Michigan
23-7, 11-7Big Ten
Iowa
14-16, 6-12Big Ten
Michigan Earns Sweep at Iowa
11/22/2008 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Result: #20 Michigan 3, Iowa 0 (25-23, 25-16, 25-16)
Records: U-M (23-7, 11-7 Big Ten), Iowa (14-16, 6-12 Big Ten)
Next U-M Event: Friday, Nov. 28 -- vs. Indiana (Cliff Keen Arena), 7 p.m.
Boxscore
IOWA CITY, Iowa -- The No. 20-ranked University of Michigan volleyball team knocked off host Iowa in three sets (25-23, 25-16, 25-16) Saturday night (Nov. 22) at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Wolverines used great team defense and a balanced offensive attack, including nine kills from senior Beth Karpiak(LaGrange, Ill./Lyons Township), who eclipsed the 1,000 career kill mark in the victory.
The first set was a back-and-forth affair with Iowa taking a 12-9 early lead only to see Michigan storm back to tie the set at 14-all on a kill by junior Juliana Paz(Porto Alegre, Brazil/Iowa Western CC). Iowa regained the lead, 17-15, but the Wolverines came back again to force a 17-17 tie on a block by Karpiak and two unforced Iowa errors. The Wolverines pushed their lead to three, 21-18, on a kill by freshman Alex Hunt(Granger, Ind./South Bend St. Joseph), but the home team had one last run left, tying the score 22-all. Michigan rebounded to score three of the final four points with freshman/sophomore Karlee Bruck(Elyria, Ohio/Elyria) registering the set-winner as U-M took the opening frame, 25-22.
In set two, Michigan raced out to a 5-1 lead on kills from junior Megan Bower(Indianapolis, Ind./Cathedral), sophomore Lexi Zimmerman(Barrington, Ill./Barrington), Karpiak and Hunt to force Iowa into an early timeout. The Wolverine offense continued to click after the break, extending the lead to seven points, 16-9, midway through the set. After the second Hawkeye timeout of the stanza, the Maize and Blue continued to roll, pushing the advantage to 22-14 en route to a 25-16 win. Michigan hit .359 in the set as Zimmerman dished out 13 assists, five to Bower.
After the intermission, U-M picked up where it left off offensively, building a 16-8 advantage. Paz, Zimmerman and Karpiak did the damage early as Michigan pushed the lead to 20-12 on its way to the 25-16 win. Michigan's defense did the trick in the deciding set, holding the Iowa offense to a .056 attack percentage, while the U-M offense hit at a .333 clip -- its highest total of the night.
Paz led the Wolverine attack in the contest with 12 kills, while Karpiak added nine and Bower and Hunt contributed eight each. Zimmerman also dished out 37 assists in the win. The U-M defense was solid, notching 7.5 blocks and 52 digs. Three players reached double figures in digs as senior Kerry Hance(Los Angeles, Calif./Marymount) posted a team-high 12 with Zimmerman and Bower adding 11 and 10, respectively.
The Wolverines return home for their final regular-season games next weekend, beginning Friday night (Nov. 29) when they face Indiana at 7 p.m. on senior night at Cliff Keen Arena.
Contact: Matt Fancett (734) 763-4423
