Michigan
15-10,6-9Big Ten
Northwestern
17-10,6-9Big Ten
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northwestern | 25 | 15 | 19 | 23 | 1 |
| Michigan | 23 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
Michigan Rallies From Early Deficit to Finish Off Season Sweep of Northwestern
11/11/2022 10:51:00 PM | Volleyball
» Michigan had three players with double-digit kills in Jess Mruzik (16), Kendall Murray (15) and Jess Robinson (11).
» Hannah Grant recorded 13 digs on the night, her eighth consecutive match with double-digit digs.
» Michigan completed the season sweep of Northwestern, having defeated the Wildcats in four sets each time.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan volleyball team defeated Northwestern for the second time this season, completing the season sweep with a 3-1 victory (23-25, 25-15, 25-19, 25-23) over the Wildcats on Friday (Nov. 11) in Cliff Keen Area.
Michigan (15-10, 6-9 Big Ten) was led by Jess Mruzik and her 16 kills and Kendall Murray's 15. Defensively, Hannah Grant collected 13 digs, making it her eighth consecutive match with double-digit digs. The Wolverines out-blocked the Wildcats 13-10.5, with Jess Robinson leading the way with six.
In a battle for the first set, Northwestern (17-10, 6-9 Big Ten) got out to a hot start and a 7-3 lead. Michigan put together a 6-1 run to gain its first lead of the set at 9-8 behind a Mruzik kill. Michigan went on a couple of 3-0 spurts, with an ace from Scottee Johnson and Grant to pull to a 22-19 lead. The Wildcats came back with six of the last seven points to take the first set 25-23.
U-M rallied in the second set, putting its foot to the pedal and never taking it off. May Pertofsky got the Wolverines rolling with a slam down the line to give Michigan the first point. Michigan went on an 8-1 run led by Jacque Boney's three' kills and one block to put Michigan up 9-2. The Wildcats strung together a run of their own pulling within two points before Boney collected her fourth kill of the set at 10-7. Mruzik got in on the fun with back-to-back kills before Northwestern called its second timeout of the set at 13-7. The Wolverines never looked back, downing the Wildcats 25-15 to pull even at one set apiece.
Mruzik picked up with a service ace where the Wolverines left off to start off the third set. Northwestern collected the next three points to lead 3-1. The set was tied seven times and saw four lead changes before U-M decided it, picking up seven of the last eight points to pull ahead two sets to one. Mruzik and Murray combined for eight of the team's 12 kills, each recording four in the set.
The fourth and final set was a shootout from start to finish, with the score being tied five separate times. Michigan went on a 3-0 run with Grant at the service line, collecting one ace while Mruzik controlled the net with a cross-court kill. The Wildcats battled back, going on its own 3-0 run to tie it up at 16 before Mruzik ended the run with a slam down the center of the court. Once Maddie Dowd got to the service line, she picked up her fourth ace of the night, and on her second serve, aided in an overpass from the Wildcats, and Robinson and Pertofsky came up big with a stuff block to pull ahead 19-16. The Wildcats attempted a comeback with a 3-0 run, but Michigan picked up three of the last five points to take the set 25-23.
Robinson collected 11 kills on the night and led all players in hitting percentage at .733. Johnson and Dowd combined 45 of the 51 Michigan assists on the night.
Michigan will return to action on Saturday (Nov. 12) at 7 p.m. when it welcomes Illinois to Cliff Keen Arena on Parents Night. The match will be streamed live on B1G+.
