Michigan Has Yet to Drop a Set this Season

MATCH RESULTS

• #19 Michigan def. Valparaiso 3-0, (25-19, 25-13, 25-20)
• #19 Michigan improves to 6-0, Valparaiso falls to 6-2
• Ann Arbor, Michigan
• Attendance: 1,003
• Match Stats
• Michigan Recap/ Valparaiso Recap

ANN ARBOR, Mich.–The Michigan Wolverines pulled off the sweep in three sets over the Valparaiso Crusaders in a non-conference match-up on Tuesday evening in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The Wolverines remain undefeated and have yet to drop a set in the 2018 season.

Michigan was dominant the entire match. A season-high of 16 athletes played in the match and freshman, Lizzie Sadilek, made her collegiate debut. Michigan hit a season-best .363 in the match while holding their opponents to .114.

The Wolverines led in every statistical category in the match – kills (47-29), aces (6-0), blocks (4-3), assists (45-29), and digs (34-27).

Carly Skjodt led the Wolverines to the win with 14 kills on 21 swings with two errors for a .571 hitting clip, while Paige Jones added in another nine kills on 16 swings with two errors to end the night with a .438 hitting performance. Cori Crocker made her presence known with eight kills and one error for a .778 clip along with a dig while Sydney Wetterstrom also took the court with eight kills.

MacKenzi Welsh produced 30 assists while Jenna Lerg picked up seven digs.

For the Crusaders, Jaclyn Bulmahnput away nine kills on a .273 clip and Ally Cummings added seven more while Brittany Anderson dished out 26 assists and five digs.

The Shockers will host their next match on Friday, September 7 at 1 P.M. CT.

RECAPS

Courtesy of Michigan Athletics

Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Cliff Keen Arena)
Score: Michigan 3, Valparaiso 0 (25-19, 25-13, 25-20)
Records: U-M (6-0), Valpo (6-2)
Next U-M Event: Friday, Sept. 7 — vs. Oakland (Cliff Keen Arena), 1 p.m. [Free Admission]

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Backed by a season-best .363 team hitting percentage, the University of Michigan volleyball team earned its sixth straight win via a sweep with a 3-0 (25-19, 25-13, 25-20) victory over the Valparaiso Crusaders on Tuesday night (Sept. 4) inside Cliff Keen Arena.

The six-sweep start to Michigan’s season is a program-best during the rally-scoring era. The Wolverines have not begun a season with six straight sweeps since 1984.

Michigan posted a season-high .363 hitting percentage in the victory and was led by senior Carly Skjodt, who totaled a match-high 14 kills at a career-best .571 clip. Freshman Paige Jones used a season-high .463 attacking average to add nine kills, while redshirt junior Cori Crocker (.778) and junior Sydney Wetterstrom(.316) tallied eight kills apiece.

Junior setter MacKenzi Welsh guided the Wolverines’ efficient offense with 30 assists while also totaling a match-high nine digs.

Michigan came back from a one-point deficit early in the first set to rally for six straight points and a 9-4 lead on a serving run from senior Maddy Abbott. The momentum was short-lived, as the Crusaders answered with a 7-3 run and cut Michigan’s lead back to one, 13-12. The Wolverines responded quickly with a big kill from Wetterstrom and used a balanced offense to take the first set, 25-19.

The Wolverines dominated the second set as they took a lead at 3-2 on a kill from Crocker and never looked back. A .333 team hitting percentage along with four kills apiece from Skjodt and Wetterstrom allowed the Wolverines to maintain a strong lead and win set two by a 25-13 score.

The Maize and Blue immediately gained an edge in set three on a cross-court kill from Jones and used a .467 attack average to go up by as many as six, 20-14, on a big kill from freshman Lizzie Sadilek. Despite the momentum, Valparaiso gained its composure and went on a 7-2 run — including four straight points — to cut Michigan’s lead to three, 23-20, before the Wolverines took their first timeout of the night. Following the stoppage in play, Michigan finished things off quickly for a 25-20 third-set victory.

Michigan saw a season-high 16 student-athletes appear in the match, including Sadilek, who made her career debut.

The Wolverines (6-0) will return to action on Friday (Sept. 7) as they kick off the Michigan Challenge. Michigan will first play host to Oakland (1 p.m.) before entertaining LSU (7 p.m.) in an evening matchup. The tournament will wrap on Saturday (Sept. 8) with a lone contest against Colorado State at 7 p.m. All three matches will be played inside Cliff Keen Arena.

Courtesy of Valparaiso Athletics

The Valparaiso University volleyball team faced its strongest test of the 2018 season on Tuesday evening in Ann Arbor, Mich., battling gamely but falling in straight sets (25-19, 25-13, 25-20) to host Michigan.

How It Happened

• After Valpo led briefly early in the first set, a 6-0 run gave the Maize and Blue a 9-4 advantage. While Valpo would never tie the score again in the frame, it fought back to within one point on a number of occasions, and late in the set, got within 21-19 following consecutive kills from senior Sydney Bronner (Frankenmuth, Mich./Frankenmuth) and sophomore Jaclyn Bulmahn (McCordsville, Ind./Mt. Vernon). But Michigan would score the final four points of the set to claim the opener.
• Michigan’s defense limited Valpo to just five kills and a negative hitting percentage in the second set as the Wolverines led nearly start-to-finish to go ahead two sets to none.
• Valpo bounced back in the third set with its best single-set hitting percentage of the night, swinging at a .217 clip, but unfortunately for the Brown and Gold, Michigan hit .467 in the final frame. It looked like the Wolverines might close out the match with ease at 23-16, but Valpo put together four straight points – including two kills by sophomore Ally Cummings (Novi, Mich./Novi) – to pull to within 23-20 and force a Michigan timeout. But out of the stoppage, back-to-back points closed out the sweep in the Wolverines’ favor.

Inside the Match

• Tuesday’s matchup was just Valpo’s second against a Big Ten squad in the last five years, but did mark the fourth time in the last two seasons the Brown and Gold had faced a nationally ranked team, as Valpo took on three top-25 matchups in MVC play last season.
• Cummings enjoyed a strong match off the bench, posting seven kills on just 12 swings without an error to finish the match at a .583 clip on the attack.
• Fellow sophomore Bulmahn paced Valpo on offense with a career-best nine kills, hitting .273.
• Michigan’s strong offensive attack (47 kills on .363 hitting) limited Valpo to just 27 digs for the match. Sophomore libero Rylee Cookerly (Brownsburg, Ind./Brownsburg) was held to a career low-tying six digs over the three sets.
• Tuesday’s loss snapped Valpo’s six-match winning streak, which was its longest since opening the 2015 campaign with nine straight wins.

Next Up

Valpo (6-2) heads out west to Colorado for the Amy Svoboda Memorial Classic, hosted by Air Force. The three-match tournament gets underway for Valpo against the hosts on Friday afternoon at 3 p.m. CT.