Michigan
12-7,5-5Big Ten
Illinois
14-7,6-4Big Ten
Michigan Ends Road Trip With Four-Set Setback at Illinois
10/23/2021 6:51:00 PM | Volleyball
» The Wolverines dropped a tightly-contested four-set match at Illinois.
» Paige Jones led Michigan with 17 kills as part of a double that included 10 digs.
» Scottee Johnson also turned in a double-double with 38 assists and 14 digs.
» Michigan will return home for a Blue Out in against Ohio State on Friday (Oct. 29) in this season's final Crisler Center match.
Site: Champaign, Ill. (Huff Hall)
Score: Illinois 3, Michigan 1 (26-24, 25-19, 24-26, 26-24)
Records: U-M (12-7, 5-5 B1G), ILL (14-7, 6-4 B1G)
Next U-M Event: Friday, Oct. 29 -- vs. Ohio State (Crisler Center), 7 p.m. (Blue Out)
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- The University of Michigan volleyball team came out on the short end of an exciting battle with Illinois on Saturday afternoon (Oct. 23), falling in four sets to the Illini (24-26, 19-25, 26-24, 24-26) in Huff Hall.
Senior Paige Jones led the Wolverines with 17 kills on the afternoon, while sophomore Jess Mruzik added 11. Jones finished with a double-double thanks to her 10 digs. Sophomore Scottee Johnson registered a double-double of 38 assists and 14 digs, and redshirt sophomore Hannah Grant led all players with 22 digs.
The two sides were locked in a tight battle in the opening set, trading scoring runs throughout. With Michigan leading 19-16, Illinois went on its most important run, using a 5-0 spurt to gain the lead on the way to a 26-24 set victory.
That momentum carried to the second set as the Illini jumped out to an early lead the Maize and Blue was never able to overcome. Illinois (14-7, 6-4 Big Ten) hit .241 in the set, while the Wolverines managed just .111 and ultimately fell 25-19.
Michigan (12-7, 5-5 Big Ten) began its comeback effort with a gutsy 26-24 win in the third set, capped off with an ace from Jones to seal the set victory. Though getting outhit .310 to 300 in the set, the Wolverines made the plays when they mattered most and sent the match to a fourth set.
The Wolverines and Illini followed a similar script in the fourth set, with neither team pulling away throughout the set's entirety. Though Michigan was able to fight off match point at 24-23, Illinois managed to control the side out and blocked U-M's attack to finish off the match at 26-24.
Three of the four sets needed extra points to determine the winner, as the two sides played tight throughout the match. Michigan finished hitting .185 overall while Illinois turned in a .219 performance. Perhaps the biggest advantage for the home team was at the service line, where the Illini aced the Wolverines nine times, while U-M managed only four of its own.
The two sides turned in the exact same amount of digs (67), and Illinois held a slight edge in blocks (10.5-9.0) and assists (49-47).
U-M returns home for its final Crisler Center match of the season against rival Ohio State on Friday (Oct. 29) for a 7 p.m. Blue Out match that will be streamed live on B1G+.
