Stacey Gordon Ends Volleyball’s Run at #1

Last Friday in Columbus, Minnesota faced the buzz-saw that is Stacey Gordon. The undefeated Buckeyes relied almost solely on their All-American to get them past the Gophers 30-24 30-23 18-30 30-24. The Ohio State senior pounded 36 kills, a four game rally scoring record for a Minnesota opponent, while hitting at a .368 clip. The striking storyline was that the Buckeyes beat Minnesota at their own game, surprisingly out serving and out digging the Gophers. Minnesota was led by Erin Martin who tallied 19 kills in the losing effort; Trisha Bratford added 14 and Kelly Bowman finished with 12 kills on the night.

After the lackluster match in Columbus, the team headed to State College to play at the hardest road venue in the Big Ten, Penn State’s Rec Hall. In front of a crowd of nearly 4,000, Minnesota knocked off the undefeated Nittany Lions 34-36 30-28 30-27 26-30 15-11 behind a Big Ten record 47 digs from Paula Gentil. Minnesota overcame a heart-breaking game one and stormed back to edge Penn State in the next two games. After dropping game four, Minnesota won another five game match this season, riding a balanced effort and strong serving from Jen Bowman to victory.

Several Gophers had standout matches in this pivotal match. Aside from Paula Gentil‘s defensive record, Erin Martin tallied a rare 30 kill match for the Gophers. Erin became just the eighth player in Minnesota history to achieve the 30 kill plateau. Kelly Bowman finished her fantastic weekend by recording her fifth triple double of the season, tallying 16 kills, 34 assists and 21 digs while hitting .412. Trisha Bratford slammed home 21 kills and Lindsey Taatjes recorded a career-high 8 blocks. Most importantly, the Gophers split the hardest weekend in Big Ten volleyball, allowing them to stay within one game of league leader Ohio State.

This Friday, the Gophers will host rival Wisconsin at the Sports Pavilion in what should be an exciting opening match in this always intriguing rivalry. The Badgers (8-4) have taken a rare tumble out of the top 25 this season while dealing with a line-up that has been in a constant flux. Wisconsin opened the season utilizing freshman Jackie Simpson at setter, but stumbled to a 6-4 record. Coach Pete Waite replaced Simpson with sophomore Katie Lorenzen in the setter position early in the Northwestern match, and the Badgers responded with an easy victory. Lorenzen also led Wisconsin to a 3-1 victory over the 19th ranked Illini on Sunday.

Wisconsin is a very athletic squad led on offense by junior middle blocker Sheila Shaw and senior right-side hitter Jill Odenthal. The Badgers are the Big Ten’s top blocking team, as Sheila Shaw and touted freshman Taylor Reineke lead the way. While, talented, the Badgers have been plagued by mental breakdowns and inconsistency over the last couple seasons. Playing against a gritty Minnesota team that thrives on making opponents uncomfortable with their strong defense could spell trouble for the Badgers if they get frustrated. Additionally, Wisconsin has been suffering from a poor service game this season, which won’t be acceptable if they want to hang with the Gophers. Minnesota will be looking to win its 5th straight in the border battle.

On Saturday, Minnesota will square off with the Northwestern Wildcats in a Saturday match up at the Sports Pavilion. Northwestern has yet to win a match, or a game for that matter, in Big Ten play, although they square off against fellow cellar-dweller Iowa, on Friday night. Northwestern has faced a tough schedule this season, playing Stanford, Long Beach State and Florida, but just don’t have the weapons to compete with the top programs this season. The Wildcats are led by sophomore Julie Purcell, a high school sensation who is just finding her groove in the Big Ten. If Minnesota comes to play on Saturday, they should romp easily and possibly hold Northwestern to a negative hitting percentage.