Michigan
21-10 (9-8Big Ten)
Northwestern
16-12 (5-12Big Ten)
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan | 25 | 23 | 27 | 18 | 1 |
| Northwestern | 22 | 25 | 29 | 25 | 3 |
Wolverines' Win Streak Snapped at Northwestern
11/16/2012 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Site: Evanston, Ill. (Welsh-Ryan Arena)
Score: Northwestern 3, Michigan 1 (22-25, 25-23, 29-27, 25-18)
Records: U-M (21-10, 9-8 Big Ten), NU (16-12, 5-12 Big Ten)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Nov. 17 -- at Illinois (Champaign, Ill.), 7 p.m. CST
EVANSTON, Ill. -- The University of Michigan volleyball team saw its five-match winning streak come to an end in a 3-1 loss (22-25, 25-23, 29-27, 25-18) to Northwestern Friday night (Nov. 16) at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
Jennifer Cross
Junior Jennifer Cross (Scarborough, Ontario/Birchmount Park Collegiate) and fifth-year senior Claire McElheny (Westfield, Ind./Brebeuf Prep) had 18 kills apiece to pace Michigan's offense. Freshman Tiffany Morales (Redondo Beach, Calif./Redondo Union) had 19 digs, while junior Lexi Erwin (Spring, Texas/Woodlands College Park) and sophomore Lexi Dannemiller (West Chester, Ohio/Lakota West) each had double-doubles on the night. Erwin had 10 kills and 15 digs, while Dannemiller put up 57 assists and 10 digs.
Michigan hit .325 and junior Molly Toon (Middleton, Wis./Middleton) had seven kills as the Maize and Blue took the first set. Northwestern jumped out to a 4-2 lead on a Stephanie Holthus kill, but Michigan came back and went up 7-6 on a block from Cross and freshman Krystalyn Goode (River Hills, Wis./Nicolet). A Cross kill put the Wolverines up 11-10 and a five-point run by U-M was capped by a McElheny termination, giving Michigan a 16-11 advantage. The Maize and Blue went up 20-14 on McElheny's kill. Northwestern came back and tied the set at 21 on a U-M attack error but the Wolverines ended the set on a 4-1 run as an Erwin service ace gave the Wolverines the 25-22 win.
Northwestern jumped out to a 6-1 lead in the second set on Holthus' kill. Michigan battled back and eventually tied the set at 13 on a Dannemiller service ace. The Wolverines took their first lead of the set at 18-17 on a Northwestern attack error, forcing the Wildcats to call timeout. A block from Cross and Dannemiller gave U-M a two-point advantage, but the Wildcats reeled off the next three points to retake the lead. Michigan enjoyed its last lead at 21-20 on McElheny's termination. The Wildcats closed out the set on a 5-2 run as Holthus' kill tied it at a set apiece.
In a set that featured 12 ties and six lead changes, the Wolverines jumped out to a 4-2 lead in the third set on a Wildcat bad set. Northwestern came back to take a 9-8 lead on a Katie Dutchman kill. The Wolverines came back and took a 13-10 lead on a Goode solo block. U-M then had a 19-14 lead on a Cross kill, but Northwestern climbed back into the set. A Holthus termination made it 21-18 and the Wildcats tied it at 22 on a block. Michigan had set point at 24-23, but Northwestern fought it off on a Yewande Akanbi kill. An Akanbi error gave U-M another set point, but the Wildcats answered with a block. A Madalyn Shalter ace gave Northwestern a set point, but Cross responded with a kill. Toon's kill then gave Michigan another set point, which the Wildcats responded with a Dutchman termination. NU scored the final two points on back-to-back attack errors.
Much like the second set, Northwestern took an early lead as a Wildcat block made it 5-1. Cross' termination cut the lead to 6-5, but the Wildcats extended their lead to 11-8 on a Wolverine ball handling error. McElheny's error made it 15-11 NU and back-to-back Maize and Blue errors put Northwestern up 19-15. The Wildcats closed out the match with a Hannah Crippen kill and Michigan error.
The Wolverines hit .183 on the night, compared to .255 for Northwestern. Both teams had 74 digs and three service aces. Holthus had a match-high 28 kills and made it a double-double with 19 digs for the Wildcats.
Michigan travels to Champaign, Ill., for a matchup against Illinois this Saturday night (Nov. 17) at 7 p.m. CST in Huff Hall.
NOTES
• The Wolverines had four players in double figures in kills for the first time since Oct. 20 against Penn State. Jennifer Cross and Claire McElheny had 18 kills apiece, while Molly Toon had 13 and Lexi Erwin added 10.
• Michigan also had four players in double figures in digs for the first time since Nov. 2 against Nebraska. Tiffany Morales led U-M with 19 digs, Lexi Erwin had 15, and Ally Sabol and Lexi Dannemiller had 14 and 10, respectively.
• U-M is now 3-4 in four-set matches.
• Michigan now leads the all-time series with Northwestern 39-27, while U-M's three-match winning streak over the Wildcats was snapped.
• Jennifer Cross set a career high with 18 kills. Cross' previous high was 17 set against Arkansas on Sept. 1, 2012.
• Tiffany Morales led Michigan in digs for the 23rd time this season. Morales had 19 digs on the night.
