Michigan
19-4, 8-3Big Ten
Illinois
18-3, 10-1Big Ten
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan | 11 | 25 | 20 | 26 | 12 | 2 |
| Illinois | 25 | 16 | 25 | 24 | 15 | 3 |
Wolverines Lose in Five at No. 6 Illinois in Battle of Big Ten's Best
10/29/2010 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Site: Champaign, Ill. (Huff Hall)
Score: #6 Illinois 3, #15 Michigan 2 (25-11, 16-25, 25-20, 24-26, 15-11)
Records: U-M (19-4, 8-3 Big Ten), Illinois (18-3, 10-1 Big Ten)
Next U-M Match: Saturday, Oct. 30 -- at Wisconsin (Madison, Wis.), 7 p.m. CDT
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- In a match-up of the Big Ten's top two teams, the No. 15-ranked University of Michigan volleyball team dropped a 3-2 decision at No. 6 Illinois on Friday night (Oct. 29) at Huff Hall. Set scores were 25-11, 16-25, 25-20, 24-26, 15-11 as the Wolverines staved off three match points in the fourth set to force a fifth but could not overcome a 4-0 Illinois start in the deciding frame.
Claire McElheny
Junior outside hitter Alex Hunt (Granger, Ind./South Bend St. Joseph) led the Wolverines with 20 kills and 12 digs, with redshirt sophomore right side Claire McElheny (Westfield, Ind./Brebeuf) going for 15 kills and freshman middle blocker Jennifer Cross (Scarborough, Ont./Birchmount Park Collegiate) finding the floor 11 times. Senior defensive specialist Maggie Busch (Toledo, Ohio/Toledo Christian) led five Wolverines in double-figure digs with a career-best 19, while senior setter Lexi Zimmerman (Barrington, Ill./Barrington) recorded 52 assists, 14 digs, three kills and a service ace on the night.
In the fifth set, Illinois grabbed a 4-0 advantage before Cross ended the run with a slide kill to put U-M on the board. The Illini lead grew to as many as five at 10-5, but the Wolverines scored the next four points to pull within a point, 10-9, when freshman outside hitter Lexi Erwin (Spring, Texas/Woodlands College Park) ripped one cross court for the kill. The Illini clamped down after that, scoring five of the next eight points for the 15-12 victory to remain at the top of the Big Ten standings.
Facing an Illinois match point at 24-21 in the fourth set, Michigan reeled off five consecutive points on three Hunt kills and two Illini attack errors to win, 26-24, capped by Hunt using the block for a point. The Maize and Blue jumped out to an 8-1 advantage, only to see Illinois storm back and take a 16-15 lead. The teams traded points to 21-all, when Illinois scored three in a row, before Michigan went on its deciding spurt.
Michigan scored the first point of the third set off a Zimmerman kill, but Illinois took the lead at 2-1 and kept it the rest of the way in a 25-20 victory. Down 22-18, kills from Hunt and McElheny brought U-M back within two and forced an Illini timeout. The stoppage halted the U-M momentum as Illinois ripped off the next three points to win the third, 25-20.
The Wolverines evened the match at a set apiece following a 25-16 second-set victory, leading wire to wire after jumping out to a 3-0 lead. With Michigan holding on to a three-point lead at 12-9, consecutive kills from Hunt, McElheny and redshirt junior middle blocker Karlee Bruck (Elyria, Ohio/Elyria) pushed the U-M advantage to 15-9 and put the set out of reach for Illinois. Hunt led the way with seven kills in the set, with McElheny chipping in four.
Michigan fell behind 8-2 early in the first set as Illinois kept at least a five-point cushion the rest of the way behind a .440 attack percentage. Michigan had only eight kills in the first frame in a 25-11 loss.
The Wolverines wrap up their four-match road swing tomorrow (Saturday, Oct. 30) with a 7 p.m. CDT match at Wisconsin.
NOTES
• Maggie Busch had a career-high 19 digs, improving upon her previous best of 14 that was set against Toledo (Aug. 28, 2010).
• Alex Hunt recorded at least 20 kills for the ninth time this season.
• Alex Hunt set a new career high with 72 attack attempts.
• Five Wolverines recorded double-digit digs -- Maggie Busch (19), Sloane Donhoff (16), Lexi Zimmerman (14), Alex Hunt (12) and Ally Sabol (11).
• Michigan moves to 3-2 against ranked opposition in 2010, defeating No. 6 Illinois (Oct. 9), No. 14 Minnesota (Sept. 25) and No. 20 Northwestern (Oct. 15) while falling at No. 4 Penn State (Oct. 2) and No. 6 Illinois (Oct. 29).
• U-M is 2-2 in five-set matches.
• Michigan falls to 4-4 on the road (2-3 during Big Ten action).
• Illinois remains atop the Big Ten with a 10-1 conference record. Michigan is the only team to have beaten Illinois this season.
