Michigan
10-2
Cincinnati
2-10
U-M Downs Cincinnati, Completes Clean Sweep of Home Tournament
9/16/2017 10:25:00 PM | Volleyball
» Claire Kieffer-Wright totaled 10 kills and seven blocks, leading Michigan in both stat categories.
» U-M recorded a season-high 13 blocks in the win.
» The Wolverines finished the Michigan Challenge with a 3-0 record and did not lose a set.
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Cliff Keen Arena)
Event: Michigan Challenge (Match 3)
Score: #21 Michigan 3, Cincinnati 0 (25-16, 25-21, 25-18)
Records: U-M (10-2), Cincinnati (2-10)
Next U-M Event: Friday, Sept. 22 -- at Minnesota (Minneapolis, Minn.), 7 p.m. CDT
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- With a season-high 13 team blocks and a match-high 10 kills by senior Claire Kieffer-Wright, the No. 21-ranked University of Michigan volleyball team defeated the Cincinnati Bearcats in straight sets (25-16, 25-21, 25-18) Saturday evening (Sept. 16) in the final match of the Michigan Challenge inside Cliff Keen Arena.
With the victory, Michigan won the tournament title and finished its non-conference slate with a perfect 6-0 record when playing at home with only one dropped set.
Kieffer-Wright led the blocking charge with seven, tying her season high, while sophomore Cori Crocker added six, sophomore MacKenzi Welsh finished with five, and freshman Sydney Wetterstrom picked up a career-high four.
Michigan jumped out to an 8-2 lead in the first set, forcing Cincinnati to call a timeout. Following a 6-0 run that put the Wolverines up 16-4 and forced another Bearcat timeout, Michigan remained efficient and used a .348 attack average and four block assists by Kieffer-Wright to take set one, 25-16.
The Wolverines again took an early lead in the second set, but Cincinnati climbed back and tied the game at 16-16. From there, a kill by Kieffer-Wright and a double-block by Welsh and Crocker sent the Wolverines on a four-point run to force a 20-16 Michigan lead. Led by six kills from Kieffer-Wright as well as six digs and three aces by junior libero Jenna Lerg, the Wolverines clinched a 25-21 second-set victory.
After a back-and-forth start to the third set, the Bearcats pulled ahead to a 10-6 lead before Michigan called its first timeout of the match. A kill by junior Carly Skjodt then sparked a 6-1 run for the Wolverines, which allowed Michigan to regain the lead at 12-11 before Cincinnati called a timeout. From that point, Michigan took control and won five straight points late in the match to seal the victory with a 25-18 third-set win.
From the back row, Lerg led all players with 13 digs, despite recording none in the first set. Skjodt finished with nine digs, and Welsh totaled 29 assists. The Wolverines posted a .237 team attack average while holding the Bearcats to a .029 mark.
Skjodt was named the Michigan Challenge MVP and was joined on the all-tournament team by Lerg, Lambert and Welsh.
Michigan will return to play on Friday (Sept. 22) when the Wolverines kick off Big Ten Conference action with a road match at Minnesota. First serve is set for 7 p.m. CDT at Maturi Pavilion in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Join the 2017 Michigan Volleyball team for its Big Ten Conference home opener on Friday, Sept. 29 against Ohio State inside Crisler Center! » Information
