Michigan
20-7 8-6Big Ten
Northwestern
14-12, 5-9Big Ten
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MICHIGAN | 21 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
| NORTHWESTERN | 25 | 17 | 12 | 17 | 1 |
Trio of Double-Doubles Shoots Michigan Past Northwestern in Four
11/7/2009 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Site: Evanston, Ill. (Welsh-Ryan Arena)
Score: #15 Michigan 3, Northwestern 1 (21-25, 25-17, 25-12, 25-17)
Records: U-M (20-7, 8-6 Big Ten), Northwestern (14-12, 5-9 Big Ten)
Next U-M Event: Friday, Nov. 13 -- vs. Purdue (Cliff Keen Arena), 7 p.m.
EVANSTON, Ill. -- The No. 15-ranked University of Michigan volleyball team had three players post double-doubles on Saturday night (Nov. 7) in a 3-1 (21-25, 25-17, 25-12, 25-17) win at Northwestern inside Welsh-Ryan Arena.
Alex Hunt
Sophomore Alex Hunt (Granger, Ind./South Bend St. Joseph) notched 15 kills, senior Juliana Paz (Porto Alegre, Brazil/Iowa Western CC) tallied 13 kills and junior setter Lexi Zimmerman (Barrington, Ill./Barrington) racked up 43 assists as each earned 11 digs. Senior Veronica Rood (Temperance, Mich./Bedford) added 10 kills to join Hunt and Paz in double figures.
The Wolverines held off a comeback bid by the Wildcats midway through the fourth set, using seven straight points to build a 22-13 lead in a 25-17 victory, claiming the match. Paz had the hot hand in the deciding stanza, posting five kills while adding three service aces.
In set one, the Wolverines found themselves out-blocked 8-0 and held to a -.023 attack percentage in a 24-21 loss. Hunt tallied four kills to lead all Wolverines but hit at a negative clip in the frame.
Down early in set two, the Wolverine offense started to awaken, using kills from Rood, senior Megan Bower (Indianapolis, Ind./Cathedral) and sophomore/junior Karlee Bruck (Elyria, Ohio/Elyria) to build a 10-7 lead. Bower continued her hot play, winning a joust at the net and contributing another kill off the slide, building a 15-10 lead and forcing Northwestern into its first timeout of the set. A 6-3 U-M run from there pushed the lead to 21-13 as the Wolverines cruised to a 25-17 win. Hunt posted six terminations in the frame, while Bower and Paz each added three apiece as the Wolverines hit a much-improved .419 as a team.
The Wolverines brought momentum with them out of the locker room to begin set three, racing out to an 11-2 lead, punctuated by a Paz service ace that forced another Northwestern timeout. The stoppage failed to slow down the U-M offensive explosion, which produced nine of the next 12 points, expanding the lead to 20-6 en route to a 25-12 win and 2-1 set lead.
Michigan returns to action next Friday (Nov. 14) when it returns to Cliff Keen Arena to face Purdue. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. with MGoBlue.com carrying live game audio and live stats.
NOTES
• With its win over Northwestern, Michigan reached the 20-win plateau for the fourth consecutive season.
• The Wolverines tallied eight service aces in the match, led by Paz's four. It marked the fourth match with four or more aces this season for Paz.
• Hunt (15 kills, 11 digs), Paz (13 kills, 11 digs) and Zimmerman (43 assists, 11 digs) each posted double-doubles in the match. Zimmerman paces the club in double-doubles this season with nine and 38 for her career.
• Junior DS Maggie Busch made her first collegiate start Saturday at Northwestern. Busch was in the starting rotation, serving for MB Karlee Bruck. Busch has now appeared in 75 career matches for the Wolverines.
