Gophers overpower Northwestern in volleyball sweep

The No. 7 Gophers volleyball team swept Northwestern 25-18, 25-15, 25-22 on Friday night at the Maturi Pavilion.

Minnesota (12-3, 6-1 Big Ten), which plays host to No. 17 Illinois on Saturday, outhit the Wildcats .351-.089 and outblocked them 9-2½, beating Northwestern for the ninth time in a row. Stephanie Samedy led the Gophers with 10 kills. CC McGraw had 15 digs and Regan Pittman five blocks. Bayley McMenimen had 20 assists and Kylie Miller 14.

Temi Thomas-Ailara led the Wildcats (9-10, 0-7) with 11 kills.

Lynx guard Odyssey Sims was suspended for two games without pay by the team on the heels of her pleading guilty to a drunken driving charge in Hennepin County court this week.

Sims, a 2019 WNBA All-Star, will sit out the first two regular-season games of the 2020 season.

The incident occurred in the early morning hours of June 6, when she was observed by a member of the Minnesota State Patrol speeding and making a lane violation on Interstate 394 west of downtown Minneapolis. At the Hennepin County jail, a breath test showed a blood-alcohol content of 0.20 — more than twice the legal limit of 0.08 for driving in Minnesota.

KENT YOUNGBLOOD

One reason the current team is unbeaten is a blue line corps that leads the nation in goals with eight; five of the team's six defensemen have at least one goal.

• The No. 16 Gophers women's cross-country team finished 16th out of 36 teams in the Nuttycombe Invitational in Madison, Wis., with 474 points. Their top finisher was Abby Kohut-Jackson, who placed 64th (20:57.7) in the 6K race.