Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
14-8, 4-7B1G
Michigan
10-11, 5-6B1G
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northwestern | 25 | 25 | 24 | 25 | 3 |
| Michigan | 20 | 19 | 26 | 18 | 1 |
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Northwestern Collects Conference Victory at Michigan, 3-1
10/31/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Northwestern charged back into the win column Friday night and captured its first road win of the season in conference play with a 3-1 triumph over the Michigan Wolverines (25-20, 25-19, 24-26, 25-18).
The win was a skid snapper in a couple of ways. It was Northwestern's first victory since topping No. 18 Minnesota on Oct. 5 and its first win against the Wolverines at Cliff Keen Arena in Ann Arbor since Oct. 21, 2005.
"We were due for a big night like this," said Northwestern head coach Keylor Chan. "The team has been working hard in the gym every single day and it all clicked on the floor tonight. It's so hard to win in the Big Ten, especially on the road. To come in here and beat a tough Michigan team is a great accomplishment."
The Wildcats got off to a fast start in Ann Arbor. They led 5-2 before a 4-2 run by the Wolverines pulled them to within two. With a 7-6 lead in tow, the 'Cats unleashed a 6-0 run that featured a service ace from Caleigh Ryan, a kill from Portage, Mich., native Kayla Morin and a block from Morin and Katie Dutchman put Northwestern in front 13-6 in set one.
Michigan pulled to within four points a few times before Monica McGreal dropped a thundering ace on the home team to put the 'Cats ahead, 18-12, prompting UM head coach Mark Rosen to use his second timeout. The respite helped because his team scored three unanswered points to get the deficit down to three. NU was later up by six once again at 23-17 following an ace by Morin, but the Maize and Blue were able to slice the deficit once again to three with three-straight points. Taylor Tashima buried her second kill of the set before Dutchman served an ace to secure set point and give the Wildcats a 25-20 victory in the first.
Northwestern hit .324 in the opening frame (15 kills, 3 errors, 37 attempts) and Morin paced the squad with six kills at a clip of .545 (6-0-11). Michigan actually had a higher attacking percentage with a mark of .429, but the Wildcats sided their opponent out at a clip of 66 percent (14-21). Additionally, the Wolverines were plagued by five receiving errors. Ryan (2), Dutchman, Morin and McGreal accumulated the first-set aces.
The Wildcats kept rolling as the second set opened. Chicago's Big Team scored the first four points and seven of the first nine before Michigan used another early timeout. Northwestern continued to dictate the tempo and it built a pair of six-points leads, most recently at 14-8 after a kill from Tashima off a pass from Ryan. The Wolverines did not buckle, however, and they got to within one point for the first time at 14-15. Each time Michigan got close, though, Northwestern roared right back. With a one-point lead, 19-18, the visitors ripped off a 6-1 to close the frame and win it, 25-19.
Dutchman was a one-women wrecking crew down the stretch. She paired up with Tashima to secure three blocks in the final six points before burying her fourth kill of the match to help the 'Cats grab set point and take a 2-0 lead into the locker room at the intermission.
As a team, NU tallied seven blocks in the second stanza after posting just one in the premiere game. Northwestern hit at an even better percentage of .452 in set two (16-2-31) and this time it held Michigan to a mark of .179 (15-8-39).
The Purple and Black built a pair of slim three-point leads at 9-6 and 11-8 in the third set, but Michigan went on a 5-0 run to go ahead 13-11 after a kill from setter Lexi Dannemiller. This time around it was the 'Cats who didn't quiver. They got the lead back at 15-14 following a block by who else but Dutchman and Tashima. The Wolverines had the first shot at set point with a 24-23 lead, but a kill by Dutchman extended the frame. Michigan scored the next two points, however, to win the third by a score of 26-24, and extend the match.
The 'Cats' attack cooled off slightly in the third set. NU had six hitting errors after combining for only five in games one and two.
The teams were tied at five points apiece when the Wildcats went on the first run of any length in the fourth set. Three kills off the arm of Symone Abbott and an ace by Tashima put Northwestern ahead 9-5. The lead later blossomed to five at 15-10 when Abbott dropped another kill on the school in her home state. Michigan scored on back-to-back Northwestern attacking errors to slice the deficit to two, but the 'Cats unleashed a 10-5 run to close the match that was punctuated by Morin's 14th termination of the night.
NU finished with an attacking percentage of .315, its highest mark since going at a rate of .356 in a 3-0 win over Youngstown State on Sept. 12. It was also the second match in a row that the squad posted 13 blocks and the seventh time this season that they've been in double-digits in that category. The Wildcats had eight aces, the most since opening night against (rv) Colorado. On the flip side they were not charged with a receiving error all night long.
Abbott led the Wildcats with 17 kills, while Morin and Tashima were also in double figures with 14 and 11, respectively. Dutchman finished with a season-high 10 blocks, one shy of her career high. The redshirt senior also chipped in with seven kills and three digs.
The Wildcats will continue their stay in the Great Lakes State on Saturday evening with a clash against the Michigan State Spartans at Jenison Field House in East Lansing. Saturday's match is slated to begin at 5:30 p.m. CT.
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