Michigan
12-5,2-4Big Ten
Iowa
10-8,1-5Big Ten
Michigan Outlasts Iowa in Five-Set Thriller
10/11/2025 11:17:00 PM | Volleyball
» Michigan survived a two-set comeback by Iowa to oust the Hawkeyes, 3-2, on Saturday.
» Morgan Burke set a new career high with 56 assists to go along with 11 digs for her eighth double-double of the season.
» Allison Jacobs led U-M with a career-high 26 kills and added 15 digs.
» Serena Nyambio hit .485 and converted on seven straight attacks to open the match on the way to tying her career best with 17 kills.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan volleyball team outlasted Iowa (25-17, 25-22, 21-25, 27-29, 15-11) in a five-set thriller on Saturday night (Oct. 11) at Cliff Keen Arena.
Michigan (12-5, 2-4 Big Ten) saw career nights from two Wolverines as Morgan Burke set a new career high in assists with 56, while Allison Jacobs logged a career-best 26 kills in the win over the Hawkeyes. Serena Nyambio hit .485 and started the match 7-for-7 in attacks as she tied her career high in kills with 17. Maddi Cuchran recorded a season-high 24 digs to propel the Maize and Blue to the conference victory.
U-M started fast by taking the first three points of the opening set before extending the lead to 7-2 behind kills from Nyambio and Jacobs, along with a Jacobs ace. Iowa (10-8, 1-5 Big Ten) trimmed the margin to one at 10-9 before a 6-1 Michigan run widened the gap to 16-10. After two straight Hawkeye points, Nyambio delivered back-to-back kills to force an Iowa timeout. Michigan closed out the set, 25-17, to take a 1-0 lead in the match.
The second set was a back-and-forth battle with neither team leading by more than three points. With the score tied at 22, Jacobs produced two clutch kills and Nyambio sealed the frame with a finish to vault the Wolverines to a 2-0 edge in the Big Ten clash.
Iowa gained control of the third set with a 5-1 run to go up 12-8 and force a Michigan timeout. The Wolverines responded with small runs of their own, but the Hawkeyes kept U-M at arm's length to take the third set, 25-21, and force a fourth.
The visitors appeared poised to extend the match, opening up a 12-5 lead before stretching it to 14-6. Following the media timeout at 15-8, Michigan went on a 7-1 surge fueled by strong defense and kills from Nyambio and Jacyn Bamis to cut the deficit to 16-15.
After an Iowa point briefly halted the run, a service error, a Nyambio and Ella Demetrician block, and a Jacobs kill gave Michigan its first lead of the set at 18-17, forcing an Iowa timeout. The remainder of the set was tight, but the Hawkeyes pulled out a 29-27 win to force a decisive fifth set.
Iowa carried the early momentum in the final frame, building a 6-3 advantage before a Michigan timeout. U-M responded with a quick 4-0 run to reclaim the lead at 7-6. After Iowa tied it again, Michigan tallied three straight points to make it 10-7. The Hawkeyes won three of the next four rallies to draw within one at 11-10, but that was as close as they would get, as Michigan closed out the match on a 4-1 spurt to secure the 3-2 victory.
The Wolverines return to action on Thursday (Oct. 16) against Northwestern at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, Ill. First serve is set for 8 p.m. CT, with the match airing live on Big Ten Network.
