Gophers roundup: No. 15 U volleyball rallies for five-set win at Ohio State

After losing the first two sets, the No. 15 Gophers volleyball team rallied for a five-set victory over Ohio State on Sunday in Columbus, Ohio.

Julia Hanson had 21 kills as the Gophers (14-6, 7-3 Big Ten) pulled out a 16-25, 18-25, 25-22, 25-16, 15-10 win.

McKenna Wucherer added 11 kills for the Gophers, who trailed in the fourth and fifth sets. The Gophers improved to 4-4 in five-set matches this season.

Zeynep Palabiyik contributed 15 digs, Kate Thibault had 11 digs, and Melani Shaffmaster had five blocks, eight digs and 49 set assists.

Big Ten volleyball standings

For Hanson, a junior from Prior Lake, it was the second time this season she has had more than 20 kills. She had 23 against TCU on Sept. 7.

Emily Londot had 21 kills and Emmi Sellman added 16 for the Buckeyes (8-12, 1-9).

The Gophers, who were playing the first of three consecutive matches on the road, visit Michigan State on Friday and Michigan next Sunday.

The Gophers women’s soccer team closed out the regular season with a 2-1 victory over No. 11 Iowa on Sunday at Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium.

Madison Wilson’s goal in the first minute of the match gave the Hawkeyes (13-2-3, 8-2-1 Big Ten) the early lead, but the Gophers rallied behind goals from Paige Kalal and Sophia Boman.

Kalal’s goal — assisted by Khyah Harper — in the ninth minute tied the score. Boman converted a penalty kick in the 64th minute to give the Gophers the lead.

The victory was the Gophers’ second over a top-15 team this month. The Gophers defeated then-No. 8 Ohio State 3-2 on Oct. 10. It’s the first time in program history the Gophers have defeated two opponents ranked in the top 15 in a season.

The Gophers (12-3-3, 6-3-2 Big Ten) will play host to the first two rounds of the Big Ten tournament, beginning Thursday.

The Gophers are the No. 7 seed for the 10-team tournament and will play No. 10 Penn State at 6:30 p.m. Thursday. The winner of the match will play No. 2 seed UCLA in the quarterfinals on Sunday. USC is the top seed for the tournament. Iowa, the No. 3 seed, will play No. 6 Washington in the quarterfinals on Saturday.