Indiana University Athletics
Indiana University
Michigan
Hoosiers Fall at #20 Michigan
11/28/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Nov. 28, 2008
Final Stats
ANN ARBOR, Mich. - The Indiana University volleyball team dropped a 3-0 contest Friday night at #20 Michigan (24-26, 18-25, 21-25). Indiana next concludes the regular season with a road contest at Ohio State on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
Ashley Benson and Taylor Wittmer each performed well for the Hoosiers against Michigan. Benson stroked nine kills on 16 errorless swings for a .562 hitting efficiency while Wittmer was also errorless on the night, hitting at a .500 clip (10-0-20). The Hoosier duo also combined for six blocks in the contest. Erica Short matched Wittmer with a team-high 10 kills. Caitlin Cox led the way in the defensive backcourt, compiling 11 digs.
The opening set was certainly Indiana's best set as they held several four-point leads, including a 20-16 advantage. Wittmer was a force, connecting for the kill on seven of nine swings. IU hit .317 as a team for the set, but it was not enough as the Wolverines also ran an efficient offense and squeaked out a 26-24 winner.
Michigan burned a timeout at the previously-mentioned 20-16 point that marked the turning point of the match. The Wolverines were able to grab five of the next six points to even the score at 21-all. Wittmer then regained the lead for Indiana with a kill set up perfectly by Hayley Koetter, just one of 10 assists for Koetter in the set. Following a Wolverine kill, Wittmer pushed the Cream and Crimson ahead once again at 23-22 with yet another big swing set up by Koetter. Michigan responded by recording back-to-back kills of their own, however, to seized the lead for good. The Wolverines rode the momentum in set number two, leading from start to finish of a 25-18 final score.
The third set was tight once again, witnessing nine tie scores and a pair of lead changes. Another kill by Wittmer late in the frame put Indiana ahead 19-18. That would be the last time IU led though. Michigan won seven of the final nine points of the night for a 25-21 clincher.
Riding the proverbial "bubble" for NCAA Tournament qualification, the Cream and Crimson have one more regular season match Saturday night at Ohio State. With a victory over the Buckeyes, Indiana would improve to 16-14 overall, 9-11 in the Big Ten and capture at least a share of sixth place in the conference standings. The Big Ten Conference traditionally gets six, sometimes even seven, bids to the post-season championship.
Players Mentioned
