Michigan
19-11, 9-9
Purdue
21-8, 11-7
Michigan Upsets No. 15 Purdue on Senior Night
11/18/2017 11:07:00 PM | Volleyball
» The victory is the Wolverines' second straight win over a top-25 opponent this season.
» Prior to Saturday's victory, Michigan had not beaten Purdue since 2010.
» Seniors Claire Kieffer-Wright, Adeja Lambert and Katherine Mahlke were honored after the match.
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Cliff Keen Arena)
Score: Michigan 3, No. 15 Purdue 1 (23-25, 25-22, 25-22, 25-22)
Records: U-M (19-11, 9-9 B1G), PUR (21-8, 11-7)
Next U-M Event: Wednesday, Nov. 22 -- at No. 15 Purdue (West Lafayette, Ind.), 7 p.m.Â
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Three double-figure kill efforts and 12 team blocks propelled the University of Michigan volleyball team to its second straight win over a top-25 opponent on Saturday night (Nov. 18), as the Wolverines defeated the No. 15-ranked Purdue Boilermakers by a 3-1 score (23-25, 25-22, 25-22, 25-22) inside Cliff Keen Arena on Michigan's senior night.
The win is Michigan's first over Purdue since 2010, and marks the first set of back-to-back wins over top-25 opponents since 2015.
The night also marked the Wolverines' last home contest of the regular season, and the Maize and Blue posted a 13-3 record during that time. After the match, Michigan (19-11, 9-9 B1G) honored its three seniors in Claire Kieffer-Wright, Adeja Lambert and Katherine Mahlke. The senior class finished their careers with a combined 49-16 record when playing in Ann Arbor over the last four seasons.
Junior outside hitter Carly Skjodt led Michigan with 16 kills and 16 digs, marking her seventh double-double of the season. Mahlke followed suit with 14 kills at a team-leading .500 attack percentage, and sophomore outside hitter Sydney Wetterstrom totaled 12 kills for her third straight double-figure effort.
Michigan's defense was outstanding in the victory, as the Wolverines out-blocked the Boilermakers, 12-11. Michigan also had three players finish with double-figure digs, including 15 from junior libero Jenna Lerg and 11 from sophomore setter MacKenzi Welsh. From the front row, redshirt sophomore Cori Crocker led the Wolverines with five blocks, while Welsh added four. Welsh also finished with 46 assists for her ninth assist-dig double-double this season.
Purdue jumped out to an early 7-4 lead in the first set, but the Wolverines rallied to tie the score at 10 on a double-block from Kieffer-Wright and Welsh. Michigan then surged ahead for a 16-12 lead and a Purdue timeout, but the Boilermakers responded with a 4-0 run to tie the score. A double-block by Welsh and Crocker swung the momentum back in favor of the Maize and Blue, but neither team could maintain a lead and the score was tied at 22 late. Despite a big block by Lambert, the Boilermakers used a 3-1 run to clinch the first set, 25-23.
The teams traded points to begin the second set and the score was tied at 10 before a 3-0 run put Purdue up,13-10. Michigan then answered with a 6-1 run of its own, which included kills from Skjodt, Mahlke, and Kieffer-Wright. The Boilermakers inched back to tie the score at 18 and force a Michigan timeout, but a kill from Wetterstrom put the Maize and Blue back on top until a Wolverine attack error allowed Purdue to tie the score again at 22. Despite a tie score late, a .342 team-attack average was too much for the Boilermakers to overcome as a Purdue service error and back-to-back kills from Wetterstrom gave Michigan set two, 25-22.
With the match tied at 1 apiece coming out of the intermission, Michigan used the momentum from its set two victory to take an 11-6 lead in set three and coerce an early Purdue timeout. In spite of five kills each from Mahlke and Skjodt, the Boilermakers came from behind once again to tie the score at 20, and used back-to-back kills to take its first lead at 22-20. Michigan was unfazed, however, and used a 5-0 run to force a 25-22 third set victory.
The fourth set featured just two ties and one lead change, as the Wolverines dominated the final set of the match. Using a .391 hitting percentage and holding the Boilermakers to just a .088 clip, Michigan took an early lead on a kill from Mahlke and led by as many as seven before Purdue fought back to tie things up at 18. Despite a persistent Purdue squad, three timely kills by Mahlke forced a Michigan lead at 22-19, and the Wolverines remained steady in front of a sold-out crowd to earn a 25-22 fourth set win.
Tweet of the Match
Michigan pulls off the upset and knocks off No. 15 Purdue, 3-1 on senior night! ????#GoBlue pic.twitter.com/HaOGMf08xw
— Michigan Volleyball (@umichvball) November 19, 2017
The Wolverines will return to action on Wednesday (Nov. 22) when they travel to West Lafayette, Indiana to take on No. 15-ranked Purdue once again. First serve is set for 7 p.m. and fans can watch the contest streamed live on BTN Plus (subscription required).
