Gophers volleyball team beats Michigan State for fourth victory in a row

The Gophers volleyball team is heading into a tough week with momentum.

Mckenna Wucherer had 17 kills, Taylor Landfair added 13 and the Gophers won their fourth match in a row, beating Michigan State 25-15, 23-25, 25-16, 25-20 on Sunday at Maturi Pavilion.

Melani Shaffmaster had three kills, five blocks, three aces, 35 assists and 14 digs for the Gophers (10-8, 6-4 Big Ten), who trailed 19-14 in the fourth set but finished out by winning 11 of the final 12 points against the Spartans (13-8, 5-5).

"Watching film, we know what we have to work on. I think every time we're in the gym, we're kind of front-loading it. And if it's not happening, we're kind of resetting and restarting and doing it again until we figure it out," said Shaffmaster, who became the fourth Gophers player with at least 3,000 assists and 1,000 digs for her career. "Trial and error at this point, but I think we've kind of got a groove going on with how we want practice to go, and how we're holding each other accountable for stuff like that. As of right now, I think we're doing the work, and it's paying off."

The Gophers are two matches over .500 for the first time since starting the season 2-0. The losses that followed were often to some of the best teams in the country, and the Gophers face two more tough opponents this week when they visit No. 19 Purdue on Thursday and No. 1 Wisconsin on Sunday. Wisconsin figures to no longer be atop the newest AVCA rankings Monday after losing in five sets at No. 2 Nebraska on Saturday night.