Michigan
13-1, 1-1Big Ten
Purdue
13-0, 2-0Big Ten
Purdue Hands Wolverines First Loss of 2011
9/24/2011 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Sept. 24, 2011
Site: West Lafayette, Ind. (Holloway Gymnasium)
Result: #13 Purdue 3, #18 Michigan 0 (26-24, 26-24, 25-15)
Records: U-M (13-1, 1-1 Big Ten), Purdue (13-0, 2-0 Big Ten)
Next U-M Event: Friday, Sept. 30 -- vs. Iowa (Cliff Keen Arena), 7 p.m.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Held to season lows in attack percentage (.073) and kills (36), the No. 18-ranked University of Michigan volleyball team suffered its first defeat of the 2011 season, falling at No. 13 Purdue in three sets (26-24, 26-24, 25-15) on Saturday night (Sept. 24) at Holloway Gymnasium.
Sophomore Jennifer Cross (Scarborough, Ont./Birchmount Park Collegiate) paced the offense with nine kills, while senior Alex Hunt (Granger, Ind./South Bend St. Joseph) and sophomore Lexi Erwin (Spring, Texas/Woodlands College Park) each tallied seven. Freshman Lexi Dannemiller (West Chester, Ohio/Lakota West) handed out 24 assists to go with 15 digs; senior libero Sloane Donhoff (Louisville, Ky./Assumption) also recorded 15 digs.
Clinging to a 21-20 lead in the first set, Dannemiller won a joust at the net and Hunt followed it with a service ace to stake Michigan a 23-20 lead. Purdue stormed back following a timeout, scoring the next three points. U-M then used a solo block from Cross to stop the run and give the Maize and Blue set point at 24-23. However, the Boilers ripped off the next three points to take the first set, 26-24, holding Michigan to a .190 attack percentage.
After falling behind 18-15 in the second, U-M used a kill from Hunt sandwiched between two Purdue errors to knot the frame at 18-all. The teams traded points and with the set tied at 23-23, the Wolverines grabbed a set point off a ball-handling error by the Purdue setter. Hunt missed long on the ensuing serve and two U-M attack errors gave Purdue the 26-24 victory.
Tied at 13-13 in the third set, Purdue went on a 12-2 run to claim a 25-15 victory to take the match. Michigan hit -.030 in the set, while Purdue tallied 5.0 blocks and used a .333 attack percentage with just three errors.
The Wolverines kick off a four-match homestand on Friday (Sept. 30) against Iowa at Cliff Keen Arena. Match time is set for 7 p.m.
N O T E S
• Michigan had its four-match win streak against Purdue halted.
• Purdue is the third ranked opponent Michigan has faced this season. U-M defeated No. 23 Dayton and No. 24 Florida State.
• It was the 13th time this season Sloane Donhoff recorded at least 10 digs.
• Lexi Dannemiller recorded the sixth double-double of her career.
• It is only the second time this season Michigan has hit less than .200. The Wolverines also hit .185 against Texas A&M.
• Coming into the match, Michigan and Purdue were two of four remaining unbeaten teams in Division I.
Contact: Sarah VanMetre (734) 763-4423
