MILWAUKEE, Wis. – No. 1 Texas Volleyball dropped the second match of the State Farm Women’s Volleyball Showcase to No. 18 Minnesota in five sets on Monday at Fiserv Forum.
The Longhorns (1-1) will turn their attention to the home opener at Gregory Gymnasium against Indiana on Thursday at 8 p.m. The match will also be a celebration of the 2023 team as they will unveil the National Championship banner in a pregame ceremony.
Madisen Skinner and Jenna Wenaas both recorded double-doubles in the match. Skinner finished with a team-high 19 kills and had 12 digs, while Wenaas had 13 kills and 19 digs.
Ayden Ames posted seven kills and a team-high seven blocks, while hitting .389 in the match.
Emma Halter finished with a team-high 21 digs and added three assists and two aces.
Averi Carlson posted her first double-double as a Longhorn with 33 assists and 10 digs.
Texas held on for a close 25-22 win in the first set to grab an early lead in the match. Skinner led the team with six kills in the opening set, while Wenaas added five kills.
The second set was tied 9-9 before Minnesota went on a 4-0 run to put the Longhorns in a 13-9 hole. The Gophers were able to hold onto that lead the rest of the way and win the set 25-19.
Minnesota grabbed a 2-1 lead in the match with a 25-20 win in the third set. Despite trailing nearly the entire way, Texas was able to cut the lead to 23-20 late but couldn’t complete the comeback.
Devin Kahahawai provided a spark off the bench in the fourth set with three kills and two blocks to help send the match to the fifth set. The Longhorns were dominate in the set with four blocks on the way to a 25-13 win. Texas trailed 10-8 before going on a 5-0 run and never looking back. The Longhorns closed out the set on an impressive 7-0 run.
Minnesota jumped out to a big 5-0 lead in the fifth set before Texas used a 3-0 run to cut the lead to 7-5. But the Gophers came right back and put the match away with a 15-7 win.
