Michigan
1-0
Nicholls State
0-1
Erwin, Hot Hitting Lift U-M to Season-Opening Win over NSU
8/24/2012 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Site: Columbia, Mo. (Hearnes Center)
Event: Tiger Invitational
Score: #23 Michigan 3, Nicholls State 0 (25-16, 25-10, 25-16)
Records: U-M (1-0), NSU (0-1)
Next U-M Event: Friday, August 24 -- vs. North Florida - Tiger Invitational (Columbia, Mo.), 4:30 p.m. CDT
COLUMBIA, Mo. -- The University of Michigan volleyball team hit a blistering .387 as the Wolverines opened the 2012 season with a convincing 3-0 win over Nicholls State this Friday (Aug. 24) in the first match of the Tiger Invitational in the Hearnes Center. Set scores were 25-16, 25-10 and 25-16.
Junior Lexi Erwin (Spring, Texas/Woodlands College Park) led the Michigan offensive attack, putting down a match-high 16 kills on a .600 hitting percentage. Classmate Jennifer Cross (Scarborough, Ontario/Birchmount Park Collegiate) added seven kills and five block assists. Freshman Tiffany Morales (Redondo Beach, Calif./Redondo Union) had a team-high eight digs, while freshman Carly Warner (Naperville, Ill./St. Francis) had 35 assists in her first match as a Wolverine.
Molly Toon
Down 5-4 in the first set, the Maize and Blue went on a 5-0 run, highlighted by an Erwin kill and service ace. A kill from junior Molly Toon (Middleton, Wis./Middleton) gave the Wolverines a 13-8 lead. The Wolverines then used back-to-back kills from Cross and Erwin and a service ace from fifth-year senior Claire McElheny (Westfield, Ind./Brebeuf) to make it 17-11 Michigan. The Wolverines went up 20-13 on a service ace from freshman Lindsey Lerg (Farmington Hills, Mich./Mercy) and then at 20-15, scored three straight points, capped by a kill from freshman Krystalyn Goode (River Falls, Wis./Nicolet). Michigan ended the set on a service ace from Toon, the fourth for U-M in the set.
Michigan never trailed in the second set, jumping out to a 6-0 lead, highlighted by two Erwin kills and a block from Cross and freshman Ally Davis (Hinsdale, Ill./Hinsdale Central). Michigan, which hit .375 in the set, made it 13-5 on a Toon kill and a Nicholls State attack error gave the Wolverines a double-digit advantage (17-7). Michigan ended that set on an 8-3 run, ending its second straight set on a service ace, this one from Erwin.
Nicholls State took the first point of the third set, but an Erwin kill at 2-1 gave the Maize and Blue the lead for good. The Colonels kept it close for the beginning of the set as they trailed 13-12, but Michigan went on a 6-1 run on kills from Erwin and Cross, an Erwin service ace and three Nicholls State errors. An Erwin kill gave U-M a 23-14 lead and the Wolverines closed out the match on an NSU attack error.
Michigan will play its second match of the day in the Tiger Invitational this afternoon against North Florida. The first serve time is set for 4:30 p.m. CDT.
N O T E S
• Lexi Erwin's 16 kills put her in double digits for the 26th time in her U-M career. She also led U-M in kills for the 16th time as a Wolverine.
• Michigan improves to 27-13 all-time in season openers. The Wolverines have not lost a season opener since a 3-0 loss to Notre Dame to begin the 2005 season.
• All six true freshmen on the Wolverines roster made their career debuts. Lindsey Lerg, Carly Warner, Krystalyn Goode and Tiffany Morales all earned starts for the Maize and Blue.
• Jennifer Cross now has 244 blocks in her Michigan career after recording five block assists.
• Michigan hit .387 (38-9-75) as a team in the match. That is the best by the Wolverines since U-M hit .410 against Florida State on Sept. 9, 2011.
• This was the first-ever meeting between Michigan and Nicholls State.
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