Michigan
16-6, 6-5
Northwestern
12-10, 4-7
No. 25 Michigan Picks Up Shutout Victory at Northwestern
10/30/2015 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
» Sophomore Caroline Knop (14) and junior Abby Cole (10) both recorded double-digit kills in the effort.
» Senior Tiffany Morales made her first start at libero since Sep. 30 against Michigan State.
» Michigan earned a .351 hitting percentage in the victory, holding the Wildcats to just a .192 average.
Site: Evanston, Ill. (Welsh-Ryan Arena)
Score: #25 Michigan 3, Northwestern 0 (26-24, 25-13, 25-18)
Records: U-M (16-6, 6-5 B1G), NU (12-10, 4-7 B1G)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Oct. 31 -- at Illinois (Champaign, Ill.), 7 p.m. CDT
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Propelled by the offensive efforts of sophomore Caroline Knop and junior Abby Cole, the No. 25-ranked University of Michigan volleyball team handed Northwestern a 3-0 loss ( 26-24, 25-13, 25-18) on the Wildcats' home court Friday evening (Oct. 30) from Welsh-Ryan Arena.
Michigan took the first point of the match on a Northwestern attack error, but Northwestern all but maintained the lead from there. The Wolverines led the Wildcats by one point at three separate moments in the first set, but Northwestern led Michigan by a 24-23 score late in the set. Refusing defeat, three straight kills from Knop, sophomore Adeja Lambert and sophomore Claire Kieffer-Wright pushed Michigan to a come-from-behind 26-24 set victory.
Knop led the offensive charge in the first set, registering eight kills on a .500 attack average. Senior setter Carly Warner picked guided the offense to a .400 attack average with nine assists, while freshman defensive specialist Jenna Lerg led all players with six digs.
The momentum from the end of the first set carried into the second, as Michigan garnered an early lead and took the set by a 25-13 score. With an 18-13 lead, the Wolverines rallied for six straight points on a kill from senior Krystalyn Goode, two service aces from Warner, and three attack errors from the Wildcats. Michigan attacked for a .397 average in set two, and Knop picked up her 10th kill of the night on a service ace.
Set three featured a well-oiled Michigan offense once again, as the Maize and Blue took an early lead and never let up. Cole led the Wolverines with a perfect 1.000 attack average in the set, tallying two kills, while Knop led all hitters with four. In spite of a late Northwestern run, Michigan closed out the third set with a 25-18 victory, earning a 3-0 Big Ten win.
On the night, Knop led Michigan with 14 kills on a .314 attack average, while Cole also registered double-digit kills with 10 kills on a .500 hitting percentage. Sophomore Katherine Mahlke also led all players in the match with a .533 attack average.
Warner and freshman setter Maddy Abbott combined for 38 assists in the victory, each tallying 19.
From the front row, Goode led Michigan to nine team blocks with a team-high five blocks on two solo blocks and three block assists.
The Wolverines wrapped up the 3-0 victory with a .351 attack average, holding the Wildcats to just a .192 percentage.
Michigan will get back in action on Saturday (Oct. 31) when the Wolverines head to No. 21 Illinois for another Big Ten Conference matchup. First serve is set for 7 p.m. CDT in Champaign.
