STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – Less than 24 hours after grinding out a win over No. 4 Penn State, No. 1 Stanford dropped a 25-27, 25-27, 25-23, 20-25 decision to No. 8 Minnesota, Saturday, at Rec Hall.
Minnesota (4-2) earned its first win over Stanford (5-1) in 10 tries. The Cardinal had its school record 37-match winning streak snapped.
Senior outside hitter Kathryn Plummer led the team with 20 kills, while senior libero Morgan Hentz had 21 digs and two aces.
Stanford was held to a season-low 185 attack percentage as a team. The Cardinal finished with 78 digs and 12.0 blocks. Minnesota hit .247 and had 13.0 blocks and 85 digs.
Setter Jenna Gray controlled the offense with 51 assists and collected a season-best 12 digs. Junior outside hitter Meghan McClure finished with nine kills, 13 digs and two blocks, while graduate Madeleine Gates added 10 kills and six blocks.
Senior opposite Audriana Fitzmorris hit .323 with 13 kills and four blocks. Sophomore middle blocker Holly Campbell totaled six kills and five blocks. Junior defensive specialist Kate Formico posted 15 digs – one shy of her career-high.
Stanford avoided being swept for the first time since 2015 with a 25-23 win in the third set despite hitting just .043.
Minnesota was led by Stephanie Samedy's 21 kills and 11 digs. Alexis Hart added 15 kills, while middle Regan Pittman had 12 kills and seven blocks.
Stanford heads to Lincoln, Nebraska, for a Wednesday match against the second-ranked Cornhuskers. First serve is slated for 5 p.m. PT on Big Ten Network.