Editor's note: This article originally appeared on nusports.com.
MINNEAPOLIS - The Northwestern volleyball team recorded a historic win on Wednesday night, recording the program's first road win over a top-10 team, taking down No. 7 Minnesota in five sets (25-22, 21-25, 17-25, 25-20, 15-13) at Maturi Pavilion.
The Wildcats (12-3, 1-2 B1G) notched their second win over a ranked opponent this season, after defeating No. 24 Pepperdine 3-0 on Sept. 9. Wednesday night's win ended the Golden Gophers' 13-match win-streak in the all-time series and the Wildcats recorded their first win in Minneapolis since 2005. Minnesota fell to 6-5 overall and 1-2 in the Big Ten this season
The Wildcats were led by a double-double from Hanna Lesiak, who registered 11 kills and 13 digs on the day. Temi Thomas-Ailara also added 17 kills to help the attack. On the defensive end, Megan Miller chipped in for with 22 digs to go with eight blocks from Leilani Dodson.
WATCH OUT FOR THE WILDCATS 💜💜
— NCAA Women's Volleyball (@NCAAVolleyball) September 29, 2022
Northwestern defeats No. 7 Minnesota in a 5️⃣ set thriller (25-22,21-25,17-25,25-20,15-13)! 🤯#NCAAWVB x 🎥 @NUVball
pic.twitter.com/KUikvShfQT
Game Notes
» Northwestern had four players in double figures in kills, as Dodson and Hanna Lesiak added 11 each.
» Northwestern had four players in double figures in digs as Lesiak (13), Alexa Rousseau (11) and Ellee Stinson (11) joined Miller.
» Alexa Rousseau had a match-high four aces in the win.
» Dodson tallied a career-best eight blocks.
» Northwestern attackers were helped by a season-high 52 assists from Alexa Rousseau.
MORE: Here are the top liberos in college volleyball in 2022
🗣 Unbelievable team win tonight@coachshanedavis and Alexa Rousseau break it all down on @BigTenNetwork. pic.twitter.com/m6IvBGxZeH
— Northwestern Volleyball (@NUVball) September 29, 2022
How It Happened
SET 1 | The Wildcats took the first set 25-22 helped by a solid performance on the attacking side. Northwestern registered a .313 attack percentage with 15 kills in the set victory. The Wildcats opened up a 22-17 lead in the stanza and coasted to victory from there.
SET 2 | Northwestern dropped set two 25-21 to tie the match 1-1. The Wildcats trailed by as many as six points as Minnesota grabbed the advantage for good at 13-12 in a set that was knotted up three times before the Golden Gophers took over the lead.
SET 3 | Northwestern then lost their second set in a row, falling behind in the match two sets to one. The Wildcats fell behind on the first point and fought from behind the rest of the way before losing the set 25-17.
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SET 4 | Northwestern broke their two set losing streak and forced a fifth set with a 25-20 victory in set number four. The Wildcats took the lead for good at 7-6 in a set that had just one lead change before the Wildcats took over the lead. Northwestern got a solid defensive performance from a front row that blocked four Minnesota attacks in the stanza.
SET 5 | Northwestern rebounded from down two sets to one to win the next two sets, culminating in a 15-13 fifth-set victory.The Wildcats persevered in a back-and-forth final set to emerge victorious in a stanza that featured five lead changes and was tied nine times. Neither team led by more than three points in the set. Desiree Becker recorded two crucial kills down the stretch, the second set up match point. The Wildcats held Minnesota to an .043 hitting percentage in the set.
This article created using technology provided by Data Skrive.
