No. 2 Minnesota capped off its conference-opening weekend with a 3-1 win over No. 18 Ohio State at the Minnesota Sports Pavilion Saturday.

The Gophers took the first set 25-16, and commanded an early lead with a 8-1 run before a Buckeyes timeout. The raucous Sports Pavilion crowd saw three Ohio State service errors, while senior middle blockers Paige and Hannah Tapp both had three kills. Senior outside hitter Sarah Wilhite added three more of her own in the set and sophomore setter Samantha-Seliger-Swenson led the Gophers in assists and digs, with seven and six respectively.

Minnesota was victorious again in the second set and won 25-18. The Gophers started slow and went down 1-4 early. They then knotted up the score at 8-8, before going on an 11-2 run. Wilhite and freshman outside hitter Alexis Hart finished with five kills each in the set, followed by junior middle blocker Molly Lohman with four.

Ohio State made the match interesting with a 25-18 win in the third set, which brought the overall score to 2-1 and spoiled a Gophers sweep. Ohio State hit a much improved .359, compared to a match-low of .200 for Minnesota. Ohio State also had three blocks during the set, after only having one all match prior to the third set. Wilhite had three kills, and junior libero Dalianliz Rosado had a service ace and three digs.

The fourth set was a dogfight for both squads and ended with a tight score of 25-22, in favor of Minnesota. Both teams traded points throughout the set until the score was tied at 18. The Gophers went on a 5-1 run afterward off of three Ohio State hitting errors, a block, and a kill by Wilhite. Wilhite ended the match with a kill.

Minnesota was led by Wilhite, who had 15 kills and hit .316. Hart followed with nine kills, and Hannah Tapp and Lohman tallied seven each. Seliger-Swenson chipped in 35 assists, and Rosado, Seliger-Swenson, and Wilhite tied for the team lead for digs with eleven apiece.

Minnesota goes on the road to face Indiana on September 30th.