The Daily breaks down the conference schedule for The Michigan Volleyball team, and the many challenges it presents. Being one of the toughest conferences in the nation, almost every matchup in the Big Ten is sure to be a bloodbath.
In a tightly contested match, Michigan saw its season come to an end against No. 23 Colorado State in four sets.
Giving up only one set combined on the road, Michigan was led by strong starts, besting the Boilermakers on Wednesday and the Hoosiers on Friday.
Ending a nearly eight-year drought against Purdue, the Wolverines (9-9 Big Ten, 19-11 overall) upset the 15th-ranked Boilermakers (11-7, 21-8) in the last home match of the season.
The streak of losses to the Boilermakers finally ended Saturday night, as the Wolverines disposed of No. 15 Purdue in four sets.
With the Wolverines scrapping for every point, everything mattered in a game where the second and third sets ended 29-27 and 25-23, respectively.
After handling the Spartans easily in the first set on its way to a 25-20 victory, Michigan won the second and third sets — but by much slimmer margins.
After faltering against Northwestern, the Wolverines then faced the Fighting Illini – only a week after losing to them in Urbana-Champaign – but this time changed the outcome.
For the third time in three games, the Michigan volleyball team found itself playing a fifth set. And after all their struggles in the final frame, the Wolverines finally came out on top against the Fighting Illini.
The Wolverines lost the first two sets, rallied to win the third and fourth, but then conceded the final set of the hotly-contested match.