Michigan
18-13,8-12Big Ten
Northwestern
5-23,3-17Big Ten
Michigan Closes Out Season with Five-Set Win over Northwestern
11/29/2024 11:40:00 PM | Volleyball
» Michigan won their final regular-season match of the season with a five-set triumph over Northwestern.
» Valentina Vaulet tallied a career-high 26 kills and added three aces and eight digs.
» Jacque Boney recorded 12 kills and added five blocks.
» Morgan Burke registered 53 assists, one off her career high.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- In a thrilling five-set match, the University of Michigan volleyball team took down Northwestern 27-25, 25-19, 23-25, 22-25, 15-10 on Senior Night in its final contest of the 2024 season Friday night (Nov. 29) at Crisler Center.
In the deciding fifth set, the teams split the first eight points before Northwestern took a 5-4 lead on a Michigan service error. The lead was short-lived as a kill from Kendyl Reaugh tied the match at five and a service ace from Morgan Burke put Michigan ahead 6-5. A kill from Vaulet gave U-M a two-point buffer which was all they needed. The Wolverines eventually pushed the lead to five at 14-9, and Jacque Boney provided the deciding kill to give Michigan the 15-10 set- and match-sealing win.
Michigan (18-13, 8-12 Big Ten) was led by a career-high 26 kills from Valentina Vaulet on a .392 hitting percentage and added three aces. Burke helped the Wolverines offense to a .304 hitting percentage with 53 assists and added 11 digs and two aces. Boney reached the 800-kill and 400 career-block plateaus with 12 and five, respectively. Amalia Simmons also added double-digit kills with 11.
The Wolverines got off to a fast start in the opening set with two kills from Vaulet and one from Simmons putting Michigan up 3-0. The Wildcats managed to work their way back into the set, tying the match at 10. After a split of the next two points, Michigan took a 14-11 lead, but Northwestern tied the score again, this time at 15. NU then took the lead and worked out to a 20-16 lead. After U-M brought the score to within one at 20-19, the Wildcats extended their lead to 22-20 until a kill from Vaulet and an NU attack error tied the match at 22. Simmons gave Michigan its first set-point chance, but NU countered. Michigan failed on its next chance and after a kill from Vaulet and one from Reaugh, U-M took the first set 27-25.
Northwestern (5-23, 3-17 Big Ten) took the first point of the second set, but Michigan took the next six points with kills from three different Wolverines, two attack errors and a block from Simmons and Boney. The Wildcats chipped away and tied the match at 17, but a kill from Boney kept U-M with the lead. Northwestern called its second timeout of the set after a Vaulet kill trailing 21-18. Reaugh registered a kill out of the timeout and kills from Vaulet and Simmons were enough to lead Michigan to a 25-19 set win.
The third set was a back-and-forth battle that featured 13 ties and six lead changes. Northwestern opened with a 2-0 lead, but a Boney kill later tied the set at three. After some back-and-forth, the score was tied at 10 before Northwestern took a 15-13 lead. Michigan knotted things at 15 with a kill from Boney and a Wildcats attack error. The teams traded points the rest of the way, with two-point leads for Northwestern at 21-19 and the set-winning margin, 25-23.
A kill from Simmons opened the fourth set and Michigan looked strong early, working to an 8-3 lead. Northwestern trailed 15-10 before a 5-0 run tied the match at 15. A kill from Reaugh put Michigan back ahead, but the Wildcats tied it at 16. U-M stayed in front until four straight from Northwestern put it ahead 21-20. NU took the remaining points that they needed to win the set 25-22 and set up the fifth set.
The Wolverines finished their second season under head coach Erin Virtue with an 18-13 overall record and an 8-12 record in Big Ten play. Their 18 wins were an 11-game improvement from their 2023 total.
