Gophers

Gophers volleyball team sweeps Michigan

November 17, 2019 at 5:33AM

The Gophers volleyball team bounced back from its first home loss two days earlier by beating No. 23 Michigan 25-21, 25-23, 25-20 on Saturday night at Maturi Pavilion.

No. 5 Minnesota (20-4, 14-2 Big Ten) outhit the Wolverines .246 to .080 and outblocked them 13-4. The win improved the Gophers' home mark to 10-1.

Taylor Morgan led the Gophers, who lost 3-1 to Wisconsin on Thursday, with nine kills while Claire Sheehan and Airi Miyabe had eight apiece. CC McGraw had 16 digs and Regan Pittman nine blocks.

Paige Jones had 13 kills for Michigan (18-8, 11-5).

13 draftable Loons

Longtime Loon Miguel Ibarra, veterans Ethan Finlay, Angelo Rodriguez and Brent Kallman and former No. 1 overall SuperDraft pick Abu Danladi are among Minnesota United players available to be selected in Tuesday's MLS expansion draft.

Each team can choose to protect 12 players from new teams Nashville and Miami. United's young Generation Adidas players Mason Toye and Dayne St. Clair are exempt from the process, but the team otherwise had to choose the players it'd protect or make available. It can lose only one player Tuesday.

Other players United will make available are recently acquired midfielder Marlon Hairston from Houston as well as young defender Wyatt Omsburg.

Also on United's available list are six players on whom the team declined 2020 contract options: Carter Manley, Wilfried Moimbe-Tahrat, Ally Ng'anzi, Lawrence Olum, Rasmus Schuller and Bobby Shuttleworth.

JERRY ZGODA

Three MIAC teams advance in soccer

The Augsburg and St. Thomas women's soccer team both won in the first round of the NCAA Division III tournament.

Megan Howard scored in the fifth minute of overtime as Augsburg beat Rose-Hulman 1-0 in Chicago. Emily Chapman made nine saves for the Auggies (14-4-2).

The host Tommies edged Monmouth (Ill.) 1-0 on Paige Cater's goal in the 52nd minute. Sarah Pasternak made two saves for the shutout.

On the men's side, Gustavus defeated Colorado College 3-2 at North Park in Chicago.

Etc.

• St. Benedict reached the Sweet 16 by beating Wisconsin-Stevens Point 26-24, 25-14, 18-25, 23-25, 15-10 in the NCAA Division III regional volleyball final at St. Thomas. Hunter Weiss had 21 kills and her twin sister, Madison, 18 to lead the Bennies (25-5).

• Concordia (St. Paul) defeated Bemidji State 25-17, 25-15, 25-17 behind Jasmine Mulvihill's 20 kills to finish 16-4 in the NSIC, which tied them for second place with Minnesota Duluth behind Northern State.

• The Gophers wrestling team, which lost 21-17 at home Friday night to Rider, will compete in the Daktronics Open on Sunday in Brookings, S.D.

• The Gophers women's cross-country team, which finished third Friday in the Midwest Regional in Stillwater, Okla., received an at-large berth to the NCAA Championships next Saturday in Terre Haute, Ind.

• The Gophers baseball team signed four players last week, including lefthanded pitcher Brett Bateman of Mounds View and catcher Cody Kelly of St. Michael-Albertville.