14th-ranked Gophers fall to No. 3 Penn State in Big Ten volleyball

Penn State has lost just one match all season.

Gophers volleyball at Penn State on Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. / University of Minnesota Athletic

After sweeping Rutgers three sets to none in Big Ten volleyball action Friday night, the Minnesota Gophers didn't have anywhere near the same level of success on Sunday against national power Penn State.

Minnesota, ranked 14th in the latest AVCA poll, was swatted 3-0 (16-25, 20-25, 14-25) by No. 3 Penn State Sunday afternoon in University Park, Pennsylvania.

Penn State entered the match with just one loss all season and that was at the hands of No. 1 Pittsburgh. The Nittany Lions improved to 18-1 overall while the Gophers dropped to 12-6 on the season.

The Gophers have played some of the top teams in the nation this season, including defeated Texas when the Longhorns were ranked No. 1 back on Sept. 1. They've also defeated Wisconsin when the Badgers were ranked No. 7.

Minnesota also took Stanford, Baylor and Purdue to five sets before losing all three matches. Stanford was ranked fifth the time while Baylor (23) and Purdue (10) were also nationally ranked.

The Gophers should go on a bit of a winning streak with matches upcoming against Northwestern, Ohio State and Michigan State, all three of whom are near the bottom of the Big Ten standings.