Michigan
15-5, 5-4B1G
Penn State
18-2, 7-2B1G
No. 23 Michigan Falls to No. 5 Penn State in Five-Set Heartbreaker
10/21/2015 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
» Michigan attacked for a .235 average in the match, while Penn State earned a .268 hitting percentage.
» Both teams recorded 63 kills in the outing, though PSU out-blocked the Maize and Blue 17 blocks to seven.
» Claire Kieffer-Wright notched a career-high 14 kills and also led the team with a .370 attack average and recorded two blocks.
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Cliff Keen Arena)
Score: #5 Penn State 3, #23 Michigan 2 (25-18, 22-25, 18-25, 25-20, 15-7)
Records: U-M (15-5, 5-4 B1G), PSU (18-2, 7-2 B1G)
Attendance: 1,800
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Oct. 24 -- vs. Ohio State (Cliff Keen Arena), 7 p.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Despite rallying for two straight victories in the second and third sets, the No. 23-ranked University of Michigan volleyball team dropped a 3-2 (25-18, 22-25, 18-25, 25-20, 15-7) contest to the visiting No. 5 Penn State Nittany Lions Wednesday evening (Oct. 21) from Cliff Keen Arena.
Both teams hit the court ready for action, and Michigan garnered an early lead in the first set, going up by five, before Penn State could rally back to force a 17-16 lead. Once the lead was established, however, the Nittany Lions refused to relinquish it, taking a 25-18 set victory. Michigan's defense help Penn State to just a .194 attack average in the first set, forcing seven PSU attack errors.
The Maize and Blue answered back in the second set with a 25-22 victory to tie the score, though Penn State led the set for the first 10 points. With the score tied at 10-10, sophomore Claire Kieffer-Wright led the charge with three kills as the Wolverines went on an 11-6 run to jump ahead, 21-16. Despite a late surge from the visiting Nittany Lions, timely kills from junior Abby Cole sealed the 25-22 win for Michigan.
With the score tied 1-1 at the break, Michigan hit the court in set three with a vengeance, blasting 18 kills on a .533 attack average to stun Penn State, 25-18. Cole led the set with four kills, while sophomore Caroline Knop picked up four digs, and senior setter Carly Warner tallied 13 assists. Though Penn State tied the score twice during the third set, the Wolverines never trailed.
U-M came out swinging in the fourth set as well, though Penn State quickly gained its footing and took a 5-4 lead that they did not surrender. In spite of being down 15-9 at one point, the Wolverines went on a 7-2 run to tie the score at 17-all, forcing a Penn State timeout. The Nittany Lions then regrouped to take a 20-17 lead, but Michigan continued to fight and brought the score within one point, at 21-20. In spite of the offensive effort, Penn State took the third set by a 25-20 score to tie the game and force set five.
With the game tied at 2-2, Penn State began set five with a 3-0 run that forced an early Michigan timeout. Though the Wolverines rallied back to come within two, four attack errors and a service error allowed the Nittany Lions to eventually pull away for a 15-7 set victory and a 3-2 match win.
In addition to Kieffer-Wright's career-high 14 kills on a game-high .370 attack average, Cole also recorded 14 kills in the outing, while Big Ten Freshman Player of the Week Carly Skjodt earned 10.
Warner guided the Michigan offense with 37 assists, while freshman Maddy Abbott tallied 12.
Defensively, senior libero Lindsey Lerg led the back row with 16 digs, and senior middle blocker Krystalyn Goode picked up a team-high four blocks. Knop and Jenna Lerg also counted seven digs, while Cole and Kieffer-Wright notched two blocks apiece.
Michigan will return to action on Saturday (Oct. 24) with a 7 p.m. match against the visiting Ohio State Buckeyes. The match is to be held inside Cliff Keen Arena, and tickets are already sold out.
