Michigan
13-2, 2-2B1G
Penn State
11-3, 2-2B1G
Michigan Upended by Penn State in Sunday Matinee
9/30/2018 4:55:00 PM | Volleyball
» The loss is Michigan's first when playing at home this season.
» Carly Skjodt posted a match-high 15 kills.
» The sweep marks Michigan's first since a 3-0 loss to Nebraska last October.
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Crisler Center)
Score: #9 Penn State 3, #17 Michigan 0 (25-17, 25-21, 25-23)
Records: U-M (13-2, 2-2 B1G), PSU (11-3, 2-2 B1G)
Next U-M Event: Friday, Oct. 5 -- vs. Purdue (Cliff Keen Arena), 9 p.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 17-ranked University of Michigan volleyball team had its perfect home record spoiled on Sunday afternoon (Sept. 30) when the Wolverines fell, 3-0 (25-17, 25-21, 25-23), to the No. 9-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions in front of a season-high crowd of 5,433 inside Crisler Center.
Michigan is now 13-2 on the season, and the sweep loss marks the Wolverines' first of the year. Both of the team's losses have come in Big Ten play against teams ranked in the top 10 by the AVCA.
Michigan took the first point of the match on a kill from freshman Paige Jones, but Penn State responded with back-to-back points and a 4-1 run to quickly jump ahead, 6-2. The Nittany Lions then extended their lead to five, 10-5, before serving runs from senior Carly Skjodt and junior MacKenzi Welsh allowed the Wolverines to inch back within two, 15-13, before the media timeout. The momentum was with Penn State for the rest of the set, as Michigan collected just four more points and the Nittany Lions rallied for a 25-17 first-set win.
The second set began as a point-for-point battle, and neither team could gain any momentum until a four-point run from Penn State gave the Nittany Lions a 14-12 lead before back-to-back kills from Skjodt evened the score. The teams continued to trade points from there, until a 5-0 Penn State rally put the Wolverines into a 21-17 hole and caused the Maize and Blue to use both of its timeouts. Late back-to-back errors from the Nittany Lions allowed the Wolverines to come back within two, 23-21, but consecutive PSU kills finished the set with the visitors on top.
With Michigan down by two sets for the first time this season, the teams traded points to begin set three. It was Penn State that took a 15-12 lead going into the media timeout, then extended its lead to six, 20-16. Michigan was able to regain its footing for a 3-0 run that forced a Penn State timeout, and the Wolverines inched back from there to cut the deficit to two, 23-21, on a timely kill from Jones. The Nittany Lions answered with a kill to force match point, but back-to-back kills from Skjodt and redshirt junior Cori Crocker forced a second Penn State timeout with the Wolverines down by one, 24-23. Despite the late Michigan surge, Penn State responded with the final point to take the match in straight sets.
Skjodt led all players with 15 kills and just three errors, while Jones posted 11 kills at a .318 clip. Senior Jenna Lerg finished with a match-high 19 digs and Crocker led the Wolverines with three blocks.
The Wolverines (13-2, 2-2 B1G) will continue their homestand on Friday (Oct. 5) with a contest against No. 16-ranked Purdue. First serve is set for 9 p.m. inside Cliff Keen Arena, and the match will be televised on Big Ten Network and streamed live on BTN2Go.
