Michigan
12-12, 4-11Big Ten
Penn State
25-1, 15-0Big Ten
Wolverine Volleyball Swept by Top-Ranked Penn State
11/12/1999 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Site:Â State College, Pa. (Recreation Hall)
Result:Â #1 Penn State 3, Michigan 0 (15-2, 15-11, 15-6)
Records:Â U-M (12-12, 4-11 Big Ten), PSU (25-1, 15-0 Big Ten)
Next U-M Match:Â Sunday, Nov. 14 -- at Ohio State (Columbus, Ohio), 2 p.m.
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- The University of Michigan volleyball team fell victim to a Big Ten Conference foe for the fourth straight match after falling in three games (2-15, 11-15, 6-15) to No. 1 Penn State on Friday (Nov. 12). Junior outside hitter Alija Pittenger (Virginia Beach, Va./First Colonial HS) paced Michigan with a double-double in kills (12) and digs (10) and hit .353 (12-0-34) for the match.
The Wolverines started slowly in game one and trailed 7-0 before a kill by freshman middle blocker Katrina Lehman (West Bloomfield, Mich./Marian HS) gave Michigan its first point of the match. Lehman's kill, however, could not stifle Penn State's momentum and the only other Michigan point of the game came on an Anne Poglits (Bloomfield Hills, Mich./Livonia Ladywood HS) service ace. Michigan, which hit .156 (9-4-32) opposed to .531 (18-1-32) for Penn State, eventually fell 15-2 in game one.
Game two proved the tightest of the match and saw Michigan take a 6-5 lead after scoring four consecutive points from the serve of Nicole Kacor (Chicago, Ill./Mother McAuley HS). Michigan's four-point run included three Nittany Lion attack errors and an ace from Kacor. After Penn State took the lead back 10-6, Michigan answered with another four-point rally to knot the game at 10 apiece. Michigan freshman defensive specialist Sarah McGuire (Cranberry Township, Pa./Seneca Valley HS) served three of Michigan's four-point run, while Pittenger recorded two of her seven game-two kills. Michigan, however, was unable to reclaim the lead as Penn State took control of the game with the next four points to lead 14-10 and eventually win game two 15-11. Game two was Michigan's best attacking game with a mark of .231 (19-7-52).
Michigan came out of intermission slowly in game three as Penn State took a big early lead (6-0), similar to game one. Lehman and Pittenger combined for a block to start a mini-run by the Wolverines, who scored three of the next four points to cut Penn State's lead to 7-3. Michigan was sparked in game three by freshman outside hitter Dana Chapman (Perrysburg, Ohio/Perrysburg HS), who recorded a Michigan game-high eight kills. The two teams traded the next six points as Penn State maintained its four-point lead (10-6) and expanded it by scoring the final five points of the game for a 15-6 game-three win and a 3-0 match victory.
The Wolverines continue their weekend road trip on Sunday (Nov. 14) with a 2 p.m. match at Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. Michigan's match vs. the Buckeyes will be televised by FoxSports Chicago and aired on a tape-delay basis at a date and time to be determined.
MATCH BESTS
Kills: U-M 45 (Alija Pittenger 12); PSU 63 (Katie Schumacher 22)
Assists: U-M 41 (Shannon Melka 35); PSU 58 (Bonnie Bremner 51)
Service Aces: U-M 3 (Nicole Kacor 2); PSU 4 (Carrie Schonveld 2)
Digs: U-M 48 (Melka 14); PSU 63 (Amanda Rome 16)
Blocks: U-M 3 (Katrina Lehman 2); PSU 5 (Rome, Lauren Cacciamani 3)
NOTES
• Dana Chapman's eight kills is a career high.
• Alija Pittenger's double-double in kills (12) and digs (10) was her seventh of the season.
• Katrina Lehman's 10 kills was the second highest total of her career, and her .364 (10-2-22) hitting percentage was her best with at least 10 attack attempts.
• Shannon Melka (Wheaton, Ill./St. Francis HS) led the Wolverines in assists (35) and digs (14). It was the fourth time this season and the second straight match Melka has paced the Maize and Blue in digs.
