Michigan
21-8, 10-7
Wisconsin
23-3, 15-2
No. 18 Wolverines Fall in Road Match at No. 3 Wisconsin
11/19/2016 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
» Three players finished the match with double-figure kills, including a team-high 12 from Claire Kieffer-Wright and Abby Cole.
» Libero Jenna Lerg totaled 19 digs for the first time since a four-set win over Illinois (Nov. 4).
» Following a three-match win streak, Friday's loss marks Michigan's second straight.
Site: Madison, Wis. (UW Field House)
Score: #3 Wisconsin 3, #18 Michigan 1 (23-25, 25-18, 25-17, 25-13)
Records: U-M (21-8, 10-7 B1G), WIS (23-3, 15-2 Big Ten)
Next U-M Event: Sunday, Nov. 20 -- at Minnesota (Minneapolis, Minn.), 1 p.m. CST
MADISON, Wis. -- Three players totaled double-figure kills on Friday night (Nov. 18) as the No. 18-ranked University of Michigan volleyball team dropped a four-set match at No. 3 Wisconsin in the second stop of a three-match road swing.
Michigan took the first three points of the match at UW Field House on kills from Abby Cole and Katherine Mahlke, but a four-point run by the Badgers turned over the lead. From there, the teams battled for an edge, and a kill from Carly Skjodt at 14-14 gave the Wolverines a lead. The Badgers then regained the lead at 19-18 when a Badger challenge resulted in an overturned point, but a Michigan challenge just a few points later resulted in another overturned call to put Michigan within one point at 22-21. The momentum shift was key for the Wolverines, as a kill from Murphy tied the game and allowed Claire Kieffer-Wright to rattle off three consecutive kills for a 25-23 first-set victory.
A Michigan service error gave the Badgers the first point of set two, and the lead was set from there. A .143 attack average in the second set and five kills from Cole were not enough in the second set of the day, as Wisconsin took the game by a 25-18 score.
A big block by Cole got things going in the third set, and the set featured five tie scores, before Wisconsin pulled away for a 15-10 lead to force a Michigan timeout. Hitting just .167 in the set, the Wolverines were unable to bridge the gap, falling in set three by a 25-17 score.
Down 2-1, Michigan fought hard early in the first set to keep a lead within reach. Despite the full court press, a 9-1 Wisconsin run put the Badgers up 13-5, burning both of Michigan's timeouts early on. With just one block and eight kills in the fourth game of the ninth, the Maize and Blue dropped the set, 25-13.
Despite a .160 team attack average, three Wolverines finished the night with double-figure kills. Kieffer-Wright and Cole finished the day with a team-high 12, while Kelly Murphy picked up 10. Kieffer-Wright has now finished the last five matches with kills in double digits.
Defensively, Jenna Lerg led the charge with 19 digs, while Murphy and MacKenzi Welsh each totaled nine, and Skjodt picked up eight. From the front row, Kieffer-Wright led the Wolverines with four blocks, and Cole recorded three.
The No. 18-ranked University of Michigan volleyball team will return to play on Sunday (Nov. 20) with a matinee contest at Minnesota. First serve is slated for 1 p.m. CST.
