Michigan
1-0
High Point
0-2
Michigan Opens Season with Sweep of High Point
8/25/2018 2:35:00 PM | Volleyball
» Michigan is now 33-13 in season openers through its 46 seasons.
» Freshman Paige Jones posted a match-high 14 kills in her Wolverine debut.
» Senior libero Jenna Lerg led all players with 28 digs, while Cori Crocker posted a match-high seven blocks. Â
Site: Auburn, Ala. (Auburn Arena)
Event: War Eagle Invitational
Score: Michigan 3, High Point 0 (25-23, 25-22, 25-22)
Records: Michigan (1-0), High Point (0-2)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Aug. 25 -- at Auburn (Auburn, Ala.) 7 p.m. CDT
AUBURN, Ala. -- The University of Michigan volleyball team opened the 2018 season with a 3-0 victory (25-23, 25-22, 25-22) over the High Point Panthers on Saturday afternoon (Aug. 25) in the Wolverines' first match of the War Eagle Invitational at Auburn Arena.
Michigan is now 33-13 in season openers through its 46 seasons, and has not dropped a season-opening match since 2005.
Freshman Paige Jones made the most of her career debut as she led all players with 14 kills. Junior Sydney Wetterstrom added 11 kills at a .381 clip, while senior Carly Skjodt posted nine kills and three blocks.
Senior libero Jenna Lerg anchored the back row with a match-high 28 digs, and junior MacKenzi Welsh posted her first double-double of the season with 32 assists and 12 digs. From the front row, redshirt junior Cori Crocker led all players with seven blocks.
The first set was a back-and-forth affair, as both teams posted sideout percentages over 63 percent and worked efficiently with few errors. The first stoppage in play came as Michigan took an 18-17 lead on a big block from Crocker, which prompted a High Point timeout. The Panthers tied the score, but Michigan rattled off three straight points for a 23-20 lead before High Point rallied to cut the Wolverine lead to one, 24-23. Michigan called a timeout, then answered with a kill from Skjodt to clinch the 25-23 first-set victory.
High Point jumped out to a 9-5 lead to begin the second set, but the Wolverines rallied for four straight points, including a service ace from sophomore Jacqueline DiSanto, to tie the score at 9. Despite the surge, the Panthers dominated the majority of the set and did not surrender the lead until late, as Michigan came from behind for a 25-22 second-set win.
Armed with a 2-0 lead in the match, the Wolverines jumped ahead early in the third set and used a .342 attack average to lead for the majority of the action. Despite a solid Michigan lead late in the game, High Point rallied off three straight points and tied the score at 20 before a kill from Jones gave Michigan its defining edge. A kill from Wetterstrom eventually allowed Michigan to clinch the set, 25-22, and sweep the match.
Tweet of the Match
First win of 2018 ?? pic.twitter.com/YlMZNGfZ9J
— Michigan Volleyball (@umichvball) August 25, 2018
Michigan (1-0) will wrap up the War Eagle Invitational on Saturday evening (Aug. 25) as the Wolverines take on the Auburn Tigers. First serve is set for 7 p.m. CDT at Auburn Arena, and fans can watch the match streamed live on SEC Network+.
