October 21, 2009 - 7:59pm
Live Blog — No. 11 Michigan Volleyball vs. Michigan State
BY MARK BURNS
The N0. 11 Michigan volleyball team is on the road tonight against Michigan State inside the Jack Breslin Center. The Wolverines are currently sitting in third place in the Big Ten with a 5-3 record.
Stay tuned for live updates throughout the match.
7-5 Michigan
9-7 Michigan Last point by Michigan, kill by Courtney Fletcher
9-9 Michigan Ace by Michigan State ties it up.
11-10 Michigan
11-11
12-11 Michigan Slide set to Rood from Zimmerman.
12-12
15-13 MSU Michigan coach Mark Rosen calls his first time out of the first set. The Wolverines look a little disoriented right now. They aren't making good, clean passes/sets and I'm sure Rosen is letting his team know that they're going to have pick up their game if they expect to leave East Lansing with a win.
15-15
16-16
17-16 Michigan Big kill by Paz as the middle of the court was wide open for her.
17-17 Block by MSU.
18-18
19-18 Michigan
20-19 Michigan Another kill from Paz.
21-19 Michigan Michigan caught a partial block that sailed towards the Michigan bench. Paz laid out for the ball and senior Megan Bower was there to throw the ball back into play to Paz. The Brazilian then delivered a timely kill, forcing a MSU time out.
22-19 Michigan Kill by Hunt down the line.
23-19 Michigan Service ace by Paz that barely trickled over the net. MSU calls another time out.
24-19 Michigan Kill by sophomore Hunt.
24-20 Michigan Service error by Paz.
24-21 Michigan
24-22 Michigan Back-to-back shots by Hunt go long. Rosen calls his second time out.
24-23 Michigan
24-24 Net violation by the Wolverines. Another time out by Rosen. I don't like what I'm seeing from the maize and blue. They're coming a bit unraveled in the closing minutes of this first set. Momentum is on the side of the Spartans and this crowd is really getting into it.
25-24 Michigan
25-25 Blocking error by the Wolverines
26-26
27-26 MSU
27-27 Bill kill by Hunt quiets the Spartan crowd.
28-27 Kill by Fletcher to the far side of the court.
28-28
29-28 Michigan
29-29 Service error by Fletcher.
30-29 Michigan Kill by Bower from the right side of the court.
30-30 Lob shot from the Spartans gets the Wolverines napping.
31-30 Michigan Blocking error by the Spartans.
31-31
32-31 kill by Hunt to the far side of the court. She has done that a few times so far.
33-31 Attack error by the Spartans.
Michigan takes the first set in this in-state rivalry, 33-31.
Well, that was an exciting match. Michigan should have closed out MSU a bit earlier but just couldn't grab the 25th and final point. Hats off to MSU for playing tough.
Start of set two
1-1
2-1 Michigan Hunt from the back row. The Wolverines have been doing that a lot more this year and it has been working well for them.
3-1 Michigan Another kill from Hunt.
3-2 Michigan
3-3
It looks like Zimmerman dislocated a finger on the play. One of the Michigan trainers looks like he was trying to pull it back into place but she is going off the floor and freshman setter Catherine Yager is coming in the game.
5-3 Michigan
6-5 Michigan
7-7
Zimmerman is back in the game with some tape on her right hand. Yager did a nice job during the short time she was in the game.
8-7 Michigan
8-8 Service error by Hunt.
9-8 MSU Block by MSU.
11-9 MSU
11-10 MSU
11-11 Two kills from Rood. She has been doing a great job from the middle in the last few weeks.
12-12
15-12 MSU Time out by the Wolverines.
This is Michigan's largest deficit of the night.
15-14 MSU
16-14 MSU Kill by the Spartans.
16-15 MSU Paz again from the back row.
18-15 MSU
18-16 MSU Kill by Hunt.
19-16 MSU
20-16 MSU Time out by Rosen. The Wolverines are not getting clean passes/digs to Zimmerman. Looks to also be some miscommunication going on as well. Hopefully, Rosen can get this straightened out or we'll be heading into the break 1-1.
20-17 MSU
20-18 MSU Rood from the middle again.
20-19 MSU Zimmerman throws down a pancake and gets the ball to another Wolverine. The Spartans then have an attack error.
FYI: A pancake is when a player throws herself down parallel to the floor with her palm against the floor. The ball then hits the back of the hand, thus preventing a kill.
20-20
21-20 Michigan Lob shot from Paz over two blockers. Great play.
22-20 Michigan
22-21 Michigan
23-21 Michigan Rood from the middle. MSU is not picking up on this game plan at all.
23-22 Michigan
24-22 Michigan Zimmerman catches the Spartans sleeping as she throws a ball into the middle of the court.
Service ace by Paz gives the Wolverines a 25-22 second-set victory. Michigan leads the match 2-0 heading into the locker room.
I'll be back shortly.
Start of set three
1-1
2-2
3-3 Kill by the Spartans to the weak side of the court.
4-3 Michigan Rood on the kill.
8-4 Michigan
Time out MSU.
10-7 Michigan
11-10 Michigan
11-11 Solid block from two Spartans on a potential Paz kill.
12-11 Michigan Attack error from MSU.
13-11 Michigan
16-12 Michigan
16-13 Michigan Kill from MSU.
It feels like a library in here, seriously. There's probably 2,500 Spartan fans inside the Breslin and the 50 or so Wolverines are definitely louder. Good stuff.
20-14 Michigan
Time out MSU.
21-17 Michigan
22-17 Michigan Fletcher on the kill. Yager in the game for Zimmerman to serve. It looks like that right hand may be affecting Zimmerman's serving.
Zimmerman back in.
23-18 Michigan
23-20 Michigan Time out Michigan.
Rosen doesn't like the way things are looking right, even with his team up, and calls a good time out. The Wolverines are looking a little sloppy with the ball, something Rosen is probably telling them in the huddle.
23-21 Michigan
23-23 The Spartans get a block but then as the ball is going out of bounds on the Wolverine side of the net, it hits Paz. So, MSU gets the point and then the next play, there is an attacking error. The score is all knotted up at 23.
24-23 Michigan
25-24 Michigan Kill from Paz.
26-24 Michigan Block from Bower and Paz.
Michigan takes set three, 26-24 and the match, 3-0.
The Wolverines improve to 6-3 in the Big Ten and 18-4 overall. The team will head to Minnesota to take on the Golden Gophers Saturday at 7 p.m. central time.
Thanks for tuning in tonight.
