The Minnesota Gophers volleyball team, led by a strong defensive effort, swept the Green Bay Phoenix on the road Thursday (25-16, 25-21, 25-20) to move to 5-3 on the season.
While the Gophers hit only .194 on the night, their defense was fantastic.
Minnesota had 12 blocks — led by Calissa Minatee’s match-high five and four apiece from Phoebe Awoleye and Mckenna Wucherer — and held Green Bay to a .000 hitting percentage in front of their home fans.
The Gophers never trailed in the first set. They started strong and used an early 6-0 run to jump out to a 9-2 lead over the Phoenix. They cruised from there, committing just four errors in the set, Minnesota’s best of the night.
Set 2 definitely wasn’t as pretty for the Gophers. The Maroon and Gold committed nine errors and hit just .034, and Green Bay led 16-14 midway through the stanza. However, from there, the Gophers went on an 11-5 run, aided by several Green Bay errors to go up two sets to none on the Phoenix.
The third frame was a mix of the first two sets. Minnesota started fast and took an early 9-4 lead, similar to the first set. However, the errors from the second set resurfaced and held the Phoenix lead 17-15. Then, the Gophers turned it on again, using a 5-0 burst to take control and finish the sweep.