Michigan
Ohio State
Michigan Upended by No. 6 Ohio State in Maize Out Match
9/28/2022 11:00:00 PM | Volleyball
» Jess Mruzik led Michigan with 16 kills and added two blocks.
» Jess Robinson totaled 14 kills and finished the night hitting at a .571 clip.
» Jacque Boney led all players with eight blocks, collecting three solo blocks to go with five block assists.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan volleyball team rallied from an 0-2 deficit but ultimately fell to No. 6-ranked Ohio State by a 3-1 score (22-25, 18-25, 25-17, 21-25) on Wednesday evening (Sept. 28) inside Crisler Center.
Jess Mruzik led Michigan (11-2, 2-1 Big Ten) with 16 kills while Jess Robinson finished the night hitting at a .571 clip. Jacque Boney racked up eight blocks on the night and Hannah Grant collected 20 digs to lead the Wolverines defensively.
The hard-fought match saw a total of 27 ties and 14 lead changes through four sets. Ohio State (6-5, 2-1 Big Ten) took the nail-biting opening set, 25-22, and then the second set, 25-18, before Michigan fired back in the third set and downed the Buckeyes, 25-17.
It was a fight at the beginning of the third set until back-to-back Buckeye errors and a double-block from Robinson and May Pertofsky pushed Michigan to a 12-9 lead. The Wolverines capitalized on a struggling Buckeye offense, rallying to a six-point lead on a solo block by Boney and never looking back. Three late kills from Mruzik sealed the deal for Michigan as the Maize and Blue took the third set, 25-17.
After going down 0-2 in the match and responding with a third-set victory, Michigan fought hard in the fourth and final set, making up a nine-point deficit (17-8) as key blocks from Boney and kills from Mruzik helped Michigan keep pace late. The Wolverines pulled within one point on a kill from Pertofsky but ultimately dropped the fourth and final set, 25-21.
The first set saw six lead changes and was tied 12 different times. Michigan went up 11-8 courtesy of two Robinson kills and a stuff block from Mruzik and Boney. The Buckeyes took advantage of a couple of U-M attacking errors to pull ahead, 19-16, but the Wolverines came within one off a Boney kill, 23-22, before OSU closed out the first set, 25-22. Robinson hit a staggering .857 percent (6-0-7) in the opening frame.
The Buckeyes got out to a quick start in the second set, going on numerous servings runs to pull ahead 12-5 in the early going. Despite limited attacking errors, Michigan could not find its footing in the second set and Ohio State used a .394 hitting percentage to take the set, 25-18.
Michigan will return to action on Saturday (Oct. 1) when the Wolverines head to Northwestern to take on the Wildcats at Welsh-Ryan Arena. First serve is slated for 7 p.m. CT and the match will be streamed live on B1G+.
