Michigan
3-0
Northern Iowa
2-1
U-M Sweeps Northern Iowa to Win Michigan Invitational
8/27/2016 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Aug. 27, 2016
» Claire Kieffer-Wright and Carly Skjodt were named to the Michigan Invitational All-Tournament team, and Abby Cole took home MVP honors.
» With a 3-0 sweep of Saint Louis on Friday and a 3-0 sweep of Miami (Ohio) to start play on Saturday, Michigan is now a perfect 9-0 in sets played at home.
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Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Cliff Keen Arena)
Event: Michigan Invitational
Score: Michigan 3, Northern Iowa 0 (25-21, 25-20, 25-21)
Records: U-M (3-0), UNI (2-1)
Next U-M Event: Friday, Sep. 2 -- at Kansas State (Manhattan, Kan.), 5 p.m. CDT
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- A 17-kill night from senior Abby Cole combined with a career-high seven block assists for freshman Cori Crocker propelled the University of Michigan volleyball team to a 3-0 (25-21, 25-20, 25-21) victory over Northern Iowa on Saturday night (Aug. 27) inside Cliff Keen Arena.
The clean 3-0 sweep marks Michigan's third straight, keeping the Wolverines perfect at home so far this season. In addition to a perfect 3-0 record, the Maize and Blue has yet to lose a set.
With freshman setter MacKenzi Welsh serving to start the match, Michigan led off the first set with double-block from Crocker and Cole. The momentum pushed Michigan ahead 6-1 on kills from Welsh, Cole, Crocker and senior Kelly Murphy, forcing a Northern Iowa timeout early on. Following the stoppage in play, the Panthers inched back into the game, coming within two points at 10-8. Welsh then connected with Cole for a big back-row kill, however, and Northern Iowa responded with two attack errors to put Michigan up, 13-8. In spite of a healthy Michigan lead, the Panthers fought back to tie the score at 21-21, but a Panther service ace gave the Wolverines back the lead as well as the momentum needed to finish off the set with three straight points.
Despite starting off the second set with an attack error, UNI took a three-point lead to go ahead 6-3, but a kill from junior Claire Kieffer-Wright and three Panther errors pushed the Wolverines up, 8-7. From there, timely kills from Murphy, Cole and sophomore Carly Skjodt allowed Michigan to maintain the lead, which forced Northern Iowa to take a timeout at 22-16. The Panthers then went on a 3-1 run to coerce a Michigan timeout, but Welsh connected seamlessly with both Cole and Skjodt to finish off the set, 25-20.
After intermission, Michigan came out of the gate in set three with a double-block from Crocker and Cole to get on the board. A Wolverine error then tied the score at 1-1, and the teams went back and forth until Michigan regained the lead at 4-3 on a UNI error. Back-to-back kills from Skjodt and Cole forced a 6-3 lead as well as a Northern Iowa timeout, and once play resumed, the Wolverines went on a 3-1 run to force another Panther timeout. Despite UNI's attempts to slow the game down, Michigan maintained a strong lead as Cole and Skjodt tallied four kills apiece in the set, cruising to a 25-21 third set victory for a clean 3-0 sweep.
While Michigan was not as sharp offensively as in the first two matches of the tournament, Cole tallied a season-high 17 kills to lead the Wolverines to a .239 team attack average. Skjodt also contributed nine kills, while Murphy recorded seven. Guiding the offense was Welsh, whose 30 assists mark a season high.
The all-around effort was apparent in the tournament finale as the Wolverines shined defensively, registering nine team blocks for the third straight match of the season. Welsh and Cole each tallied four block assists on the night, while Crocker added a career-high seven. Additionally, all but one player recorded a dig in the outing, as sophomore libero Jenna Lerg picked up a season-high 16.
A nice addition to the trophy case! #goblue pic.twitter.com/dFhiyFmU2X
-- Michigan Volleyball (@umichvball) August 28, 2016
The Wolverines will return to non-conference play on Friday (Sept. 2) when they compete in their first away match of the season at the K-State Invitational in Manhattan, Kansas. First serve against the host Kansas State Wildcats is set for 5 p.m. CDT.
2016 Michigan Invitational All-Tournament Team
Paige Hill -- Miami (Ohio)
Danielle Rygelski -- Saint Louis
Kayla Haneline -- Northern Iowa
Amie Held -- Northern Iowa
Claire Kieffer-Wright -- Michigan
Carly Skjodt -- Michigan
Abby Cole (MVP) -- Michigan
Communications Contact: Katie Gwinn Hewitt
