Hot off a 2nd place finish at the Big Ten conference tournament, the A-team was primed for another top finish at the Midwest Intercollegiate Volleyball Association Championships at Purdue University.
And that's exactly what the Gophers did, knocking off two top-10 teams en route to a 3rd place finish. Minnesota came in as the No. 2 seed in its pool with Marquette as the top seed, Dayton at No. 3 and Northern Illinois at No. 4. The Gophers swept Northern Illinois 25-22, 25-20 and Dayton 25-19, 25-23 before the mid-afternoon break. In a heated, close match with No. 9 Marquette, the Gophers eventually lost in three: 25-22, 23-25, 11-15. The loss cemented Minnesota in 2nd place for the pool and into a crossover match with Purdue, who went undefeated in pool play, for a rematch of the Big Ten conference tournament final. With revenge in mind, Minnesota upset No. 5 Purdue on its home court 25-22, 25-20 to secure a top-4 seed for Sunday's bracket play. And a long day at the gym Saturday wouldn't hold the Gophers back Sunday. Minnesota played arguably its cleanest match of the season in a 25-14, 25-13 trouncing of Michigan State. Then, the Gophers followed that up with another quarterfinals victory in the Border Battle vs. No. 8 Wisconsin, winning both games by a score of 25-21. After that, Minnesota matched up with No. 6 Ohio State again for a chance to play in the MIVAs finals. But Ohio State proved to be too much for Minnesota to handle, winning 25-18, 25-19 over the maroon and gold. With another strong finish, it's likely the Gophers will move up again in the NCVF rankings released April 1 and secure a 1- or 2-seed for the NCVF National Tournament set to begin April 9.
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Minnesota's performance at the Big Ten conference tournament Saturday apparently captured the attention of the NCVF community.
In the most recent edition of the Mizuno Men's Division I poll, Minnesota jumped from unranked to No. 14. The Gophers will travel to Purdue University for the Midwest Intercollegiate Volleyball Association Championships March 28-29. Over a month removed from an underwhelming 4-5 showing at the Big Ten Round Robins, the A-team bounced back at the Big Ten Championships in a very B1G way.
Despite starting the day in 6th place, Minnesota fought and clawed its way to the championship match before falling in 3 games to reigning champion Purdue. The Gophers began the day in a 3-team pool with top-seeded Ohio State and Iowa. Despite dropping the first game 12-25 against Iowa, Minnesota bounced back to win the match 2-1. Ohio State, who has held its own against Minnesota all season, swept the Gophers 25-14, 25-21. From there, Minnesota squared off against Illinois in the quarterfinals. The Gophers took care of business though, defeating Illinois 25-19, 25-21 to avenge a loss in the exact same quarterfinal match of last year's Big Ten conference tournament. In the semifinals, Minnesota met Wisconsin in what has been an increasingly intense rivalry over the last few years. Wisconsin jumped out to a hot start, taking Game 1 with a 25-17 win, but the Gophers wouldn't go down without a fight. Minnesota came out rejuvenated and determined to win this installment of the Border Battle, and that's exactly what they did. The Gophers won Game 2 25-20 and Game 3 15-11. Minnesota's appearance in the championship game was its first since 1998, and the Gophers had chances to claim the title despite playing without outside hitter Jeff Hochstein, who had battled a heavy illness all day. The Gophers took control of the match winning Game 1 25-18, but Purdue came storming back to take Game 2 by the exact same score. It only seemed fitting that the championship go down to a pivotal Game 3. And from the start, Minnesota seemed destined to win. The Gophers held an 8-3 lead when the teams switched sides, but they couldn't hold onto it, losing to Purdue 12-15. |
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March 2016
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