The women’s hockey team and the volleyball team each faced the No. 1-rated team in its sport on Saturday. And the U came away with a split decision.

In Duluth at the DECC, Brad Frost’s skaters beat Minnesota Duluth 2-0 on goals by the Lamoureux twins, those feisty freshmen from Grand Forks. Jocelyne got her first career goal at 13:18 of the first period, Monique got her second at 2:09 of the second. Each of them had an assist on the other one’s goal.

Sophomore netmender Jenny Lura had 34 saves for the shutout.

Minnesota also beat UMD the night before. That score was 4-3 in OT. Co-captain Melanie Gagnon scored with 25 seconds left in the extra period otherwise it would have gone to a shootout.

The Bulldogs were NCAA champions last season and raised their banner before Friday’s game, so the loss must have irked UMD coach Shannon Miller a lot.

Afterward she said, “We totally dominated from the middle of the second period through the overtime,” Miller said, accoding to the UMD web site. “I mean, total domination. I am very proud of how my team competed tonight.”

And the next night Miller’s Bulldogs were swept. Even last season, when UMD won the WCHA title and the Gophers finished second, the U of M won three of four games with the Bulldogs.

Maybe that opening 3-2 loss to Robert Morris the previous weekend was not so bad for the Gophers. It got ‘em focused.

ONTO VOLLEYBALL …

What was bad Saturday evening was what Penn State did to the Gophers at Williams Arena. More than 10,000 fans showed up, or so it was announced, to watch a drubbing. So did I

The No. 1 Nittany Lions won 25-18, 25-15, 25-12. There was only one lead change in each set.

“They are very, very good,” Gophers coach Mike Hebert said, referring to the other side. “When I look at the scoresheet, I can’t see any weaknesses.”

Penn State coach Russ Rose, whose team has won five Big Ten titles in a row, told Hebert his team played one its better matches.

“Russ is not a guy who throws those accoladates about his own team around very much,” Hebert said, “so I am going to assume he meant what he said. That for them, that was one of his good performances.”

Penn State outblocked the Gophers 14-2 and that strong block swung the second game in the Nittany Lions’ favor. “[Alisha] Glass is probably their best blocker,” Hebert said, “and she is their setter. When you have a team of six people who can all move at the net the way they do, blocking becomes a very manageable part of the game.

“You just don’t see that very often, having every player at the net being that athletic, read that well and be that explosive.”

Glass jad one solo and eight assisted blocks as did Christa Harmotto. Those nine blocks were season highs for both.

Said Christine Tan, the Gophers’ libero: “They know when to swing hard, they’ll swing hard. And when they know they have nowhere to swing, they will put the ball somewhere else, somewhere that is going to put us in trouble.

“The defense, we did our best. It’s hard to dig those balls when they are coming that fast at you.”

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