Michigan
25-9
Niagara
23-9
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Niagara | 4 | 12 | 15 | 0 |
| MICHIGAN | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
Michigan Opens NCAA Play With Convincing Sweep of Niagara
12/4/2009 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Cliff Keen Arena)
Event: NCAA Tournament (First Round)
Score: #16 Michigan 3, Niagara 0 (25-4, 25-12, 25-15)
Records: U-M (25-9), Niagara (23-9)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Dec. 5 -- vs. Ohio - NCAA Second Round (Cliff Keen Arena), 7:30 p.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 16-ranked University of Michigan volleyball team used all 14 healthy bodies and 14 kills from sophomore Alex Hunt (Granger, Ind./South Bend St. Joseph) in a convincing three-set sweep of Niagara (25-4, 25-12, 25-15) Friday (Dec. 4) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Cliff Keen Arena.
Alex Hunt
Hunt was the lone Wolverine to reach double-figure kills as the Michigan offense spread the attack around with nine players tallying terminations. Junior setter Lexi Zimmerman (Barrington, Ill./Barrington) dished out 24 assists, while freshman setter Catherine Yager (St. Michael, Minn./Albertville) added a career-high 10 helpers. Sophomore libero Sloane Donhoff (Louisville, Ky./Assumption) paced the U-M defense with 17 digs as the Wolverines held Niagara to a -.081 attack percentage for the match.
In the deciding third set, Michigan used back-to-back kills from redshirt freshman Claire McElheny (Westfield, Ind./Brebeuf Prep) to spark a 10-2 run, pushing its lead from 11-7 to 21-9 en route to an easy 25-15 victory. The Wolverines had it going from the service line in set three with senior Juliana Paz (Porto Alegre, Brazil/Iowa Western CC), Donhoff and McElheny each tallying aces down the stretch.
Michigan came out swinging to start the match, using a 25-3 run after Niagara scored the opening point of the night to cruise to a 25-4 win. Seniors Megan Bower (Indianapolis, Ind./Cathedral) and Cassie Petoskey (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer) added the three final kills for a U-M offense that hit at a torrid .625 clip while committing zero errors. Scoring was spread evenly as four Wolverines had three kills apiece.
The second set looked the same as the first, as Michigan ran away with the frame 25-12. Niagara kept it close early at 5-5, but the Michigan offense took over from there. A kill by Hunt followed by a Zimmerman termination broke the tie with U-M never relinquishing the lead from that point. Hunt went on to lead the Wolverines with six kills in the set, while Yager came in to dish out six assists.
The Wolverines return to action on Saturday night (Dec. 5) to face Ohio University at 7:30 p.m. at Cliff Keen Arena in second-round NCAA action. Ohio advanced to the second round after defeating Notre Dame in five sets Friday night. The winner of Saturday's second round contest advances to the NCAA Sweet 16 in Palo Alto, Calif., hosted by Stanford University. MGoBlue.com will carry live audio and live statistics of Saturday's match.
NOTES
• Michigan advances to the second round of tournament play for third straight season and eighth time in program history.
• The Wolverines moved over .500 in tournament play, pushing their career NCAA Tournament record to 10-9.
• U-M held Niagara to just four points in the opening set, the lowest figure tallied by an opponent this season. It marked the second time the Wolverines have held an opponent to single digits this year, holding Fairfield to nine points in set one Sept. 11.
• All 14 healthy bodies played for the Wolverines, the first time this season that all available players appeared in the same match.
• Freshman setter Catherine Yager made her first postseason appearance a memorable one, tallying a career-high 10 assists, nine more than her previous high.
• Redshirt freshman Claire McElheny tied her career high with two kills.
QUOTES
Michigan Head Coach Mark Rosen
Opening statement ... "Overall I'm very pleased with our performance. I thought that our team came out and played very good defense, which is a sign of us being very focused on the match. I think we can always use that to evaluate how focused we are. I thought our defensive effort and preparation was really good. On every play they were expecting the ball and reacting really well.
"I was very pleased with the unselfishness of our team. We played everybody, but it wasn't like 'Hey I'm just happy to be in there.' People were very focused on what we were doing, very focused on executing the game plan and taking care of business. I was just very, very pleased with that. It was a lot of fun. Those are fun matches when you're playing that well and things are going your way."
On getting freshman setter Catherine Yager in the match ... "It's fun to get her in the match. She worked really hard all week long and everyday setting in practice and creating a competitive atmosphere. I thought it was great for her to get the opportunity. She ended up having to play at Michigan State when Lexi (Zimmerman) got hurt so it's great to be able to get her more opportunities to set. She needs that experience to get in the game and to get more comfortable. I thought she did a really nice job. She started off a little shaky and we expect that. She settled in a little bit. I thought the rest of the team did a great job in supporting her in that role."
On senior Cassie Petoskey's play ... "It was great. If you're around our team you understand how determined Cassie is. She doesn't show up in a boxscore very often, but she's one of the best teammates anyone could ever have. For her to get an opportunity and to excel in that opportunity (to get the final kill) was great. I'm proud of her."
U-M Junior Setter Lexi Zimmerman
On whether or not Michigan plays with a different kind of confidence when she's serving ... "I think we as a team rely on our serving a lot. It's kind of a staple of Michigan volleyball. I think when anyone is back there we trust them to get aces and get the other team out of system."
U-M Senior Outside Hitter Megan Bower
On transitioning from tonight's 3-0 win to tomorrow night's game against Ohio ... "First off, a win is a win. It's the NCAA Tournament and you can't take any wins for granted at this point in the season. Tonight was great and we'll enjoy it for the next couple minutes and then definitely move on and focus on Ohio. But once again, it's a lot about ourselves and taking care of our side of the court. It's about our style of volleyball. Ohio is a great team, they're very aggressive and I think if we can take care of the ball tomorrow and take care of Michigan volleyball then we should have a good turnout."
Sophomore Outside Hitter Alex Hunt
On what Michigan needs to work on for tomorrow's second-round match ... "I think tomorrow we need to go out and play our game. We need to focus on our serve-receive and just playing our game. I know if we play our game we'll end up being successful."
On tonight's team effort ... "It was a really great team effort tonight and we couldn't have done it without any part of the team. That was the nice thing about tonight."
