Michigan
14-1
Purdue
9-4
Michigan Wins Five-Set Thriller at Purdue
9/27/2009 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Site: West Lafayette, Ind. (Holloway Gymnasium)
Score: #8 Michigan 3, Purdue 2 (17-25, 25-23, 15-25, 25-20, 15-13)
Records: U-M (14-1, 2-0 Big Ten), Purdue (9-4, 1-1 Big Ten)
Next U-M Event: Friday, Oct. 2 -- vs. Northwestern (Cliff Keen Arena), 7 p.m.
• Boxscore
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 8-ranked University of Michigan volleyball team went to the fifth set for the first time this season, emerging as the victor, 3-2 (17-25, 25-23, 15-25, 25-20, 15-13), over host Purdue on Sunday (Sept. 27) at Holloway Gymnasium.
A trio of Wolverines posted double-figure kills, with senior Juliana Paz (Porto Allegre, Brazil/Iowa Western CC) leading the charge with 18. Sophomore Alex Hunt (Granger, Ind./South Bend St. Joseph) added 15 and senior Veronica Rood (Temperance, Mich./Bedford) had 12 in the win. Junior Lexi Zimmerman (Barrington, Ill./Barrington) posted a season-high 49 assists, while sophomore Sloane Donhoff (Louisville, Ky./Assumption) added a career-high 25 digs.
In the frantic final fifth set, the two teams battle back and forth the entire frame with neither team holding more than a two-point advantage throughout. Tied at 12-12, U-M went on to record three of the final four points with Paz registering two of those -- including the gamewinner -- in a thrilling 15-13 win.
Set four saw the Wolverines get out to a much faster start than the previous three frames, grabbing an 8-7 lead and holding it all the way to a 25-20 victory. The team hit .282 in the set -- its highest to that point -- with Hunt and Zimmerman each contributing five kills to pace the attack.
Michigan fell behind 4-0 early in set three but battled back to a 9-9 tie with Purdue in set three before the Boilermakers went on a 14-6 run to take a 25-15 victory. The Purdue defense held U-M to a .129 attack percentage and registered three blocks while hitting a very efficient .407.
In the second set, Michigan was down as much as six points midway through the frame before mounting a comeback to finally tie the score for the first time at 20-20. The Maize and Blue then fell behind again, 23-20, before reeling off five straight points down the stretch for a 25-23 comeback win. Hunt and Rood did the damage, registering nine kills between them, with Rood pacing the team with five in the frame, including the two final points.
In the opening set, Purdue pounced on top early and held the Wolverines to a .091 attack percentage while hitting .333 in a 25-17 win. Michigan could not get going offensively as Hunt was the set leader in kills with just three.
The Wolverines return home on Friday (Oct. 2) to face Northwestern in Keen Arena. Match time is set for 7 p.m. with MGoBlue.com carrying a live radio broadcast and live stats.
N O T E S
• Sunday's match marked the first five-set contest for the Wolverines this season.
• Michigan is 2-0 to start conference play for the first time since the 1997 season.
