Michigan
9-5, 3-1Big Ten
Ohio State
6-7, 0-4Big Ten
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio State | 21 | 25 | 28 | 0 |
| Michigan | 30 | 30 | 30 | 3 |
Michigan Downs No. 16 Ohio State in Three-Game Sweep
10/5/2002 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Cliff Keen Arena)
Result: Michigan 3, #16 Ohio State 0 (30-21, 30-25, 30-28)
Records: U-M (9-5, 3-1 Big Ten), OSU (6-7, 0-4 Big Ten)
Next U-M Match: Wednesday, Oct. 9 -- vs. Michigan State (Cliff Keen Arena), 7 p.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- For the second consecutive night, sophomore setter Lisa Gamalski (Milwaukee, Wis./Catholic Memorial HS) ran the University of Michigan volleyball team's offense almost perfectly, helping the Wolverines to a three-game sweep (30-21, 30-25, 30-28) of the 16th-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes on Saturday (Oct. 5) in front of a home crowd of 752. The win is U-M's third in four years over OSU in Cliff Keen Arena.
One night after becoming Michigan's all-time blocks leader, senior Katrina Lehman (Bloomfield Hills, Mich./Marian HS) became the first Wolverine this season to record 10 or more blocks in a single match. She finished the night with nine block assists and 10 total blocks, tying her career high in each category.
On offense, Chantel Reedus (Woodridge, Ill./Downers Grove South HS) and Jennifer Gandolph (Greenwood, Ind./Center Grove HS) each recorded double-digit kills with 12 and 10, respectively. Nicole Poquette (Grand Haven, Mich./Grand Haven HS) and Erin Moore (Tiffin, Ohio/Columbian HS) helped balance out the attack with eight kills each, while Gamalski had 37 assists and hit .429 (3-0-7).
Michigan (9-5, 3-1 Big Ten) started out slowly with back-to-back service errors to open the first game. However, the squad built a three-point lead at 7-4 and held that through the middle of the game. Ohio State closed the gap to two points at 22-20 until the Wolverines rattled off six consecutive points on a service rotation by Moore to force game point at 29-20. The Buckeyes added a point with a kill before an attack by Lehman finished the game at 30-21.
The Wolverines dominated the start of the second game, jumping out to a 5-0 lead and forcing the Buckeyes to call a timeout. Ohio State (6-7, 0-4 Big Ten) got on the board with a kill, but Michigan extended its lead to eight at 9-1. The Buckeyes closed to within four at 9-5 and found themselves down three at 17-14, but that was as close as they would get for the rest of the game. For the second game in a row, Lehman finished the contest with a kill to give Michigan a 30-25 victory in the game and a two games to zero lead in the match.
Ohio State switched its libero and setter for the third game, and the move worked as the Buckeyes led from the start. OSU built a seven-point lead at 12-5 before the Wolverines started to rally. Michigan chipped away at the lead during a service rotation by Gamalski and tied the score at 13-13. The teams traded points until Ohio State took the lead 27-24. A kill by Poquette cut the Buckeye lead to two and gave Michigan the serve. With Poquette serving, Reedus caught fire and posted four consecutive kills to force match point at 29-27. The Buckeyes stopped the run with a kill, but a block error on an attack by Moore gave Michigan the game 30-28.
Michigan stays home to host No. 22 Michigan State at 7 p.m. on Wednesday (Oct. 9) at Cliff Keen Arena. The match is the first of two meetings to determine the winner of the State Pride Series. There will be free Go Blue Rally Towels, courtesy of Seyfried Jewelers, for the first 500 fans.
NOTES
• Including a 5-0 home mark this season, Michigan volleyball has posted a record of 97-79 (.551) in 14 years at Cliff Keen Arena. The team needs just four more wins to reach the century mark, making the Saturday, Oct. 26, match against Purdue the earliest possible date for the accomplishment.
• At 3-1 Michigan is off to its best Big Ten start since 1997, when it won its first four matches on the way to a program-best 13-7 league record and tie for third place.
• The Wolverines are now 1-4 against ranked opponents this season. U-M's last victory over a ranked foe was a three-game home sweep of No. 11 Penn State on Oct. 20, 2001.
QUOTES
Michigan Head Coach Mark Rosen
On the coming back in the third game ... "It's one of the things we have been talking to our team about, trying to get tougher, mentally tougher and physically tougher. We needed to be able to handle pressure situations better, and I think that was a great example of how far we've come. From 10 to 12 days ago at Notre Dame until now, I think we have really progressed. We're down 27-24, and we found a way to chip back in and take over the game. I'm just really proud of our kids for doing that."
On playing together as a team ... "Last week we had a great week of practice. I was really excited about how well the week went. To put that on the floor this week, we have grown a lot. Hopefully, we'll keep seeing that growth and keep moving in that direction."
On where the team is in the Big Ten ... "From the beginning of the year, we said there wasn't a team in the Big Ten that we couldn't beat. But now we have to go out and beat them. We are starting to show that, but there are 16 games left. That's a lot of season, but I think we're capable."
