Undefeated following the first weekend, the Michigan volleyball team kept the dominance filtering through the first set against Eastern Michigan, yet around the second and third, found itself trudging to complete another resilient finish.
With Crisler Center speckled in green from the Eagles, a team that could just about call Ann Arbor home as much as the Wolverines can, Michigan (3-0) still persevered during its home opener against Eastern Michigan (2-2). The Wolverines were slightly hindered by errors in its match against its backyard opponents, but still swept 3-0.
Michigan offensively controlled the first set, posting a team hitting percentage of .567 compared to the Eagles .125. The opening point was led by sophomore middle blocker Jenna Hanes, who stunned Eastern Michigan with a kill at the 10 foot line — an impossible ball to return. In her first start, sophomore setter Ellie White contributed seven setter assists and two aces.
Halfway through, taking a timeout and behind 12-4, the Eagles hoped to close the gap. But to end the first set, redshirt sophomore opposite hitter Sydney Schnichels found the space between two opponents and tallied a kill as Eastern Michigan watched the score sail past their eyes for a weak close of 25-12.
The aggressiveness in the first set by the Wolverines didn’t prosper for long, as the Eagles sneakily built a comeback and used Michigans’ five second-set errors to its advantage.
“I love the way Eastern pushed us, especially in the second and definitely in the third,” Michigan coach Erin Virtue said. “But with a young part of the season, it’s good to learn a lot about ourselves.”
Early in the season, and especially in its first home game, Michigan was fortunate to have the advantage of focusing on its new necessities of consistency and growth. Through the next two sets, there were challenges, but the Wolverines still found their way to win.
Moving to its opposite side, Michigan opened the second set with a kill by junior opposite hitter Lydia Johnson that set off a 3-0 run. For a moment, every time the Eagles pancaked the ball, senior outside hitter Allison Jacobs retaliated with a strategic kill. At this point, it seemed the Wolverines were performing similarly to the last set and seemed to be concourse to pull the win easily.
Though, by its 12th point, Michigan found trouble, and Michigan was tied with Eastern Michigan.
Only down by three or four points for most of the second set, the Eagles slowly chipped away their 13-point first-set loss from earlier. The Wolverines made multiple attack errors and over hit on several occasions, causing a second-set falter.
Eastern Michigan paid attention to Michigan’s details, but was unable to attain the lead. Jacobs stayed poised in doing what she does best: finding open spaces along the outskirts of the court, making the point and grinning ear-to-ear. Despite the common early season mistakes, the Wolverines still came out on top over the Eagles and kept a second-set win, 25-19.
“We do a really great job at staying calm under pressure,” Hanes said. “They had a little bit of a run, but each point in volleyball resets. It’s really easy to catch back up, and puts us in a good position to get back in the game.”
Even when the momentum shifted momentarily, Michigan remained composed to find areas of opportunity. Driving ahead through their third set, the Wolverines remembered to mentally reset and build towards the next point.
However, they were unable to connect those opportunities right away and Eastern Michigan launched the third set in a 4-0 run with the first point coming from an attack error by Michigan.
The Wolverines were ready for a sweep and the Eagles were looking to force another set. Responding, but never gaining the lead, Michigan went back and forth, exchanging through points eight, nine and 10. Eastern Michigan kept playing well offensively, generating sets into kills, to yet again pull away 12-10 and pressure a Wolverine timeout.
“Our setters do such a good job on keeping the ball in system,” Hanes said. “I think having such an offensive team and so many threats, frees a block up for us.”
Setting is what would help Michigan pull away in the third set, as junior setter Morgan Burke hoisted six assists, thus creating opportunity for Hanes’s two kills, keeping the Wolverines in the contest. At point 18, the Eagles tied again, but Michigan pulled away to seal the sweep, with the final point falling in the hands of a classic Jacobs kill.
Even though the Wolverines triumphed early on, they learned there is room for improvement. It wasn’t a serene 3-0 sweep, as the Eagles just trailed by 10 points in the next two sets combined. However, Michigan demonstrated it can handle the struggle and use it as an opportunity to push for the win, remaining undefeated for another day.
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