Michigan
21-12
Colorado State
29-3
Michigan Falls to Colorado State in NCAA First Round
12/1/2017 11:08:00 PM | Volleyball
Site: Stanford, Calif. (Maples Pavilion)
Event: NCAA First Round
Score: No. 23 Colorado State 3, Michigan 1 (25-23, 23-25, 25-22, 26-24)
Records: U-M (21-12), CSU (29-3)
Next U-M Event: Season CompleteÂ
» Four Wolverines finished with double-figure kills; Carly Skjodt led all players with 17.
» Three players totaled double-digit digs, and both Skjodt and Welsh finished with a double-double.
» Michigan finishes the season with a 21-12 overall record after making its 17th NCAA Tournament appearance.
STANFORD, Calif. -- Despite four double-figure kill efforts and three players with double-digit digs, the University of Michigan volleyball team dropped its NCAA First Round match by a 3-1 score (25-23, 23-25, 25-22, 26-24) on Friday (Dec. 1) to the No. 23-ranked Colorado State Rams inside Maples Pavilion at Stanford University.
The loss signals the end of Michigan's 2017 season and marks the final career performances for seniors Claire Kieffer-Wright, Adeja Lambert, and Katherine Mahlke.
The Wolverines finished the match with four players totaling double-figure kills and three earing double-digit digs. Junior outside hitter Carly Skjodt led all players with 17 kills in the effort, while senior middle blocker Claire Kieffer-Wright added 13 and senior opposite hitter Katherine Mahlke and sophomore middle blocker Cori Crocker totaled 12 apiece.
Junior libero Jenna Lerg led the defense from the back row with 19 digs. Sophomore setter MacKenzi Welsh also totaled 10 digs to go along with 56 assists for a double-double, and Skjodt added 15 digs for her eighth kill-dig double-double of the season.
The Wolverines finished the match with a .267 team-attack average, which included a match-high .394 mark in set two. The Maize and Blue totaled just four blocks to Colorado State's 16.
Colorado State surged ahead for a 15-10 lead at the media timeout in set one, but the Wolverines rallied to close the gap and a dump kill from Welsh brought Michigan within two at 17-15. Following a Colorado State timeout, the Maize and Blue came within one at 22-21 on a slide kill from Kieffer-Wright, and the Wolverines used the momentum to tie the score at 23 on a tip kill from Skjodt. Despite Michigan's late effort and a .359 team-attack average, Colorado State used back-to-back kills to clinch set one, 25-23.
The Rams jumped out to a 4-0 lead before a Colorado State service error put Michigan on the board. The Wolverines then worked quickly to cut the deficit, and back-to-back kills from sophomore outside hitter Sydney Wetterstrom and Kieffer-Wright flipped the score to give Michigan its first lead at 10-9. The Rams regained the lead going into the media timeout, but a kill from Mahlke tied things up at 17, and the teams were forced to play point for point from there. With the score tied at 22 late in the set, Michigan rattled off three points to force a 25-23 second-set win.
The Wolverines took an early lead in the third set, but the Rams tied the score at 6 and forced a defining lead at 7-6. Though the Rams' biggest lead came at 20-16 and again at 24-20, a .273 team-hitting percentage was not enough for Michigan as Colorado State took set three, 25-22.
The fourth set was a battle on both offense and defense, as neither team led by more than two until late in the set. After 16 tie scores and six lead changes, it was Michigan that took a solid lead at 20-19 on a Skjodt kill, and extended its lead to 22-19 on another kill from Skjodt to force a Colorado State timeout. In spite of the momentum shift in favor of the Maize and Blue, Colorado State rallied to tie the score at 24 and used back-to-back points to clinch the fourth set by a 26-24 score.
TWEET OF THE MATCH
Playing with ?? and soul these girls #GoBlue @umichvball pic.twitter.com/1LwSEA8wH0
— Jennifer Heyman (@jheyman) December 2, 2017
Michigan finishes the season with a 21-12 overall record, which marks the 12th 20-win season under head coach Mark Rosen. The NCAA Tournament appearance is the 17th in Michigan history and 16th under Rosen.
