Big Ten: Michigan, Michigan State Survive in 5 on the Road

Big Ten

• Oct. 12

No. 14 Michigan and Michigan State each picked up five-set road wins, while No. 3 Minnesota and No. 5 Wisconsin successfully defended their home courts in sweeps.

Results

• #14 Michigan def. Ohio State 3-2
• Michigan State def. Maryland 3-2
• #3 Minnesota def. #7 Illinois 3-0
• #5 Wisconsin def. Northwestern 3-0

Updated Standings

#14 Michigan def. Ohio State 3-2 (25-14, 25-22, 20-25, 26-28, 16-14)

• Michigan moves to 16-2, 5-2 Big Ten; Ohio State falls to 11-8, 2-5 Big Ten
• Box Score
• Michigan Recap / Ohio State Recap

Notables

• The victory marked the 400th for head coach Mark Rosen and his wife/associate head coach Leisa with the Wolverines.
• The Wolverines started strong offensively, making just three errors, while hitting better than .500 (.556 in Set 1 and .519 in Set 2).
• Paige Jones and Carly Skjodt downed 23 kills apiece to guide the Michigan attack, each hitting .360 or better. MacKenzi Welsh turned in a 56-assist, 14-dig double-double.
• Four Buckeyes notched double-digit kill efforts: Jordan Fry (16), Lauren Witte (14), Vanja Bukilic (14) and Bia Franklin (12).
• Ohio State won Set 4 28-26 despite being outhit .209 to .170, sealing the win on an ace by Audra Appold on its fourth set-point try.
• The Wolverines built an 8-4 lead at the changeover in Set 5 with help from three Skjodt kills. Michigan then closed out the win on a 6-2 run, including three Jones putaways.

Michigan State def. Maryland 3-2 (25-16, 25-20, 22-25, 23-25, 15-11)

• Michigan State 14-5, 2-4 Big Ten; Maryland 12-6, 3-3 Big Ten
• Box Score
• Michigan State Recap / Maryland Recap

Notables

• The Spartans outhit the Terps .286 to .000 in the decisive fifth set. Michigan State boasted a .340 to .237 advantage in overall hitting percentage, thanks in part to a 10-5 lead in blocks.
• Maryland served up eight aces, while allowing just two.
• Four Spartans notched double-digit kills: Alyssa Chronowski (19), Maddie Haggerty (15), Naya Gros (13) and Rebecka Poljan (13), with each hitting .300 or better on the night. Haggerty rounded out a double-double with 12 digs, while Chronowski and Gros led the way at the net with seven and five blocks respectively.
• Erika Pritchard downed a match-high 24 kills, while Liz Twilley (13) and Katie Myers (11) followed. Myers put up three blocks, while Pritchard served up three aces.
• MSU used a 5-0 run to gain an 8-2 lead in Set 5. Maryland chipped away, cutting the margin to two at 13-11 with help from five Spartan miscues. A kill and a block by Gros sealed the 15-11 road win for Michigan State.

#3 Minnesota def. #7 Illinois 3-0 (25-22, 25-19, 25-20)

• Illinois 15-2, 4-2 Big Ten; Minnesota 12-2, 6-0 Big Ten
• Box Score
• Illinois Recap / Minnesota Recap / VolleyMob Recap 

Notables

• Minnesota is off to a 7-0 start in Big Ten play, marking its best start since posting seven straight wins to start the 1999 conference season.
• The Gophers outhit Illinois .270 to .194. Minnesota hit at a match-high .341 clip in Set 2, while limiting Illinois to a .081 effort in the final stanza.
• Alexis Hart (15) and Stephanie Samedy (10) posted double-digit kill tallies to lead Minnesota to victory, while Jacqueline Quade and Megan Cooney put down eight kills apiece for Illinois.
• After trailing 11-9 in Set 2, the Gophers pulled away with an 8-1 run before finishing off the sweep.

Wisconsin def. Northwestern 3-0 (25-13, 25-14, 25-15)

• Wisconsin moves to 12-3, 5-2 Big Ten; Northwestern falls to 10-9, 0-7 Big Ten
• Box Score
• Northwestern Recap / Wisconsin Recap

Notables

• Wisconsin has won six in a row at home and has not lost in Wisconsin Field House since Nov. 24, 2017.
• The Badgers hit at a .404 clip in the match, including a .452 effort in Set 2.
• Wisconsin served up eight aces, while allowing none, and boasted an 8-2 lead in blocks.
• Grace Loberg and Dana Rettke paced the Badgers with 15 and 10 kills respectively. Rettke also put up a team-best five blocks. Molly Haggerty chipped in eight kills on a team-best .500 hitting effort to go with 11 digs and three aces.
• Nia Robinson put down 11 kills for Northwestern, but hit at just an .083 clip (11-8-36). Abryanna Cannon was next on the team with seven kills on a .286 hitting effort.