Michigan
12-0
Arizona State
9-4
U-M Tops Arizona State in Thriller, Wins adidas Invitational
9/20/2008 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Cliff Keen Arena)
Score: #25 Michigan 3, Arizona State 1 (25-19, 25-27, 27-25, 25-16)
Records: U-M (12-0), ASU (9-4)
Attendance: 951
Next U-M Event: Wednesday, Sept. 24 -- at Ohio State (Columbus, Ohio), 7 p.m.
Boxscore | Notes & Quotes | Photo Gallery | Video Report
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 25-ranked University of Michigan women's volleyball team went to a fourth set for just the third time this season but remained undefeated as it pulled out a hard-fought 25-19, 25-27, 27-25, 25-16 win over Arizona State Saturday night (Sept. 20) at the Michigan/adidas Invitational in Cliff Keen Arena. U-M finished the weekend with a 3-0 record to win its fourthtournament in as many tries and improved to a perfect 12-0 for the third straight season heading into Big Ten play.
Sophomore Lexi Zimmerman(Barrington, Ill./Barrington) recorded her sixth double-double of the season with 52 assists and 13 digs, while junior Juliana Paz(Porto Allegre, Brazil/Iowa Western CC) had a team-leading 18 kills.
Arizona State came out strong in the first set and managed to keep it close, but a late 11-5 run by Michigan carried the Wolverines to a 25-19 win. ASU took a small early lead and pushed the Wolverines in a back-and-forth battle that saw eight ties and seven lead changes. With the score tied at 14 apiece, Michigan finally wrestled away control with a late run that included three straight points from Paz. The Sun Devils called two timeouts during the run, but it was to no avail as U-M closed out the set. The Wolverine attack was very balanced with Paz, junior Veronica Rood(Temperance, Mich./Bedford) and senior Beth Karpiak(LaGrange, Ill./Lyons Township) all notching four kills. Zimmerman added 16 assists, and freshman Sloane Donhoff(Louisville, Ky./Assumption) led the Wolverine defense with seven digs.
The second set became a close-fought affair as the teams needed extra points to decide the winner. Arizona State staved off a set point with three straight points to win 27-25. A hot start by the Sun Devils left the Maize and Blue down 7-1 early and forced coach Mark Rosen to call a timeout. After the break the Wolverines went on the attack with an 8-2 run to take a 10-9 lead and force Arizona State to call a timeout of its own. Michigan continued to extend its lead, going up 15-12, but the Sun Devils were undeterred as they battled back to tie the game at 17 with a 5-2 run. The teams traded points and U-M claimed a set point before ASU ended the set with a 3-0 run. Paz picked up seven kills with a .538 hitting percentage, while Zimmerman had four kills to go along with her 11 digs in the set.
Paz led U-M with seven kills in a very close third set in which the Wolverines needed three set points before finally putting away the Sun Devils, 27-25. There were 12 ties during the set, and neither team had a lead larger than four. Karpiak added four kills for the Maize and Blue, while Zimmerman continued to rack up the assists with 15 more in the set.
After three close sets, Michigan got some early breathing room in the fourth with a 13-4 run to open up a 17-8 lead that it would not relinquish. ASU got no closer than seven points as U-M closed out the Sun Devils with a 25-16 win. Junior Megan Bower(Indianapolis, Ind./Cathedral) had four kills in the set for the Wolverines, while Zimmerman notched 10 assists and six digs.
Karpiak and Bower joined Paz with double-digit kills in the match as each recorded 12 over the four sets. The Maize and Blue had 76 digs with five players in double digits, led by senior Kerry Hance(Los Angeles, Calif./Marymount) with 17. Sophomore Maggie Busch(Toledo, Ohio/Toledo Christian) added a team-leading three service aces.
Michigan returns to the court Wednesday (Sept. 24) when it travels to Columbus, Ohio, to open Big Ten play at Ohio State. The match will begin at 7 p.m. and can be seen on the Big Ten Network.
Contact: Matt Fancett (734) 763-4423
