Michigan
1-0
George Washington
0-1
Michigan Fends Off George Washington in 2015 Opener
8/28/2015 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
» Michigan won its season opener for the 10th consecutive year.
» The Wolverines held George Washington to .079 hitting percentage and recorded 17 blocks.
» Abby Cole became the first U-M player in five years to have at least 10 blocks in a match (10). She also had 10 kills.
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Cliff Keen Arena)
Event: Michigan Invitational (Day 1)
Score: Michigan 3, George Washington 1 (25-17, 25-15, 23-25, 25-22)
Records: U-M (1-0), GW (0-1)
Attendance: 1,170
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Aug. 29 -- vs. Oakland (Cliff Keen Arena), 1 p.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Behind a 10-kill, 10-block performance from junior Abby Cole, the University of Michigan volleyball team closed out George Washington, 3-1 (25-17, 25-15, 23-25, 25-22), in the season opener on Friday (Aug. 28) at Cliff Keen Arena.
The Wolverines were stout on defense all night, putting up 17 blocks and limiting George Washington to a .079 hitting percentage. Cole was the standout, especially late in the match, as she both set a career high and became the first Michigan player since Courtney Fletcher -- exactly five years to the day, no less -- to record at least 10 blocks in a single match.
Joining Cole on offense were sophomores Adeja Lambert and Katherine Mahlke, each of whom also recorded 10 kills. The trio combined to hit .388 on the night. The Wolverines also received double-digit performances from setters Carly Warner (28) and Maddy Abbott (14) and defensive specialists Tiffany Morales (17 digs) and Jenna Lerg (12 digs).
The Wolverines took the first set, 25-17, behind a .371 hitting percentage after getting off to a slow start, as the Colonials held an early 8-4 lead. It did not take long for the home team to get into a rhythm, as the Maize and Blue took the lead for good at 9-8 after a kill by Knop, beginning a stretch that saw the Wolverines reel off 16 of the next 25 points. Michigan had its defense working, holding the visitors to a .086 hitting percentage and adding four blocks.
Michigan carried that momentum over into the second set, winning 25-15. The Colonials got to within two at 11-9, but like the set before, U-M withstood and went on another run, taking 14 of the next 20 points to claim the advantage going into the break. Mahlke had four kills in the stanza, but U-M was also aided by some miscues from the road team, as George Washington committed 11 errors, fell victim to six Michigan blocks and had a negative hitting percentage.
George Washington used a late rally to take the third set, 25-23. The Wolverines held leads of 20-16 and 23-20, but the Colonials fought back to tie it up, eventually claiming the last two points and the set on a kill from Maggie Skjelbred and an attack error on Knop.
The fourth set was a back-and-forth affair. The score was tied early at 6-6, before U-M claimed the next five points -- four of them on attack errors by George Washington -- to go up 11-6 and force a timeout. No sooner than Michigan took the lead did the Colonials come right back, taking the next seven points to go up, 13-11. The score was tied 15-15, before Cole recorded back-to-back blocks to put U-M up for good. George Washington repelled three match points before ending with a service error, giving Michigan the set (25-22) and match.
The 2015 Michigan Invitational concludes tomorrow (Saturday, Aug. 29) with matches against Oakland (1 p.m.) and West Virginia (7:30 p.m.) at Cliff Keen Arena.
