As NCAA Tournament First Round hosts, the University of Michigan volleyball team jumped into the postseason with a sweep of American University (25-13, 25-23, 25-12) inside Crisler Center on Thursday evening (Dec. 1). The Wolverines advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament to play Oregon tomorrow night.
With a victory over American, Michigan will advance to the NCAA Second Round for the second-straight season and the twelfth time in program history.
Five Michigan players registered five-plus kills on the night with all hitting at least a .280 for an impressive .406 team kill percentage. Leading the charge with double-figure kills was junior Claire Kieffer-Wright, who tallied a team-leading 13 kills, while seniors Abby Cole and Kelly Murphy each added 10 kills apiece.
For the fifth-straight match, libero Jenna Lerg led the Wolverines defensively, recording 14 digs. Murphy also added seven, falling just three digs short of a double-double.
The Wolverines finished the match with a team .406 attack percentage, reaching the .400 mark for the first time since a win over Colgate in mid-September.
The match was Michigan's first in Crisler Center this season.
The Wolverines will continue their NCAA Tournament run on Friday (Dec. 2) when they return to the Crisler Center to face Oregon for a second round match at 7:30 p.m.
Credits:
Michigan Photography