Michigan
19-6, 7-6Big Ten
Northwestern
7-15, 1-10Big Ten
Michigan Storms Past Northwestern for Home Sweep
11/7/2008 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Result: #20 Michigan 3, Northwestern 0 (25-21, 25-21, 25-18)
Records: U-M (19-6, 7-6 Big Ten), Northwestern (8-16, 2-11 Big Ten)
Attendance: 1,119
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Nov. 8 -- vs. Wisconsin (Cliff Keen Arena), 6 p.m.
Boxscore | Notes & Quotes | Photo Gallery
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 20-ranked University of Michigan volleyball team used 13 kills from junior Megan Bower(Indianapolis, Ind./Cathedral) and 36 assists from sophomore Lexi Zimmerman(Barrington, Ill./Barrington) to defeat Northwestern for the second time this season in three sets, 25-21, 25-21, 25-18, on Friday night (Nov 7) in Cliff Keen Arena.
In the set one, Michigan and Northwestern went back and forth until the Wildcats went on a 5-0 run to go up 8-3. Three kills from Bower and a service ace by junior Juliana Paz(Porto Alegre, Brazil/Iowa Western CC) brought Michigan to within one at 9-8. With the score knotted at 15-all, the Maize and Blue went on a 5-0 run that featured two more service aces by Paz to take a 20-15 lead. Michigan held on from there to pick up the win 25-21. Bower led the Michigan offense in the opening frame with seven kills.
In set two, Michigan took a commanding 9-3 lead as freshman Alex Hunt(Granger, Ind./South Bend St. Joseph) and senior Beth Karpiak(LaGrange, Ill./Lyons Township) registered early kills and a service ace by freshman Sloane Donhoff(Louisville, Ky./Assumption) punctuated the early lead. Back-to-back kills by Hunt and Karpiak midway through the set helped push the U-M advantage to 13-8 and forced a Northwestern timeout. The Wildcats made a late push to bring the game within three at 18-15, but it was not enough as Karpiak ended the set with a cross-court termination, sending Michigan into intermission with a 2-0 lead.
It was all Northwestern to start the third set as the Wildcats opened with a 7-2 lead that sent Michigan for its first timeout. The Wildcats controlled the set until a 6-0 Michigan run featuring three straight blocks by Bower and sophomore/freshman Karlee Bruck(Elyria, Ohio/Elyria) tied the score at 11-all. With the set tied at 16-16, Michigan made a sprint to the finish line, scoring nine of the next 11 points to win 25-18, taking set three and the match.
Bower finished the night with a .440 hitting percentage, while Hunt posted a team-leading .533 mark. Paz put together a solid all-around match with eight kills, 10 digs and three service aces -- part of five team aces on the night for the conference leaders in the category. As a team, the Wolverines hit over 100 points better than their opponent with a hitting percentage of .287 compared to .168 by the Wildcats.
Michigan is at home again Saturday night (Nov. 8) at 6 p.m. when it faces Wisconsin in Cliff Keen Arena. The game can be seen live on the Big Ten Network.
Contact: Matt Fancett (734) 763-4423
