Michigan
14-3, 3-2B1G
Purdue
13-3, 2-3B1G
Wolverines Use Season-Best Hitting Mark to Thump No. 14 Boilermakers
10/5/2018 11:50:00 PM | Volleyball
» Michigan swept No. 14-ranked Purdue for its first over a ranked team this season.
» U-M posted a season-best .435 hitting percentage.
» Three Wolverines finished with kills in double figures.
» Sydney Wetterstrom led all players with an .833 attacking percentage (10-0-12).
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Cliff Keen Arena)
Score: #16 Michigan 3, #14 Purdue 0 (25-15, 25-16, 25-14)
Records: U-M (14-2, 3-2 B1G), Purdue (13-3, 2-3 B1G)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Oct. 6 -- vs. Indiana (Cliff Keen Arena), 7 p.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 16-ranked University of Michigan volleyball team picked up its first victory over a ranked opponent this season as the Wolverines defeated the No. 14-ranked Purdue Boilermakers in straight sets (25-15, 25-16, 25-14) Friday evening (Oct. 5) inside Cliff Keen Arena.
Michigan put together a season-best .435 hitting percentage with junior Sydney Wetterstrom posting 10 kills on 12 swings for an eye-popping .833 mark, and the Wolverines held Purdue to a season-low .106 efficiency.
Three Michigan players ended the night with kills in double figures, including 11 apiece from freshman Paige Jones and senior Carly Skjodt. Jones also contributed five aces from the service line.
Guiding the offense was junior setter MacKenzi Welsh, who posted 39 assists to go with two kills and six digs. Defensively, senior libero Jenna Lerg led all players with 16 digs, while sophomore Kiara Shannon tallied a match-high three blocks.
Using five kills apiece from Wetterstrom and Jones and a .500 attack average, Michigan dominated the first set. A 3-0 serving run from senior Maddy Abbott gave the Wolverines an early edge, and Michigan extended its lead to 13-5 with a five-point rally that forced a Purdue timeout. The Maize and Blue pushed the lead to 10, 20-10, and a Jones kill closed out the set for a 25-15 Michigan victory.
Purdue took its first lead of the match with a kill to start the second set, but consecutive kills from Jones and Wetterstrom put Michigan back in control as a five-point run gave the Wolverines a 5-1 lead. The Boilermakers kept pace, however, as Michigan led by just four points at the media timeout, 15-11. Following the stoppage, Purdue quickly cut the Michigan lead to three with a kill, 15-12, but back-to-back kills from Shannon and Skjodt started a 6-2 run, and freshman Kayla Bair closed the set with a kill as the Wolverines prevailed, 25-16.
Back-to-back kills gave the Boilermakers a slight edge to begin the third set before a four-point run gave Michigan the lead for good. The Wolverines were efficient in the third set, posting 12 kills with no errors for a .545 team attack percentage. Three service aces from Jones and three kills apiece from Skjodt and Shannon highlighted the final set of the evening as Michigan cruised to a 25-14 third-set win that completed the 3-0 match sweep.
Tweet of the Match
Take a look at the top four plays from @umichvball's 3-0 victory over Purdue on Friday night. pic.twitter.com/buw6Fqvmkk
— Michigan On BTN (@MichiganOnBTN) October 6, 2018
Michigan (14-2, 3-2 B1G) will wrap up its four-match homestand on Saturday (Oct. 6) with its "Pink Match" against Indiana. First serve is set for 7 p.m. inside Cliff Keen Arena, and admission is free with a Michigan/Maryland football ticket stub.
