Weekly Release #7
10/10/2000 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Upcoming Schedule
Friday, Oct. 13 -- at Northwestern (Evanston, Ill), 7 p.m. CDT
Saturday, Oct. 14 -- at Wisconsin (Madison, Wis.), 7 p.m. CDT
Wednesday, Oct. 18 -- vs. Notre Dame (Cliff Keen Arena), 7 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 20 -- vs. Iowa (Cliff Keen Arena), 7 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 21 -- vs. Minnesota (Cliff Keen Arena), 7 p.m.
Wolverines Hit Big Ten Road for Big Weekend
The University of Michigan volleyball team, which is 11-5 overall, 2-4 in Big Ten play and currently sitting alone in seventh place in the conference, returns to Big Ten action with a pair of road matches this weekend. First, Michigan travels to Evanston, Ill., on Friday (Oct. 13, 7 p.m. CDT) to face Northwestern University at Welsh-Ryan Arena. The Wolverines close out their weekend road trip by facing No. 7 Wisconsin at the Wisconsin Field House in Madison, Wis., on Saturday (Oct. 14, 7 p.m. CDT). Michigan swept the Wildcats in 1999, while losing both matches to Wisconsin.
Wisconsin Match to Air on Midwest Sports Channel
The Michigan vs. Wisconsin contest on Saturday (Oct. 14) at 7 p.m. CDT will be televised live on Midwest Sports Channel.
Scouting the Opponents
Northwestern: Northwestern (4-12, 1-5 Big Ten) is directed by first-year head coach Keylor Chan and is tied for eighth in the Big Ten ... Northwestern has lost four straight matches ... Northwestern's only Big Ten win came against Penn State in five games ... The Wildcats are 4-2 at home in 2000 ... Northwestern on the Internet: www.nusports.com.
All-Time Series: U-M leads, 21-18
In the 1990s: U-M leads, 16-4
Current "W" Streak: U-M, 11
Longest Series "W" Streak: U-M, 11 (11/26/94-current)
No. 7 Wisconsin: ... Wisconsin (15-2, 5-1 Big Ten) has won 12 of its last 13, including a 3-0 win at then-No. 5 Minnesota (Oct. 6) ... Wisconsin is 6-1 at home, with its only loss coming to then-No. 19 Ohio State in five games ... Wisconsin is 17-3 in Big Ten games in 2000 ... Wisconsin on the Internet: www.wisc.edu/ath.
All-Time Series: UW leads, 26-13
In the 1990s: UW, led 14-6
Current "W" Streak: UW, 7
Longest Series "W" Streak: UW, 10 (10/2/87-10/3/92)
Wolverines Look to Extend Streak Over Wildcats
When Michigan faces Northwestern on Friday (Oct. 13), the Wolverines will be attempting to extend to 12 matches their longest current win streak over any team in the Big Ten. During its 11-match win streak, Michigan has swept Northwestern on six occasions, including in each of the last five matches at Northwestern. Michigan last lost to Northwestern on Sept. 23, 1994, in three games at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Here is a look at Michigan's five straight three-game sweeps at Northwestern:
| Nov. 4, 1995 | 17-15, 15-1, 15-9 |
| Oct. 5, 1996 | 15-11, 16-14, 15-13 |
| Oct. 29, 1997 | 15-9, 15-5, 15-3 |
| Oct. 2, 1998 | 15-7, 15-12, 15-12 |
| Nov. 26, 1999 | 15-11, 15-6, 15-9 |
Fielder Ready for Cats
Michigan middle blocker Joanna Fielder (Costa Mesa, Calif./Newport Harbor HS) enjoyed a pair of dominant performances over Northwestern in Michigan's two wins a year ago. Fielder recorded 32 kills (4.57 kpg) and 12 blocks (1.7 bpg) in the two Michigan victories, while hitting at a clip of .333 (32-9-69). Fielder leads Michigan's frontcourt players in 2000 with a hitting percentage of .278 (156-62-338).
Michigan vs. NCAA Tournament Opponents
Michigan's match this weekend at Wisconsin will mark the 11th match this season that the Wolverines have faced a team that made the 1999 NCAA Tournament field. Thus far in 2000, Michigan is 6-4 vs. 1999 NCAA Tournament participants.
| 9/2 | vs. Sacramento State | W, 3-0 (15-7, 15-8, 15-10) |
| 9/2 | at #11 Pacific | L, 0-3 (13-15, 12-15, 12-15) |
| 9/15 | vs. Houston | W, 3-2 (6-15, 15-7, 14-16, 15-8, 15-13) |
| 9/16 | vs. Virginia | W, 3-0 (15-1, 15-4, 15-6) |
| 9/16 | at Arkansas | W, 3-0 (15-5, 15-11, 15-9) |
| 9/20 | at Michigan State | L, 2-3 (15-11, 11-15, 13-15, 15-6, 5-15) |
| 9/24 | at Ohio State | L, 1-3 (11-15, 9-15, 15-11, 7-15) |
| 9/29 | at Illinois | W, 3-0 (15-8, 15-10, 15-10) |
| 10/6 | vs. Indiana | W, 3-2 (14-16, 15-7, 2-15, 15-6, 15-9) |
| 10/7 | vs. Penn State | L, 2-3 (17-15, 15-12, 3-15, 13-15, 10-15) |
Streaks of Seven
Michigan will be looking for its first win over Wisconsin in eight tries when the Wolverines travel to Madison, Wis., on Saturday (Oct. 7). Michigan last beat Wisconsin on Oct. 11, 1996, in a three-game sweep in front of a national television audience on ESPN2. The Maize and Blue nearly broke the streak last year in Ann Arbor when they pushed the Badgers to a fifth game before falling 4-15, 11-15, 15-10, 15-8, 9-15. Michigan was paced in that match by Sarah Behnke (Baroda, Mich./Lakeshore HS), who recorded 18 kills and 12 digs in the loss. Michigan will also be looking for its first win in its last eight matches in Wisconsin on Saturday. Michigan last defeated the Badgers in the Wisconsin Field House on Oct. 3, 1992, winning a five-game thriller 15-11, 15-9, 5-15, 13-15, 15-11.
Behnke Enters Top 10
Senior outside hitter Sarah Behnke registered 12 kills in a 3-2 win over Indiana (Oct. 6) and a Michigan season-best 26 kills in a 3-2 loss to Penn State (Oct. 7) and in the process entered the top 10 on Michigan's all-time kills list. Behnke, who now has 930 career kills, has moved into eighth place the Wolverine career list for kills.
Michigan's Career Kill Leaders
| 1. | Karen Chase (1995-98) | 1261 |
| 2. | Michelle Horrigan (1989-93) | 1124 |
| 3. | Sarah Jackson (1994-97) | 1084 |
| 4. | Karen Marshall (1986-89) | 1060 |
| 5. | Marie Ann Davidson (1985-88) | 1046 |
| 6. | Shannon Brownlee (1993-95) | 995 |
| 7. | Fiona Davidson (1990-93) | 992 |
| 8. | Sarah Behnke (1997-current) | 930 |
| 9. | Jeanine Szczesniak (1995-98) | 909 |
| 10. | JoAnna Collias (1990-93) | 903 |
Spikers Split Two-Match Homestand
For the second consecutive weekend, Michigan has split a pair of conference matches. On Friday (Oct. 6), Michigan came back from a 2-1 deficit to defeat Indiana 3-2 (14-16, 15-7, 2-15, 15-6, 15-9) in front of 1,108 fans at the Wolverines' annual "Rock The House" promotional night. Junior outside hitter Nicole Kacor (Chicago, Ill./Mother McAuley HS) paced the Wolverine win with 19 kills and 22 digs. On Saturday, Michigan led defending national champion Penn State 2-0 heading into intermission, before a Nittany Lion comeback dealt Michigan a 3-2 (15-17, 12-15, 15-3, 15-13, 15-10) defeat. Despite the loss, Joanna Fielder played one of her most complete matches of the season, hitting .382 (19-6-34) and collecting 12 digs vs. the 12th-ranked team in the country.
Near Triple-Double for Pittenger
Senior outside hitter Alija Pittenger (Virginia Beach, Va./First Colonial HS) nearly registered the first triple-double for kills, assists and digs in the Wolverines' loss to Penn State. Pittenger recorded a personal season-best 14 assists to along with 16 digs, but was held to just nine kills. It was only the sixth time in 16 matches this season that Pittenger has failed to collect double-digits in kills.
Hitting at a Record Rate
Just past the halfway point of the 2000 season, the Wolverines are on pace to challenge the school record for team hitting percentage in a season. The school record, which was set by the 1997 squad, is .238 (2070-834-5201). The 2000 Wolverines' current hitting percentage is .237 (1003-412-2497). Michigan has hit .300 or better in six of its 16 matches this season.
Conference Best
Junior outside hitter Nicole Kacor remains at the top of the Big Ten Conference in digs (4.07 dpg) and has begun to find her groove attacking as well. Kacor has collected 75 kills (4.41 kpg) in her last four matches and has also notched a double-double in kills and digs in each of those four matches. The only other Wolverine to record double-doubles in kills and digs for four consecutive matches in 2000 was Alija Pittenger, who turned the trick from Sept. 9-16.
USA Today/AVCA Division I Coaches Top 25 (10/9/00)
Team Pts Record LW 1. Nebraska (49) 1489 15-0 1 2. Hawaii (10) 1447 14-0 2 3. Colorado State 1369 18-1 3 4. Southern Cal (1) 1334 13-0 4 5. Pepperdine 1240 13-2 6 6. Arizona 1192 14-1 7 7. Wisconsin 1061 15-2 10 8. Minnesota 1055 16-1 5 9. Florida 993 13-3 9 10. UCLA 973 10-5 8 11. Ohio State 960 16-0 11 12. Penn State 788 14-4 12 13. Pacific 783 13-3 14 14. Cal-Santa Barbara 707 11-4 15 15. Utah 694 13-2 16 16. Santa Clara 580 14-1 17 17. Brigham Young 565 11-5 13 18. Long Beach State 521 11-4 18 19. Michigan State 366 11-4 19 20. Notre Dame 340 13-4 20 21. Stanford 271 9-6 21 22. Texas A&M 223 10-4 23 23. Loyola Marymount 197 12-5 22 24. Missouri 90 14-2 NR 25. Utah State 74 12-5 25
Tracking Michigan in the Polls
Aug. 14 24th (preseason poll) Sept. 4 25th Sept. 11 23rd Sept. 18 21st Sept. 25 25th Oct. 2 Not Ranked Oct. 9 Not Ranked
2000 Season Match Bests (through Oct. 7)
TEAM Kills 98, vs. Houston (9/15) Attempts 262, vs. Houston (9/15) Hit Pct. .389 (53-16-95) vs. New Mexico (9/8) Assists 93, vs. Houston (9/15) Service Aces 10, at Michigan State (9/20) Digs 122, vs. Houston (9/15) Block Solo 4, vs. Maryland (9/1) 4, at Ohio State (9/24) Block Assist 24, vs. Houston (9/15) Total Blocks 13, vs. Houston (9/15) INDIVIDUAL Kills 26, Sarah Behnke vs. Penn State (10/7) Attempts 60, Sarah Behnke at Michigan State (9/20) Hit Pct. .900 (9-0-10), K. Lehman vs. New Mexico (9/8) Assists 85, Shannon Melka vs. Houston (9/15) Service Aces 6, Katrina Lehman at Michigan State (9/20) Digs 36, Alija Pittenger vs. Houston (9/15) Block Solo 2, accomplished 4 times, last by Joanna Fielder vs. Indiana (10/6) Block Assist 9, Joanna Fielder vs. Houston (9/15) Total Blocks 9, Joanna Fielder vs. Houston (9/15)Big Ten Conference Team Records (through Oct. 8)
BIG TEN OVERALL 1. Ohio State 6-0 1.000 16-0 1.000 2. Minnesota 5-1 .833 16-1 .941 Wisconsin 5-1 .833 15-2 .882 4. Michigan State 4-2 .667 11-4 .733 Iowa 4-2 .667 8-6 .571 6. Penn State 3-3 .500 14-4 .778 7. MICHIGAN 2-4 .333 11-5 .688 8. Indiana 1-5 .167 10-6 .625 Illinois 1-5 .167 10-7 .588 Purdue 1-5 .167 9-9 .500 Northwestern 1-5 .167 4-12 .250
This Week in the Big Ten
Wednesday, Oct. 11
Iowa at Minnesota, 7 p.m. CDT
Friday, Oct. 13
Michigan at Northwestern, 7 p.m. CDT
Purdue at Penn State, 7:30 p.m. EDT
Illinois at Indiana, 7 p.m. CDT
Michigan State at Wisconsin, 7 p.m. CDT
Ohio State at Minnesota, 7 p.m. CDT
Saturday, Oct. 14
Michigan at Wisconsin, 7 p.m. CDT
Illinois at Penn State, 7:30 p.m. EDT
Purdue at Indiana, 7 p.m. CDT
Ohio State at Iowa, 7 p.m. CDT
Michigan State at Northwestern, 7 p.m. CDT
Big Ten Statistical Rankings
ALL GAMES TEAM INDIVIDUAL Hit Pct. 7th (.237) Nicole Poquette, 7th (.385) Assists 2nd (15.86) Shannon Melka, 4th (13.26) Blocks 11th (2.20) Katrina Lehman, 10th (1.14) Kills 3rd (17.28) Sarah Behnke, 9th (3.90) Aces 5th (1.59) Katrina Lehman, 4th (0.50) Alija Pittenger, 7th (0.43) Digs 2nd (17.31) Nicole Kacor, 1st (4.07) Alija Pittenger, 2nd (3.71) BIG TEN TEAM INDIVIDUAL Hit Pct. 8th (.200) Assists 4th (15.42) Shannon Melka, 6th (12.85) Blocks 11th (1.60) Kills 4th (16.96) Aces 6th (1.23) Katrina Lehman, 3rd (0.46) Digs 4th (15.81) Nicole Kacor, 1st (3.85)
Michigan's 2000 Record ...
vs. ranked opponents 0-4 vs. unranked opponents 11-1 ALL three-game matches 9-1 ALL four-game matches 0-2 ALL five-game matches 2-2 BIG TEN three-game matches 1-0 BIG TEN four-game matches 0-2 BIG TEN five-game matches 1-2 in game one (ALL) 11-5 in game two (ALL) 12-4 in game three (ALL) 11-5 in game four (ALL) 3-3 in game five (ALL) 2-2 total games won-lost (ALL) 39-19 total games won-lost (BIG TEN) 12-14 points in total games (ALL) 773-592 points in total games (BIG TEN) 311-327 at Cliff Keen Arena (home) 5-1 on the road (away/neutral) 6-4
Contact: Rich Marion (734) 763-4423
