Michigan
8-0
South Carolina
4-4
U-M Throttles South Carolina to Cap First Day of Michigan Challenge
9/11/2015 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
» Michigan is off to its first 8-0 start since 2012.
» The trio of Abby Cole, Caroline Knop and Katherine Mahlke hit .414 and combined for 33 kills.
» In eight matches this season, U-M has dropped only five sets. It won all six (in two matches) on Friday.
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Cliff Keen Arena)
Event: Michigan Challenge (Day 1)
Score: #24 Michigan 3, South Carolina 0 (25-19, 25-12, 25-22)
Records: U-M (8-0), South Carolina (4-4)
Attendance: 1,462
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Sept. 12 -- vs. Pittsburgh (Cliff Keen Arena), 5 p.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Behind three players with double-digit kill totals, the No. 24-ranked University of Michigan volleyball team breezed past South Carolina, 3-0 (25-19, 25-12, 25-22), to close the first day of the Michigan Challenge on Friday night (Sept. 11) at Cliff Keen Arena.
The Wolverines were clicking on both sides, hitting .308 while limiting South Carolina to just .171. Junior Abby Cole (12) and sophomores Caroline Knop (11) and Katherine Mahlke (10) each recorded double-digits in kills and combined to hit .414. In fact, in the team's two matches on Friday, Cole collected 24 kills and hit at an incredible .621 clip, only committing one attack error. Senior Carly Warner put up another double-double with 27 assists and 15 digs, while freshman Maddy Abbott added 12 assists of her own.
Michigan got off to a fast start, taking the first set, 25-19. The Wolverines won the first four points of the set, and that proved to be a big enough cushion, as they never trailed. South Carolina got within two (15-13) and had momentum until a service error on the next point kicked off a 6-0 Michigan run. As a team, U-M hit .306 in the first set, with Cole and Knop -- each of whom individually hit over .600 -- combining for 12 of the team's 16 kills.
The Wolverines were on fire in the second set, taking nine of the first 10 points en route to a 25-12 win. Mahlke was active with five kills, while Cole added four. Michigan was also aided by several South Carolina miscues, which included six service errors.
Unlike the first two sets, Michigan had to play from behind in the third, eventually whittling away at the lead to win the set, 25-22, and the match. U-M trailed by four early (10-6) but chipped at the lead, eventually tying things up at 14-14 on a Knop kill. It took the lead on the next point off an attack error from South Carolina and never trailed again. Though the aforementioned trio of Knop, Mahlke and Cole combined for seven terminations, freshman Carly Skjodt was active, recording six of her eight kills in the set.
The Wolverines are back on the court tomorrow (Saturday, Sept. 12) as they close out the Michigan Challenge against Pittsburgh. The match will begin at 5 p.m. inside Cliff Keen Arena. Fans that attend the earlier football game vs. Oregon State can gain free admission to the match with their football ticket stub.
