Michigan
9-0
Auburn
5-6
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auburn | 17 | 25 | 23 | 11 | 1 |
| Michigan | 25 | 22 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
Wolverines Outlast Tigers to Remain Unbeaten
9/13/2008 12:01:00 AM | Volleyball
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Cliff Keen Arena)
Event: Michigan/Pepsi Invitational
Score: Michigan 3, Auburn 1 (25-17, 22-25, 25-23, 25-11)
Records: U-M (9-0), Auburn (5-6)
Next U-M Event: Friday, Sept. 19 -- vs. Western Kentucky (Cliff Keen Arena), 7:30 p.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Sophomore Lexi Zimmerman (Barrington, Ill./Barrington) recorded 12 kills and 45 assists to lead the University of Michigan volleyball team to a 3-1 (25-17, 22-25, 25-23, 25-11) win over Auburn Saturday night (Sept. 13) on the second day of the Michigan/Pepsi Invitational at Cliff Keen Arena. U-M completes the weekend 3-0 to win its third invite in three tries this season and improves to 9-0 for the third straight season.
Lexi Zimmerman
Senior Beth Karpiak (LaGrange, Ill./Lyons Township) added a team-leading 15 kills to help propel Michigan to first place in the two-day competition.
In the opening set, the Maize and Blue quickly posted a 7-1 lead thanks to back-back kills and a block by Karpiak. Auburn mounted a small comeback pulling the score to within two at 10-8, but the Tigers could not keep up with an aggressive Wolverine attack as Michigan claimed the 25-17 set victory. Zimmerman led Michigan with her four kills and three digs to go along with 11 assists. Karpiak, junior Veronica Rood (Temperance, Mich./Bedford) and sophomore/freshman Karlee Bruck (Elyria, Ohio/Elyria) all contributed to the attack with three kills apiece.
Auburn managed to gain a small 7-4 lead in the second set and held on through a back-and-forth battle to win 25-22. Zimmerman had 10 assists and three kills for the Maize and Blue.
In the third set, Michigan opened up an early 8-3 lead, causing Auburn to call an early timeout. The Wolverines continued to control the tempo out of the break, taking a 23-14 lead. The Tigers refused to go away quietly though as they rolled off seven straight points to pull within two. With Auburn threatening to tie the score at 24, Rood closed the door with a kill to win the third set for the Maize and Blue. Junior Juliana Paz (Porto Alegre, Brazil/Iowa Western CC) led the offense for Michigan with four kills while Zimmerman notched 12 assists.
Following the tight finish in the third set, the Wolverines left little doubt in the fourth and final set, winning 25-11. Michigan opened up an early 5-1 lead behind two kills and a block from Bower and never looked back. Karpiak controlled the net throughout the set, notching six kills with a .857 hitting percentage. Zimmerman continued to add to her impressive assist numbers with 12 more in the final set.
Four Wolverines had double-digit kills with Bower and Rood notching ten apiece to go along with Karpiak and Zimmerman. Defensively, senior Kerry Hance (Los Angeles, Calif./Marymount) led the way with 11 digs while Zimmerman was close behind with nine. Bruck posted six blocks to lead the team.
With a 3-0 record, Michigan took first place in the Michigan/Pepsi Challenge. Zimmerman was named to the all-tournament team and Karpiak won the MVP award.
The Wolverines return to Cliff Keen on Friday (Sept. 19) when they host the Michigan/adidas Invitational. Western Kentucky, Albany and Arizona State will all be in attendance as Michigan attempts to continue its undefeated season.
All-Tournament Team
Leah Dupuie, Oakland
Kelly Fidero, Auburn
Jessica Glover, Auburn
Kassie Kadera, Toledo
Beth Karpiak, Michigan (MVP)
Shannon Strachan, Toledo
Lexi Zimmerman, Michigan
NOTES
• Michigan captured the Pepsi Challenge championship with its 3-1 win over Auburn Saturday night (Sept. 13). The Wolverines have now won all three invitational tournaments they have participated in this season and 11 consecutive overall.
• Senior Beth Karpiak and junior Lexi Zimmerman were named to the all-tournament team, with Karpiak taking MVP honors. The duo has now earned all-tournament honors in each of U-M's three tournament appearances this season.
• With its three wins this weekend, Michigan improves to 9-0 on the season. The Wolverines are no stranger to fast starts, tallying 13-0 records to begin each of the last two seasons.
• Michigan donned two different uniform colors in the same match Saturday night (Sept. 13) versus Auburn. With hot, humid conditions in Keen Arena, the Maize and Blue decided to switch from their blue jerseys to dry white tops between sets two and three.
QUOTES
Michigan Head Coach Mark Rosen
On the key to defeating Auburn ... "I thought Auburn played very well and our team did a good job of weathering their attack. I am not pleased at all with the way we played this weekend. I thought we played well enough to win, and there were times we played very, very well, but I thought we were way to high error this weekend. We gave away far too many points. We had our backs against the wall tonight after set two and we came out and took care of business which is good to see."
On the play of tournament MVP Beth Karpiak ... "Beth had a phenomenal weekend. That is the best weekend I have ever seen her have in her career. She was very steady for us and honestly we didn't go to her enough tonight. But when we went to her, she was there and that is all you can ask for. There is no better choice for MVP than Beth, she played outstanding."
On the wardrobe change after set two ... "It was just too humid in here tonight. Our floor gets so slick on these hot nights and were we looking for anything we could to help eliminate some of the slipping and sliding that was going on out there. With that said, I was disappointed because I thought we got distracted with the slipping and even became tentative. Luckily nobody got hurt with all this damp weather."
On the game plan leading to next weekend ... "We have to get a lot better. I think the caliber of teams coming in will drive us, but we still need to improve. We have to be aware that we have some very high-level teams coming in here next weekend. Western Kentucky is a very, very good team. Albany plays tenacious defense and will give us everything we could want and then some. Arizona State is a very physical PAC-10 school. We have to play better, and I think we will. It is time to step up."
