Michigan
18-11,11-9Big Ten
Northwestern
11-19,6-13Big Ten
Wolverines Rally to Tame Wildcats in Regular-Season Finale
11/26/2021 10:17:00 PM | Volleyball
» Paige Jones led the way with 18 kills on the night.
» Jess Mruzik tallied 15 kills and hit .355.
» Scottee Johnson dished out 39 assists.
» The Wolverines out-hit the Wildcats .244 to .203.
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Cliff Keen Arena)
Score: Michigan 3, Northwestern 1 (22-25, 25-20, 25-20, 25-18)
Records: U-M (18-11, 11-9 B1G), NU (11-19, 6-13 B1G)
Next U-M Event: Sunday, Nov. 28 -- NCAA Selection Show (ESPNU), 8:30 p.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan volleyball team fought its way to a four-set victory (22-25, 25-20, 25-20, 25-18) over Northwestern on Friday night (Nov. 26), led by senior Paige Jones and sophomore Jess Mruzik at a sold out Cliff Keen Arena. The win wrapped up the Wolverines' regular-season schedule.
Jones led U-M with 18 kills, including five in the first set, which moved her to seventh all-time in Michigan volleyball history. She also added two aces and seven digs on her senior night. Mruzik was not far behind, adding 15 kills while hitting .355 and registering six digs and two aces on the evening. Sophomore setter Scottee Johnson led the Wolverines with 39 assists, while redshirt sophomore libero Hannah Grant led the Wolverines with 11 digs.
The Maize and Blue started out the first set in a tight battle with the Wildcats which was a theme for most of the match. The set was close throughout, with the biggest lead being four points. Michigan could not complete the comeback, and Northwestern took the first set 25-22.
Michigan (18-11, 11-9 Big Ten) and Northwestern (11-19, 6-13 Big Ten) were locked in another tight battle in the second set, which featured 14 ties and 11 lead changes. After calling a timeout trailing 20-19, U-M ended the set on a 6-0 run with two aces from junior May Pertofsky, to take the set 25-20.
The third set was much like the second as both teams battled early. The match was tied at 19 when Michigan rallied to take six of the last seven points. Mruzik tallied three kills over that stretch to lead the Wolverines to another 25-20 set victory.
Unlike the first three sets, Michigan grabbed control early at 2-1 and never looked back, rolling to a 25-18 set victory. The offense cruised as Jones hit .800 and the team hit .429 in the final set. Mruzik added two total blocks and four kills in the set to finish off the match.
Michigan held a small advantage in most statistical categories, leading in hitting percentage (.244 to .203), kills (50-49), assists (47-42), aces (7-6), and digs (45-37). The Wildcats led in blocks (9-8) and committed 24 attack errors.
The Wolverines now await their postseason fate, which will be revealed during the NCAA Selection Show on Sunday (Nov. 28) at 8:30 p.m. on ESPNU. The Wolverines will be looking to secure an at-large bid.
