Fresh off a sweep over the Ohio State Buckeyes on the road, the No. 11 Wisconsin Badgers beat the No. 22 Minnesota Gophers 3-1 in the Border Battle on Wednesday evening, thanks to a strong night from star
Mimi Colyer.
Wisconsin returned to the Field House for the first time since it was swept by the No. 1 Nebraska Cornhuskers last Friday, and had a back-and-forth battle early with the Gophers. Both sides were neck-and-neck, having 10 ties leading up to 14-14 in the first set.
Wisconsin looked to pull away with a three-point run, but Minnesota fired back with two points to keep things tight at 17-16. However, the Badgers went on another three-point run there, creating some distance with the Gophers, and ultimately went on to win the first set 25-20.
The second set was a very similar story to the first, with both sides battling neck-and-neck, as Wisconsin led only 15-14 midway through the set. From there, though, the Badgers went on a four-point run to create some distance at 19-14, although the Gophers fired back with a 5-1 run to cut the lead to 20-19. Still, Wisconsin showed up when it mattered most, going on a 4-1 run of their own before ultimately winning the set 25-22 to go up 2-0.
In the third set, it was Minnesota who had an early lead after both sides were tied at 5 apiece, as the Gophers went on a 7-2 run to take a 12-7 lead near the halfway point of the set. Wisconsin would fight back, cutting it to 16-14 at one point, but they never got closer than that as the Gophers took the third set 25-18 to show some life at the Field House.
The fourth set was tight end, similar to the previous three, with the Badgers holding a 9-8 lead after some back-and-forth action. But, Wisconsin went on a 4-1 run to create some distance, getting kills from Mimi Colyer and Una Vajagic to go up 13-9. Minnesota would never get within three as the Badgers dominated from there on out, closing the match with a 25-16 fourth set to win 3-1.
Colyer led the way with 21 kills, while Vajagic added 11 of her own for the Badgers. Freshman Addy Horner had 41 digs and added four service aces, while Carter Booth and Alicia Andrew each had three blocks for the Badgers on the block.
Wisconsin hit .311 on the night, in comparison to Minnesota’s 0.267, while they narrowly beat the Gophers in points, 68-67. Still, they had a commanding win, improving their win streak to two.
Next up, Wisconsin hosts the No. 18 Indiana Hoosiers at the Field House on Sunday. First serve is set for 1:00 p.m. on Big Ten Plus.
