Michigan
12-4, 2-2B1G
Maryland
12-4, 1-3B1G
Four-Set Win Over Terrapins Keeps Wolverines Perfect at Home
9/30/2017 10:43:00 PM | Volleyball
» Michigan is now 8-0 when playing at home and has dropped just three sets in that time.
» Led by a career-high five aces from Adeja Lambert, Michigan totaled a season-high 10 aces against the Terrapins.
» The Wolverines out-blocked their opponent for the second straight night, totaling 12 blocks to Maryland's six.
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Cliff Keen Arena)
Score: #23 Michigan 3, Maryland 1 (25-19, 19-25, 25-15, 25-21)
Records: U-M (12-4, 2-2 B1G), Maryland (12-4, 1-3 B1G)
Next U-M Event: Wednesday, Oct. 4 -- at Iowa (Iowa City, Iowa), 7 p.m. CDT
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- A 15-kill outing and a .500 attack average by senior middle blocker Claire Kieffer-Wright propelled the No. 23-ranked University of Michigan volleyball team to a four-set victory over Maryland (25-19, 19-25, 25-15, 25-21) on Saturday night (Sept. 30) inside Cliff Keen Arena.
With the win, Michigan is now 8-0 when playing at home this year and has lost just three sets in that time.
Michigan served tough, totaling a season-high 10 aces to Maryland's three. Senior outside hitter Adeja Lambert led the charge and set a career high with five.
Kieffer-Wright led the offense in the four-set win, posting 15 kills and committing just two errors for a .500 kill percentage. Junior Carly Skjodt finished with 14 kills, all after the first set.
The Wolverines also out-blocked their opponent for the second straight match, totaling 12 team blocks. Kieffer-Wright finished with a match-leading seven, and freshman middle blocker Kiara Shannon set a career high with five (three solo).
Three consecutive Maryland attack errors gave Michigan a 3-0 lead in set one, and the Wolverines never lost the lead from there. Though Maryland came within two points at 12-10, the Terrapins registered 12 attacking errors and seven service errors in the first set alone and could not gain momentum. Despite hitting at a .107 clip with just seven kills, Michigan totaled six blocks and three service aces in the first set and took advantage of the Maryland miscues to take set one, 25-19.
The second set was a back-and-forth affair, with eight tie scores and four lead changes. Holding Michigan to a .108 attack percentage in the set, Maryland took a defining lead at 19-18 and used a 6-1 run to force a 25-19 second-set victory.
With the score tied 1-1 coming out of the intermission, Maryland took an early lead in the third set, but a big kill by sophomore Cori Crocker tied things up at 3-3. Michigan then went on a 7-0 run with freshman Natalie Smith at the service line for a 9-3 lead. From that point on, the Wolverines dominated set three to capture a 25-15 victory. Skjodt had six kills in the set, while Kieffer-Wright added five.
Michigan also dominated the fourth set, as the Maize and Blue took a lead at 7-6 and maintained it from there. Serving runs by junior libero Jenna Lerg and Skjodt were key as Michigan posted a .375 team attack average with 16 kills. Led by five kills apiece from Kieffer-Wright and Skjodt, the Wolverines took set four by a 25-21 score and clinched the match.
Michigan ended the day with a .242 team attack average, and all but one hitter recorded a kill in the effort. Sophomore setter MacKenzi Welsh finished with 40 assists.
In addition to the Wolverines' defensive success as the net, Michigan posted 48 digs as a team. Lerg led U-M with 15, and Smith totaled a career-high 11.
Tweet of the Match
A special thank you to our fans from coach Mark Rosen! pic.twitter.com/KsxP4Hs2VY
— Michigan Volleyball (@umichvball) September 30, 2017
The No. 23-ranked Wolverines will get back in action with their first midweek contest of the season on Wednesday (Oct. 4) at Iowa. First serve against the Hawkeyes is set for 7 p.m. CDT in Iowa City, Iowa.
