Not a bad way to end a season - four straight victories to steal sixth place in the Big Ten.
The Michigan women's volleyball team defeated Illinois and Iowa over the weekend to close the season at 14-17 overall and 9-11 in the conference.
As recently as a month ago, the Wolverines were staring at a ninth-place finish. But a final surge at the end of the season has thrust Michigan into sixth place, its fourth-best Big Ten finish in the 12 seasons that the conference has used the current scheduling format.
The first of Michigan's two weekend victories did not come easily. On Friday, the Wolverines faced then sixth-place Illini (8-12 Big Ten, 13-15 overall).
The match turned out to be a gut-wrenching contest, with Michigan rallying from two games behind to win, 4-15, 15-17, 15-13, 15-13, 18-16.
After being walloped in the first game, the Wolverines managed a close second game, tying the match at 15 before dropping the final two points.
Michigan forced a decisive fifth game after holding on in game three and a tight game-four victory. Game five proved to be a good old-fashioned barn-burner, with the Wolverines and the Illini tangled up in nine ties. Michigan finally broke through and won the match on a blocking error by Illinois.
The victory featured several standout performances, including record-breaking ones. Michigan setter Linnea Mendoza recorded 95 assists, breaking the team's previous single-match record of 80, set by Mendoza last week against Purdue. The total is the third-highest ever by a Big Ten player, and the highest by any player in the conference this season.
Mendoza's distribution of the ball to all the hitters was instrumental in the victory. The biggest beneficiaries of her sets were outside hitter Kristen Ruschiensky, who had a season-high 24 kills, and outside hitter Karen Chase and middle blocker Sarah Jackson who recorded 21 kills apiece.
On Saturday, the Wolverines played on their home court for the final time this season. The Hawkeyes (5-15, 10-21) were all that was in the way of Michigan's drive to capture sixth place.
Michigan coach Greg Giovanazzi started the match with Meg Akehi, Shareen Luze, Erin McGovern and Ruschiensky - four seniors playing in their last match at Michigan.
The fourth game turned out to be the decisive one in the match. The Wolverines stormed out to a 14-0, lead with Jeanine Szczesniak serving 11 of the points.
The Hawkeyes couldn't rally from that point, and the Wolverines eventually won, 15-11, 17-15, 15-10, 15-5.
Mendoza finished with 45 assists, giving her 1,359 for the season - a total surpassed only by Mendoza's mark last year.
Luze and Jackson again led the offense, each tallying 17 kills.
Michigan's season has ended. At 9-11 in the conference, the Wolverines are unlikely to be invited to compete in the NCAA tournament. The NIVC tournament, designed for those teams that were not selected for the NCAAs, has been eliminated this season for unspecified reasons.
However, the Wolverines do have hope for the future. Four of the five regular starters will be returning for next season and several freshmen and sophomores, such as Maggie Cooper and Anne Poglits, saw significant playing time during the season.
JEANNIE SERVAAS/Daily
Linnea Mendoza (facing), Michigan volleyball's all-time assist leader, had her season end over the weekend as the Wolverines finished sixth place in the Big Ten.