Michigan
23-10
American
27-8
U-M Sweeps American to Advance to NCAA Second Round
12/1/2016 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Dec. 1, 2016
» The Wolverines finished the match with a team .406 attack percentage, reaching the .400 mark for the first time since a four-set win over Colgate in mid-September.
» With the 3-0 victory over American, Michigan advances to the NCAA second round for the second straight year and will face Oregon tomorrow evening (Friday, Dec. 2) at 7:30 p.m.
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Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Crisler Center)
Event: NCAA Tournament (First Round)
Score: #17 Michigan 3, American 0 (25-13, 25-23, 25-12)
Records: U-M (23-10), American (27-8)
Next U-M Event: Friday, Dec. 2 -- vs. Oregon - NCAA Second Round (Crisler Center), 7:30 p.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- As NCAA Tournament first-round hosts, the University of Michigan volleyball team jumped into the postseason with a sweep of American University (25-13, 25-23, 25-12) on Thursday evening (Dec. 1) inside Crisler Center. The Wolverines advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament to play Oregon tomorrow night (Friday, Dec. 2, 7:30 p.m.).
The Wolverines jumped out to take the first point in set one with a kill from redshirt freshman Cori Crocker, but American was quick to respond, and it was an early point-for-point match, before a 12-3 run cut the Eagles' momentum. Michigan's lead was set from there, and though American got on a four-point run late in the set, the Maize and Blue's early hot streak was enough to clinch the set, 25-13.
With U-M holding a 1-0 lead, the Wolverines and Eagles staged a massive battle in set two, which featured 10 ties and four lead changes. Michigan and American displayed a similar point-for-point match early in set two when a 3-0 run -- helped along by kills from seniors Abby Cole and Kelly Murphy -- gave U-M the momentum it needed to slip past the Eagles. Early in the set, American fought to keep the Wolverines within two before tying the set up, 11-all, but momentum swung in favor of the Eagles, giving them a 17-13 lead. A much-needed kill from junior Claire Kieffer-Wright then halted the Eagles' 4-0 run and propelled the Wolverines to tie the set at 17-17. From there, American took another three-point lead, but the Wolverines fought back, tying the game again at 21-21, before kills from Crocker and Cole allowed Michigan to take set two, 25-23.
Michigan handled the Eagles with ease in the third and final set, winning handily, 25-12. The Wolverine offense was almost unstoppable, as the Maize and Blue used a .542 team attack average along with multiple runs to clinch a 25-12 third-set victory. With two blocks and five kills apiece from Kieffer-Wright and Cole, Michigan held American University to just a .097 kill percentage in the final set of the night.
Five Michigan players registered five-plus kills on the night with all hitting at least a .280 for an impressive .406 team kill percentage. Leading the charge with double-figure kills was Kieffer-Wright, who tallied a team-leading 13, while Cole and Murphy each added 10 apiece. Sophomore Carly Skjodt also added eight to the mix, while Crocker tallied six. Guiding the Wolverine offense to success was sophomore setter MacKenzi Welsh, who totaled 35 assists in the victory.
For the fifth straight match, sophomore libero Jenna Lerg led the Wolverines defensively, recording 14 digs. Murphy also added seven, falling just three digs short of a double-double.
From the net, Welsh led Michigan in blocks for just the second time this season, totaling four. She was the only Wolverine to record a solo block in the win, with two.
With the victory, Michigan will advance to the NCAA second round for the second straight season, and the 12th time in program history.
Michigan sweeps American in the first round, hitting .406 as a team. We'll advance to round two for the second-straight season. #GoBlue pic.twitter.com/ivvbzkGK4C
-- Michigan Volleyball (@umichvball) December 2, 2016
Communications Contact: Katie Gwinn Hewitt
