The University of Minnesota volleyball team lost to the University of Wisconsin-Madison in three sets and ended their regular season on Friday night at Maturi Pavilion.
The No. 10 Badgers took control of the No. 18 Gophers with a final score of 25-18, 25-18, and 25-17.
Given that Minnesota and Wisconsin have one of the most intense Big Ten rivalries, the matchup felt even more important. While the two schools are famous for their football competition over the Axe, the volleyball teams have added to this rivalry.
Freshman Carly Gilk’s mom is from Wisconsin, but the second Gilk joined the Minnesota team, she quickly threw away her Wisconsin gear.
The Friday game was the last regular-season home game for Minnesota’s seniors, and it was an emotional time for the team. Freshman Kelly Kinney, senior Julia Hanson, redshirt senior Lauren Crowl and graduate student Lourdès Myers put in their all, backing up their teammates and scoring important points. The graduating class reflected on the fans, their teammates and the memories that shaped their experiences at Maturi Pavilion.
Myers spoke about what that support means to her in her last year with the Gophers.
“The fans at the Pav are amazing, and it’s something I’m really going to miss,” Myers said. “Our fans bring so much momentum, and their support helps so much.”
Wisconsin got off to a strong start by scoring eight points in a row, but Minnesota quickly tightened up their defense, making it tough for Wisconsin to keep scoring.
Kinney and Hanson were the leaders of the team, earning points with seven and six kills, respectively.
Freshman McKenna Garr stopped Wisconsin from gaining a big lead in the game by making quick saves and dives to maintain Minnesota’s momentum.
Near the end of the second set, Minnesota’s performance improved as the Gophers managed to score several points in a row.
Although the team showed strong efforts, Minnesota ultimately fell to Wisconsin. This loss puts Minnesota’s overall record at 22-9 and 12-8 in the Big Ten, indicating a solid performance that kept the Gophers in the running to host the first two rounds of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament. With this being announced on Sunday evening, Minnesota is excited about starting the postseason at home, where the team has shown some of its best volleyball this season.
Crowl stated that the team is ready to move forward and focus on the positives.
“We battled hard, and we know we still have a lot of good volleyball left in us,” Crowl said.
Despite their loss against Wisconsin, Minnesota is still optimistic about the NCAA Tournament coming up.
They earned the No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Minnesota will face Fairfield this Friday night and either Iowa State University or St. Thomas University Saturday night. These games will be taking place at 7:00 p.m. at the Maturi Pavilion.
Both the coaches and the players plan to apply the lessons learned from the Wisconsin game to improve their postseason performance. Throughout the season, the team has shown their strength and kept up with the competition. The Gophers are getting ready to focus their energy and aim for success.
