University of Minnesota Athletics
Thursday, October 1
Minneapolis, MN
7:00 PM
University of Minnesota
7-4,1-2Big Ten
3
vs
0
Northwestern
7-7,0-3Big Ten
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northwestern | 14 | 11 | 9 | 0 |
| Minnesota | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
Photo by: Kelly Lynn
Gophers Sweep Wildcats for First B1G Win
10/1/2026 9:15:00 PM | Volleyball
The No. 20 University of Minnesota volleyball program earned a 3-0 sweep over Northwestern, tonight at Maturi Pavilion. The Golden Gophers (7-4 overall, 1-2 B1G) won, 25-14, 25-11, 25-9, over the Wildcats (7-7, 0-3 B1G).
Elena Hoecke hit .889 tonight when she delivered eight kills on nine attempts. She also led the match with five blocks and an assist. Mckenna Wucherer had 10 kills, hit .375, had three aces, five digs and three blocks. Stella Swenson had 29 assists, eight digs and four blocks. McKenna Garr added a career-high five aces and had eight digs. Zeynep Palabiyik also tied for a team-high eight digs.
As a team, Minnesota hit a season-best .412. The Gophers held a 9-0 lead in aces and a 37-31 advantage in digs. Minnesota also out blocked the Wildcats, 9-4.
Match Notes
-Elena Hoecke hit a career-best .889 on the night. She's also had five matches so far this season with five blocks.
-McKenna Garr bettered her previous-best of four aces set earlier this year with five tonight.
-The sweep tonight was Minnesota's fourth of the season. The Gophers are now 4-1 in three-set decisions this year.
-Mckenna Wucherer has now had double-digit kills in 10 matches this year and the fifth straight.
Up Next:
Minnesota hosts No. 6 Wisconsin, Sunday at 5 p.m. The match will be televised on Big Ten Network. Sunday's match is also a Gold Out.
Set Breakdown:
Set 1: The Gophers capitalized on an 8-0 run midway through the first for a 25-14 set win. Minnesota took a 12-6 lead off a Wucherer kill, which forced Northwestern to call a timeout. The Gophers poured on the pressure when Hoecke delivered her fourth block of the set to put the set at 16-7, while Wucherer added an ace for a double-digit lead. Swenson added a kill for a 21-9 lead. Northwestern rattled off three-straight to cut the Gopher lead to 22-12, but Minnesota earned a first-set win off a kill from Crosson to take a 1-0 lead.
Set 2: The Gophers used six aces and a 9-0 run in the second set to take a 25-11 set win. Minnesota forced Northwestern to take a timeout when the Gophers went on a 5-0 run off back-to-back Hoecke kills. Minnesota went up, 14-7 off back-to-back aces by Wucherer and added a kill of her own. Leading 16-11, Minnesota strung together nine straight points for the set win. Wucherer provided a kill for Minnesota's 20th point as the Wildcats took a timeout. The Gophers added to their lead, including two aces by McKenna Garr, for a 2-0 lead.
Set 3: The Gophers hit .407 in the third for a 25-9 set win and the match. Minnesota opened the third set up 9-5, after three straight Gopher kills as Northwestern called a timeout. The Gophers, however, to a 15-6 lead off another pair of Garr aces. Lucie Blazkova added a block and back-to-back kills for a 22-6 lead. Wucherer added her 10th kill of the match for a 23-6 lead, while Northwestern committed service errors to give Minnesota the 3-0 match win.
Elena Hoecke hit .889 tonight when she delivered eight kills on nine attempts. She also led the match with five blocks and an assist. Mckenna Wucherer had 10 kills, hit .375, had three aces, five digs and three blocks. Stella Swenson had 29 assists, eight digs and four blocks. McKenna Garr added a career-high five aces and had eight digs. Zeynep Palabiyik also tied for a team-high eight digs.
As a team, Minnesota hit a season-best .412. The Gophers held a 9-0 lead in aces and a 37-31 advantage in digs. Minnesota also out blocked the Wildcats, 9-4.
Match Notes
-Elena Hoecke hit a career-best .889 on the night. She's also had five matches so far this season with five blocks.
-McKenna Garr bettered her previous-best of four aces set earlier this year with five tonight.
-The sweep tonight was Minnesota's fourth of the season. The Gophers are now 4-1 in three-set decisions this year.
-Mckenna Wucherer has now had double-digit kills in 10 matches this year and the fifth straight.
Up Next:
Minnesota hosts No. 6 Wisconsin, Sunday at 5 p.m. The match will be televised on Big Ten Network. Sunday's match is also a Gold Out.
Set Breakdown:
Set 1: The Gophers capitalized on an 8-0 run midway through the first for a 25-14 set win. Minnesota took a 12-6 lead off a Wucherer kill, which forced Northwestern to call a timeout. The Gophers poured on the pressure when Hoecke delivered her fourth block of the set to put the set at 16-7, while Wucherer added an ace for a double-digit lead. Swenson added a kill for a 21-9 lead. Northwestern rattled off three-straight to cut the Gopher lead to 22-12, but Minnesota earned a first-set win off a kill from Crosson to take a 1-0 lead.
Set 2: The Gophers used six aces and a 9-0 run in the second set to take a 25-11 set win. Minnesota forced Northwestern to take a timeout when the Gophers went on a 5-0 run off back-to-back Hoecke kills. Minnesota went up, 14-7 off back-to-back aces by Wucherer and added a kill of her own. Leading 16-11, Minnesota strung together nine straight points for the set win. Wucherer provided a kill for Minnesota's 20th point as the Wildcats took a timeout. The Gophers added to their lead, including two aces by McKenna Garr, for a 2-0 lead.
Set 3: The Gophers hit .407 in the third for a 25-9 set win and the match. Minnesota opened the third set up 9-5, after three straight Gopher kills as Northwestern called a timeout. The Gophers, however, to a 15-6 lead off another pair of Garr aces. Lucie Blazkova added a block and back-to-back kills for a 22-6 lead. Wucherer added her 10th kill of the match for a 23-6 lead, while Northwestern committed service errors to give Minnesota the 3-0 match win.
Players Mentioned
Libero/DS
/ Volleyball
Middle Blocker
/ Volleyball
Libero/DS
/ Volleyball
Setter
/ Volleyball
Outside
/ VolleyballTeam Stats
NU
MINN
Kills
19
40
Errors
22
7
Attempts
84
80
Hitting %
-.036
.413
Points
23.0
58.0
Assists
19
35
Aces
0
9
Blocks
4
9
Game Leaders
Kills
10
Aces
3
Blocks
3
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
5
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
5
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Saturday, September 26
Thursday, September 24
Wednesday, September 16
Sunday, September 13