Lydia Grote had 11 kills to lead the Gophers volleyball team to a sweep of Rutgers on Friday in a Big Ten match in Piscataway, N.J.
The 25-13, 25-22, 25-17 victory was the third straight for the No. 14 Gophers (12-5, 5-2 Big Ten), who lost in four sets at Rutgers last season.
Julia Hanson had eight kills and nine digs, and McKenna Wucherer and Phoebe Awoleye each added six kills for the Gophers. Awoleye, who is 12th in the nation in blocks per set, contributed seven block assists.
Avery Jesewitz, who played for Wayzata in high school, had eight kills to lead Rutgers (5-13, 0-7), which lost its seventh straight match. Rutgers was picked to finish 17th in the Big Ten in the conference’s preseason poll. It’s victory over the Gophers last season was its first over a ranked opponent in history. The Gophers are 12-3 all-time against Rutgers.
The Gophers play at No. 3 Penn State on Sunday.
