Gophers volleyball rallies late but falls short in 5-set loss at Baylor

The Minnesota Gophers volleyball team seems to have a knack for going five sets this season.

For the third straight match to open the season, the Gophers went the distance against 23rd-ranked Baylor but their late rally fell short (25-23, 16-25, 21-25, 25-17, 14-16), giving them a loss to open the Big Ten/Big 12 Challenge on Friday night in Waco, Texas. They're now 1-2 on the season.

In the three past seasons, the Gophers went 5-1 in the challenge, so they’ll hope to rebound Saturday against TCU.

The Gophers, ranked 18th in the nation, were hoping to continue their momentum after Monday’s thrilling win over No. 1 Texas and started out strong against the Bears.

Minnesota jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead and cruised early before Baylor went on a run to take the lead. However, the Gophers were able to fight back and take the first frame.

That energy quickly faded, however, and Baylor led Set 2 from start to finish, dominating the stanza and holding the Gophers to a .048 hitting percentage.

In the third set, the Gophers got back on track and battled in a back-and-forth frame. However, after tying the score at 20-20, Baylor finished the set on a 5-1 run to take a 2-1 lead in the match.

Then, the Gophers turned it on again, tallying four aces and four blocks in the frame to open up a big lead early. They then coasted to a win to force a fifth set once again.

In the final frame, Baylor jumped on the Gophers early, opening up a five-point lead. It looked over but Minnesota battled back with a 10-3 rally to not only tie the score but take a 14-13 lead. Instead of the Gophers closing it out, the Bears rattled off three straight points to hand Minnesota the loss.

Julia Hanson registered 16 kills and a career-high 19 digs to lead the Gophers. Lydia Grote added 15 kills while Zeynep Palabiyik tallied a career-best 29 digs. Calissa Minatee also contributed four blocks and a career-high 11 kills.

Saturday’s match against TCU is set to start at 4 p.m. and will be streamed on ESPN+.