WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The Minnesota volleyball team had a hitting percentage of .289 but suffered a 3-0 (26-28, 23-25, 16-25) loss to the No. 16 Purdue Boilermakers at Holloway Gymnasium on Thursday.
The defeat brought Minnesota’s record to 10-9 (6-5 Big Ten) and ended their four-game winning streak.
Taylor Landfair led the Golden Gophers’ offense with 16 kills and a hitting percentage of .343, while Lydia Grote contributed 13 kills with a hitting percentage of .414. Defensively, Kylie Murr recorded 12 digs and Melani Shaffmaster had 10 digs along with 38 assists.
As a team, Minnesota had 51 kills, 45 digs, one block, and one ace with a hitting percentage of .289. Purdue, on the other hand, achieved 47 kills, 45 digs, eight blocks, and seven aces with a hitting percentage of .390.
Eva Hudson led Purdue with 17 kills and eight digs.
How It Happened
SET 1 | Despite a strong attacking performance, the Golden Gophers lost the first set 28-26. They had multiple set point opportunities but couldn’t close it out.
SET 2 | Minnesota dropped the second set 25-23, falling behind 2-0 in the match. It was a back-and-forth set with six lead changes and 15 ties. Neither team had a lead of more than four points.
SET 3 | Purdue completed the sweep with a 25-16 victory in the third set. Minnesota trailed by as many as nine points, and Purdue took control of the set after it was tied twice.
Game Notes
» Minnesota had 51 kills compared to Purdue’s 47.
» Taylor Landfair led Minnesota with 16 kills, her 11th double-digit kill match of the season.
» Kylie Murr recorded 12 digs for her 19th consecutive match with 10+ digs.
» Melani Shaffmaster provided 38 assists and 10 digs, achieving her 12th double-double of the year, the most in the Big Ten.
» Lydia Grote contributed 13 kills, her 11th match with 10+ kills this season.
Up Next
Minnesota (10-9, 6-5 Big Ten) will face No. 2 Wisconsin (18-1, 9-1 Big Ten) on Sunday at 3:45 p.m. The match will be broadcast on FOX.
