Nov. 17, 2012

Box Score

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MINNEAPOLIS -- The University of Iowa volleyball team fell in straight sets at Minnesota on Saturday night (13-25, 22-25, 16-25). The Gophers used a .400 attack percentage and owned a 45-31 advantage in kills to earn the 3-0 victory inside the Sports Pavilion.

The Gophers, who celebrated senior night, move to 22-7 overall and 13-5 in Big Ten play; the Hawkeyes fall to 10-21 and 2-16 in league action. Minnesota finishes the regular season with a 13-1 home record, including a five-set win against No. 9 Nebraska on Friday night.

Sophomore Alex Lovell paced the Hawkeyes with 11 kills and junior Rachael Bedell added nine. Freshman Julianne Blomberg, a Minnesota native, led Iowa with eight digs. Junior Bethany Yeager added six.

The Gophers started quickly in the opening frame, jumping out to a 6-1 lead. Minnesota maintained its advantage throughout, hitting .389 on its way to a 25-13 first set victory. The home team tallied 16 kills, limiting the visitors to eight kills and a .025 attack percentage. Lovell tallied half of Iowa's kills, turning in four.

The Hawkeyes opened a 4-2 lead in the second set, before the Gophers responded with a 4-2 run of their own to even the frame at 6-6. The league rivals went back-and-forth, leading to an 18-18 score. Following two-consecutive Iowa points, Minnesota answered with three-straight to force a Hawkeye timeout and take a 21-20 lead. Iowa captured two of the next three points behind kills from Lovell and Blomberg, evening the score at 22. The 14th-ranked Gophers tallied the final three points to win the set, 25-22, and take a 2-0 match lead. Minnesota out-hit Iowa, .267 to .250, but the Hawkeyes tallied more kills (14-12). Lovell led Iowa with six kills. The set saw 10 tie scores and five lead changes.

With the third set all square at 7-7 following the intermission, the Gophers took control with an 8-3 run to grab a 15-10 advantage. Minnesota claimed 10 of the final 16 points on its way to a 25-16 set and match victory. The home team hit .583 in the final frame, while the visitors hit .238.

The Hawkeyes return to the court on Tuesday, traveling to No. 9 Nebraska for their final road contest (7 p.m. CT). Ian Martin, the voice of Iowa volleyball, will broadcast the match live on Hawkeye All-Access, a subscription service committed to providing quality coverage of Hawkeye athletic events.