Michigan
1-4,0-0Big Ten
Arkansas
4-2,0-0SEC
Michigan Drops Weekend Finale at No. 21 Arkansas
9/3/2023 2:42:00 PM | Volleyball
» Michigan fell in three sets to No. 21 Arkansas in the final match of the Wooo Pig Invitational.
» Valentina Vaulet led the Wolverines with eight kills on 11 attacks, all coming in the third set.
» Jacque Boney had four blocks to lead the team and added five kills.
» Kendall Murray set a new career high with five service aces.
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- The University of Michigan volleyball team was swept by No. 21 Arkansas (25-26, 25-27, 25-23) on Sunday (Aug. 3) in the finale of the Razorbacks' Wooo Pig Invitational at Barnhill Arena.
Valentina Vaulet led the Wolverines (1-4) in kills with eight, all coming in the third set while hitting an impressive .727. Six different players registered a block on the afternoon, with Jacque Boney leading the way with four. Kendall Murray set a new career high with five service aces and added five kills. Brooke Humphrey and Maddi Cuchran both registered double-digit digs.
Michigan started off well with Amalia Simmons opening the first set with the first kill of the match. Both teams battled throughout the first set, with the Razorbacks leading 15-11 at the media timeout. From there, Boney tallied a kill, but Arkansas took five of the next six points to reach 20 first. The Wolverines could not manage a comeback and fell 25-16 in the opening set.
The Razorbacks (4-2) fought back in the second set after Michigan took 2-0 and 4-2 leads to take a 12-7 advantage and force a Michigan timeout. The Razorbacks took three of the next four points before U-M went on a six-point scoring run. Serena Nyambio had three kills with Murray tallying three aces in the stretch to bring the score within one at 15-14. Michigan was unable to complete the comeback and eventually dropped the set 25-17.
In the third set, Arkansas got off to a hot start, taking four-point leads multiple times early in the set, with the last coming at 10-6, when U-M fought back to tie the score at 11. After not playing in the first two sets, Vaulet had an impressive third set, tallying a kill and back-to-back block assists with Boney to tie it at 11. Another kill from Vaulet tied it at 12, before the Razorbacks took a two-point lead. A solo block from Simmons and a kill from Murray knotted it up at 14 before the Razorbacks took a one-point lead into the media timeout.
Returning to the court, Michigan grabbed the lead (16-15) behind back-to-back block assists. The Razorbacks stayed in it, retaking the lead 18-17. Vaulet continued her set three momentum with four straight kills to give U-M a 21-18 lead. Two service errors gave Michigan two more points, but the Razorbacks took seven of the final nine to win the set 25-23 and the match 3-0.
The Wolverines will return home to host the Big Ten/ACC Challenge at Crisler Center. Michigan welcomes North Carolina on Friday (Sept. 8) at 7 p.m. and Duke for a Saturday (Sept. 9) matchup, also at 7 p.m.
