Michigan
21-9, 10-8Big Ten
Minnesota
23-4, 15-3Big Ten
No. 18 Michigan Drops Five-Set Thriller at No. 2 Minnesota
11/20/2016 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
» Despite dropping the first two sets, the Wolverines rallied to win the next two and force their fifth five-set match of the season.
» Carly Skjodt finished the team with a team-high 25 kills, while Claire Kieffer-Wright totaled a career-high 16 kills.
» Freshman setter MacKenzi Welsh finished the day with a career-high 73 assists.
» The loss is Michigan's third straight and the Wolverines' second five-set match this year against team ranked in the top two.
Site: Minneapolis, Minn. (Sports Pavilion)
Score: #2 Minnesota 3, #18 Michigan 2 (25-23, 25-23, 23-25, 23-25, 15-12)
Records: U-M (21-9, 10-8 B1G), MINN (23-4, 15-3 Big Ten)
Next U-M Event: Wednesday, Nov. 23 -- vs. Michigan State (Cliff Keen Arena), 7 p.m.
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- After dropping the first two sets of the day, the No. 18-ranked University of Michigan volleyball team rallied to take the No. 2-ranked Minnesota Golden Gophers to five sets, dropping the last set by a 15-12 score at the Sports Pavilion. The match marks Michigan's second five-set contest against a top-two opponent this year.
Minnesota jumped out to a 4-2 lead in set one, but a kill on the slide from Claire Kieffer-Wright put Michigan within one, and a kill from Carly Skjodt knotted things up. Despite the momentum swing, the Golden Gophers regained the lead, going up by as many as six points at 19-13. From there, however, Michigan used an 8-5 run to bridge the gap to two and fight off three set points. Seven kills from Skjodt and six from Kieffer-Wright were not enough, however, as Michigan dropped set one by a 25-23 score.
The second set of the afternoon was a back-and-forth affair with 16 tie scores and eight lead changes. Neither team led by more than two points, and statistics on both sides were almost evenly split. With the score tied at 21-21 late in the game, Minnesota used a 4-2 run to take the set, 25-23.
Trailing 2-0 following the break, Michigan took the first point of set three, but the score was quickly tied up, and Minnesota took a lead, before Michigan knotted things up again at 7-7. With the score tied, the Wolverines used a 5-0 run with kills from Kelly Murphy, MacKenzi Welsh, Skjodt and Kieffer-Wright as well as a service ace from Tiffany Clark to go up, 12-7. From there, Michigan never led by more than five, but five kills from Abby Cole along with four from Kieffer-Wright allowed the Maize and Blue to take set three by a 25-23 score.
Michigan evened the match in the fourth set of the night, winning again by a 25-23 score. The lead changed hands just once, when Michigan used a service ace from Kieffer-Wright to go up early, 2-1. Leading the Golden Gophers by as many as three, Michigan allowed Minnesota to bridge the gap at 20-20, but a .388 team kill percentage and seven kills from Skjodt forced the match to go to five.
Michigan took the first point of the fifth set on a kill from Skjodt, but a 4-0 run by the Golden Gophers forced a Michigan timeout. From there, Michigan rallied to tie the score at 6-6 and regain the lead at 7-6 on a kill from Cole and an 8-6 lead as the team switched benches. The teams continued to battle, forcing four more tie scores, before Minnesota pulled away to take the game, 15-12.
Despite the loss, Michigan had four players with double-figure kills in the match and finished the day with a .269 team attack percentage. Skjodt led the Wolverines with 25 kills at a .321 clip, coming just two kills short of a career high. Cole also added 18 kills at a .341 average, while Kieffer-Wright picked up a career-high 16 terminations at a .353 clip. Additionally, Murphy collected 12 kills on the afternoon, tying her career-high 15 digs for her fourth career double-double. The performance marks Michigan's first contest since a win over Illinois (Nov. 4) with four Wolverines in double figures in kills.
Guiding the offense was Welsh, whose 73 assists on the afternoon marked a new career-high.
Defensively, the Wolverines also had five players with double-digit digs for the first time since a five-set victory over Penn State on Oct. 22. Jenna Lerg finished the day with a team-high 19 digs, while Welsh and Murphy each added 15 apiece. Skjodt and Clark rounded out the group with 14 each, and all but one starter finished the afternoon with at least one dig.
From the net, Michigan logged seven team blocks. Cori Crocker and Cole both led the Maize and Blue with four.
With Sunday's match marking the Wolverines' third straight contest on the road, Michigan will return home on Wednesday (Nov. 23) for the team's last regular-season match inside Cliff Keen Arena. The Senior Day contest will begin at 7 p.m. against in-state rival Michigan State.
