Michigan
14-3, 3-2B1G
Maryland
8-9, 0-5B1G
No. 23 Michigan Picks Up Gritty Win over Maryland
10/7/2016 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Oct. 7, 2016
» For the fourth time this season, three Wolverines recorded double-figure kills in the outing.
» Ally Davis and Katerina Rocafort both came in as subs during the fourth set and became sparkplugs for the Michigan offense with big contributions.
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Cliff Keen Arena)
Score: #23 Michigan 3, Maryland 1 (27-25, 25-18, 21-25, 25-21)
Records: U-M (14-3, 3-2 B1G), Maryland (8-9, 0-5 B1G)
Next U-M Event: Sunday, Oct. 9 -- vs. Ohio State (Cliff Keen Arena), 1 p.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Three double-digit kill outings combined with three season-high performances propelled the No. 23-ranked University of Michigan volleyball team to a 3-1 victory (27-25, 25-18, 21-25, 25-21) over the visiting Maryland Terrapins on Friday night (Oct. 7) inside Cliff Keen Arena.
The victory pushed Michigan to a 14-3 record on the season while forcing the Terps under .500 for the year.
Though three Wolverines recorded double-figure kills on the night, it was junior outside hitter Adeja Lambert who led the charge offensively for Michigan in the outing with a season-high 18 kills. Senior Abby Cole -- who played the match exclusively at the middle blocker position for the first time this season -- tallied 13 kills in the outing, and junior Katherine Mahlke tied her season-high with 11 kills from the opposite position. Senior Ally Davis also appeared briefly in the fourth set, tallying two kills on two swings to ignite the Michigan offense at a timely moment.
Guiding the offense was freshman setter MacKenzi Welsh, who picked up 47 assists and three kills on five attemps.
From the back row, sophomore libero Jenna Lerg was a wall, recording 14 digs to for her 15th double-figure dig performance of the year. Senior Kelly Murphy was also huge defensively as she registered a season-high 11 digs to earn double-digit digs for the first time this season, and freshman Tiffany Clark kept pace with nine digs.
Though Maryland shined at the net with 15 team blocks, the Maize and Blue tallied six team blocks on the night. Junior middle blocker Claire Kieffer-Wright led the charge with three, including two solo stuffs.
Freshman Katerina Rocafort also made her second appearance of the season with a substitution in the fourth set, tallying an assist and her first career dig.
Maryland took the first point of the day on a Michigan attack error, and the two teams battled from there. Using the momentum, the Terps jumped out to a 3-1 lead, but kills from Cole and Kieffer-Wright turned the score around to put Michigan on top, 5-4. Though Maryland outhit the Wolverines in the first set of the day and tied the game nine times, Michigan never surrendered the lead, outlasting Maryland for a 27-25 first-set victory.
Up by one, the Maize and Blue gained its composure and worked to earn a .406 attack average in set two. Maryland again took the first point of the set on a Michigan error, but the Wolverines overcame the deficit to force a two-point lead at 10-8. Despite the surge, two straight Maryland points tied the score, and Michigan was forced to play catchup as the Terps went up, 13-11. Timely kills from Mahlke, Cole and Kieffer-Wright, however, gave Michigan the momentum needed to force a 25-18 set victory.
Despite trailing by two sets, the Terrapins refused defeat and came out fighting to take set three, 25-21. Five kills from Lambert were not enough in the set for the Wolverines, who were held to just a .026 in the third game after committing 12 errors.
With a 2-1 lead going into set four, Michigan turned up the heat defensively to record 14 digs and three team blocks. The fourth set began with a point in Maryland's favor, and the Terps jumped out to an 11-6 lead, before Michigan called a timeout to regroup. From there, the Wolverines went on a 5-2 run to come within two and force a Maryland timeout, but Cole, Lambert and Mahlke responded with timely kills and tied the score at 14-14. The two teams then played point for point until two kills from senior Ally Davis tied the score at 19-19, but two consecutive blocks from Kieffer-Wright and Lambert were the difference-maker as Michigan regained the lead and took the set, 25-21.
COLE SPIKES it home! No. 23 @umichvball wins the second set 25-18 to go up 2-0 against @TerpsVolleyball #GoBlue https://t.co/JmmrYotGsg
-- Michigan On BTN (@MichiganOnBTN) October 8, 2016
The No. 23-ranked Wolverines will return to play on Sunday (Oct. 9) when they host historic rival Ohio State in an afternoon matinee. The already sold-out match is slated for a 1 p.m. start inside Cliff Keen Arena, though fans can still watch at home on ESPN2.
Communications Contact: Katie Gwinn Hewitt
