Michigan
22-9, 11-8Big Ten
Michigan State
23-8, 12-7Big Ten
No. 18 Michigan Sweeps No. 14 MSU on Senior Night
11/23/2016 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
» Michigan is now 15-2 when playing inside Cliff Keen Arena this season.
» Claire Kieffer-Wright finished the night with a team-high 12 kills at a .476 clip, marking her seventh straight match with kills in double figures.
» Wednesday's victory is Michigan's third win this season over a top-25 ranked opponent.
Site: Cliff Keen Arena (Ann Arbor, Mich.)
Score: #18 Michigan 3, #14 Michigan State 0 (25-16, 25-11, 32-30)
Records: U-M (22-9, 11-8 B1G), MSU (23-8, 12-7 B1G)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Nov. 26 -- at Nebraska (Lincoln, Neb.), 7 p.m. CST
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Less than two weeks after dropping at four-set match to its in-state rival in East Lansing, the No. 18-ranked University of Michigan volleyball team swept the visiting No. 14-ranked Michigan State Spartans in dramatic fashion Wednesday night (Nov. 23) inside Cliff Keen Arena. The victory improves the Wolverines' home record to an impressive 15-2 on the season.
The Wolverines came out of the gate strong in the first set, boasting a .455 attack average behind six kills from Claire Kieffer-Wright. After jumping out to a 3-0 lead to begin the night, Michigan never surrendered its lead, using kills from every hitter en route to a 25-16 first-set victory.
Though Michigan State kept pace with the Maize and Blue for the first few points of the second set, the Wolverines cruised out to a 10-4 lead to force a Spartan timeout. From there, however, Michigan launched an offensive attack with seven unanswered points for a lead of 13 points. Holding the Spartans to a -.103 kill percentage in the second set, the Wolverines hit for a .450 average in set two, siding out at 90 percent and totaling seven team blocks in the 25-11 win.
Following intermission, the third set was a grueling battle on both sides of the court, as both teams refused defeat. The Wolverines again jumped out to a 3-0 lead, which they maintained until the Spartans used a four-point run to tie things up at 20-all. Despite leading by as many as four in the set, Michigan was forced to trade points with its rival well past the 25-point mark thanks to 11 tie scores and six lead changes late in the match. With the last tie of the night at 30-30, a Michigan State attack error and a double-block from Kelly Murphy and Cori Crocker sealed Michigan's 3-0 sweep of the Spartans.
Overall, the Wolverines' .350 attack average marks the team's best offensive performance during a Big ten Conference match this season.
Leading Michigan offensively was Kieffer-Wright, who finished the evening with 12 kills at a .476 clip for her seventh straight match with kills in double figures. Abby Cole also recorded 10 kills on the night, while Carly Skjodt finished just short of double digits with nine. Guiding the Wolverines' offensive showing was MacKenzi Welsh, who tallied 35 assists on the night while also picking up five kills of her own on no errors.
Defensively, Kieffer-Wright led Michigan at the net for the 18th time this season, recording seven blocks. Crocker followed her lead with six -- a personal best in three-set matches during conference play.
From the back row, Jenna Lerg led the charge with a match-high 14 digs, including nine in the final set. Murphy also recorded digs in double figures with 11, while Skjodt and Tiffany Clark each finished with eight.
The Wolverines will wrap up the 2016 regular season on Saturday (Nov. 26) when they visit the No. 1-ranked defending national champion Nebraska Cornhuskers. First serve for the regular-season finale is slated for 7 p.m. CST inside the Devaney Center in Lincoln.
