The Maryland match went quickly. No. 21 Minnesota swept Maryland 25-9, 25-18, 25-17 at Maturi Pavilion. The win was the Gophers' 4th in a row and moved them to 11-5 overall.
Set 1 was over almost before it started. Maryland managed only 3 kills on 30 swings in the opener, and Minnesota put it away 25-9. The Terrapins played better in the next 2 frames but never got close enough to make the Gophers sweat. Minnesota hit .451 for the match and had 8 blocks. Maryland finished at .059 with 4 blocks and 7 reception errors.
Kelley Kinney tied for the match high with 11 kills. Stella Swenson ran the offense and finished with a team-high 34 assists, and Zeynep Palabiyik led the Gophers with 10 digs. Maryland came in at 12-6 and left with its 7th loss.
The sweep came after a tougher night against Michigan. On Friday at the Pav, the Gophers beat the Wolverines 25-19, 20-25, 25-15, 25-21 in the annual Dig Pink match. Michigan out-killed Minnesota 45-39, but the Gophers won where it mattered, with a 14-6 edge in blocks and a 10-6 edge in aces. McKenna Garr served 4 aces in Set 1 alone. Swenson, better known for setting, had a career-high 8 kills to go with 27 assists, and McKenna Wucherer put down the final kill. That win was Minnesota's 84th meeting with Michigan, and the Gophers lead the all-time series 67-17.
Friday's win left Minnesota at 4-3 in the Big Ten, so the sweep of Maryland makes it 5-3 in league play. The Gophers have now won 4 straight and 5 of their last 6. With 2 straight Big Ten wins, the losses from earlier in the conference season don't look so heavy anymore.
Things get much harder next. Minnesota and No. 9 Purdue meet Friday at 6 p.m., and that match will show how real this run is.
