Nebraska Volleyball: Minnesota team to watch in Big Ten in 2018
Nebraska volleyball dropped their first set since August when the Minnesota Gophers came to Lincoln and weren’t fazed by the atmosphere that is the Bob Devaney Sports Center. They’re a team to be fearful of moving forward.
After a loss to Florida in their first match of the 2018 season, Nebraska volleyball went on a tear of 14 straight wins. During that time, the Huskers looked nearly invincible. Yes, they’d drop a set here and there, but for the most part, Nebraska looked dominant, even with a young team.
That came crashing down on Saturday when the fifth-ranked Minnesota Gophers came to Lincoln for a date with the third-ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers. We all had this match circled on our calendars due to how good both teams have historically been, but it did not go according to plan for Husker fans.
It was clear from the beginning that the Gophers weren’t afraid of Nebraska or their rabid fan base whatsoever, taking the first set 25-20. Minnesota got off to a 7-2 run and had control of the first set throughout.
Samantha Seliger-Swenson ends it with a dump.
— Jacob Padilla (@JacobPadilla_) October 7, 2018
No. 5 Minnesota beat No.3 Nebraska in Lincoln 25-20, 25-23, 14-25, 25-2. Very uncharacteristic showing by the #Huskers. Minnesota hit .280 for the match and Nebraska had just one ace.
While Nebraska took the second set, it was close throughout. The third set was when it was clear that maybe this just wasn’t the Cornhuskers’ night, as the Gophers smashed them 25-14. An 11-0 Minnesota run helped get them to that point, as Nebraska played one of the sloppiest sets fans had witnessed all season.
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Minnesota won the match in four sets and proved that they’re a force to be reckoned with this year. They won the Big Ten in 2015 and went to the Final Four both that year and in 2016. They should have gone in 2017 as well, but were upset by USC.
That obviously didn’t set well with the Gophers because they’ve been playing angry this season. For one, they just beat up our beloved Cornhuskers, but before this match, the Gophers swept both Penn State and Wisconsin, two other top teams in the Big Ten.
The most impressive part about what Minnesota did on Saturday was their ability to hit against the Huskers. They were able to hit .280 against a Husker defense that was the top in the conference and was capable of shutting good offenses down this season. That wasn’t the case on Saturday.
It’s a long season and Minnesota will likely hit a bump in the road at some point, but something I’ve been reiterating is that this year’s National Championship is in Minneapolis. Of course that’s going to motivate the Gophers because if they make it there, it’s home field advantage for them, just like 2015 in Omaha was for Nebraska (and even 2017 in Kansas City for Nebraska as well).
Minnesota has always been a respectable program (despite not winning a title), but this year’s team is for real. Samantha Seliger-Swenson is the best setter in the conference while Stephanie Samedy and Taylor Morgan are absolutely on fire.
The Gophers didn’t care that Nebraska was ranked higher than them, that this match was on the Huskers’ home turf, or that Nebraska are the reigning National Champions. Minnesota ignored all of that, came into Lincoln and crushed the Huskers.
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They’re a team to be fearful of moving forward and Nebraska volleyball isn’t done with them this season: The two play again in two weeks on the Gophers’ home turf. That’ll be a fun one and hopefully, it goes better than this one did.