Michigan
21-9, 9-7B1G
Minnesota
20-7, 11-5B1G
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota | 23 | 19 | 13 | 0 |
| Michigan | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
U-M Ends Home Season with Sweep of No. 10 Minnesota
11/10/2012 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Cliff Keen Arena)
Score: Michigan 3, #10 Minnesota 0 (25-23, 25-19, 25-13)
Records: U-M (21-9, 9-7 Big Ten), Minnesota (20-7, 11-5 Big Ten)
Attendance: 1,800 (sellout)
Next U-M Event: Friday, Nov. 16 -- at Northwestern (Evanston, Ill.), 7 p.m. CST
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Fifth-year senior Claire McElheny (Westfield, Ind./Brebeuf Prep) closed out her University of Michigan volleyball home career in style as the Wolverines defeated No. 10 Minnesota in three sets Saturday night (Nov. 10) in front of a sold out crowd (1,800) at Cliff Keen Arena. Michigan hit a season-high .460 and won its fifth straight match, by scores of 25-23, 25-19 and 25-13.
Claire McElheny
McElheny hit a sizzling .900 (9-0-10) in her final home match on Senior Night. Juniors Lexi Erwin (Spring, Texas/Woodlands College Park) and Molly Toon (Middleton, Wis./Middleton) had 15 and 14 kills, respectively, to pace the Wolverine offense. Sophomore Lexi Dannemiller (West Chester, Ohio/Lakota West) had 42 assists, her second straight 40-plus assist mark in a three-set match, and junior Jennifer Cross (Scarborough, Ontario/Birchmount Park Collegiate) and freshman Krystalyn Goode (River Hills, Wis./Nicolet) each had five total blocks on the night.
Michigan hit .364 to take the match's first set 25-23. The Wolverines jumped out to an 8-4 lead on a Dannemiller service ace. Minnesota clawed back and eventually tied the set at 11 on a Tori Dixon kill. The set featured seven ties, the last coming at 17-all on a Toon kill. Michigan scored the next two points as Goode assisted on a block and had a kill. Michigan then went up 22-18 on blocks from Goode and Erwin. Minnesota cut the lead to 23-22 on a Katherine Harms termination, but Erwin's kill gave Michigan set point. Minnesota fought off one set point, but Cross' kill sealed it for the Maize and Blue.
Toon had six kills in the second set as U-M went to the locker room with a 2-0 advantage. The set was tight early, but an Erwin kill gave Michigan a 10-7 lead as the Golden Gophers used a timeout. Cross' kill put U-M up 14-10 and back-to-back kills from Toon made it 18-14 Wolverines. Michigan scored four of the last five points, headlined by a block and a kill from Toon to take the set 25-19.
Michigan hit a blistering .654 in the match's third and final set, winning 25-13 and securing its fifth straight victory. The Maize and Blue scored the set's first four points and never looked back. Toon's kill gave U-M a 10-2 lead and a Goode strike put the Maize and Blue up 13-5. An Erwin termination made it 18-9 and McElheny's kill put Michigan up 20-10. The Wolverines closed it out with back-to-back blocks, two coming from Goode.
U-M had nine total blocks in the match and had four service aces. The Wolverines also outdug Minnesota, 33-26.
Michigan now will begin a four-game road trip to end the regular-season this Friday (Nov. 16) at Northwestern. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, Ill.
NOTES
• Michigan defeated top-10 teams in back-to-back weekends for the first time in school history. Michigan defeated No. 4 Nebraska last Friday (Nov. 2) and Minnesota tonight. The only other time U-M has defeated two top-10 teams in a season was in 2009 when the Wolverines beat No. 3 Nebraska to open the season on Aug. 28 and defeated No. 4 Stanford in the NCAA Regional semifinals on Dec. 11.
• U-M has won five conference matches in a row for the first time since Nov. 7-20, 2010.
• Michigan has won its last 12 sets as U-M won the last three against Nebraska and swept Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota.
• Michigan is now 14-3 in three-set matches.
• Claire McElheny's .900 hitting percentage on 10 attacks is a season high for a Wolverine. The previous high was .600 (16-1-25) by Lexi Erwin in a win over Nicholls State on Aug. 24.
• McElheny was honored after the match on Senior Night. The fifth-year senior now has 768 kills and 189 total blocks in her U-M career.
• Lexi Erwin led U-M in kills for the 21st time this season; she had 15 on the night.
• Molly Toon reached double figures in kills for the 14th time this season.
• Ally Sabol led Michigan in digs for the seventh time this season and the 10th time in her career.
• Jennifer Cross, in her 97th match played, led Michigan in blocks for the 68th time in her career.
