Michigan
13-5,4-4Big Ten
Wisconsin
13-3,7-1Big Ten
Michigan Falls Short in Comeback Attempt at No. 5 Wisconsin
10/16/2022 4:11:00 PM | Volleyball
» Jess Mruzik led Michigan with 12 kills.
» Jess Robinson and Serena Nyambio combined for 11 blocks.
» Robinson led all players with a hitting percentage of .556.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 24-ranked University of Michigan volleyball team came up short in a comeback against No. 5 Wisconsin, falling 3-1 (27-25, 25-17, 24-26, 25-22) at UW Field House on Sunday (Oct. 16).
Michigan (13-5, 4-4 Big Ten) was led by Jess Mruzik on the offensive front with 12 kills. Hannah Grant held it down in the backcourt with 20 digs, while Serena Nyambio and Jess Robinson combined for 11 blocks. Scottee Johnson led the Wolverines in assists with 22, while Maddie Dowd chipped in 20.
Michigan got out to a slow start in the opening set, falling behind 5-2 early. The Wolverines chipped away at the lead and closed within two at 10-8 after two Badgers errors. Behind the effort at the net, U-M tied it up at 24 courtesy of a Nyambio and Jacque Boney block. The Wolverines fell short behind an error that gave the Badgers the first set 27-25.
The Wolverines kept the second set close, but with the score tied at 6, Wisconsin went on a 5-1 scoring run to create a comfortable 11-7 lead. The Badgers never looked back, going on to take the second set 25-17 behind the consistent net play, both offensively and defensively.
The third set was a back-and-forth affair throughout. Michigan pulled to a 7-3 lead behind kills from Mruzik and Nyambio. The Badgers then went on a 6-1 run to help them take a 13-12 lead in the middle of the set. The Wolverines later trailed 22-20, but kills from Mruzik and May Pertofsky tied things up at 22. Wisconsin (13-3, 7-1 Big Ten) eventually took the final three points behind two UW errors and an Allison Jacobs kill that gave Michigan a 26-24 win in the third frame.
The fourth set started sluggishly for Michigan, which fell behind 10-6. However, the Wolverines went a 6-1 scoring run to pull head 15-14 thanks to three Wisconsin errors. Michigan fought hard the remainder of the set but ultimately fell short 25-22 as Wisconsin triumphed in four sets.
Boney and Pertofsky each recorded nine kills, while Robinson led all players in hitting percentage at .556 clip.
Michigan will return to action at Cliff Keen Arena on Friday (Oct. 21) at 7 p.m., when they welcome Indiana to Ann Arbor. The match will be streamed live on B1G+.
