Michigan
2-10,0-3Big Ten
Minnesota
6-5,2-1Big Ten
Michigan Overpowered by No. 13 Minnesota in Road Trip Opener
9/29/2023 9:21:00 PM | Volleyball
» Michigan fell to No. 13 Minnesota in three sets (25-9, 25-17, 25-18).
» Valentina Vaulet led Michigan with eight kills.
» Brooke Humphrey had 13 digs on the night to lead the team.
» Carly Greskovics tallied three digs for a new career high and registered her first career assist.
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- The University of Michigan volleyball team fell to No. 13-ranked Minnesota in three sets (25-9, 25-17, 25-18) on Friday night (Sept. 29) Maturi Pavilion.
Valentina Vaulet led the Wolverines with eight kills and added two block assists and eight digs. Kendall Murray was second on the team with six kills and was tied with Jacque Boney for the team lead with three blocks. Brooke Humphrey registered 13 digs as the libero, and freshman Carly Greskovics tallied three digs and her first career assist.
Minnesota (6-5, 2-1 Big Ten) got off to a fast start, taking a 7-2 lead with Murray tallying both Wolverines kills. Murray added another kill in the set and Vaulet added two, but the Wolverines offense struggled in the first set and the Golden Gophers took the first set 25-9.
Michigan (2-10, 0-3 Big Ten) got off to a better start in the second set and tied the score at 3 after a block from Murray and Boney. The Gophers took a 7-3 lead before a kill from Boney ended the Minnesota run. The Wolverines kept it close and got the set to a one-point Golden Gophers lead (12-11) after a service ace from Mira Chopra. After service errors from both teams, Murray and Boney combined on the block again and tied the score at 13. Murray and Vaulet tallied back-to-back kills which gave Michigan its first lead of the set at 15-14. The Wolverines were unable to extend their lead as Minnesota went on a 5-0 run for a 19-15 lead and forced a U-M timeout. Out of the timeout, the Gophers committed a service error and Amalia Simmons tallied a kill to bring the score to 19-17. The Wolverines were unable to keep the momentum going, with the Gophers taking the final six points of the set and winning set two 25-17.
In set three, Michigan tied the score twice early, but a 5-0 run from the Gophers put them up 7-2. Minnesota extended its lead to 10-3 before Saj McBurrows tallied a block. The Gophers took an 18-9 lead before McBurrows tallied a kill to give Michigan its 10th point of the set. Minnesota once again was not fazed and took a 21-11 lead. The Wolverines fought back and went on a 6-3 run to cut the deficit to 24-17, with Boney and Vaulet tallying kills with Vaulet also registering an ace and a block assist with Chopra. The teams traded the final two points which gave the Gophers the set 25-18 and the match 3-0.
The Wolverines will continue finish their two-game road swing on Sunday (Oct. 1), when they face off against No. 1 Wisconsin at 1 p.m. CDT inside U-W Field House. The match will be streamed live on B1G+.
