Michigan Women’s Lacrosse to Play Akron in First Round of NCAA Tournament

The NCAA women’s lacrosse tournament bracket has been solidified, and the first round begins Friday, May 9th, with the 13th ranked Wolverines set to face off against the Akron Zips. The teams will face off Friday afternoon at 2pm CT. The winner will advance to take on #3 Northwestern who earned themselves a first-round bye.

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The Michigan and Akron lacrosse squads are pretty evenly matched, with Akron coming into the tournament at 11-7 and Michigan at 12-6. Akron won both of their matchups in the Mid-American Conference tournament against Eastern Michigan and Robert Morris, while Michigan, granted in a more difficult conference in the Big Ten, won against #25 USC, but fell to #7 Maryland in their conference tournament.

The Wolverines Have Truly Earned Their NCAA Tournament Bid

Head coach Hannah Nielsen and her Wolverines have fought hard for their #13 ranking and NCAA tournament bid, their fifth in program history. In 2024, the Wolverines made their first and only quarterfinal appearance, losing to #2 Boston College in only their fourth loss of that season. This season, the Wolverines are hoping to finish what they started, and complete a tournament run that goes beyond the quarterfinals until the very end.

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The Wolverines rank seventh in the nation in scoring defense, only allowing 8.89 goals per game. Additionally, junior defender Grace Callahan ranks seventh in the conference in forced turnovers, with 23 on the season. For her performance this season, Callahan was named to the All-Big Ten first team, along with graduate midfielder Ava Class, senior attacker Jill Smith, and senior goalie Erin O’Grady, who was also named Big Ten Goaltender of the Year for her performance this season.

As they gear up for round one of the tournament Friday afternoon, the Michigan women’s lacrosse squad has closed out a truly successful regular season, and is eager to see it through to the very end.

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