Michigan
18-7,11-4Big Ten
Iowa
9-17,3-12Big Ten
Michigan Dispatches Iowa in Straight Sets
11/13/2019 9:47:00 PM | Volleyball
» Paige Jones had a match-high 12 kills for Michigan.
» May Pertofsky had 11 kills while hitting a robust .458.
» MacKenzi Welsh dished out 36 assists and had nine digs.
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Cliff Keen Arena)
Score: Michigan 3, Iowa 0 (25-16, 25-20, 25-18)
Records: U-M (18-7, 11-4 B1G), Iowa (9-17, 3-12 B1G)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Nov. 16 -- at No. 5 Minnesota (Maturi Pavilion), 7 p.m. CST
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 23-ranked University of Michigan volleyball team took care of business in straight sets (25-16, 25-20, 25-18) to take down Iowa on Wednesday night (Nov. 13) at home at Cliff Keen Arena.
The conference victory improved Michigan's record to 18-7 overall and 11-4 in Big Ten action.
The Wolverine offense was paced by sophomore Paige Jones, who led all players with 12 kills on the night, and by freshman May Pertofsky, who had 11 while hitting .458 and also added four total blocks. U-M senior setter MacKenzi Welsh finished with 36 assists and nine digs, which tied for the team lead with fellow senior Sydney Wetterstrom.
The Wolverines (18-7, 11-4 Big Ten) took set one, 25-16, thanks to a solid showing on the attacking end. Junior Natalie Smith sparked a rally with U-M trailing 12-10, as she served six consecutive Wolverine points -- including all three of her aces. Michigan registered a .375 attack percentage and supplemented their offense with four aces in the opening set.
Michigan continued to roll against Iowa (9-17, 3-12 Big Ten) after the first-set win by securing a 25-20 victory in the second set. The Wolverines registered a .349 attack percentage with 18 kills in the set win. U-M rallied from being down five thanks to a 7-0 run with senior Katerina Rocafort at the service line.
Michigan took set three to earn the sweep of Iowa, marking the first time since defeating Rutgers (Oct. 19) that the Wolverines won in straight sets. U-M grabbed control of the set early when the score was 5-4 and never looked back to win, 25-18. Michigan ended the stanza by opening up its biggest lead, seven points, to close out the set, collecting 17 kills while only notching one attack error in the set.
Michigan will be back in action Saturday (Nov. 16) when they take on No. 5 Minnesota at 7 p.m. CST in Minneapolis.
