Michigan
1-0,0-0Big Ten
Delaware
0-1,0-0CAA
Wolverines Reverse Sweep Blue Hens to Win Season Opener
8/30/2024 10:52:00 PM | Volleyball
» Michigan defeated Delaware in five sets after losing the first two.
» Allison Jacobs led the Wolverines in kills with 16 while Kendyl Reaugh tallied 15, including the 1,000th of her career.
» Morgan Burke led the way with 46 assists and added three kills and two aces.
» Maddi Cuchran tallied a team-leading 24 digs.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- In a thrilling five-set comeback victory, the University of Michigan volleyball team defeated Delaware 25-27, 22-25, 26-24, 27-25, 15-4 to open the 2024 season and the Michigan Nike Classic on Friday evening (Aug. 30) at Crisler Center.
After dropping the first two sets, U-M fought hard and scraped third- and fourth-set wins to force a deciding fifth. The Wolverines came out on a mission in the fifth set, starting on a 5-0 run which included an ace for Morgan Burke. U-M then went on a 6-1 run to force the second Blue Hens timeout of the set. Two kills from Allison Jacobs and one each from Jacque Boney and Valentina Vaulet helped the Wolverines stake an 11-2 lead. Delaware won the next point, but a kill from Jacobs put the ball in the hands of Vaulet at the service line. Her first serve was an ace with the next one forcing the Blue Hens out of system for an attack error. Delaware took one more point, but committed another attack error for match point to fall 15-4.
Michigan (1-0) was led offensively by Jacobs, who tallied 16 kills. Kendyl Reaugh collected 15 kills on the night, with her third of the match being the 1,000th of her college career. Reaugh and Jacobs tallied double-doubles with Reaugh posting 20 digs and Jacobs adding 15. Burke ran the Wolverines' offense, tallying 46 assists while Maddi Cuchran ran the defensive unit with 24 digs. U-M tallied eight aces from the service line, led by Vaulet with four. Camille Edwards and Trixie McMillin joined Reaugh in making their Michigan debuts.
Delaware (0-1) took the match's first point and got out to a 7-4 lead before the Wolverines tied it up at eight. Both teams battled for a lead, but no one could pull away. The Blue Hens took a 19-16 advantage, but U-M tied it at 22 with kills from Reaugh and Serena Nyambio. Another kill from Nyambio gave U-M the lead and a kill from Burke put Michigan at set point. Delaware took the next three points for a 25-24 lead. Nyambio tied the match at 25, but the Blue Hens took the first set 27-25.
The Wolverines started the second set with a 4-0 run led by Burke from the service line and extended the early advantage to 8-3. The Blue Hens stuck around and managed to tie the match at 14. Another kill from Delaware forced a timeout from head coach Erin Virtue and the Wolverines took the next point to tie it at 15. After that, Delaware took the next two points and was the last lead it needed as U-M was unable to string together a rally and fell 25-22 in the second set.
Both teams battled to start the third set, splitting the first 10 points before the Maize and Blue took a 10-6 lead with Vaulet registering two aces over the span. The Blue Hens called a timeout and were able to tie the match at 12. The biggest lead was three (15-12 Michigan) for the rest of the set after two aces from Reaugh. The Wolverines won the race to 20 points, but the Blue Hens took the next two to take a 21-20 advantage. The set was tied at 24 until kills from Reaugh and Vaulet lifted U-M to a 26-24 third-set win.
The fourth set was no different than the third and saw 16 tied scores and four lead changes. The first 36 points of the set were split evenly at 18 apiece with neither team gaining more than a three-point lead. The Wolverines took the next two points to reach 20 points first after a Blue Hens error and a Reaugh kill. Delaware tied it at 20 before U-M took a 23-21 lead and forced a timeout with Jacobs tallying two of the three kills in the run. Delaware hung around and tied the match at 24, forcing a Michigan timeout. With the score tied at 25, U-M strung together two kills, one each from Burke and Nyambio, to give the Wolverines a 27-25 fourth-set win and force the deciding set.
Michigan will return to the court for a Crisler Center doubleheader against Kent State on Sunday (Sept. 1). The first match will begin at 11 a.m. with the second match slated for a 3 p.m. start. Both matches will be streamed live on B1G+.
