Michigan
Illinois
Michigan Falls in Five Sets at No. 17 Illinois
10/31/2008 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Result: #17 Illinois 3, #18 Michigan 2 (25-20, 18-25, 25-21, 18-25, 24-22)
Records: U-M (18-5, 6-5 Big Ten), ILL (17-5, 8-3 Big Ten)
Attendance: 1,165
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Nov. 1 -- at Purdue (West Lafayette, Ind.), 7 p.m.
Boxscore
CHAMPAIGN, ILL. -- The No. 18-ranked University of Michigan volleyball team started the second half of Big Ten play with a heartbreaking five-set loss at No. 17 Illinois, 25-20, 18-25, 25-21, 18-25, 24-22 on Saturday night (Oct. 31) in Huff Hall. Junior Megan Bower(Indianapolis, Ind./Cathedral) had 17 kills, one of five Wolverines to reach double figures in defeat.
In the opening frame, the two teams exchanged leads throughout the set and Illinois carried a three-point advantage, 17-14, midway through to force a Michigan timeout. The Wolverines responded out of the break, roaring back to tie the match at 18-all and eventually build a 22-19 lead on a kill from sophomore Lexi Zimmerman(Barrington, Ill./Barrington). From there, it was the trio of Zimmerman, senior Beth Karpiak(LaGrange, Ill./Lyons Township) and freshman Alex Hunt(Granger, Ind./South Bend St. Joseph) that finished off the Fighting Illini for a 25-20 victory.
In set two, the Wolverines struggled to find an offensive groove as Illinois built a 10-6 lead early. Michigan came back to tie the match, 12-12, on a termination by Bower and took its only lead of the set on the next play, 13-12, again off the attack from Bower. The Illini pushed back from there, scoring 13 of the next 19 points to take a 25-18 victory.
The third set saw another extremely close contest as the two teams traded leads throughout the frame. Michigan built a 15-13 lead on a service ace from junior Juliana Paz(Porto Alegre, Brazil/Iowa Western CC), but saw Illinois come back to tie the match moments later, 16-16. Down the stretch, U-M used kills from Hunt, Bower and freshman/sophomore Karlee Bruck(Elyria, Ohio/Elyria) to finish on a 4-1 run for a 25-21 victory.
Michigan's offense hit the skids in set four, recording a .114 attacking percentage as Illinois pulled away for a 25-18 victory. Michigan had a brief run midway through the set, pulling within one point, 19-18, but the Illini used a 4-0 run late to even the match at two sets apiece.
The two teams traded blows in set five in a marathon 24-22 Illinois victory. Michigan held the lead at the turn, 8-7, and after switching sides, extended the lead to 10-7 on a kill from Bower. Illinois clawed its way back, tying the match 11-11 -- part of 11 ties and 12 lead changes between the squads in the frantic final frame. The Wolverines found themselves staring at match-point four different times, only to see Illinois come back and eventually triumph, 24-22.
Bruck finished with a career-high 11 kills in defeat, part of a balanced offensive attack that saw five Wolverines finish in double-figure kills for the first time since the 2004 campaign. Zimmerman added 58 assists and four Wolverines reached double-figure digs with senior Kerry Hance(Los Angeles, Calif./Marymount) leading the way with 18. Hance also reached the 200-dig plateau for the fourth consecutive season, while Hunt celebrated her 100th career kill in the opening set. Bower added 12 digs to her team-leading kill total, while Paz also earned a double-double with 13 kills and 17 digs.
Michigan will be back in action on Saturday night (Nov. 1) when it travels to West Lafayette, Ind., to face No. 20 Purdue at 7 p.m. The match will be carried live on the Big Ten Network.
Contact: Matt Fancett (734) 763-4423
