Michigan
19-11, 7-11Big Ten
Illinois
25-4, 14-4Big Ten
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois | 22 | 25 | 27 | 25 | 3 |
| Michigan | 25 | 14 | 25 | 21 | 1 |
Michigan Cannot Maintain Early Edge against No. 7 Illinois
11/19/2011 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Cliff Keen Arena)
Result: #7 Illinois 3, #23 Michigan 1 (22-25, 25-14, 27-25, 25-21)
Records: U-M (19-11, 7-11 Big Ten), Illinois (25-4, 14-4 Big Ten)
Next U-M Event: Wednesday, Nov. 23 -- vs. Michigan State (Cliff Keen Arena), 7 p.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 23-ranked University of Michigan volleyball team won the first set but lost the next three as No. 7 Illinois rallied for the 3-1 win (22-25, 25-14, 27-25, 25-21) Saturday night (Nov. 19) at Cliff Keen Arena.
Courtney Fletcher
Michigan had a quartet of players with 11 kills in sophomore Jennifer Cross (Scarborough, Ont./Birchmount Park Collegiate), sophomore Lexi Erwin (Spring, Texas/Woodlands College Park), sophomore Molly Toon (Middleton, Wis./Middleton) and senior Courtney Fletcher (Johns Creek, Ga./Northview), while senior/junior Claire McElheny (Westfield, Ind./Brebeuf) went for nine on the evening. Freshman setter Lexi Dannemiller (West Chester, Ohio/Lakota West) handed out 44 assists and recorded a match-high 15 digs for her 13th double-double of the season. Joining Dannemiller with double-digit digs were senior libero Sloane Donhoff (Louisville, Ky./Assumption) with 14 and Erwin with 11.
In a first set that featured 17 tie scores and six lead changes, the Wolverines broke a 22-22 tie with a kill from Toon on the outside. An ace from senior Alex Hunt (Granger, Ind./South Bend St. Joseph) on the ensuing point gave U-M set point at 24-22, and the Illini's Colleen Ward missed long to seal Michigan's 25-22 win. Cross put down five kills in the frame, with Toon and Erwin chipping in three apiece.
Michigan fell behind 8-4 in the early going of set two and never recovered in a 25-14 loss. Illinois hit .586 in the set with just two errors compared to the Maize and Blue's clip of .233.
An Erwin service ace broke a 23-23 tie in the third frame to give the Wolverines set point at 24-23. However, an Illini block followed by a back-row attack error by Erwin put the Illini on top at 25-24. Fletcher staved off the first set point with a kill on the quick set of Dannemiller, but back-to-back kills from Illinois gave the visitors a 27-25 victory.
After going back and forth to start the fourth set, the teams were deadlocked at 7-7 when the Illini went on a decisive three-point run to stake a 10-7 lead. U-M closed the gap to two points at 16-14 after three consecutive service aces from Hunt, but the Wolverines got no closer the rest of the way as Illinois won 25-21 to take the match.
The Wolverines are back in action Wednesday (Nov. 23), hosting in-state rival Michigan State. Match time is slated for 7 p.m. at Cliff Keen Arena.
NOTES
• Illinois swept the season series and improved to 42-22 all-time against Michigan.
• Lexi Erwin (kills-digs) and Lexi Dannemiller (assists-digs) each recorded back-to-back double-doubles this weekend.
• Sloane Donhoff ran her season digs total to 512, marking the second time she has gone over 500 in a season. She recorded 549 during the 2009 season.
• Michigan is 1-11 when recording a lower attack percentage than its opponent.
• Molly Toon tied her career high with 11 kills. She went for 11 last night (Nov. 18) against Northwestern.
• Tonight marked the 10th time this season Michigan has had at least four players with at least 10 kills. Michigan is 5-5 in those matches.
• Alex Hunt recorded four service aces for the second consecutive night. Hunt only played in the back row tonight.
QUOTES
Michigan Head Coach Mark Rosen
On tonight's match ... "I don't look at it as much as it was a three-game or a four-game match. I liked how our team played tonight. One of the things we have talked a lot about in the past month is controlling the things we can control. I think we can control our effort, and I thought we played hard tonight. We can control our attitude; we can control the personality within our team. I thought all of those things were great tonight. We can't control that they are big and physical or that, at times, we get bad match-ups on the block, that they are serving tough or playing really good defense. Those are things we can't control. But I think our team did a great job controlling what we can control, and I am very proud of them for that."
On Illinois ... "They are a very good team. I think tonight, they beat us. We certainly did not beat ourselves tonight. That happens sometimes. That doesn't mean that we are happy about it or that it is a moral victory. That is just how it is. There are some things that we need to get better at to compete with these types of teams. If we make the NCAA Tournament, which I think we have a good chance, at some point we are going to play a team like this. If we can keep playing well and be a little bit better and consistent in certain areas, we can have a different result."
