Michigan
17-11, 7-10Big Ten
Minnesota
28-2, 15-2Big Ten
Michigan Challenges Gophers in Three-Game Defeat
11/17/2000 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Site:Â Minneapolis, Minn. (Sports Pavilion)
Result:Â #8 Minnesota 3, Michigan 0 (16-14, 15-10, 15-13)
Records:Â Michigan (17-11, 7-10 Big Ten), Minnesota (28-2, 15-2 Big Ten)
Next U-M Match:Â Saturday, Nov. 18 -- at Iowa (Iowa City, Iowa), 7 p.m. CST
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- The University of Michigan volleyball team lost at No. 8-ranked Minnesota in three close games (16-14, 15-10, 15-13) on Friday (Nov. 17). Alija Pittenger (Virginia Beach, Va./First Colonial HS) had a match-high 16 digs to lead the Wolverines on the night.
The Wolverines (17-11, 7-10 Big Ten) started out slowly and found themselves down 5-0 before they earned their first point of the night, on a Chantel Reedus (Woodridge, Ill./Downers Grove South HS) kill. Michigan would rally from a 10-6 deficit to tie the game at 13-13 and eventually take a 14-13 lead. But Minnesota (28-2, 15-2 Big Ten) tied it at 14-14, then took the next two points to win the game. Reedus and Katrina Lehman (Bloomfield Hills, Mich./Marian HS) led the attack with four kills apiece, and Pittenger added five digs.
The Wolverines' posted their highest hitting percentage of the match in the second game (.140), but Minnesota countered with its highest percentage as well, at .250. The two teams went back and forth, and with the set tied at 8-8, kills by Minnesota's Stephanie Hagen and Nicole Branagh gave the Golden Gophers seven of the next nine points for the game. Branagh had six kills in the game en route to a match-high 16.
The Wolverines once again found themselves down in the third set, trailing 9-4 before making a comeback. With four kills from Lehman and Sarah Behnke (Baroda, Mich./Stevensville Lakeshore HS) and eight more digs from Pittenger, Michigan rallied to tie the game at 12-12. The Wolverines took a one-point lead following an attack error by Minnesota, but the Gophers won the next three points on a kill, block and an attack error by Michigan to take the match.
Michigan's next match is at Iowa on Saturday (Nov. 18, 7 p.m. CST) at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa.
MATCH BESTS
Kills: U-M 45 (Sarah Behnke, Katrina Lehman 10) Minnesota 52 (Nicole Branagh 16)
Assists: U-M 41 (Shannon Melka 30); Minnesota 48 (Lindsey Berg 44)
Service Aces: U-M 3 (Three players with 1); Minnesota 5 (Berg, Lisa Axel 2)
Digs: U-M 49 (Alija Pittenger 16); Minnesota 55 (Branagh 12)
Blocks: U-M 13 (Lehman 7); Minnesota 12 (Charnette Fair 6)
NOTES
• Michigan is now 10-9 this season against teams that competed in the 1999 NCAA Tournament.
QUOTES
Michigan Head Coach Mark Rosen
On the match in general ... "I thought we challenged a very good team tonight in every set. We are getting better as the season progresses, and that is important late in the season. We need to take the positives out of tonight's match and take that momentum into Iowa tomorrow night."
