Volleyball wins NCAA First Round match vs. Santa Clara

NCAA Tournament hopes looked grim at one point during the season.

Michigan was on a 4-match losing streak, all against ranked B1G teams and without a signature win on the tournament resume. 

Then Michigan turned it on. They went into Columbus and beat down #14 Ohio State in straight sets and then made history by upsetting #4 Penn State on the road for the first time in program history. 

Michigan secured its NCAA Tournament bid with those wins, but removed ALL doubt when they beat #18 Illinois on senior night. 

Michigan played Santa Clara tonight in Los Angeles in the NCAA First Round. Michigan dropped the first set 25-20, but then won the next two sets 25-17 and won the fourth set 25-20 to take the match 3-1, giving the Wolverines their first NCAA Tournament win since the 2013 NCAA Elite 8 when they upset 2 Stanford. 

Claire Kieffer-Wright led Michigan in kills at 13, with Kelly Murphy just behind her at 12.

Michigan will most likely play at 14 UCLA (the host of tonight's match) tomorrow at 10pm on Pac-12 Network. They're pummeling Lipscomb right now. 

Don't sleep on the Wolverines. They stunned 10 Louisville on the road the last time they played in the NCAA Second Round and went on to the Final 4 in that tournament.