Gophers upend No. 7 Penn State in volleyball

The Gophers volleyball team ended its regular season in dramatic fashion Saturday, beating Big Ten champion Penn State 3-2 (14-25, 21-25, 26-24, 25-23, 23-21) at the Sports Pavilion.

The victory extended the Gophers' winning streak to seven matches and marked their first defeat of the Nittany Lions (26-5, 16-4) since 2004.

Penn State registered a .278 attack percentage, while the Gophers (24-8, 14-6 Big Ten) hit .217. Penn State totaled 81 kills, five aces, 102 digs and 12 total team blocks. Minnesota finished the match with 73 kills, six aces, 90 digs and 12 team blocks.

The Nittany Lions took a 2-1 lead to start the fifth set, but the Gophers used two kills and a Penn State attack error for a 4-2 advantage. A 3-1 Penn State run had the set knotted at 5-5, and after two ties Penn State went up 10-7.

A Minnesota kill had the Gophers at match point, 15-14, but a kill and a ballhandling error put the Lions in front, 16-15. Minnesota pounded a kill before a block put Penn State in the lead again, 17-16. A Gophers block kept the set going with the score at 17-17, but a Penn State kill gave the Nittany Lions an 18-17 lead. A kill and an ace by Minnesota put the Gophers ahead 19-18, but PSU tied it up at 19-19 with a kill. The score was tied twice more before two Gophers kills secured the victory, 23-21.

Senior Lauren Gibbemeyer played her final regular-season match for the Gophers. Gibbemeyer is the team's all-time career leader in blocks and block assists.

The Gophers volleyball team, which entered the weekend ranked ninth in the RPI rankings, will find out what path it will have in the NCAA tournament on Sunday. A selection show will air on ESPNews at 2 p.m.

Gophers wrestlers sweep tournment The No. 3-ranked Gophers swept the Northern Quad wrestling tournment in Rochester, Minn., posting victories in all three duals, against No. 9 Central Michigan 21-17, Appalachian State 30-6 and North Dakota State 35-9.