The Gophers volleyball team couldn't close out some close sets Thursday night, and as a result their four-match winning streak is over.
The Gophers lost 28-26, 25-23, 25-16 to Purdue in West Lafayette, Ind., with Eva Hudson recording 17 kills and Chloe Chicoine adding 11 for the 16th-ranked Boilermakers (14-6, 8-3 Big Ten).
Taylor Landfair had 16 kills and Lydia Grote 13 for the Gophers (10-9, 6-5), who fell to 2-7 when facing ranked opponents this season. They have lost their past five matches vs. ranked foes.
"Taylor did a really good job putting stress on us, but we didn't let that affect us," Purdue's Raven Colvin, who had nine kills and six blocks, told the Big Ten Network.
The Gophers led 24-22 in the first set but a service error by Grote kept the Boilermakers in it. The Gophers then took a 26-25 lead on a kill by Mckenna Wucherer, but Purdue responded by scoring the final three points, the last coming on a kill by Hudson.
In the second set, the Gophers led 17-13 before Purdue pulled even. The Gophers then led 18-17, 19-18, 21-20, 22-21 and 23-22, but again the Boilermakers scored the final three points. Purdue then ran away with the final set to win its fourth in a row.
Purdue hit .390 and had eight total blocks to one for the Gophers, who hit .289. Wucherer had seven kills with three errors in the first set but two kills and five errors over the final two.
The Gophers visit No. 2 Wisconsin on Sunday in a match that will be televised over the air on Fox following the Vikings-Packers game.
