Off to the best start in program history, the Michigan volleyball team looked to prove it was worthy of the top spot in the Big Ten during a weekend trip against Indiana and Purdue. Instead the Wolverines were served disappointment.

The team managed to salvage a split out of what was thought to be an off-week for No. 13 Michigan (8-2 Big Ten, 19-3 overall).

The Wolverines looked flat in Friday’s contest at Indiana (4-5 Big Ten, 16-5 overall), struggling on both sides of the ball. Defensively they were out of sync and offensively they struggled with a feeble .093 attack percentage. They went on to lose in Bloomington (25-16, 25-15, 25-21).

“(Indiana) played extremely well,” Michigan coach Mark Rosen said on Saturday. “We didn’t do a very good job of forcing them to adjust and we just kind of let them play hot. We didn’t play defense at the level that I know we are capable of.”

The Hoosiers dominated the net with 12 blocks to Michigan’s two, taming the Wolverines’ high-powered offense. While junior outside hitter Alex Hunt and senior setter Lexi Zimmerman both posted solid numbers, the team struggled and did not lead until a Hunt service ace put them up 5-4 in the third set.

After dropping Friday’s match to the unranked Hoosiers, the Wolverines rebounded against Purdue. Michigan seized an early two-set lead attributable to a hot start from Hunt and undisciplined play from the Boilermakers.

However, Purdue (5-5 Big Ten, 14-7 overall) drummed something up and took over defensively with a persistent blocking game and fewer mistakes. The Wolverines, on the other hand, were off beat in the third and fourth sets.

“I don’t think we made the greatest choices,” Rosen said after the game. “We stopped playing defense at the level that we had been playing in game one and two, and we weren’t getting the kills that we were getting in game one and two. So, we just got a little loose and sloppy.”

The large Michigan lead slipped away as the Boilermakers pulled ahead 7-6 in the fifth and final set. However, the Wolverine middle blockers rose to the occasion. Freshman Jennifer Cross and junior Courtney Fletcher led the Wolverines to a dramatic victory combining for 7 kills in the set, along with continued solid play from Hunt and Zimmerman.

Hunt accounted for the game-winner – her 26th kill of the match – as Zimmerman posted a double-double with 58 assists, 12 digs and five kills. The Wolverines went on to defeat the Boilermakers in five sets (25-19, 25-19, 21-25, 16-25, 15-12).

“As a team, we knew that we needed to go out and win the match after losing to Indiana the night before," Fletcher said. “We knew what we needed to do so we just went out and executed.”

With the split, the Wolverines drop out of a tie for first in the Big Ten standings with Illinois, but continue their best start in team history. Next week, Michigan will look to regain the top spot as it hits the road to take on No. 6 Illinois and then moves on to Madison for a battle against the Badgers.