Michigan
20-6, 8-6Big Ten
Wisconsin
16-10, 6-8Big Ten
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wisconsin | 25 | 26 | 26 | 19 | 1 |
| Michigan | 18 | 28 | 28 | 25 | 3 |
Paz's Double-Double Leads Wolverines Past Badgers
11/8/2008 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Cliff Keen Arena)
Result: #20 Michigan 3, Wisconsin 1 (18-25, 28-26, 28-26, 25-19)
Records: U-M (20-6, 8-6 Big Ten), Wisconsin (16-10, 6-8 Big Ten)
Attendance: 1,091
Next U-M Event: Wednesday, Nov. 12 -- vs. Ohio State (Cliff Keen Arena), 7 p.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 20-ranked University of Michigan volleyball team had five players reach double figures in digs, including junior Juliana Paz (Porto Alegre, Brazil/Iowa Western CC), who recorded a double-double (18 kills, 19 digs) to help the Wolverines to a four-set win over Wisconsin, 18-25, 28-26, 28-26, 25-19, on Saturday night (Nov. 8) in Cliff Keen Arena.
Juliana Paz
In the opening set, the U-M offense sputtered its way to a .020 hitting percentage as Wisconsin built a comfortable lead midway through the set on its way to a 25-18 victory. The Wolverines contributed to the Badger fortunes with 12 attacking errors, while Wisconsin posted only two faults of its own and four blocks in the triumph.
Set two saw the Wolverines fall behind early, 6-2, but Michigan battled back behind strong offensive outputs from freshman Alex Hunt (Granger, Ind./South Bend St. Joseph) and senior Beth Karpiak (LaGrange, Ill./Lyons Township) to tie the match at 13-all. The two teams traded their way through 11 ties and seven lead changes down the stretch before Michigan used back-to-back kills from Paz and junior Megan Bower (Indianapolis, Ind./Cathedral) to seal a comeback 28-26 win.
Set three had the same feel as the previous frame but this time it was Michigan that built the early lead. Consecutive kills from Hunt and sophomore Lexi Zimmerman (Barrington, Ill./Barrington) gave the Maize and Blue a 10-6 lead and forced a Wisconsin timeout. With Michigan up 17-12, Wisconsin reeled off five straight points to force a 17-17 tie. Continuing the theme of close play through the remainder of the set, the Wolverines clung to a one-point advantage until a U-M attack error gave Wisconsin its first lead, 25-24. In the frantic final moments, it was a combination of two terminations from Paz and unforced errors that eventually sealed the Badgers fate as Michigan repeated as 28-26 victors.
In the fourth set, the Wolverines built a six-point cushion, 13-7, and never looked back, using seven kills from Hunt and five more from Karpiak en route to a 25-19 win. Zimmerman dished out 13 helpers in the set, while senior libero Kerry Hance (Los Angeles, Calif./Marymount) added seven digs to pace the Michigan defense.
The strong play of the Michigan defense was a big key to victory as five Wolverines -- Hance (19), Paz (19), Bower (15), freshman Sloane Donhoff (Louisville, Ky./Assumption) (13) and Zimmerman (11) -- reached double-figure digs. Zimmerman added 61 assists for her 10th double-double of the season. Hunt finished with a match-best 20 kills, just one shy of her personal best.
The Wolverines have a short turnaround as they stay home for a rare midweek Big Ten matchup on Wednesday night (Nov. 12) at 7 p.m. when they face Ohio State in Cliff Keen Arena. The match will be aired live on the Big Ten Network.
NOTES
• Juliana Paz's 19 digs set a new career high, topping her previous best of 17 at Illinois (Oct. 31). Paz also posted 18 kills for her sixth double-double of the season.
• The Wolverines had five players reach double-digit digs for the second time this season. Michigan turned the trick vs. Arizona State on Sept. 20 in the Michigan/adidas Invitational.
• Beth Karpiak tied a season high with 18 kills on Saturday night (Nov. 8). Karpiak's 18-termination performance was equaled at Georgia Tech on Sept. 7.
• Lexi Zimmerman eclipsed the 50-assist plateau for the 19th time in her career tonight and posted her 28th career double-double.
• The win over Wisconsin marks the first victory over the Badgers since Oct. 22, 2005, when U-M earned a five-set victory at Cliff Keen Arena. The win was just the second victory for U-M in the last 25 attempts against Wisconsin.
QUOTES
Michigan Head Coach Mark Rosen
On the overall performance versus Wisconsin ... "I think we were very steady. I thought we served very well tonight and that makes the match go a lot easier when we are able to dictate what we want to do through our serve. We played consistent and did not get rattled when we were down, and that was key to both wins this weekend."
On the slow first set ... "I thought we served really solid and passed very well in the first 10 points, but after that our passing started breaking down and our serve-receive game started to slip and they started scoring in streaks. We got behind, but I liked the way we came out in game two as a result of it."
On the play of Hunt and Paz ... "They both did a great job. First and foremost, I think Lexi (Zimmerman) deserves a ton of the credit for changing the flow of the offense with what she was doing out there. She did a great job of creating situations for her hitters to get comfortable and then to get hot and both Alex and Juliana heated up, as did Beth (Karpiak) and Lexi. She kept feeding all three of them the ball nicely."
On the message to the team after set one ... "I just reminded them what we needed to do to change the way things were going. We stressed that matches can change really quickly and emphasized what we could do to force the change, and they went out and did it. The credit goes to them. They understood what they needed to do to turn things around and they went out and executed."
On the momentum heading into next weekend ... "Every weekend in the Big Ten is big. We haven't looked ahead at all, but anytime you can win a pair of matches and take momentum it is a big thing. To me, getting to 20 wins is huge for the NCAA tournament, and how you are viewed nationally, so it is nice to reach that mark and now we need to build on it from here. We separated ourselves from some teams in our conference tonight, and now the attention turns to Ohio State on Wednesday night."
U-M Junior Outside Hitter Juliana Paz
On the slow start versus Wisconsin ... "I think we came out a little tentative and that may have been because we wanted this match so bad that we were trying to do a little too much early. We got in our own way a little bit, but we settled down and were able to come back."
On the momentum heading into next weekend ... "This was a big weekend because of how we played last weekend. It was important that we didn't lose our confidence after that and it was nice to come back home and get two wins heading into a big week next week."
U-M Senior Captain Beth Karpiak
On the way the team responded after falling down 1-0 in sets ... "I think we started off shaky, but we were able to keep confidence in ourselves and our teammates. We had to remember that we pride ourselves on our offensive efficiency and our consistency, and we were able to turn that around the rest of the way."
On beating Wisconsin for the first time since her freshman season ... "It felt really good. I guess I get to start my career with a win and close it with a win against them. They have been a very good team each of my four years here. They have always been a very balanced team. They don't make mistakes; you have to beat them because they aren't going to beat themselves, but it feels very good to get this win tonight."
