Michigan
20-11, 8-11Big Ten
Michigan State
21-10, 10-9Big Ten
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan State | 25 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 1 |
| Michigan | 19 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
Hunt, McElheny Power Wolverines Past Michigan State
11/23/2011 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Cliff Keen Arena)
Result: #22 Michigan 3, Michigan State 1 (19-25, 25-20, 25-19, 25-19)
Records: U-M (20-11, 8-11 Big Ten), MSU (21-10, 10-9 Big Ten)
Next U-M Event: Friday, Nov. 25 -- vs. Ohio State (Crisler Arena), 7 p.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 22-ranked University of Michigan volleyball team used 17 kills from senior Alex Hunt (Granger, Ind./South Bend St. Joseph) and 13 from senior/junior Claire McElheny (Westfield, Ind./Brebeuf) to knock off in-state rival Michigan State, 3-1 (19-25, 25-20, 25-19, 25-19), on Wednesday night (Nov. 23) at Cliff Keen Arena.
Alex Hunt
Hunt and McElheny paced the Michigan offense to a .252 attack percentage, with senior Courtney Fletcher (Johns Creek, Ga./Northview) and sophomore Jennifer Cross (Scarborough, Ont./Birchmount Park Collegiate) each chipping in nine kills. Freshman setter Lexi Dannemiller (West Chester, Ohio/Lakota West) handed out 45 assists, and senior libero Sloane Donhoff (Louisville, Ky./Assumption) and sophomore Ally Sabol (Los Angeles, Calif./Marymount) each recorded double-figure digs with 15 and 12, respectively.
With the first set tied at 14-14, Michigan State went on a 6-1 run for a 20-15 lead. Michigan cut the lead to four points twice, but the Spartans hung on for the 25-19 victory. Fletcher put down four kills in the frame to lead the offense, but U-M could not combat Michigan State's .306 attack percentage in the set.
Michigan jumped out to an early 10-5 lead in the second, using two Hunt aces to key the spurt. The Wolverines' lead swelled to nine points at 18-9, before the Spartans slowly chipped away to force a Michigan timeout at 23-18. U-M grabbed set point on the ensuing kill from sophomore Molly Toon (Middleton, Wis./Middleton) and ended the set on a Michigan State attack error in the 25-20 win.
Michigan fell behind 9-5 in third set and was forced to burn an early timeout. Coming out of the timeout, the Wolverines scored 12 of the next 17 points for a 17-14 lead, resulting in an MSU timeout. The stoppage did not deter the Maize and Blue, which held at least a two-point lead the rest of the way in a 25-19 victory. Hunt put down seven kills on 11 swings to lead the Wolverines in the frame.
U-M raced out to an 8-3 lead in the third set, before Michigan State closed the gap to a point at 14-13. The teams traded points down the stretch, but an MSU attack error staked Michigan a 19-17 lead and proved to be the turning point. U-M closed the set on a 6-2 run, ending the set when Fletcher found the floor on the quick set from Dannemiller for the 25-19 win.
Michigan will conclude the regular season on Friday (Nov. 25) against Ohio State. The match will be at 7 p.m. at Crisler Arena. Tickets are available for $2.
NOTES
• Michigan State won this year's State Pride Flag. Each team won one match in four sets, but MSU outscored Michigan, 181-179.
• Michigan has won the past five matches at home against Michigan State.
• It was the final time playing at Cliff Keen Arena for the senior class of Sloane Donhoff, Alex Hunt, Michelle McMahon, Karlee Bruck and Courtney Fletcher.
• Alex Hunt needs one more kill to tie and two to pass Jennifer Gandolph (2001-04) for second on the all-time list. Hunt now 1,561 kills in her career.
• Michigan recorded its 20th win of the season tonight, marking the sixth consecutive season U-M has hit that plateau.
• Claire McElheny had her 14th match of the season with at least 10 kills.
• Michigan honored the parents of each Wolverine prior to the match.
• Alex Hunt has 10 services aces in the past three matches. She now has 149 in her career, ranking fourth all-time at Michigan.
• Michigan recorded 10.0 blocks against Michigan State, which is the seventh time this season U-M has had at least 10 in a match. U-M is 6-1 in those matches.
• Michigan is now 19-0 when recording a higher attack percentage than its opponents.
QUOTES
Michigan Head Coach Mark Rosen
On tonight's match ... "I was very happy with how we competed tonight. In the first set, I thought that they just really called us out, especially our passers. They jumped on us, and I thought we stepped up, especially our seniors, because you expect them to step up in that type of situation. I thought Claire (McElheny), even though she is like a super-junior, really stepped up. (Courtney) Fletcher then followed, then Alex (Hunt) came, then Sloane (Donhoff) came. We could just see those guys step up as the match went on. I am really proud of them doing that in this match, because this is their last match at Keen. It could have been really easy for us to sit back and think it was too hard to come back after that first set, but they came away with a great win."
On Lexi Erwin's back-row play ... "I thought she did a really good job in her role tonight. She didn't get to play in the front row, but she really took ownership of what she needed to do. In the fourth set at the end of the match, someone served a short ball and she called somebody else off of it and had a perfect pass. That is great to see her own that role. It might not be the role she has been in, but she has stepped up and filled the role we need her to right now."
