfzen and Malloy terminated kills to even the set at 13-13. Minnesota had match point at 14-13 and 15-14, but the Huskers fought it off both times. Minnesota went ahead 16-15 on a Husker service error and this time won the set, 17-15, and match with a block.
Up Next: The Huskers conclude the regular season with Senior Night against No. 18 Michigan on Saturday at 7 p.m., at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. The match will be carried on Husker Sports Network affiliates and televised on NET.
Leave a Reply