MATCH RECAP
- No. 16 Michigan def. Loyola-Marymount (25-21, 25-20, 25-23)
- Michigan moves to 2-1; Loyola-Marymount drops to 1-2
- USC/LMU Invite, Los Angeles, California
- Box Score
- VolleyMob Rankings
LOS ANGELES – The No. 16 Michigan Wolverines bounced back from their upset loss to USC last night, defeating Loyola-Marymount in straight sets behind a 12-point effort from senior middle blocker Adeja Lambert. The visiting Wolverines also had 29 assists from sophomore setter Mackenzi Welsh and seven kills and four blocks from sophomore middle blocker Cori Crocker.
Junior opposite Sara Kovac had 11 kills for the Lions in the losing effort and sophomore setter Tess Reid tallied 20 assists and five digs.
In the first set, the score was tied 11-11 when junior outside Carly Skjodt stepped back to serve. After scoring four consecutive points from the line, the Wolverines never looked back and won 25-21.
The second set saw Loyola-Marymount cruise to a 6-1 lead, forcing Michigan to take an early timeout. From there, Michigan began chipping away until they finally caught the Lions at 19. Once again, Skjodt’s serve helped the Wolverines to another set victory.
In the third, Michigan led from start to finish, although three straight attack errors at match point made things interesting until the Big Ten power finally prevailed 25-23.
Michigan will play next against Butler on September 1 back home in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Loyola-Marymount will head to Eugene, Oregon next weekend to play Northern Illinois in the first match of the Oregon Classic.
USC/LMU Invite All-Tournament Team
- Khalia Lanier, outside, USC (MVP)
- Aqua Okenwa, middle blocker/opposite, Albany
- Kristen Castellanos, defensive specialist, Loyola-Marymount
- Sara Kovac, opposite, Loyola-Marymount
- Cori Crocker, middle blocker, Michigan
- Claire Kieffer-Wright, middle blocker, Michigan
- Adeja Lambert, outside, Michigan
- Brittany Abercrombie, opposite, USC
- Alyse Ford, outside, USC
- Niki Withers, opposite, USC
PRESS RELEASES
Courtesy: University of Michigan Athletics
LOS ANGELES — Despite trailing early in both the first and second sets, the No. 16-ranked University of Michigan volleyball team surged late to pick up a 3-0 victory (25-21, 25-20, 25-23) over the Loyola Marymount Lions on Saturday evening (Aug. 26) at Gersten Pavilion.
Loyola Marymount jumped out to a 4-1 lead, with Michigan’s only point coming on a Lion attack error, and extended its lead to 6-3 despite a kill by senior Adeja Lambert and a service ace from senior Claire Kieffer-Wright. The Wolverines inched back, cutting the lead to one on four separate occasions before a Loyola Marymount service error tied the score at 11-11 and a kill by Kieffer-Wright put Michigan up by one. From there, Michigan went on an 8-3 run and the momentum swung in favor of the Maize and Blue. Guided by a .545 team attack average and five kills by Lambert, Michigan took the first set by a 25-21 score.
The Lions again jumped out to the lead in the second set, going up 4-0 before junior Carly Skjodt put the Wolverines on the board with a termination on the 10-foot line. Though Michigan trailed by as many as six in the second set, a kill by sophomore Cori Crocker tied the score at 14-14, but the Lions then pulled away once again. With U-M trailing by one at 20-19, a Lion attack error and a kill by sophomore setter MacKenzi Welsh flipped the scoreboard and gave Michigan a 21-20 lead. Following an LMU timeout, Michigan used kills by Skjodt, Kieffer-Wright and Lambert to force a 25-20 second-set victory.
Michigan returned from the break and jumped out to a 3-0 lead, and the edge was in the Wolverines’ favor from there. Though Loyola Marymount never tied the score in the third set, the Lions surged late and fought off three match points before a kill by Kieffer-Wright ended the match with Michigan on top, 25-23.
Lambert led the Maize and Blue with 10 kills and was the only Wolverine to finish in double figures. Despite that, Michigan ended the day with an impressive .325 team attack average.
Defensively, the Wolverines totaled 32 digs, and Skjodt led the way with seven. From the front row, Crocker led Michigan with four blocks and led all hitters with a .600 attack average.
Following a week of practice, the No. 16-ranked Wolverines will return to action on Friday (Sept. 1) when they kick off the Michigan Invitational with a match against Butler. The home opener is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at the Wolverines’ home court in Ann Arbor.
Courtesy: Loyola Marymount Athletics
Connecting at a .325 hitting percentage as a team on Saturday night, #16 Michigan (2-1) earned a 25-21, 25-20, 25-23 sweep of LMU (1-2) to close play at an invitational hosted by LMU and USC over the weekend.
Following the conclusion of the match, junior Sara Kovac and senior Kristen Castellanos were named to the All-Tournament team.
Kovac finished the three matches with 28 kills on 54 swings, averaging 2.80 kills per set while hitting .352. The native of Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada also added five block assists. Kovac finished the tournament on a high note against Michigan, leading all players with 11 kills and three block assists.
Castellanos, serving as LMU’s libero, served up three aces while accumulating 37 digs to average 3.70 per set over the course of the tournament. The native of Los Angeles, Calif. paced all competitors on Saturday night with nine digs.
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