No. 10 Wisconsin’s well-oiled offensive machine crushed No. 18 Minnesota at Maturi Pavilion Friday night in straight sets, 25-18, 25-18, 25-17.
An all-encompassing first set win for the Badgers set the tone, and Wisconsin duplicated that dominance in sets two and three. Wisconsin overcame 14 service errors by outclassing Minnesota in the kills department, 52-26, and hit .385.
Cook said the Badgers were the more assertive team, and it led to Minnesota fighting an uphill battle from the first set.
“You’re either applying pressure or feeling it,” Cook said. “Their attacking made it difficult for us in transition. Their serving made it difficult for us to side out.”
The Gophers only led for a single point in the match, the first point of the second set, on a kill from freshman outside hitter Kelly Kinney.
Minnesota’s capacity crowd created a cacophony of noise to charge up the Gophers before a senior night “Border Battle.” Wisconsin arrived in Minneapolis on an eight-match win streak, one of those victories being a four-set home win over Minnesota on Nov. 5.
Badgers senior outside hitter Mimi Colyer opened the match with three kills on three swings and her back-to-back aces midway through Set 1 gave the Badgers a 15-10 edge.
Cook said the service pressure Wisconsin was able to apply was a big factor in the match.
“They were really aggressive from the service line, more than they were the first time we played them,” Cook said. “So, that (causes) some problems for us right away.”
The Badgers finished with eight aces compared to the Gophers’ three in the match.
Minnesota bounced back with a five-point scoring run out of its timeout. Senior outside hitter Julia Hanson registered two service aces in that stretch.
The visitors blasted through the Minnesota block and built a commanding lead late to snatch the first set. Wisconsin’s hitters teed off in Set 1, but four service errors allowed Minnesota to hang around in the first half of the set.
The Badgers posted 19 kills to Minnesota’s five in the first set, while Wisconsin hit .300 in a set they controlled from the first serve. It looked bleak for the Gophers as Wisconsin was 20-1 in matches they won the first set.
The second set mirrored Set 1 as Wisconsin jumped out to an early lead, but a 4-0 Gophers run with Hanson at the service line kept it tight. The Badgers followed suit with a 5-0 scoring run, leading to an eight-point advantage en route to a Set 2 win.
Wisconsin turned on cruise control in the third set as it decisively swept Minnesota. Badgers sophomore setter Charlie Fuerbringer put up a match-high 39 assists, and Colyer produced a team-high 13 kills and nine digs.
It was the first win for Wisconsin at Maturi Pavilion since 2021.
Cook said he told his team post-game that their best “moment” is still ahead of them.
“If we play the way that we are capable next week, I think we’ll be very happy,” Cook said. “I told them I’m looking forward to (coaching) them either at ‘The Pav’ or traveling with them on the road.”
Minnesota shifts its focus to the NCAA Tournament selection show at 5:00 p.m. on Sunday. The Gophers’ four-set win over No. 11 Purdue on Wednesday aided their quest to host the first two rounds, but being swept at home did not help the cause.
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