Michigan
16-10, 7-7B1G
Illinois
18-7, 9-5B1G
Michigan Cannot Finish Off Five-Set Thriller at Illinois
11/4/2017 11:50:00 PM | Volleyball
» Michigan dropped the first two sets but came from behind to force their first fifth set of the season.
» Carly Skjodt led the Wolverines in kills for the 18th time this season with 22.
» Katherine Mahlke posted a season-high 15 kills in her second straight start.
Site: Champaign, Ill. (Huff Hall)
Score: Illinois 3, Michigan 2 (25-18, 25-21, 22-25, 19-25, 17-15)
Records: U-M (16-10, 6-8 B1G), ILL (18-7, 9-5 B1G)
Next U-M Event: Friday, Nov. 10 -- vs. Northwestern (Cliff Keen Arena), 7 p.m.
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- After falling behind two sets to none, the University of Michigan volleyball team rallied for back-to-back set victories before ultimately falling by a 3-2 score (25-18, 25-21, 22-25, 19-25, 17-15) to the Illinois Fighting Illini on Saturday night (Nov. 4) inside Huff Hall.
The five-set match was Michigan's first of the season, and the loss brings the Wolverines' conference record to 6-8.
Junior outside hitter Carly Skjodt led the Wolverines in kills for the 18th time this season, totaling 22 on a season-high 64 attacks. Senior opposite hitter Katherine Mahlke finished the match with a season-high 15 kills, and senior middle blocker Claire Kieffer-Wright totaled 14 kills to finish as the third Wolverine in double figures.
Defensively, junior libero Jenna Lerg led Michigan with 22 digs, while Skjodt added 15 for her fifth double-double of the season. Kieffer-Wright led the Wolverines from the front row with four blocks.
Neither team could gain an edge in the fifth set until back-to-back kills put Illinois up by two at 11-9. With both timeouts gone, Michigan used kills by Skjodt and Mahlke along with an Illini attack error to launch a 3-0 run and force Illinois to call timeout. The set featured 14 tie scores and seven lead changes, and though Michigan hit for a .458 average and fought off two set points, it was Illinois that took home the 17-15 fifth-set victory.
Michigan took the first point of the match on a cross-court kill from senior outside hitter Adeja Lambert, but Illinois countered with a 10-4 run to force a Wolverine timeout. The Illini extended their lead to 10 points at 19-9 before the Wolverines used multiple scoring runs to close the gap at 21-17, but an .091 hitting percentage was not enough as Michigan dropped set one, 25-18.
The teams traded points early in the second set until a kill by Lambert tied things up at 11-11. Following an Illinois challenge that was ruled inconclusive, back-to-back kills by Kieffer-Wright and Skjodt put the Wolverines up by two and propelled Michigan to a 15-13 lead going into the media timeout. Despite the surge, a 3-1 run by Illinois tied the score at 16-16, and the Illini used another run late in the set to force a 21-19 lead. Holding the Wolverines to just one team block, Illinois took set two by a 25-21 score.
A big kill from Skjodt and a service ace from sophomore setter MacKenzi Welsh pushed Michigan to an early 5-1 lead in set three, but Illinois worked from behind to cut the deficit to one at 12-11. The Wolverines countered with a kill from Skjodt, however, and used an 8-3 run to go up, 20-14. Illinois responded with a 6-1 run to come from behind again and cut the Michigan lead to just one at 21-20. With six kills from Skjodt and four from sophomore Sydney Wetterstrom, the Wolverines rallied to take set three, 25-22.
The Wolverines took an early five-point lead in the fourth set, but the Illinois rallied for a 5-0 run and flipped the score for a 14-13 lead. The teams battled with nine tie scores and five lead changes until the Wolverines took a 19-17 lead on a kill from Mahlke and forced an Illini timeout. Using five total blocks and big kills from Skjodt, Mahlke and Wetterstrom, the Wolverines took set four, 25-19, and forced their first fifth set of the season.
Michigan will get back in action on Friday (Nov. 10), when they host Northwestern in what will kick off a four-match homestand. First serve is set for 7 p.m. inside Cliff Keen Arena.
