Michigan
13-8,6-6Big Ten
Iowa
3-19,1-11Big Ten
Michigan Offense Shines in Sweep of Iowa
10/30/2021 9:52:00 PM | Volleyball
» Jess Mruzik led all players with 14 kills.
» Paige Jones added 11 kills and five digs.
» Michigan hit a robust .391 and had nine total blocks.
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Cliff Keen Arena)
Score: Michigan 3 Iowa 0 (25-16, 25-21, 25-21)
Records: U-M (13-8, 6-6 B1G), Iowa (3-19, 1-11 B1G)
Next U-M Event: Friday, Nov. 5 -- at Penn State (State College, Pa.), 7:30 p.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan volleyball team's offense was red hot Saturday night (Oct. 30), hitting .391 and taking care of Iowa in straight sets (25-16, 25-21, 25-21) in Cliff Keen Arena.
Sophomore Jess Mruzik topped all players with 14 kills in the match and hit .481 (14 kills, one error, 27 total attempts), while senior Paige Jones added 11 kills, five digs and two assists. Sophomore setter Scottee Johnson dished out 33 assists along with a team-high 12 digs, three kills and an ace, and redshirt sophomore libero Hannah Grant had 11 digs.
The match started out as a tight battle between the two teams. With the score tied at 13, sophomore Brooke Humphrey sparked an impressive Michigan run by serving six straight Wolverine points. U-M cruised to a 25-16 finish thanks to what turned out to a 13-3 run to end the set. The Maize and Blue had a 16 kills in the first set and hit .452.
Set two was close throughout, with both teams going on stretches of four consecutive points. Iowa took the early lead in the set, going up 5-2, but the run was ended by freshman Jacque Boney with three consecutive kills and a block assist. The Hawkeyes were in control until Michigan took the lead at 17-16, and the Wolverines never looked back. U-M took eight of the next 13 points to win the second set 25-21.
The third set began like the rest, with both teams going on 4-0 runs to start and knotting the score at 4. Michigan countered with yet another 4-0 run, but this time sustained that lead throughout, finishing off the Hawkeyes with a 25-21 victory and the sweep. Michigan hit .386 in the set and held the Hawkeyes to their lowest percentage of the match at .194.
For the match, U-M hit .391 compared to Iowa's .210, while also holding the advantage in kills (51-37), assists (45-31) and blocks (9-3). Michigan had four service aces compared to Iowa's three, but the Hawkeyes took the battle for digs (43-39).
The offense received contributions all over the court, as both parts of the middle blocker combination of junior Jess Robinson and freshman Jacque Boney finished with seven kills and only one error. Robinson hit .429 on the night and added three total blocks (0 solo blocks, three block assists), while Boney hit .545 and had five blocks (0 BS, 5 BA). Junior May Pertofsky added a strong match with nine kills and only one error for a .400 attack percentage while also adding five total blocks (1 BS, 4 BA).
Michigan hits the road next Friday and Sunday (Nov. 5-7), starting at No. 20 Penn State on Friday (Nov. 5) at 7:30 p.m. in State College. The Wolverines then head to College Park to take on Maryland on Sunday (Nov. 7) at 1 p.m.
