MATCH NOTES
- #21 Michigan def. Cincinnati 3-0 (25-16, 25-21, 25-18)
- Michigan moves to 10-2; Cincinnati drops to 2-10
- Michigan Challenge, Ann Arbor, Michigan
- Attendance: 968
- Box Score
- VolleyMob Top 25 (Week 4)
The #21 Michigan Wolverines swept the Cincinnati Bearcats behind a season-high 13 blocks. With the win, the host school finished the Michigan Challenge without dropping a set.
The Wolverines were led by senior middle Claire Kieffer-Wright, who had team highs in both kills (10) and blocks (7). Others controlling the net included sophomore middle Cori Crocker (6 blocks), sophomore setter MacKenzi Welsh (5 blocks) and freshman outside Sydney Wetterstrom (4 blocks). Junior libero Jenna Lerg tallied 13 digs to anchor the back-row defense.
For the Bearcats, junior outside Carly Nolan came one kill short of a double-double (11 digs, 9 kills). Junior middle Jasmine Jones had seven kills and four blocks, and junior setter Jade Tingelhoff put up 22 assists.
In set one, Michigan used a six-point run to take a commanding 16-4 lead on their way to the final 25-16 margin. The Wolverines again led early in the second set before the Bearcats fought back to knot the score at 16. Michigan separated again and won 25-21, with Lerg recording six digs and three aces in the second set alone.
The third stayed close throughout with the Bearcats taking 8-5 and 11-7 leads early. After a five-point run gave the advantage to the Wolverines, Cincinnati never got closer 18-20 before Michigan scored five straight to win set and match.
Michigan opens Big Ten play in Ann Arbor on Friday against longtime rival Ohio State while Cincinnati goes on the road to play two conference matches against Southern Florida on Friday and Sunday.
S3: Kieffer-Wright is killin' it on the court tonight, leading the team with 10 kills! Michigan leads 20-15. pic.twitter.com/NmVPtOZy7c
— Michigan Volleyball (@umichvball) September 17, 2017
PRESS RELEASES
Courtesy: Michigan Athletics
U-M Downs Cincinnati, Completes Clean Sweep of Home Tournament
» Claire Kieffer-Wright totaled 10 kills and seven blocks, leading Michigan in both stat categories.
» U-M recorded a season-high 13 blocks in the win.
» The Wolverines finished the Michigan Challenge with a 3-0 record and did not lose a set.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — With a season-high 13 team blocks and a match-high 10 kills by senior Claire Kieffer-Wright, the No. 21-ranked University of Michigan volleyball team defeated the Cincinnati Bearcats in straight sets (25-16, 25-21, 25-18) Saturday evening (Sept. 16) in the final match of the Michigan Challenge inside Cliff Keen Arena.
With the victory, Michigan won the tournament title and finished its non-conference slate with a perfect 6-0 record when playing at home with only one dropped set.
Kieffer-Wright led the blocking charge with seven, tying her season high, while sophomore Cori Crocker added six, sophomore MacKenzi Welsh finished with five, and freshman Sydney Wetterstrom picked up a career-high four.
Michigan jumped out to an 8-2 lead in the first set, forcing Cincinnati to call a timeout. Following a 6-0 run that put the Wolverines up 16-4 and forced another Bearcat timeout, Michigan remained efficient and used a .348 attack average and four block assists by Kieffer-Wright to take set one, 25-16.
The Wolverines again took an early lead in the second set, but Cincinnati climbed back and tied the game at 16-16. From there, a kill by Kieffer-Wright and a double-block by Welsh and Crocker sent the Wolverines on a four-point run to force a 20-16 Michigan lead. Led by six kills from Kieffer-Wright as well as six digs and three aces by junior libero Jenna Lerg, the Wolverines clinched a 25-21 second-set victory.
After a back-and-forth start to the third set, the Bearcats pulled ahead to a 10-6 lead before Michigan called its first timeout of the match. A kill by junior Carly Skjodt then sparked a 6-1 run for the Wolverines, which allowed Michigan to regain the lead at 12-11 before Cincinnati called a timeout. From that point, Michigan took control and won five straight points late in the match to seal the victory with a 25-18 third-set win.
From the back row, Lerg led all players with 13 digs, despite recording none in the first set. Skjodt finished with nine digs, and Welsh totaled 29 assists. The Wolverines posted a .237 team attack average while holding the Bearcats to a .029 mark.
Skjodt was named the Michigan Challenge MVP and was joined on the all-tournament team by Lerg, Lambert and Welsh.
Michigan will return to play on Friday (Sept. 22) when the Wolverines kick off Big Ten Conference action with a road match at Minnesota. First serve is set for 7 p.m. CDT at Maturi Pavilion in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Join the 2017 Michigan Volleyball team for its Big Ten Conference home opener on Friday, Sept. 29 against Ohio State inside Crisler Center!
Courtesy: Cincinnati Athletics
Volleyball Concludes Non-Conference Slate With Loss at #21 Michigan
The Bearcats fell 3-0 to the Wolverines Saturday night
ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The University of Cincinnati volleyball team was unable to overcome its third ranked opponent, dropping a 3-0 match at No. 21 Michigan on Saturday night. The Wolverines took the sets 25-16, 25-21 and 25-18. Jade Tingelhoff was the lone Bearcat named to the all-tournament team.
NOTES
• The loss drops UC to 2-10 on the season while improving Michigan to 10-2
• This is the third AVCA-ranked opponent the Bearcats have faced this season. All matches have been lost by scores of 3-0
• Non-conference play is now concluded, as UC will travel to Florida next weekend to begin American Athletic Conference action
• Carly Nolan was just short of a double-double with 11 digs and nine kills. She also had three blocks
• Jasmine Jones was second on the team with seven kills and four blocks
• Maya Muldrow lead in blocks with five
• Jade Tingelhoff had all but two of the team’s assists, finishing with 22 on the night
• Abby Williams had the other two assists and added in nine digs and an ace
SET BREAKDOWN
Set 1: Michigan, 25-16
• The Bearcats took the first point of the match on a kill by Maya Muldrow, but couldn’t hold off the Wolverines. Michigan jumped out to a 9-2 lead and then 16-4, but UC put together a 4-0 run later on to bring the deficit to 19-11. That span came on an Erica Kostelac kill and a kill and block by Maya Muldrow. The Bearcats’ late life fell short as the Wolverines were able to finish off the set.
Set 2: Michigan, 25-21
• UC once again took the first point in the second set, this time on a kill by Kostelac, assisted by Abby Williams. The Wolverines took the next five points before a service error ended their run. Down by seven early on, UC worked for three-straight points, thanks to a Carly Nolan kill, Jasmine Jones block and Jones kill, to put the score at 11-7. It became a two-point set after a block by Muldrow and Kostelac, and the Bearcats would continue to keep it close. Williams recorded an ace to tie the set at 16. Despite not trailing by more than four points, the Bearcats were unable to take the lead as the Wolverines escaped with the second set.
Set 3: Michigan, 25-18
• A kill by Nolan with as assist by Williams started set three. UC was in command at the onset, breaking a 4-4 tie with a block by Muldrow and then breaking a 5-5 tie on a service error. The Bearcats put together three-straight points to go up 8-5, finding success in part to two blocks by Nolan. Michigan was forced to call a timeout when Cincinnati took a 10-6 lead, taking five of the previous six points. The hosts took the first point out of the break, but a Nolan kill maintained UC’s four-point advantage at 11-7. The Bearcats were not able to hang on to their lead, however, as a 5-0 run put the Wolverines in front and caused a timeout to be called. Cincinnati was able to bring the lead to within two points, 18-20, but Michigan ended the set with five straight to take the match.
NEXT MATCH
Conference play will begin next weekend. UC will travel to Florida to face USF on Friday at 7 p.m. and UCF on Sunday at 1 p.m. The 2017 Bearcats home opener is slated for Friday, September 29 at 7 p.m. against Tulsa.
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