Minnesota volleyball falls 3-1 to Nebraska, despite strong defense
MINNEAPOLIS — Despite coming home with a loss, Gopher women's volleyball put up a fight against Nebraska on Thursday, holding them to one of their 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 which saw the collapse of the team's pillars of strong blocking and defense. But they also knew it would be a tough task to pull off a win against the No. 2 team in the country in Lincoln.
Still, the Gophers were able to take the second set thanks to senior opposite 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 in the season Nebraska was held to under .200; the other was in their only loss to Southern Methodist University.
The bright spot for the Gophers continues to be Julia Hanson, the junior outside hitter whose exponential improvement has made her the anchor for the team's offense. She had 20 kills on the night and 10 digs, and was able to show off her hitting range.
Redshirt freshman Alex Acevedo also had a breakout defensive night with 20 digs. Though she wasn't able to produce on the offensive side, she was able to keep her team alive in long rallies, and also proved to be reliable in serve receive.
For Nebraska, Harper Murray led the team with 13 kills, and middle blocker Andi Jackson hit a with a .471 efficiency. Taylor Landfair, who transferred from Minnesota to Nebraska this year, struggled to produce, hitting just .067.
Up next: Michigan
The Gophers return home to a sold-out crowd on Sunday for their second machup against the Wolverines. The last time the two teams met, the Gophers swept them 3-0 in one of the most offensively-balanced games they've played all season.
"We were good late in some sets, I thought, where there were opportunities to fold in serve receive and not execute. And we just looked calm, and did the things we're supposed to do," head coach Keegan Cook said. "I thought we were really composed in some moments that mattered."
The Gophers take on Michigan at 2 p.m. Sunday.
