Michigan
10-2, 0-1
Purdue
10-2, 1-0
Michigan Falls to No. 20 Purdue in Big Ten Opener
9/25/2015 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
» The Wolverines lost at Cliff Keen Arena for the first time this season.
» Adeja Lambert notched a season-high 14 kills.
» No. 20 Purdue was the first ranked opponent for U-M this season.
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Cliff Keen Arena)
Score: #20 Purdue 3, #22 Michigan 0 (25-23, 25-19, 25-18)
Records: U-M (10-2, 0-1 Big Ten), Purdue (10-2, 1-0 Big Ten)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Sept. 26 -- vs. Indiana (Cliff Keen Arena), 7 p.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Sophomore Adeja Lambert notched a season-high 14 kills, but the No. 22-ranked University of Michigan volleyball team lost in three sets to No. 20 Purdue (25-23, 25-19, 25-18) on Friday night (Sept. 25) at Cliff Keen Arena in the Big Ten opener for both teams.
The loss is Michigan's first at home this season and marks Purdue's seventh straight win over the Wolverines. Michigan fell to 10-2 on the season, while Purdue improved to the same mark.
Carly Skjodt added seven kills, Maddy Abbott had 18 assists and two service aces, and Caroline Knop added four kills and a team-high 11 digs to lead the Wolverines. Michigan had a .193 hitting percentage for the night, while Purdue had 49 kills with just 11 errors for a hitting percentage of .358.
The visiting Boilermakers took the opening set behind an outstanding effort on the attack, notching 17 kills offset by just three errors. The Wolverines had their best set of the night on the attack (14 kills, 4 errors, .333 hitting percentage), and the result was a back-and-forth frame in which neither team led by more than two points. With the set knotted at 23-23, and Michigan on serve, Purdue's Danielle Cuttino came up with a big kill, and an attack down the line by Lambert sailed just wide to give the Boilermakers an early advantage. Katherine Mahlke and Lambert each led Michigan with four kills in the frame.
Purdue continued its dominant effort on the attack in the second set, rallying from a 12-10 deficit midway through the frame. Three Michigan attack errors and two kills by the Boilermakers helped Purdue take a 15-12 lead. The Wolverines got no closer than two the rest of the way. The Boilermakers had 19 kills in the set with only two errors for a hitting percentage of .472. The Wolverines were led by Lambert, who had four kills in the frame.
In the third set, with a 9-8 lead, Purdue won six of seven points to take control at 15-9. Trailing 19-13, Michigan ran off three straight points, including its first block of the night, from Krystalyn Goode and Knop, to cut the Purdue lead to 19-16. But a Michigan service error, followed by a Purdue service ace gave the Boilermakers control once again, and they closed the match on a kill by Azariah Stahl.
Michigan will continue Big Ten play with a match against Indiana at Cliff Keen Arena on Saturday (Sept. 26) a 7 p.m.
