Michigan
5-0
Notre Dame
3-3
Michigan Sweeps Notre Dame in Xavier Invite Finale
9/8/2009 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Sept. 6, 2009
Site: Cincinnati, Ohio (Cintas Center)
Event: Xavier Invitational
Score: #7 Michigan 3, Notre Dame 0 (25-19, 31-29, 25-20)
Records: U-M (5-0), Notre Dame (3-3)
Next U-M Event: Wednesday, Sept. 9 -- at Eastern Michigan (Ypsilanti, Mich.), 7 p.m.
CINCINNATI, Ohio -- The No. 7-ranked University of Michigan volleyball team swept Notre Dame, 25-19, 31-29, 25-20, to cap a perfect weekend on Sunday (Sept. 6) at the Xavier Invitational at Cintas Center. As a result, U-M remains a perfect 5-0 for the fourth straight season.
Senior outside hitter Juliana Paz(Porto Alegre, Brazil/Iowa Western CC) keyed the U-M win with her second 20-kill performance of the season, while sophomore outside hitter Alex Hunt(Granger, Ind./South Bend St. Joseph) added 14 kills and nine digs in the match. Junior setter Lexi Zimmerman(Barrington, Ill./Barrington) posted a match-high 43 assists, while sophomore libero Sloane Donhoff(Louisville, Ky./Assumption) added 15 digs.
After U-M cruised to the game-one victory, 25-19, behind a .424 attack percentage, set two was a battle throughout with neither team holding more than a four-point advantage. Notre Dame held its largest lead at 16-12 only to see the Wolverines roar back as Hunt and Zimmerman registered four of the next five points to put U-M within one, 17-16. The Fighting Irish pushed the lead up to three again before another Zimmerman kill capped a second Michigan comeback, forcing a 23-23 tie. Paz had the hot hand down the stretch, contributing timely kills, while Donhoff capped the match with a service ace to give Michigan the marathon 31-29 victory.
The Wolverines dominated the third set, jumping out to a 9-5 lead and then using four straight points -- three off the right hand of Paz -- to go up 17-12 and cruise to a 25-20 win. Michigan outhit Notre Dame .447 to .179 in the final frame and .390 to .239 for the match.
The Wolverines will make their Washtenaw Country debut on Wednesday (Sept. 9) when they travel down the road to face Eastern Michigan University at 7 p.m. at the Convocation Center. MGoBlue.com will carry a live blog as well as live stats.
N O T E S
• The win over Notre Dame runs U-M's win streak against non-conference opponents in the regular season to 45 matches and stakes the squad to a 5-0 start for the fourth consecutive season.
• Michigan has now won 16 straight tournaments and invitationals in the regular season, dating back to the 2005 Georgia Invitational in Athens, Ga.
Contact: Matt Fancett (734) 763-4423
