Michigan
14-2, 2-2Big Ten
Northwestern
6-9, 0-4Big Ten
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
| Northwestern | 17 | 18 | 23 | 0 |
Rosen Ties All-Time Win Mark as U-M Sweeps Wildcats
10/4/2008 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Site: Evanston, Ill. (Welsh-Ryan Arena)
Score: #22 Michigan 3, Northwestern 0 (25-17, 25-18, 25-23)
Records: U-M (14-2, 2-2 Big Ten), Northwestern (6-9, 0-4 Big Ten)
Next U-M Event: Friday, Oct. 10 -- vs. Purdue (Cliff Keen Arena), 7 p.m.
EVANSTON, Ill. -- The No. 22-ranked University of Michigan volleyball team rolled its way back into the win column with a three-set sweep of host Northwestern (25-17, 25-18, 25-23) on Saturday night (Oct. 4) in Welsh-Ryan Arena. A balanced offensive attack carried U-M with junior Juliana Paz (Porto Alegre, Brazil/Iowa Western CC) leading the way for the second straight night with 17 kills.
Beth Karpiak
In set one, the Wolverines jumped out to an 8-3 lead thanks to two kills each from freshman Alex Hunt (Granger, Ind./South Bend St. Joseph) and sophomore Lexi Zimmerman (Barrington, Ill./Barrington), and never turned back. The lead reached as much as 11 points, 20-9, on a termination from Paz. Back-to-back kills from junior Megan Bower (Indianapolis, Ind./Cathedral) and Zimmerman closed out the win, 25-17.
In set two, Michigan again claimed an early lead, 7-6, and pushed the advantage to 17-12 on a kill from Bower. Paz continued her hot hand, posting seven terminations in the set as the Wolverines hit at a .378 clip for the 25-18 win. Zimmerman handed out 14 assists in the frame and five different U-M attackers tallied kills.
Northwestern made it a battle in set three, matching Michigan point-for-point. Neither team took more than a two-point lead midway through the frame until Hunt delivered a cross-court kill that gave U-M an 18-15 advantage. The Wildcats battled back to tie the set, 20-20, and push their lead to 22-20 on a U-M attack error. Michigan did not fold, however, claiming five of the last six points to win the final frame, 25-23.
Senior Beth Karpiak (LaGrange, Ill./Lyons Township) joined Paz in double figures with 10 kills, while Bower and Hunt each tallied seven in the win. Zimmerman handed out 39 helpers and the Wolverines recorded six service aces, including two each from Paz and sophomore Maggie Busch (Toledo, Ohio/Toledo Christian). It was a team effort defensively as U-M posted 38 digs, led by 10 from freshman Sloane Donhoff (Louisville, Ky./Assumption).
The win puts Michigan back to .500 in conference play and serves as a historical moment for head coach Mark Rosen who ties Sandy Vong for the most wins in program history with 177.
The Wolverines will be back in action next Friday (Oct. 10) when they return home to face the Boilermakers of Purdue University in Cliff Keen Arena at 7 p.m.
