Another close one, but the #Gophers drop the second set to Texas. #vbscores pic.twitter.com/ocSrMFUWdY
— Minnesota Volleyball (@GopherVBall) December 18, 2015
Minnesota Gophers 1
Texas Longhorns 3
The Minnesota Gopher volleyball team’s season came to an end Thursday night, when they fell to Texas 3-1 in the NCAA Final Four volleyball tournament in Omaha.
1. Slow start stuns Gophers
Minnesota battled after falling into a 2-0 hole, dropping the first sets 24-26, 25-27. The Gophers gutted out a set three victory (25-23), but after continuing that battle into the fourth they appeared to run out of gas.
The Longhorns regained the momentum with a 4-point run, while trailing 14-15, in set four to take an 18-15 lead. Minnesota was not able to recover and Texas won the decisive set 25-21.
2. Freshman Bedart-Ghani overwhelms Gophers
Texas freshman Yasmeen Bedart-Ghani was a one-woman wrecking crew for the Longhorns. While she didn’t take the most swings or have the most kills, when she had an opportunity she delivered points for Texas.
In 24 swings, Bedart-Ghani delivered 15 kills with just one error – hitting an impressive .583 in the match.
3. Tapp sisters play a big part
Stewartville standouts Paige and Hannah Tapp played a big role for the Gophers in the semifinal match.
Hannah Tapp slammed 18 kills and hit .371, while Paige Tapp hit .333 with 13 kills.
Tweet of the Night:
Despite the loss, there was still some good news on the day for Gophers coach Hugh McCutcheon. He was named the American Volleyball Coaches Association Coach of the Year.
Congrats to #AVCA Division I Coach of the Year from @GopherVBall Hugh McCutcheon! pic.twitter.com/cvWHQqLmZH
— AVCA (@AVCAVolleyball) December 17, 2015
The Gophers finish the season 30-5. Texas will meet up with either Nebraska or Kansas in the national championship Saturday.
