No. 7 Wisconsin drops thriller to No. 16 Minnesota in Big Ten volleyball opener

The Gophers were resilient against the Badgers in the conference opener.

The Badgers facing the Gophers in Minneapolis on Sept. 25, 2024. / Wisconsin Badgers

More than 5,200 fans packed the Maturi Pavilion in Minneapolis to watch the No. 7 Wisconsin Badgers take on the No. 16 Minnesota Golden Gophers in the Big Ten volleyball opener Wednesday night, and it was the home team leaving the arena with the victory.

Wisconsin took the first set 25-19 and held a 2-1 match lead after claiming the third set 27-25, but losses by 10 points in the second and fourth sets kept the Gophers in it and the Badgers lost 18-16 in the decisive fifth set.

NO. 16 @GopherVBall TAKES DOWN NO. 7 WISCONSIN IN THE BORDER BATTLE ‼️‼️#B1GVolleyball pic.twitter.com/rRYaLCEbPQ

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) September 26, 2024

The Badgers are now 6-4 on the season, though all of their losses are to national powers. They previously dropped matches against No. 1 Texas, No. 5 Stanford and No. 6 Louisville. Their lone win over a ranked opponent was against No. 23 Baylor in the Big Ten/Big 12 Challenge.

Wisconsin is back in action Saturday at Northwestern. The Badgers don't face another ranked opponent until No. 12 Oregon comes to Madison on Oct. 18.