Season in Review: 2017 Michigan Volleyball
12/19/2017 12:24:00 PM | Volleyball
Team Captains: Claire Kieffer-Wright, Katherine Mahlke, Carly Skjodt
Record: 21-12, 11-9 Big Ten Conference (T-7th place)
NCAA Tournament: First Round
Team Highlights
• The Maize and Blue finished the regular season with an 11-9 record in Big Ten Conference action, including two top-25 victories at home against No. 8 Michigan State (Nov. 15) and No. 15 Purdue (Nov. 18). The 11-9 mark against Big Ten opponents ties the 2016 season for the program's best league record since the Wolverines' Final Four appearance in 2012.• Despite a slow start to Big Ten play, the Wolverines finished the 2017 campaign on a strong note, winning five straight matches to end the regular season, including a program-best three-consecutive wins over top-25 opponents. Michigan posted a 4-6 record through the first 10 matches of the conference slate, but rallied to win seven of the final 10 contests of the Big Ten schedule.
• A record crowd of 8,137 watched as the Wolverines defeated Ohio State (Sept. 29) in Michigan's Big Ten Conference home opener. The victory came in Crisler Center, where the previous attendance record (2,673) was set in 2009 during a loss to Oregon State.
• The 2017 campaign saw Michigan reach the 20-win mark for the 12th time under Rosen, as well as the third straight season. Rosen is the winningest coach in program history with 384 at a .611 clip, and has guided the Wolverines to wins over top-25 opponents in each of his 19 seasons at the helm of the Michigan program.
• In addition to its two top-25 victories at home, Michigan capped off the year with a 13-3 record when playing on its home court, with two of the losses coming at the hands of teams ranked in the top 10 at the time. Due to strong showings at home over the last four seasons, Michigan's senior class will graduate with a 49-16 record when playing in Ann Arbor.
Individual Highlights
• Outside hitter Carly Skjodt had a breakout junior season, starting all 33 matches for Michigan and playing every set as a six-rotation player. The co-captain led the Wolverines in kills 23 times and recorded eight kill-dig double-doubles, which garnered her two Big Ten Player of the Week awards and a Sports Imports/AVCA National Player of the Week award. She captured her first postseason honor as a Big Ten Conference selection at the close of the regular season and was soon named to the AVCA All-North region first team before earning an AVCA All-America third-team selection. Skjodt also earned her second Academic All-Big Ten honor and was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District first team.
• Claire Kieffer-Wright put a strong cap on her career in her senior season, leading the Wolverines in blocks 16 times and kills five times from her middle blocker position. She finished the season with 317 kills and 114 blocks en route to Big Ten Conference, AVCA All-North Region and AVCA All-America honorable mentions. Her .330 hitting percentage for the season ranks sixth-best all-time at Michigan, while her 370 career blocks rank in the top 10.Â
• Junior libero Jenna Lerg was a force in the back row for the Wolverines, finishing the year at fifth in the Big Ten with a team-leading 486 digs. She totaled 27 matches with double-digit digs and six with more than 20, including a season-high 25 digs in a win at Ohio State (Oct. 22). She was selected to the All-Tournament teams for the Colorado State University Tournament and the Michigan Challenge, and was named the MVP of the Michigan Invitational. Lerg also earned her second Academic All-Big Ten selection and was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District second team.
• In her sophomore season MacKenzi Welsh continued to guide an impressive Michigan offense. The setter finished fifth in the Big Ten with 1,263 assists at 10.98 assists per set and now ranks sixth all-time at Michigan with 2,653 career assists. She totaled 10 assist-dig double-doubles in 2017, and was named to the Michigan Challenge All-Tournament team. Welsh was also named an Academic All-Big Ten selection.
• Cori Crocker was a strong presence at the net in her redshirt sophomore season, finishing second on the team with 100 total blocks and averaging 0.96 blocks per set. Despite missing a few contests due to injury, the middle blocker led Michigan in blocks 15 times and posted an impressive .313 hitting percentage with four double-digit kill performances. She was named to the Michigan Invitational and USC/LMU Invite All-Tournament teams.Honors and Awards
Carly
Skjodt
Claire
Kieffer-Wright
Jenna
Lerg
Maddy
Abbott
Adeja
Lambert
Cori
Crocker
MacKenzi
Welsh
American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA)
All-America (Third Team): Carly Skjodt
All-America (Honorable Mention): Claire Kieffer-Wright
American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA)
All-North Region (First Team): Carly Skjodt
All-North Region (Honorable Mention): Claire Kieffer-Wright
Big Ten Conference
All-Big Ten (First Team): Carly Skjodt
All-Big Ten (Honorable Mention): Claire Kieffer-Wright
Sportsmanship Award: Maddy Abbott
Big Ten Player of the Week
Player: Carly Skjodt (Nov. 20)
Defensive: Claire Kieffer-Wright (Oct. 2)
Co-Player: Carly Skjodt (Sept. 18)
Sports Imports/AVCA National Player of the Week
Carly Skjodt (Nov. 21)
CoSIDA Academic All-District
First Team: Carly Skjodt
Second Team: Jenna Lerg
Academic All-Big Ten
Maddy Abbott, Jr., English
Ellie Brooks, So., International Studies
Kyleigh Hamacher, So., undeclared
Jenna Lerg, Jr., biopsychology, cognition, and neuroscience
Carly Skjodt, Jr., sport management
MacKenzi Welsh, So., undeclared
Sydney Wetterstrom, So., undeclared
All-Tournament Team Selections
Cori Crocker: USC/LMU Invite, Michigan Invitational
Claire Kieffer-Wright: USC/LMU Invite, Michigan Invitational
Adeja Lambert: Michigan Challenge, USC/LMU Invite, CSU Tournament
Jenna Lerg: Michigan Invitational MVP, CSU Tournament, Michigan Challenge
Carly Skjodt: Michigan Challenge Tournament MVP
MacKenzi Welsh: Michigan Challenge
