Michigan
3-11,1-4Big Ten
Northwestern
7-8,1-4Big Ten
Michigan Downs Northwestern in Four Sets En Route to First B1G Win
10/6/2023 10:34:00 PM | Volleyball
» Michigan defeated Northwestern in a hard-fought four-set battle (25-23, 24-26, 25-23, 25-20) for its first B1G win of the season.
» Kendall Murray led Michigan with 13 kills in the match.
» Scottee Johnson tallied a double-double with 34 assists and 18 digs.
» Valentina Vaulet registered a career-high six aces and added 11 kills.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- In a hard-fought battle that featured 40 tie scores and 22 lead changes, the University of Michigan volleyball team defeated Northwestern in four sets (25-23, 24-26, 25-23, 25-20) at Crisler Center on Friday night (Oct. 6)Â for U-M's first Big Ten Conference win of the 2023 season.
Kendall Murray led the team in kills with 13 and was one of four Wolverines with double-digit kills on the night. Scottee Johnson tallied a double-double in the match with 34 assists and 18 digs, while Valentina Vaulet registered a career-high six aces to go with 11 kills. Jacque Boney also finished the night with 11 kills, and Saj McBurrows set a season-high in kills with 10.
In addition to being the first Big Ten victory for the Wolverines this season, the win marked the first in Big Ten play for head coach Erin Virtue.
With the score tied 1-1 after the first two frames, Michigan (3-11, 1-4 Big Ten) took the pivotal third set to take a 2-1 lead in the match. Serena Nyambio and Vaulet combined on the block to open the third set, but the Wildcats took the lead at 3-2 and Michigan did not regain the lead until 10-9 behind two blocks on the comeback from Nyambio, Johnson and McBurrows. Back-to-back kills from Nyambio gave the Wolverines a 12-9 edge and forced a Wildcat timeout. Northwestern (7-8, 1-4 Big Ten) tied the set at 13 before the teams traded the lead and tied it again at 15, 17, 18 and 19. A kill from Vaulet gave Michigan a 21-19 lead which forced another NU timeout, and kills from Vaulet and Nyambio pushed U-M to set point before a Wildcat service error ended the frame with Michigan on top, 25-23.
Armed with a 2-1 match lead, U-M got off to a 6-0 start in the fourth set with kills from McBurrows and Vaulet along with a double-block from Nyambio and McBurrows on the run. Despite the surge, Northwestern was able to tie the match at seven and keep pace until a kill from Boney tied things up at 11 and sparked a momentum shift for the Wolverines. Back-to-back kills from Nyabmio forced a NU timeout at 14-11 and Michigan extended its lead to 17-13 behind kills from Vaulet and McBurrows. Northwestern fought back and came within three at 22-19, but a Wildcat service error and an ace from Murray brought Michigan to match point, and Boney slammed home a kill for the final point of the night to give Michigan its first conference victory of the season.
Michigan took the first point of the day on a kill from McBurrows, and Vaulet tied things up at five before leading U-M on a 3-0 run that featured two service aces. The Wildcats took a timeout down 10-8 and rallied to tie the match at 10 and 11 before taking a 20-15 lead. Vaulet tallied back-to-back aces which brought Michigan within two, 20-18, and forced another Wildcat timeout, but U-M continued to chip away and tied the match at 21 before a long rally that ended with a kill from McBurrows for the lead. The teams traded points and tied the score again at 22 and 23 before a kill from Boney forced a set point and a Northwestern attack error gave the Wolverines the first set, 25-23.
Northwestern took the lead to begin the second set before a 4-0 run from Michigan gave the Wolverines a 5-2 lead. The Wildcats fought back and tied the score at 10, and it was a back and forth affair from there as the teams traded the next 16 points. Northwestern finally pulled away at 20-18 and held a two point lead again at 23-21, but a McBurrows kill and a Wildcat attack error tied the frame once again at 23-23 before back-to-back service aces put the score tied at 24. Michigan's effort was not enough in the second set, however, as Northwestern used a block and and ace to take set two, 26-24.
The Wolverines continue their homestand tomorrow (Saturday, Oct. 7) when they face off against No. 2 Nebraska at 8:30 p.m. in Crisler Center. The match is set to air live on the Big Ten Network.
