Lucas Gentilia
Michigan volleyball defeated Michigan State in three consecutive sets Friday night in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Michigan took the first set 25-20. The set included several lead changes but ultimately the Wolverines prevailed. Michigan took an 18-17 lead on a kill by Allison Jacobs and never looked back, outscoring MSU 7-3 after that. During the set, Jacobs led Michigan with five kills while Serena Nyambio had four. Nyambio finished the set with a perfect hitting percentage.
Michigan dominated the majority of the second set, winning 25-22. After immediately jumping out to an 8-3 lead, the Wolverines seemed to take control of the set in commanding fashion. However, late in the set, the Spartans went on a 6-1 scoring run to tie the game at 21-21. Michigan scored three consecutive points to close the set and take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five match.
The Wolverines never conceded the lead in the third set, winning 25-17. Michigan finished the set on a 9-3 scoring run to close the match.
Jacobs led Michigan with 14 kills, expanding her team-leading total to 177 on the season. Valentina Vaulet had eight kills, while Kendyl Reaugh added seven. For Michigan State, Akasha Anderson led with 13 kills. Taylor Preston had seven while Zuzanna Kulig and Taylah Holdem added four each.
Michigan State fell to 7-5 on the season, while Michigan moved to 11-1.
Michigan State will head to University Park, Pennsylvania on Sunday for a match against No. 4 Penn State. The match is set for 2 p.m. on Big Ten Plus.