LOS ANGELES – Santa Clara volleyball, making its third postseason appearance in four years, fell to Michigan 3-1 in the first round of the NCAA tournament on Friday night at the John Wooden Center. The Broncos took the first set 25-20 but Michigan came back with three-straight set wins of 25-17, 25-17, and 25-20.

Nikki Hess led Santa Clara (22-9) with 15 kills and added nine digs. Sabrina Clayton had 11 kills and seven digs while Danielle Rottman led the Broncos with 29 digs and Kirsten Mead topped the team with 36 assists.

"I thought out team played really well tonight," Santa Clara head coach Jon Wallace said. "We played great defense but we struggled to score. It was hard for our girls to break through. Michigan is a good team but I liked our fight."

Michigan (20-12) was led by 13 kills from Claire Kieffer-Wright. Kelly Murphy added 12 kills and Jenna Lerg has a team-high 25 digs. Carly Warner had 38 assists.

The Wolverines commanded the early part of the match and got on top 5-2 before the Broncos came back strong and tied the first set at 10. The teams went back and forth — with neither side pulling ahead by more than two — until Santa Clara closed out the set with five straight points. Clayton had two kills, including the set-winner.

Mead led Santa Clara with 11 assists and Rottman added nine digs in the opening frame. Hess led the way with seven kills. Lerg led Michigan with 10 digs while no Wolverine had more than three kills.

The second set saw both teams go back and forth again. Michigan went on a 3-0 run to take a 13-10 lead and the Broncos called a timeout. Santa Clara came out of the break and tied the set at 13.

The Wolverines got back on top by three at 19-16 and Santa Clara called its final timeout of the set. Michigan came out of the break and scored the next five points to make it an 8-0 run. A kill by Hess got the Broncos on the board and made the score 24-17 but Michigan was able to close out the set to send it to the break tied 1-1.

Mead had seven assists in the second set and Rottman added 11 digs. Warner had 10 assists to lead Michigan.

Michigan started the third set on a 6-2 run that prompted Santa Clara to call a timeout. The Broncos got within three at 12-9 but the Wolverines took control of the set and took a 2-1 advantage with a 25-17 win.

After falling behind 7-4 to start the fourth set, the Broncos scored four straight to take a brief 8-7 lead, but Michigan came right back to take a 10-8 advantage. The teams would trade points with Santa Clara briefly taking a 17-16 lead.

Six straight points for Michigan put the Wolverines in a commanding position with a 22-17 edge. Mead's kill made it 22-18 but the Broncos couldn't mount a comeback and fell in four sets.

"This was a really good season for us," Wallace said. "We have five girls recognized by the West Coast Conference and we came together and fought all year. I couldn't be more proud of these girls and their development toward being a really good team. This group is going to take away a bond and as a coach that's really special."