Michigan
7-0
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Western Michigan
1-8
Wolverines Dispatch Broncos in First Match of Michigan Challenge
9/11/2015 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
» The Wolverines hit .291 in the victory and amassed 49 kills.
» Abby Cole led the team in kills (12) and hit .688 despite playing in only two sets.
» Carly Warner recorded a double-double with 26 assists and 15 digs.
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Cliff Keen Arena)
Event: Michigan Challenge (Day 1)
Score: #24 Michigan 3, Western Michigan 0 (25-14, 25-17, 26-24)
Records: U-M (7-0), WMU (1-8)
Next U-M Event: Friday, Sept. 11 -- vs. South Carolina (Cliff Keen Arena), 7:30 p.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The 24th-ranked University of Michigan volleyball team kept its undefeated streak going with a three-set sweep of Western Michigan (25-14, 25-17, 26-24) in the opening match of the Michigan Challenge on Friday morning (Sept. 11) at Cliff Keen Arena.
Ten Michigan players recorded at least one kill, including junior Abby Cole, who had 12 terminations and hit at an incredible .688 clip despite playing in only two sets. Sophomore Caroline Knop filled up the stat sheet once again, gathering nine kills, six digs, four assists, two service aces and two blocks. Senior Krystalyn Goode and sophomore Katherine Mahlke each had seven kills, while senior Carly Warner led the team in both assists (26) and digs (15). Also recording double-digit figures were freshman Maddy Abbott (13 assists) and senior Lindsey Lerg (12 digs). As a team, Michigan hit .291, while Western Michigan hit only .112.
The Wolverines blew by the Broncos in the first set, winning 25-14. U-M controlled both sides of the net, hitting .400 on offense while limiting the visitors to only a .056 clip.
The second set was more of a back-and-forth affair, but U-M came out on top again, 25-17. The Wolverines led early 8-3, but Western Michigan would win 11 of the next 14 points to take a three-point lead and force a timeout from the home team. It seemed to stem the tide, as U-M took command from there, winning 14 of the next 17 points to take the set. Of those 14 points, 10 were kills, including five from Cole.
Michigan overcame another slow start in the third set and held on, taking it 26-24, to win the match. The Wolverines had deficits of six (12-6) and four (18-14), but whittled away, taking their first lead since 1-0 at 24-23 on a Western Michigan ball handling error. After the Broncos tied it up on the next point, U-M won the match on a kill from Cole and a bad Western Michigan set.
The Wolverines will return to the Cliff Keen Arena hardwood at 7:30 p.m. to face South Carolina.
