Michigan
16-7, 6-6B1G
Illinois
15-8, 6-6B1G
U-M Swept at No. 21 Illinois Despite Kieffer-Wright's Monster Night
10/31/2015 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
» Sophomore Claire Kieffer-Wright led Michigan in hitting with a career-high .571 attack average on 14 kills.
» Senior Tiffany Morales led the Wolverines from the back row, registering a game-high 13 digs.
» Michigan was swept in straight sets for the first time since a road loss at Michigan State on Sept. 30.
Site: Champaign, Ill. (Huff Hall)
Score: #21 Illinois 3, #25 Michigan 0 (25-22, 25-22, 25-20)
Records: U-M (16-7, 6-6 B1G), ILL (15-8, 6-6 B1G)
Next U-M Event: Friday, Nov. 6 -- at Wisconsin (Madison, Wis.), 7:30 p.m. CST
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Despite a career-high .571 attack average from sophomore middle blocker Claire Kieffer-Wright, the No. 25-ranked University of Michigan volleyball team dropped a Big Ten Conference road contest to the No. 21 Illinois Fighting Illini on Saturday evening (Oct. 31) from Huff Hall.
The Fighting Illini took the first set of the match and set the tone from there. Though Michigan tied the game six times throughout the first set, the Wolverines never led, eventually falling by a 25-22 score.
Sophomore outside hitter Caroline Knop led the Maize in Blue with five kills in the first set, registering four in a row towards the end of the game. Neither team hit above .178 in set one, as Illinois and Michigan recorded the same stats in nearly every category, including kills (14), blocks (3) and attack errors (6).
In spite of a tough Michigan offense, the Illinois momentum from the first set carried into the second as the Maize and Blue fell by a 25-22 score. The Fighting Illini led the Wolverines by as many as eight points during set two, and much like the first set, the Maize and Blue never garnered a lead.
It was Kieffer-Wright who guided Michigan's offense to a .324 attack average in set two, tallying seven kills to lead all players.
Michigan garnered their first lead of the match during the third set, as the Wolverines scored the first point on a service ace from freshman defensive specialist Jenna Lerg. From there, the Maize and Blue went on a roll, maintaining the lead until Illinois tied the game at 10-10. With the score tied, it was a battle point for point, but the Fighting Illini eventually broke free to gain a lead and stay just ahead of the Wolverines, taking the set by a 25-20 score.
Senior libero Tiffany Morales, who eclipsed the 1,500 dig mark early this year, led the Maize and Blue with 13 digs on the evening. From the front row, Kieffer-Wright led Michigan with three blocks.
Despite the loss, Kieffer-Wright led the Wolverine offense with a career-high .571 attack average on 14 kills. Knop also contributed 12 kills and junior Abby Cole ended the night with six.
After going 1-1 on the road trip to Illinois, the Wolverines will return to play on Friday (Nov. 6) when they head to Madison, Wisconsin, for a match against the Wisconsin Badgers, who are ranked 12th. The contest is slated for 7:30 p.m. CST.
