Michigan
4-17,2-10Big Ten
Ohio State
8-13,5-7Big Ten
U-M Rallies From Early Deficit to Defeat Rival Ohio State
10/29/2023 6:36:00 PM | Volleyball
» Michigan defeated Ohio State in four sets (20-25, 25-22, 25-21, 25-22).
» Three Wolverines tallied double-digit kills, with Kendall Murray leading the way with 19.
» Morgan Burke registered a double-double with 41 assists and 16 digs.
» The Wolverines totaled eight service aces from five different players.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- After dropping the first set, the University of Michigan volleyball team won the next three to defeat rival Ohio State in four sets (20-25, 25-22, 25-21, 25-22) on Sunday afternoon (Oct. 29) at Crisler Center.
Ohio State (8-13, 5-7 Big Ten) grabbed a quick 1-0 lead after holding off the Wolverines in the first set. The Buckeyes got out to a 5-2 lead, and while Michigan (4-17, 2-10 Big Ten) tied the set at 11 and 15, it was all Buckeyes after that. OSU outscored Michigan 10-5 the rest of the set in a 25-20 win.
Michigan started fast in the second set, taking a 4-1 lead early with help from a pair of kills from Kendall Murray and one from Serena Nyambio. Michigan kept its foot on the gas, extending the lead to 10-5. The Buckeyes rallied to tie the score at 11, but the Wolverines took the next point and kept the lead the duration of the set, eventually winning 25-22 to knot the match. U-M got a service ace each from Mira Chopra, Hannah Grant and Valentina Vaulet to help lead the way.
The third set began like the first, with OSU taking a 4-2 lead, but Michigan used a 4-0 run keyed by a kill from Saj McBurrows and three OSU attack errors to even the set at 9-9. After ties at 11 and 12, Boney and Murray both tallied multiple kills to put Michigan up 20-17, and Boney finished off the Buckeyes with a kill and block assist to put U-M on the verge of winning the match. U-M held the Buckeyes to a 0.088 hitting percentage in the set.
The start of the fourth set was a close one, with no team holding a lead of five points until Ohio State grabbed a 12-7 lead. Michigan kept in striking distance and called a timeout trailing 22-18. After the stoppage, Michigan closed on a 7-0 run to take the set and the match. Vaulet tallied three straight kills to put Michigan at match point, and Nyabmio's kill gave the Wolverines the victory.
Murray led U-M with 19 kills and added nine digs and had two aces. Vaulet and Boney also tallied double-digit kills with 14 and 10, respectively. Morgan Burke had 41 assists and 16 digs to earn a double-double. Grant started at libero for the first time since August and contributed 15 digs and eight assists.
Michigan will remain at home for two matches next weekend at Cliff Keen Arena. First up will be Iowa on Friday (Nov. 3) at 6:30 p.m. with the matchup to be streamed live on B1G+.
