Michigan
16-2, 5-2B1G
Ohio State
11-8, 2-5B1G
Rosens Clinch 400th Win in Thrilling Five-Set Victory at OSU
10/12/2018 11:23:00 PM | Volleyball
» Mark and Leisa Rosen earned their 400th win at Michigan.
» Carly Skjodt and Paige Jones each posted 23 kills as Michigan hit for a .338 kill percentage.
» The five-set victory is Michigan's second straight.
Site: Columbus, Ohio (St. John Arena)
Score: #13 Michigan 3, Ohio State 2 (25-14, 25-22, 20-25, 26-28, 15-9)
Records: U-M (16-2, 5-2 B1G), Ohio State (11-8, 2-5 B1G)
Next U-M Event: Sunday, Oct. 14 -- at Maryland (College Park, Md.), 1 p.m.
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Backed by a .338 team hitting percentage and 23 kills apiece from senior Carly Skjodt and freshman Paige Jones, the No. 13-ranked University of Michigan volleyball team rallied for a thrilling five-set victory at Ohio State (25-14, 25-22, 20-25, 26-28, 15-9) on Friday night (Oct. 12) inside St. John Arena.
The victory marked the 400th win at Michigan for head coach Mark Rosen and associate head coach Leisa Rosen. The duo is celebrating its 20th season at the helm of the Wolverine program this year.
After taking a 2-0 lead in the match and dropping sets three and four, the Wolverines were forced to play a fifth set for the second straight contest. Despite a frustrating 26-28 fourth-set loss, Michigan answered in the beginning of the fifth to take a 5-3 lead and force an early Ohio State timeout. The Wolverines then extended their lead to four, 8-5, and five, 12-7, before rallying on to a 15-9 fifth-set win.
Michigan took a 4-3 lead in the first set when an attacking error on Skjodt was reversed due to a successful challenge. An ace from Skjodt then pushed Michigan to a two-point edge, and the Wolverines used the momentum to launch a five-point run and take a 10-5 lead before an Ohio State timeout. Despite the stoppage in play, the Maize and Blue dominated the remainder of the set, using a .525 attacking percentage and five kills apiece from Skjodt and Jones to rally for a 25-14 first-set win.
Both teams worked efficiently in the second set, with Michigan hitting at a .519 clip and Ohio State posting its match-high .481 hitting percentage. The Wolverines took a strong six-point lead, 12-6, to begin the frame, but the Buckeyes used multiple scoring runs to come from behind and tie the score at 16, which forced Michigan's first timeout of the day. An Ohio State service error then ignited a 3-0 run for the Wolverines, but the Buckeyes fought late and cut Michigan's lead to one, 21-20, before a tip kill from Skjodt gave the Wolverines a two-point cushion. An impressive eight kills from Skjodt made the difference as Michigan took set two, 25-22.
Ohio State took its biggest lead of the day to start the third set, 10-8, but back-to-back Buckeye attack errors allowed the Wolverines to tie the score at 10. The teams traded points from there, with neither team gaining more than a one-point edge until a 3-0 run gave Ohio State an 18-15 lead and forced a Michigan timeout. The Wolverines eventually cut the lead to two, 20-18, but the Buckeyes rallied for a 25-20 third-set win.
The fourth set featured nine ties and 15 lead changes as neither team could gain more than a two-point edge. Despite five kills from Skjodt and four from Jones, the Wolverines fought off four set points before a Michigan error and an Ohio State service ace allowed the Buckeyes to clinch the fourth, 28-26, and force a fifth set.
Skjodt and Jones led Michigan with 23 kills apiece, with Skjodt committing just one error and posting a .423 attacking percentage. Jones finished with a .367 average and her 23 kills set a new career high. The pair is the first duo to finish with 20 kills or more since Nov. 7, 2014.
Junior setter MacKenzi Welsh paced the offense to its .338 team hitting percentage with 57 assists while adding 14 digs for her seventh double-double of the season. Senior libero Jenna Lerg led the defense with 22 digs, which marks her second straight match with 20 or more.
Tweet of the Match
MICHIGAN WINS! pic.twitter.com/PjlEOkieTr
— Michigan Volleyball (@umichvball) October 13, 2018
Michigan (16-2, 5-2 B1G) will wrap up the weekend on Sunday (Oct. 14) with a matinee match at Maryland. First serve is set for 1 p.m., and the match will be streamed live on BTN Plus.
