MINNEAPOLIS— Despite coming home with a loss, Gopher women’s volleyball battled Nebraska on Thursday, holding them to one of the lowest hitting efficiencies of the season.
The No. 16 Gophers were hoping to bounce back after two losses last week against Washington and Oregon; two games in which the team’s pillars of strong blocking and defense collapsed. But they also knew it would be a tough task to get a win in Lincoln against the No. 2 team in the country.
Still, the Gophers managed to take the second set thanks to senior Lydia Grote’s seven kills. And with a strong defensive performance overall, they were able to hold Nebraska to a .199 hitting percentage. It was only the second time all season that Nebraska was held below .200; the other suffered their only loss against Southern Methodist University.
The bright spot for the Gophers remains Julia Hanson, the junior outside hitter whose exponential improvement has made her the anchor for the team’s offense. She had 20 kills and 10 digs that night, showing off her punching range.
Redshirt freshman Alex Acevedo also had a defensive night with 20 digs. Although she was unable to produce on the attacking side, she was able to keep her team alive during long rallies and also proved to be reliable when receiving serves.
For Nebraska, Harper Murray led the team with 13 kills, and middle blocker Andi Jackson hit an a with an efficiency of .471. Taylor Landfair, who transferred from Minnesota to Nebraska this year, struggled to produce and hit just .067.
University of Minnesota Athletics
Next: Michigan
The Gophers return home to a sold-out crowd on Sunday for their second game against the Wolverines. The last time the two teams met, the Gophers defeated them 3-0 in one of the most offensively balanced games they have played all season.
“We were good late in some sets, I thought, where there were opportunities to fill serve and not execute. And we just looked composed and did the things we needed to do,” head coach Keegan Cook said. “I thought we were really calm in some moments that mattered.”
The Gophers will take on Michigan on Sunday at 2 p.m.
