Michigan
0-1
UCLA
1-0
Michigan Falls to No. 7-Ranked UCLA in Season Opener
8/31/2001 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Site: Honolulu, Hawaii (Stan Sheriff Center)
Event: Hawaiian Airlines Classic (Day 1)
Result: #7 UCLA 3, Michigan 0 (30-25, 30-17, 30-21)
Records: U-M (0-1), UCLA (1-0)
Next U-M Match: Saturday, Sept. 1 -- at #5 Hawaii in Hawaiian Airlines Classic (Honolulu, Hawaii), 7 p.m. HST
HONOLULU -- The youth-filled University of Michigan volleyball team fell 3-0 (30-25, 30-17, 30-21) to No. 7 UCLA Friday (Aug. 31) at the Hawaiian Airlines Classic at Hawaii's Stan Sheriff Center. Sophomore Erin Moore (Tiffin, Ohio/Columbian HS) led the way for the Wolverines with a team-high 14 kills and .360 attack percentage in the first match of the 2001 season. Senior Nicole Kacor (Chicago, Ill./Mother McAuley HS) tied UCLA's Kristee Porter with a match-high nine digs.
Michigan took a 3-1 lead to open the first game, but UCLA came back and built a 14-8 advantage. Michigan rallied to tie the game at 21-21 before falling to the Bruins 30-25. In the second game, Michigan struggled to put together any offense, hitting -.028 in the game as a team, and fell 30-17.
For the third game, the Wolverines' lineup consisted on three freshmen, two sophomores and the team's lone junior, Katrina Lehman (Bloomfield Hills, Mich./Marian HS), who finished the match with two service aces and two block assists. Unable to catch up after falling behind 8-3, Michigan lost the game 30-21 to give the Bruins a three-game sweep.
In addition to Moore's performance, bright spots for the Wolverines included sophomore Chantel Reedus (Woodridge, Ill./Downers Grove South HS) with six kills and a .214 attack percentage and freshman Carrie Ritchie (Mansfield, Ohio/Madison Comprehensive HS) posting a .333 hitting percentage and serving up two aces with no errors in the match.
Michigan returns to the court to face No. 5 Hawaii on Saturday (Sept. 1) at 7 p.m. HST. The Rainbow Wahine defeated No. 19 Kansas State, Michigan's opponent on Sunday (Sept. 2), in five games Friday night (Aug. 31).
NOTES
• The match against UCLA was the first in which the Wolverines have played using the new rally-scoring format for all five games. Under the new rules, each serve results in a point. The winner in the first four games of a five-game match is the first team to reach 30 points and lead by two points. The game five winner is the first team to reach 15 points and lead by two points.
QUOTES
Michigan Head Coach Mark Rosen
On the match ... "In the first game, we played well. We fell behind early, but we tied it up in the low 20s. We struggled at the end, but overall, I think we played well. In the second game, we just didn't play well at all. However, we came back with a young lineup in the third game -- three freshmen, two sophomores and one junior -- and played pretty well. They made mistakes that a young lineup will make. They did hit well in the match, but we gave up a hitting percentage of over .500 to UCLA."
On the team's overall play ... "We really struggled with our ball control. We just didn't pass well. Our defense wasn't where it needs to be. I think that hurt us more than anything. UCLA is a good team, but I thought we could play with them if we executed well; we just didn't play well enough to be successful."
On the rest of the weekend ... "We face Hawaii tomorrow night. They had a good win over Kansas State tonight after losing the first two games. They are going to be tough, and Kansas State is a solid team as well. This should be a tough weekend for us. We're going with a young lineup tomorrow. We want to get the younger kids some good experience to hopefully help us down the road."
