The Gophers made quick work of NDSU Friday night, sweeping the Bison 25-28, 25-14, 25-14 while holding NDSU to a .052 hitting percentage. Lauren Gibbemeyer and Kyla Roehrig led the Gophers offensively, as each finished the night with 11 kills. Roehrig hit a scalding .647 while Gibbemeyer hit .364. Also playing well offensively was Katie Vatterrodt, who collected 8 kills while hitting .412. Minnesota hit .317 as a team, and out-blocked NDSU 7-2. The Gophers will play Iowa State Saturday at 7 p.m. for an opportunity to advance to the regionals in Austin Texas. ————————————————————- The Gophers used its strong offense and good ball control to pick up the win in the second set, cruising past NDSU 25-14. Minnesota committed just one hitting error to hit .536 in the set. Roehrig added five more kills to her total, as did Gibbemeyer. Vatterrodt has been the other big hitter, as she collected six kills over the first two sets. The Bison, meanwhile, were stifled by the Gophers’ defense, as NDSU collected just nine kills in the set. After two sets, Minnesota is outblocking the Bison 4-1. ————————————————————-

Minnesota jumped out to an early lead, taking the first set of the opening round of NCAA tournament play, 25-18 over North Dakota State. Senior outside hitter Kyla Roehrig had a strong opening performance, collecting four kills from the right side on just six swings.

The Gophers spread the ball around, getting offensive production from seven different players, and out-hitting NDSU .250-.108 in the set. Senior outside hitter Katie Vatterrodt and sophomore middle blocker Lauren Gibbemeyer collected three kills apiece, hitting .400 and .500, respectively.

-Krista Chin contributed to this story.