Michigan
20-13
UCLA
25-7
U-M Falls at UCLA in Five-Set Heartbreaker, Ends NCAA Run
12/6/2015 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Site: Los Angeles, Calif. (John Wooden Center)
Event: NCAA Tournament (Second Round)
Score: #12 UCLA 3, Michigan 2 (23-25, 24-26, 25-23, 25-20, 15-11)
Records: U-M (20-13), UCLA (25-7)
Next U-M Event: Season Complete
LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Despite taking the first two sets for an early 2-0 lead, the University of Michigan volleyball team dropped a 3-2 contest to the 12th-ranked and No. 14-seeded UCLA Bruins in the NCAA Tournament second round, Saturday evening from the John Wooden Center on the campus of UCLA. The defeat signaled the end of Michigan's 2015 season.
» U-M won sets one and two before dropping the final three.
» Michigan ended its 2015 season as one of the top 32 teams in the country.
» Freshman setter Maddy Abbott had a career night, tallying 26 assists and 13 digs for her first double-double.
UCLA rallied off four straight points, but a double-block from Krystalyn Goode and Abby Cole put Michigan on the board. Despite trailing early, Michigan's hard-fought offense forced a 9-9 tie score on timely kills and a service ace from Claire Kieffer-Wright. From there, the set went back-and-forth, with neither team pulling away. A kill from Caroline Knop pushed Michigan ahead 15-14 heading into a media timeout, and the Wolverines returned from the pause with a blast from Kelly Murphy to take their first two-point lead. A Bruins service ace at 16-17 then tied the set, and Michigan was forced to play catch-up, but two-consecutive kills from Knop pushed the Wolverines to a 24-22 lead late in the set. Despite a late push from UCLA, another kill from Knop sealed the 25-23 set victory.
Led by six kills on a .333 attack average from Knop, the Maize and Blue registered a .208 attack average in the first set to UCLA's .171.
The Bruins again gained an early lead in set two, but kills from Goode, Knop and Kieffer-Wright soon forced a 9-7 lead in favor of the Maize and Blue. With the score again tied at 11-11, however, three kills from Cole and a kill from Goode led Michigan on a 4-1 run and a 15-13 lead heading into the media timeout. From there, the Wolverines stayed just a step ahead of the Bruins, until a late offensive surge allowed UCLA to the tie the score at 22-all, forcing a Michigan timeout. Despite the late push, Michigan forced a 26-24 set victory to take a 2-0 match lead.
Trailing 2-0, the Bruins returned to the court in set three to launch an offensive attack that resulted in a 6-1 run and an early Michigan timeout. UCLA remained steadfast in their offensive plan, extending its lead to as much as four points before Michigan called a timeout. Timely kills from Kieffer-Wright, Knop and Cole eventually brought Michigan within two, but UCLA picked up a 25-22 set victory to force set four.
UCLA again jumped out to a quick lead in set four, forcing an early Michigan timeout yet again. Despite trailing 5-3, the Wolverines went on a 3-1 run to tie the score at 6-6 and eventually take a two-point lead. The Bruins refused defeat, however, tying the score back and going on a run that resulted in an 18-13 lead. Michigan rallied late in the set, but UCLA was victorious, clinching a 25-20 set victory and forcing a winner-take-all fifth set.
The momentum continued for the Bruins in the fifth set, as UCLA jumped out to an early lead for the final time. In spite of a hard-fought Michigan defense, UCLA clinched the fifth set by a 15-11 score to take home the victory.
UCLA, which advances to the NCAA Sweet 16 and will face 3rd-seed Texas, ended the night with a .238 attack average. The Bruins were led by junior Claire Felix and sophomore Jessyka Ngauamo, who each recorded 17 kills.
Michigan's offense was led by Knop, who registered 17 kills in the match on a season-high 60 swings. Kieffer-Wright ended the night with 14 kills on an impressive .360 attack average, while Cole and Carly Skjodt each tallied 11 kills on the evening.
Setters Carly Warner and Maddy Abbott tag-teamed to guide the Wolverine offense, combining for 60 of Michigan's 66 assists. Warner ended the night with 34 kills, while Abbott registered a career-high 26.
Kieffer-Wright also led Michigan defensively from the front row, tallying four blocks while Knop and Goode picked up three apiece. Llibero Jenna Lerg eclipsed her career-high 27 digs with 30 digs on the evening, and Abbott added 13 digs for her first career assist-dig double-double.
Michigan ends the season with a 20-13 record, making its 15th NCAA Tournament appearance. Prior to making the tournament, Michigan defeated No. 4 Penn State, No. 14 Ohio State and No. 18 Illinois.
