Michigan
11-0
Notre Dame
6-4
Michigan Upends Notre Dame for 11th Straight Victory
9/16/2018 4:52:00 PM | Volleyball
» After winning 32 consecutive sets to start the season, Michigan suffered its first set loss in the third. Â
» The Wolverines are 11-0 to start the year, which marks the program's best start since 2011.
» Michigan will begin Big Ten Conference play on Friday (Sept. 21) at Nebraska.
Site: South Bend, Ind. (Purcell Pavilion)
Score: #19 Michigan 3, Notre Dame 1 (25-20, 25-23, 19-25, 25-19)
Records: U-M (11-0), Notre Dame (6-4)
Next U-M Event: Friday, Sept. 21 -- at Nebraska (Lincoln, Neb.), 8 p.m. CDT
SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- The No. 19-ranked University of Michigan volleyball team picked up its 11th straight win on Sunday (Sept. 16) after the Wolverines defeated Notre Dame by a 3-1 score (25-20, 25-23, 19-25, 25-19) to wrap up non-conference play at Purcell Pavilion.
The Wolverines won the first two sets of the day to extend their win streak to 32-consecutive set victories before dropping the third set.
Michigan is now 11-0 on the season, which marks the program's best start since 2011.
Notre Dame led early in the first set, but back-to-back attack errors followed by a Paige Jones kill on an overpass gave Michigan its first lead, 10-9, before a kill from senior Carly Skjodt put the Wolverines up by two and forced a Fighting Irish timeout. The teams traded points from there, but a service ace from senior Jenna Lerg coupled with back-to-back kills from Jones and junior MacKenzi Welsh gave Michigan its defining lead, 21-18. Using five kills from Skjodt and junior Sydney Wetterstrom as well as a .361 team hitting percentage, Michigan took the first set by a 25-20 score.
Michigan led by as many as four to kick off the second set, but Notre Dame came from behind to tie the score nine times and force two lead changes through the remainder of the set. With the score tied at 23, back-to-back kills from Welsh and Skjodt allowed the Wolverines to clinch set two, 25-23.
The Fighting Irish jumped out to an early lead in the third set, and though the Wolverines cut the deficit to two, 14-12, Notre Dame stayed in control. The Maize and Blue posted a .093 hitting percentage and seven errors as the Fighting Irish clinched the third set, 25-19, and snapped the Wolverines' streak of 32-consecutive sets won to start the season.
Notre Dame again jumped out to an early lead in the fourth set before a big kill from sophomore Kiara Shannon tied the score at 12. The Fighting Irish regained a two-point lead to go ahead, 14-12, but back-to-back Notre Dame errors and a cross-court kill from Skjodt gave Michigan its first lead of the set, 15-14. The teams then traded points before a 5-0 run propelled the Wolverines to a 21-16 lead and forced Notre Dame to burn both of its timeouts. Despite the stoppages in play, the momentum remained with Michigan as the Maize and Blue clinched the fourth set, 25-19, to take the match.
Skjodt led the Michigan offense with 13 kills, while Jones posted 12 and Wetterstrom added 10. Crocker and Shannon finished with eight kills apiece, and Welsh tied her career high with seven kills at a .500 attack percentage. Welsh also finished the day with a season-high 46 assists.
Defensively, Michigan totaled a season-high 75 digs and had four players with double-figure efforts for the second match in a row. Senior libero Jenna Lerg led the charge with 18, while Skjodt earned a double-double with 16 digs. Additionally, sophomore Natalie Smith set a career high with 13 digs and Jones earned her second career double-double with 11.
Tweet of the Match
11-0!!! Michigan beats Notre Dame three sets to one!#GoBlue ???
— The Zone (@UMichZone) September 16, 2018
Michigan (11-0) will kick off Big Ten Conference action on Friday (Sept. 21) with a match at Nebraska. First serve is set for 8 p.m. CDT in Lincoln, Nebraska, and the match will be streamed live on the Big Ten Network.
