After a rough first set against Arizona State, frustration kicked in for the Michigan volleyball team. Early in the second, junior outside hitter Alex Hunt nailed the ball over the net from the back row and it pegged a Sun Devil in the face, providing the Wolverines with some momentum. From there, they took control.

Arizona State outplayed Michigan 25-12 in that first set on Friday. Eleven months and 94 sets have gone by since the Wolverines last lost a set by such a wide margin.

Though No. 21 Michigan has some newer faces this year, it didn’t take the team much time to realize what it had to do to defeat the Sun Devils and win another tournament title, their second in two weeks. The Wolverines focused on getting into a rhythm, and they did that on Friday night by winning the next three sets in their opening match of the Arizona State University Sheraton Tournament.

“I think that’s how sports go,” Michigan coach Mark Rosen said. “You can’t always play at the same level. They started off really well but we had to try to figure them out. As the match progressed, we found our rhythm. It would be nice to dominate the entire time but that’s not how it is in any sport really.”

The Wolverines (11-1) continued their run by defeating Utah and then Pacific, both in four-set matches to claim the tournament title. Michigan boasts a 4-0 record in four-set matches this season.

Michigan lost its first set to Pacific 25-16 but then claimed three straight by no fewer than six points in each.

Junior outside hitter Alex Hunt led the Wolverines with 23 kills and four service aces in their final match.

“There were times we went to Alex and went out of balance on purpose because she was so hot,” Rosen said. “You want to feed the hot player ... Other players were playing so well so they couldn’t just focus on her. She didn’t get the ball much more, she just played it more efficiently.”

Hunt tallied 68 kills over the entire weekend and has accounted for 20 or more kills in five of her matches this season, walking away with the tournament’s MVP award.

“Alex stepped up to the plate and kind of went nuts,” senior setter Lexi Zimmerman said. “I stepped back and said, ‘she’s really doing her thing now.’ I’ve always been an Alex Hunt fan.”

As the Wolverines prepare for their first Big Ten match against Iowa this Friday at Cliff Keen Arena, it was good for them to see their stars, like Hunt, at their peak, especially since Michigan played every player on its roster and sat some starters — Hunt included — for final sets last week.

Zimmerman set 132 assists in the three a games. She returns to Ann Arbor needing 25 to pass Linnea Mendoza for the most career assists in program history, all while adding to new faces on the roster — faces to receive her sets.

“I think Lexi’s relationship with the freshmen is developing,” Rosen said. “It’s nowhere near where it needs to be but we are progressing.”

Freshman middle blocker Jennifer Cross and freshman outside hitter Lexi Erwin have seen the most action this season of the incoming class. Both have adjusted to the unpredictability of Zimmerman’s sets and have done quite well. The two accumulated 29 kills over the weekend, and Cross leads the Big Ten for most blocks of any freshman with 36 to date.

"Any freshmen playing at this level is hard," Zimmerman said. "On a club team anyone playing on a D I team now was the best on their club team. They come into this atmosphere where everyone is good. It's not just talent but its mental strength, and they have been adjusting really fast because of their character and the support system we have on our team."