MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – The No. 18 Oregon volleyball team suffered its first setback of the season Friday night at the hands of third-ranked Minnesota, a four-set loss (25-20, 25-22, 18-25, 27-25) inside Maturi Pavilion in front of 4,850 fans. The Ducks held a set point in the fourth to force a decisive frame but the Gophers won the final three points of the match.
With the result, Oregon drops to 4-1 this season. Senior outside hitter Brooke Nuneviller tallied 21 kills and 12 digs against Minnesota, good for her third double-double of the season. Libero Georgia Murphy picked up 15 digs to go along with seven assists in the four setter. In the middle, Kiari Robey had seven kills and a match-high seven blocks.
How It Happened
After dropping the opening set, the Ducks seemed to steady and traded points with Minnesota (4-1) through the first 20 points of game two. Sparked by two kills by Robey, Oregon had a five-point surge that gave the visitors a 15-10 advantage. However, the Golden Gophers responded with a 6-0 run of their own and led 17-16.
With the score tied at 19-all, UO got back-to-back kills from Gloria Mutiri and Mimi Colyer to go back ahead and force a Minnesota timeout. Out of the huddle, the Big Ten power put rattled off six of the final seven points of the set for the 2-0 match lead.
The Gophers, riding the high of the previous set, jumped out to a 4-0 advantage in the third, forcing head coach Matt Ulmer to take an early timeout. Oregon answered the call with a run and…
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