After securing the first point of the match, it seemed as though the Michigan volleyball team would stay competitive with No. 1 Nebraska. As the Cornhuskers attempted to pull away on their home court, the Wolverines remained within striking distance through the first set, going on a seven-point run in the back half of the set.
Despite the run, Michigan needed to force Nebraska to attempt a second set point. Graduate outside hitter Allison Jacobs stepped up to the end line poised to deliver a kill. Instead of pushing the set on though, Jacobs’ serve flew into the net and the Cornhuskers secured the sideout, the first set and momentum that would carry them through the remainder of the competition.
The Wolverines entered the match hot off of decisive weekend victories over Notre Dame where they handed the Fighting Irish back-to-back sweeps. While Michigan (10-2 overall, 0-1 Big Ten) was only gaining confidence, its first true test came against the Cornhuskers (11-0, 1-0). Unable to rise to the challenge, the Wolverines were swept, 3-0, and suffered their second loss of the season.
“It was a disappointing outing by our group,” Michigan coach Erin Virtue said. “Credit to Nebraska, they took care of their side of the net. They did a really good job serving and we didn’t respond as well as we could have. The first set I liked the fight in our group, we just couldn’t regroup after that.”
The Wolverines started the match hot, staying on par with top-ranked Nebraska and its intense attacks. Through the first set, Michigan maintained a .323 hitting percentage and kept the Cornhuskers to .302. But as Nebraska gained momentum throughout the match — peaking at a .565 hitting percentage in the second set — the Wolverines fizzled out, ending the match with a measly .108 cumulative hitting percentage.
While the hitters struggled to put consistent pressure on the Cornhuskers’ defense, Michigan’s blockers worked overtime to mitigate Nebraska’s kills.
Leading the charge for the Wolverines, senior middle blocker Serena Nyambio secured the most blocks on both sides during the competition with four. Nyambio was key to keeping the Cornhuskers’ attacks under control, particularly in the first set where Nebraska tallied just a .419 kill percentage. Nyambio patrolled the front zone and was responsible for four and a half of Michigan’s total points during the match. Like the rest of the squad, though, Nyambio struggled to secure kills, and the usual power attacker ended the evening with a .000 hitting percentage.
“(Nyambio) was really really engaged in our blocking system and trying to make some adjustments against two really good middle blockers as well as pins against Nebraska,” Virtue said. “Her effort wasn’t enough for us tonight, but I really like the progress she’s making.”
But even the best players can’t make up for team-wide deficiencies. And Wednesday, those deficiencies came in the form of service errors and passing struggles. By the end of the competition, the Wolverines tallied eight service errors, effectively handing Nebraska eight easy points. While Michigan continued to combat the Cornhuskers’ serves, its persistence eventually faded and suffered five receiving errors.
Such mistakes and frustrations continued to grow as the match wore on and the Wolverines became more susceptible to Nebraska’s attacks. Where the Cornhuskers’ kills targeted precise holes on Michigan’s side of the court, the Wolverines’ attacks continually landed just wide, adding further insult to Michigan’s attacking woes. By the end of the competition, the Wolverines had secured a mere 45 total points.
“Ultimately, serving pass wins and loses volleyball games,” Jacobs said. “And they won that battle today. … They’re going to get kills because they’re a good team and we just need to have good failure recovery.”
For Michigan, the height of the competition came in the first set. When the Wolverines worked as a unit, little errors went unnoticed. But as the match continued, Nebraska’s attacks only grew more intense and Michigan was simply unable to keep up.
