Michigan
17-11, 7-9
Illinois
18-9, 9-7
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois | 20 | 25 | 23 | 25 | 13 | 2 |
| Michigan | 25 | 22 | 25 | 15 | 15 | 3 |
Michigan Rallies to Defeat Illinois in Five-Set Thriller
11/11/2017 10:51:00 PM | Volleyball
» The win is Michigan's first five-set victory of the season and marks the Wolverines' third consecutive five-set match.
» Four U-M players totaled double-figure kills, with Carly Skjodt leading the Wolverines with 18.
» The victory is Michigan's second of the season against a team recognized in the AVCA poll.
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Cliff Keen Arena)
Score: Michigan 3, Illinois 2 (25-20, 22-25, 25-23, 15-25, 15-13)
Records: U-M (17-11, 7-9 B1G), ILL (18-9, 9-7 B1G)
Next U-M Event: Wednesday, Nov. 15 -- vs. Michigan State (Cliff Keen Arena), 7 p.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Four double-figure kill performances propelled the University of Michigan volleyball team to its first five-set victory of the season Saturday evening (Nov. 11), as the Wolverines defeated the Fighting Illini by a 3-2 score (25-20, 22-25, 25-23, 15-25, 15-13) inside Cliff Keen Arena.
The five-set match is Michigan's third straight and the first to result in a victory. The win also marks the Wolverines' second win over a team recognized in the AVCA poll, as Illinois is currently the third team out of the Top 25 with 16 points.
Michigan had four players total double-digit kills for the first time since a 3-1 victory over Ohio State (Sept. 29) earlier this season. Junior outside hitter Carly Skjodt led the effort with 18 kills, while senior middle blocker Claire Kieffer-Wright totaled 15 at a .310 clip, and senior opposite hitter Katherine Mahlke added 13 behind a team-high .348 attack average.
Sophomore outside hitter Sydney Wetterstrom also tallied 12 kills to come within one of tying her career high, and freshman middle blocker Kiara Shannon set a new career best with six kills. Sophomore setter MacKenzi Welsh guided the offense with a season-high 61 assists and added four digs and two kills.
Defensively, Michigan totaled 10 blocks, and Kieffer-Wright led the charge with six. From the back row, junior libero Jenna Lerg registered 17 digs to mark her 22nd double-digit dig performance this season.
Both teams worked efficiently in the fifth set, as the Wolverines posted a .385 attack average and the Illini hit at a .375 clip. The set featured 13 ties and four lead changes, and neither team could gain more than a two-point lead until a kill by Mahlke and a service ace by Lerg propelled Michigan to the 15-13 fifth-set victory.
Back-to-back kills from Welsh and Skjodt jump-started the first set, and the Wolverines then used a 7-3 run to go up by six and force an Illinois timeout. The Illini inched back to cut the deficit to two at 13-11, but Michigan maintained a lead and used a .355 attacking percentage along with five kills from Skjodt to take set one, 25-20.
Illinois jumped out to an early lead in the second set, but the Wolverines rallied to tie the score at 7-7 on a kill from Mahlke before taking a lead at 9-7 and forcing an Illinois timeout. The Illini then rallied to tie the score once more at 15-15, but a kill by Mahlke and back-to-back Illinois attack errors put the Wolverines up by three. Despite a 21-20 Wolverine lead late in the set, the Illini used a 6-1 run to come from behind and earn a 25-22 second-set victory.
The third set mirrored the second, as neither team could gain a significant lead and keep the momentum. With the teams playing nearly point for point, the score was tied late at 23-23 before a kill from Wetterstrom and a double-block by Mahlke and Kieffer-Wright clinched the third set, 25-23.
Illinois took an early lead in the fourth set of the evening, but back-to-back kills from Skjodt and a service ace by Welsh tied things up, 6-6. From there, however, the Illini launched a 10-3 run that burned both of the Wolverines' timeouts and put Illinois up, 16-9. Using a .447 attacking percentage and holding Michigan to just a .158 clip, the Illini claimed a 25-15 fourth-set win.
Tweet of the Match
B1G bounce-back win for @umichvball over Illinois in five sets. Gutsy performance! #GoBlue ??
— Zach M. (@ZHMGoBlue) November 12, 2017
Michigan will get back in action on Wednesday night (Nov. 15) when the Wolverines host in-state rival Michigan State in a midweek Big Ten matchup. The contest is slated for a 7 p.m. first serve inside Cliff Keen Arena, and fans can watch the match streamed live on BTN Plus (subscription required).
