Biggest Volleyball Weekend Arrives

Last Saturday one of the best played Big Ten matches in recent memory occurred in Madison, as the resurgent Badgers knocked off the #2 Gophers 3-2 in a match that could’ve gone either way. It was a game that battled Minnesota’s defensive tenacity against Wisconsin’s athleticism and did not disappoint, as neither team deserved to lose.

Trailing two games to one, Wisconsin rallied back to win the match 30-27 20-30 28-30 30-27 17-15 in a classic in front of a Halloween crowd at the UW Field House. In game one, the Badgers started off hot and never allowed to Gophers back into the game. Minnesota made several runs but ran out of time as the Badgers prevailed 30-27.

In the second game, the Gophers played with authority and crushed the Badgers from the beginning, out-hit Wisconsin .394 to .125 for the game, and rolled to an easy 30-20 win. In the third game, Minnesota continued to play with the confidence that it has displayed all season, staying mentally sound and keeping a slight edge on the Badgers until they took the game 30-27.

Minnesota looked as if it would roll to a four game victory as the Gophers continued to look strong at the beginning of the fourth game. However, the Badgers began playing tough defense and getting a touch on a lot of the Minnesota kill attempts. This allowed the Badgers to hang with the Minnesota hitters, and the Badgers took control of the game, winning 30-27 to set up the decisive game five.

The Badgers came out on fire to start game five, taking an early lead at 7-3 and looking very confident. The Gophers stayed mentally tough and rallied back to eventually tie the match at 13 with Paula Gentil serving. The Badgers, however, managed to get the side-out and have a match point at 14-13. Both teams sided-out until the score was 16-15 in favor of the Badgers when Maria Carlini got the kill for the Badgers off the high hands.

For the match, Minnesota was led by Erin Martin, who had a fantastic night with 29 kills while hitting a red-hot .375. The player of the match for Minnesota, however, was Kelly Bowman, who had one of her best nights as a Gopher with 17 kills at a .552 clip, she also added 10 digs, 26 set assists and 4 blocks. Trisha Bratford added 21 kills. Paula Gentil spearheaded the defensive effort for Minnesota with 31 digs to go with her three service aces. The Gophers dominated in every statistical category, leading in hitting percentage, blocking, digs and service aces. UW was led by Sheila Shaw, who had 24 kills while Jill Odenthal added 20 for the victorious Badgers.

Friday night, Minnesota rolled over the hapless Northwestern Wildcats, 30-17 30-17 30-24 behind strong offensive and defensive efforts. The Gophers out-hit NU .351-.026 behind 13 kills from Trisha Bratford. Lindsey Taatjes tied a career high with 9 kills and hit a blistering .727. Minnesota forced Northwestern into 29 errors to balance their 32 kills.

This weekend, the Big Ten Conference Title comes through Minneapolis, as the #5 Gophers take on the #6 Nittany Lions of Penn State and #7 Ohio State in what should be the best weekend of volleyball in Minneapolis in years.

On Friday night, the Gophers look to sweep the Lions for the year. Penn State is tied with Minnesota for second in the conference with a 10-2 record. The Lions mirror the Gophers, featuring a steady offense led by quality setting, and tenacious defense. The kill leaders for Penn State are outside hitters Ashley Pederson and Kim Price, while middles Cassy Salyer and Kim Holm lead the team in hitting efficiency. The kills are distributed by the Big Ten’s best setter, Sam Totorello who plays strong defense along with libero Kaleena Walter.

Saturday, the Gophers welcome the first-place Buckeyes of Ohio State to the Sports Pavilion. OSU features the nation’s best player, senior outside hitter Stacey Gordon. In the last meeting, Gordon ate the Gophers defense alive, and another 30+ kill outing will need to be avoided if Minnesota expects to win. The Buckeyes have a solid group of players to compliment Gordon, especially setter Marisa Main, middle blocker Maya Mapp and freshmen sensations Danielle Meyer and Ami Stevens. To win the match, Minnesota will have to play better defense than they played in Columbus. Additionally, the offense will have to continue clicking as it did last weekend.

If Minnesota sweeps the weekend, they’re in the driver’s seat for the Big Ten title. If they lose one, they’ll need some help, and if they lose both, it’ll be a long road to the title. Both matches are at 7 pm at the Sports Pavilion, Friday and Saturday.