Michigan
13-4,4-3Big Ten
Michigan State
10-8,1-6Big Ten
Michigan Sweeps Away Michigan State, Downs Spartans for Ninth Straight Time
10/14/2022 10:38:00 PM | Volleyball
» May Pertofsky recorded a season-high 12 kills, and hitting a match-high .534.
» Jess Robinson led all players at the net with seven total blocks.
» Michigan out-blocked Michigan State 10-9.
» The victory marks the Wolverines' ninth straight win over the Spartans.
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- The No. 24-ranked University of Michigan volleyball team swept rival Michigan State (25-17, 30-28, 25-22) at the Breslin Center in the first of two meetings this season. With the win, the Wolverines ran their win streak over the Spartans to nine straight.
May Pertofsky recorded a season-high 12 kills and hit .524 to lead all players. Jess Robinson had a match-high seven total blocks, while Scottee Johnson and Hannah Grant each recorded two aces.
Blocking was the name of the game in the first set for Michigan (13-4, 4-3 Big Ten) with six total blocks, including three from Robinson. It was back and forth throughout the first set until Michigan scored three straight points to pull to a comfortable 17-11 lead behind a stuff block, courtesy of Johnson and Jacque Boney. Michigan State (10-8, 1-6 Big Ten) pulled within two points at 17-15, forcing a Wolverine timeout. U-M found the gas pedal once again, capitalizing on two Spartan errors and a Johnson ace. Back-to-back blocks from Robinson made it match point, and a service error from the Spartans gave set one to Michigan.
Michigan got out to a quick start pulling to a 7-3 lead in the second set behind two kills from Boney and one from Pertofsky. The Spartans chipped away at the Wolverine lead point by point, tying the set up at 13. Two Pertofsky kills and a Michigan State error put U-M back up by three, 16-13. It was a battle to 25 after the Spartans tied it back up at 20. Michigan State pushed Michigan to go into extra points. Michigan's last two points came from a Robinson and Pertofsky kill to give the Wolverines set two by a final of 30-28. Pertofsky led all players in the second set with eight kills.
Michigan started out slow in the final set, falling behind 7-3 thanks to a balanced Spartan offense. The Wolverines came clawing back after a 5-0 run with Grant at the service line, recording two service aces to pull ahead 10-9. It was back and forth the rest of the set until Robinson and Jess Mruzik ended the set with a stuff block to take the set 25-23 and the match 3-0.
Michigan will return to action on Sunday (Oct. 16) in Madison, Wis., when they face off against No. 5-ranked Wisconsin at noon CDT in the UW Field House.
