Michigan
10-0
Western Kentucky
10-2
Michigan Stays Undefeated With Sweep of Western Kentucky
9/19/2008 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Event: Michigan/adidas Invitational
Score: Michigan 3, Western Kentucky 0 (25-18, 25-20, 25-21)
Records: U-M (10-0), Western Kentucky (10-2)
Attendance: 916
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Sept. 20-- vs. Albany (Cliff Keen Arena), 11 a.m.
Boxscore | Notes & Quotes | Photo Gallery
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Sophomore Lexi Zimmerman(Barrington, Ill./Barrington) notched her third straight double-double with 29 assists and 11 digs to lead the University of Michigan volleyball team past Western Kentucky 3-0 (25-18, 25-20, 25-21) on the first day of the Michigan/adidas Invitational on Friday night (Sept. 19) at Cliff Keen Arena.
Junior Juliana Paz(Porto Alegre, Brazil/Iowa Western CC) had nine kills to lead the attack for the Maize and Blue who improved to 10-0 to start the season for the third straight year.
The first set began as a back-and-forth affair with U-M taking a slim 17-15 lead before putting the Lady Toppers away with an 8-2 run to end the set. Paz recorded five kills and had a .556 hitting percentage for the Wolverines while Zimmerman added three digs and eight assists.
Michigan fell behind early, 4-1, in the second set before coming back to win, 25-20. U-M fought back from the early deficit to tie the match at 12-12, forcing Western Kentucky to use a timeout. The Wolverines were undaunted, using a 4-0 run to claim their first lead of the set, 16-12. The Lady Toppers battled to within one at 17-16, but back-to-back kills by senior Beth Karpiak(LaGrange, Ill./Lyons Township) forced Western Kentucky to call its second and final timeout. The break did little to help, however, as Michigan did not allow Western Kentucky to get within one again before scoring the final three points of the set to pull ahead 2-0. Karpiak recorded five kills for the Wolverines with a .571 hitting percentage and Zimmerman notched nine assists and four digs while Paz added three blocks.
The third set was a hard-fought battle with six ties and four lead changes before Michigan pulled away for a 25-21 win. With the scored tied at 15, the Maize and Blue used kills by junior Megan Bower(Indianapolis, Ind./Cathedral) and Paz and back-to-back aces by Zimmerman to take control of the match, 19-15. Junior Veronica Rood(Temperance, Mich./Bedford) recorded four kills while Paz, Bower and sophomore/freshman Karlee Bruck(Elyria, Ohio/Elyris) had three apiece. Zimmerman finished off another stellar night with 12 more assists and four digs to secure her fifth double-double of the season.
Michigan will try and extend its winning streak to 12 when the Michigan/adidas Invitational continues tomorrow in Cliff Keen Arena. The Wolverines will play host to Albany at 11 a.m. and Arizona State at 7:30 p.m.
Contact: Matt Fancett (734) 763-4423
