Minnesota pulled off a huge statement sweep over Wisconsin and the First win over the Badgers since 2018. They pulled off the sweep after storming back from a five-point deficit late in the third set. The win put an end to a six-match losing streak against Wisconsin. Taylor Landfair had a standout night with 17 kills on .394 hitting and McKenna Wucherer followed with nine kills on .333 hitting. The combo of Landfair and Wucherer at the pins is a dangerous duo. Melani Shaffmaster had a masterful night at setter — she posted 39 assists but also SIX kills, including a full-out cross-court rip on game-point to seal the sweep.
The Gophers outhit the Badgers .360 to .206 and posted 22 total blocks. Ellie Husemann was a big contributor to the big Minnesota block tonight, with seven to her name.
Sarah Franklin led the Badgers with 14 kills, and Julia Orzol added 11 kills.
The Badgers did NOT want to be swept tonight. They went on a 4-0 run behind THREE service aces from Sarah Franklin to take a 13-11 lead. They rode with the momentum and became the first to 20 on a 3-0 run, up 20-15 with a good five-point cushion. But then came the Gophers. Minnesota fueled a 7-2 run to tie the set up at 22, and all of a sudden a sweep for the Gophers seemed quite possible. Then from there, the set was tied at 24, 25, 26 and 27. The Gophers picked up match point and thought they secured the sweep when Kelly Sheffield challenged the call. The point was given back to Wisconsin, but on the very next play the Gophers sealed the victory without a doubt on a big swing from Shaffmaster.
Minnesota made a huge statement in the Big Ten with this win and responded to the loss against Purdue with an exclamation point. Let's just say Power 10 rankings are not going to be easy after this week in college volleyball.
A 🧹SWEEP🧹 Sunday night! pic.twitter.com/9ziYeDvwgM
— Minnesota Volleyball (@GopherVBall) September 26, 2022
For a set-by-set recap of the match, click or tap here.
