The Gophers went on the road this weekend, hoping for a split against two tough Big Ten teams. Unfortunately, the Gophers dropped both matches against 9th-ranked Penn State and Ohio StateâÄîbringing their conference record to 4-4. The Gophers lost a tough four-set match to Penn State on FridayâÄî25-22, 25-14, 21-25, 25-16âÄîand their third-set win would be the only set theyâÄôd take on the weekend. Sophomore Tabitha Love led the Gophers with 12 kills and eight digs while senior Lauren Gibbemeyer had 11 kills and two blocks. It was GibbemeyerâÄôs first match back playing with the team after suffering a wrist injury on Sept. 4. The Gophers continued to struggle on Saturday, losing 3-0 against unranked Ohio StateâÄî25-23, 25-20, 25-17. With home-court advantage playing a major role in the Big Ten this season, the Gophers canâÄôt help but be excited to play at home next weekendâÄîeven though their schedule wonâÄôt get any easier. Minnesota hosts 8th-ranked Illinois on Friday and unranked Wisconsin on Sunday; Illinois boosts a 7-1 record in the conference with Wisconsin falling in tied for last place with a 1-7 record.