Michigan
13-3, 2-2
Penn State
12-3, 4-0
No. 22 Michigan Drops Three-Set Decision at No. 16 Penn State
10/1/2016 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
» Junior outside hitter Adeja Lambert led the Wolverines in kills for the first time this season, tallying 10.
» Despite earning a .321 attack average in the first set, the Wolverines finished the match hitting at a .207 clip.
» The loss is Michigan's third of the season and second in Big Ten play.
Site: State College, Pa. (Rec Hall)
Score: #16 Penn State 3, #22 Michigan 0 (25-20, 25-19, 25-21)
Records: U-M (13-3, 2-2 B1G), PSU (12-3, 4-0 B1G)
Next U-M Event: Friday, Oct. 7 -- vs. Maryland (Cliff Keen Arena), 7 p.m.
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- The No 22-ranked University of Michigan volleyball team dropped a 3-0 decision (25-20, 25-19, 25-15) to the No. 16-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions on Saturday (Oct. 1) inside Rec Hall.
The loss is Michigan's second Big Ten Conference loss of the season and just the third loss of the year overall.
Michigan took the first point of the day on a Penn State service error, and the two teams battled from there. Owning a 4-3 lead early on thanks to kills from Abby Cole, Ally Davis and Cori Crocker, Michigan surrendered four straight points to allow Penn State a 7-4 lead. Following the stoppage in play, the Wolverines battled, rattling off three straight points, including a long rally and a kill from Davis to force a Penn State timeout at 20-17. Despite a .321 attack average by the Wolverines in the first set, it was the Nittany Lions who jumped out to a 25-20 set victory.
Peen State came out hot to begin the second set to take a 5-2 lead early on, but Michigan fought hard to come within one on eight separate occasions. After much point-for-point play, Penn State pulled away at 13-10 but never took more than a five-point lead as kills from Cole, Davis, Adeja Lambert and Claire Kieffer-Wright kept Michigan on pace. Though Michigan was steady for the majority of the set, the Nittany Lions pulled away at the end and took the set, 25-19.
A double-block from MacKenzi Welsh and Cole gave the Wolverines a 1-0 lead in the third set, but Penn State rallied for four consecutive points to force a Michigan timeout. The Nittany Lions surged ahead for a six-point lead, but kills from Welsh and Lambert allowed Michigan to come within three at 13-10. Despite a mid-set rally, Penn State used a .375 kill percentage to force a 25-15 third-set victory.
Overall, Lambert led Michigan offensively with 10 kills, while Davis and Cole early tallied seven apiece, and Kieffer-Wright added six. Welsh guided the offense with 31 assists on the night.
Defensively, Cole and Welsh each recorded three block assists, while Crocker earned the only solo block of the day for the Wolverines. From the back row, seven players registered a dig, as libero Jenna Lerg led the Michigan with seven.
No. 22-ranked Michigan will return to action on Friday (Oct. 7) when it hosts Maryland in another Big Ten home contest. First serve is slated for 7 p.m. from the Wolverines' home court inside Cliff Keen Arena.
