Michigan
22-9, 11-9B1G
Michigan State
17-16, 5-15B1G
Wolverines Defeat Rival Spartans on Senior Night, Await NCAA Fate
11/24/2018 10:43:00 PM | Volleyball
» Carly Skjodt led all players 19 kills, while Paige Jones added 18.
» The Wolverines came from behind in every set.
» Michigan closed out the 2018 regular season with a 13-5 record at home.
» The Maize and Blue will now await selection to the 2018 NCAA Tournament.
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Crisler Center)
Score: #18 Michigan 3, Michigan State 1 (23-25, 27-12, 25-22, 25-23)
Records: U-M (22-9, 11-9 B1G), MSU (17-16, 5-15 B1G)
Next U-M Event: Sunday, Nov. 25 -- NCAA Selection Show (ESPNU), 8:30 p.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Following a first-set loss to begin the final match of the regular season, the No. 18-ranked University of Michigan volleyball team responded by coming from behind in the next three sets to clinch a 3-1 victory (23-25, 27-12, 25-22, 25-23) over Michigan State on Saturday evening (Nov. 24) inside Crisler Center.
Senior Carly Skjodt led the Wolverine offense with 19 kills, while freshman Paige Jones added 18. Skjodt also posted 12 digs for her 11th double-double of the season.
Junior setter MacKenzi Welsh guided the offense to a .237 team hitting percentage with 55 assists. She, along with redshirt junior Cori Crocker and sophomore Kiara Shannon, also finished with four blocks.
From the back row, Michigan had three players finish with digs in double-figures. Senior libero Jenna Lerg led the Maize and Blue with 15, while sophomore Natalie Smith totaled 13.
Michigan (22-9, 11-9 B1G) worked to come from behind in every frame, and totaled 11 blocks to mark a team best since Oct. 26. The Wolverines also had five players record a service ace.
The teams traded points to begin the first set, with neither squad leading by more than two points at a given time. With the score tied at 16, Michigan launched a 5-2 scoring run to force a 21-18 lead. After back-to-back Spartan points cut the Wolverine lead to one, 21-20, an MSU attacking error allowed Michigan to regain a two-point edge, but the Spartans strung together consecutive points once more and tied things up at 22. A Michigan error and a kill from Skjodt evened the score at 23, but it was Michigan State that rallied for back-to-back points for a 25-23 first-set victory. The frame featured 11 ties and four lead changes. Skjodt totaled six kills.
Michigan State began the second set on a 3-0 scoring run and led for the majority of the frame, including a six-point lead at 17-11. Following a Michigan timeout, the Wolverines used a 5-0 scoring run to come within one point, 17-16, before a kill from Shannon and a double-block from Shannon and Jones tied the score at 18. The remainder of the set featured six ties, and with the score tied at 25, a kill from Skjodt and a Michigan State attacking error gave the Wolverines a 27-25 second-set victory.
The Spartans again took an early lead in the third frame, but the Wolverines overcame a 12-10 deficit to tie the score at 13 on an ace by senior Maddy Abbott, and took a 15-13 lead on a kill from Jones. A 3-0 run then allowed Michigan State to regain a one-point edge, 16-15, before another kill from Jones and an ace from Welsh flipped the score once more to put Michigan on top, 17-16. The Wolverines led through the rest of the set and clinched a 25-22 third-set win and a 2-1 match lead. Behind six kills from Jones and just one attacking error, Michigan finished the frame with a .429 team hitting percentage.
Michigan State jumped out to a 15-12 lead in the fourth set before Michigan called a timeout. From there, the Wolverines worked to come from behind once again, and tied the score at 19 on back-to-back kills from Jones and junior Katarina Glavinic. A kill from Skjodt then gave Michigan the defining lead of the frame, though the Spartans kept pace late and fought off a set point to come within one, 24-23. A kill from Jones finished off the set, 25-23, Â and the match, 3-1.
Tweet of the Match
Michigan State Pride Flag ?? pic.twitter.com/SgWZtUwAqU
— Michigan Volleyball (@umichvball) November 25, 2018
The Wolverines will find out if they earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament on Sunday (Nov. 25) during the NCAA selection show, which will air on ESPNU at 8:30 p.m.
