Michigan
22-11, 10-9Big Ten
Michigan State
23-8, 11-8Big Ten
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan | 26 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
| Michigan State | 24 | 20 | 20 | 0 |
First-Set Comeback Propels U-M to Straight-Set Win at MSU
11/21/2012 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Site: East Lansing, Mich. (Jenison Field House)
Score: Michigan 3, Michigan State 0 (26-24, 25-20, 25-20)
Records: U-M (22-11, 10-9 Big Ten), MSU (23-8, 11-8 Big Ten)
Attendance: 5,059
Next U-M Event: Friday, Nov. 23 -- at Ohio State (Columbus, Ohio), 7 p.m.
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- The University of Michigan volleyball team tallied the final five points in set one to prevail 26-24 before posting back-to-back 25-20 set wins in a road sweep at Michigan State on Wednesday night (Nov. 21) at the Jenison Field House.
Junior Molly Toon (Middleton, Wis./Middleton) led the U-M offense with a match-high 16 kills on a .519 hitting percentage. Toon also had four blocks, two of which were solo, and nine digs. Junior Lexi Erwin (Spring, Texas/Woodlands College Park) added 13 kills, while freshman Tiffany Morales (Redondo Beach, Calif./Redondo Union) had 13 digs. Sophomore Lexi Dannemiller (West Chester, Ohio/Lakota West) had 37 assists and junior Jennifer Cross (Scarborough, Ontario/Birchmount Park Collegiate) had five blocks on the night.
Lindsey Lerg
U-M completed a big comeback to win the first set 26-24. MSU scored the first three points, capped off by a Lauren Wicinski kill. U-M came back to tie the set at three on a Cross kill. The Spartans rallied back, going up 7-3 on a termination by Alexis Mathews. MSU had a 10-6 lead after a Spartan block, but the Maize and Blue eventually tied it at 14 after kills from Erwin and Cross. The two teams traded sideouts, until an MSU service ace gave the Spartans a 21-19 lead. Michigan was down 24-21, but an Erwin kill and Michigan State attack error pulled the Wolverines within one. Toon's kill tied it at 24, then Michigan forced set point on an ace from freshman Lindsey Lerg (Farmington Hills, Mich./Mercy). Another Spartan error gave the Maize and Blue the first-set victory.
Michigan took a 7-5 lead in the second set after kills by Toon and freshman Krystalyn Goode (River Hills, Wis./Nicolet). A Dannemiller ace made it 9-5 Wolverines and the Maize and Blue went up 15-11 on an MSU error. Another Dannemiller ace and a solo block by Toon put Michigan up 20-14. Fifth-year senior Claire McElheny's (Westfield, Ind./Brebeuf Prep) solo block and a service ace from Morales put U-M up 23-19 and the Wolverines took the set 25-20 after a Spartan ball-handling error.
Michigan fell behind early in the third set, but battled back to take a 7-6 lead on back-to-back Toon kills. Michigan State then went up 12-9 on a Wicinski kill and 15-10 on her service ace, but again Michigan made a comeback. A Toon solo block cut the deficit to 15-13 and a Spartan error tied the set at 16. That was part of a 5-0 run, capped by a Spartan rotation error. Toon's kill put U-M up 20-17 and Erwin ended the match with three straight terminations as the Wolverines picked up the straight-set victory.
The Maize and Blue hit .336 on the night, committing just 11 errors in the three sets. The Wolverines also had 10 team blocks and six service aces.
U-M closes out regular-season play this Friday night (Nov. 21, 7 p.m.) at No. 14 Ohio State inside St. John Arena in Columbus, Ohio.
NOTES
• All three Big Ten matches the Maize and Blue has won on the road have come in straight sets. Michigan also won 3-0 in matches against Iowa on Sept. 28 and Indiana on Oct. 27.
• Michigan wins in East Lansing for the first time since Oct. 21, 2009. U-M also won that match in three sets.
• Michigan State won this year's State Pride Flag. Each team won one match in three sets, but MSU outscored Michigan, 139-133.
• U-M improved to 15-3 on the year in three-set matches.
• Molly Toon led Michigan in kills for the third time this season and the fourth time in her career. Toon had 16 kills for the Maize and Blue.
• Jennifer Cross led U-M in blocks for the 25th time this season and the 71st time in her career. Cross had five total blocks on the night for U-M.
• Lexi Erwin is now 16 kills away from 1,000 in her career after having 13 on the night.
