Michigan
1-1
USC
2-0
Michigan Drops Match at USC, Splits Opening Day
8/25/2017 11:59:00 PM | Volleyball
» Senior outside hitter Adeja Lambert led the Wolverines with 20 kills on the evening, coming just short of her career high.
» Junior outside hitter Carly Sjkodt totaled 11 kills and 10 digs for her first double-double of the season.
» Michigan is now 1-1 on the weekend and will face Loyola Marymount in the final match of the USC/LMU invite on Saturday (Aug. 26).
Site: Los Angeles, Calif. (Galen Center)
Event: USC/LMU Invite (Match 2)
Score: USC 3, #16 Michigan 0 (25-22, 25-19, 28-30, 25-16)
Records: U-M (1-1), USC (2-0)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Aug. 26 -- at Loyola Marymount (Los Angeles, Calif.), 7 p.m. PDT
LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- After rallying for a 3-0 win over Albany to begin the 2017 season, the No. 16-ranked University of Michigan volleyball team ended opening day with a 3-1 loss (25-19, 25-22, 28-30, 25-16) to USC on Friday night (Aug. 25) at the Galen Center.
Senior outside hitter Adeja Lambert put Michigan on the board first with a kill down the line, but the first set was hard-fought from there. Despite big blocks and long rallies, neither team gained more than a two-point lead until back-to-back USC blocks put the Trojans up 13-9 and forced a Michigan timeout. From there, the momentum was in the Trojans' favor, though back-to-back kills from Lambert put Michigan within two at 21-19. Despite a .290 team attack average and eight kills by Lambert at a .778 clip, Michigan dropped the first set by a 25-22 score.
The second set began much like the first, with both teams scoring point-for-point until the Trojans pulled away for a 15-12 lead going into the TV timeout. Following the stoppage in play, back-to-back USC service aces extended the Trojans' lead to five and forced Michigan to call another timeout. When play resumed, Michigan rallied for three straight points, but the momentum was still in USC's favor and the Trojans took the set, 25-19.
Senior middle blocker Claire Kieffer-Wright and Lambert rallied for back-to-back kills to jumpstart the third set. Despite the Wolverines leading by as many as four, the Trojans clawed back with a 4-0 run to tie the score at 12-12 and force a Michigan timeout. From there, USC took control and used the momentum to garner an 18-13 lead and force another timeout, but the Wolverines inched back and came within two at 19-17. A kill from junior outside hitter Carly Skjodt and a USC attack error then forced a 19-19 tie score, and the squads played point-for-point from there. With the score tied at 28-all, a bad set by the Trojans and a service ace by Michigan's Jacqueline DiSanto gave Michigan a 30-28 third-set victory.
Michigan took the first two points of the fourth set, but the Trojans quickly tied the score and surged ahead for a 10-5 lead to force a Wolverine timeout. From there, USC controlled the momentum of the set and closed out the match with a 25-16 fourth-set win.
Lambert led the Wolverines with 20 kills on the night, coming up just short of her career high. She also finished the match with a .375 attack percentage and seven digs.
Skjodt also finished the night with double-figure kills, totaling 11 to go with 10 digs for her first double-double of the season.
Defensively, sophomore libero Jenna Lerg led the Wolverines with 20 digs, while sophomore middle blocker Cori Crocker recorded a team-high seven blocks.
Michigan will return to play on Saturday (Aug. 26) with a match at Loyola Marymount. The contest, which marks the final match of the USC/LMU Invite, is slated to begin at 7 p.m. PDT at Gersten Pavilion.
