Michigan
12-5, 4-2Big Ten
Purdue
11-5, 4-2Big Ten
Wolverines Fight Back for Five-Game Victory at Purdue
10/11/2003 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Site:Â West Lafayette, Ind. (Intercollegiate Athletic Facility)
Score:Â Michigan 3, Purdue 2 (30-21, 27-30, 20-30, 30-22, 15-12)
Records:Â U-M (12-5, 4-2 Big Ten), Purdue (11-5, 4-2 Big Ten)
Next U-M Event:Â Friday, Oct. 17 -- vs. Northwestern (Cliff Keen Arena), 7 p.m.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Led by a career-high 28 kills by senior Erin Moore (Tiffin, Ohio/Columbian HS), the University of Michigan volleyball team stunned a sellout crowd at Purdue's Intercollegiate Athletic Facility, downing the Boilermakers by a 3-2 margin with a 30-21, 27-30, 20-30, 30-22, 15-12 victory on Saturday (Oct. 11).
With the win, the Wolverines (12-5, 4-2 Big Ten) improved to 3-0 on the road in the Big Ten and recorded their first weekend road sweep in Big Ten play since 1997. U-M downed Indiana 3-0 on Friday (Oct. 10) in Bloomington, Ind.
Michigan came out on fire in game one, then watched the momentum swing to Purdue's favor in games two and three. Facing the end of the match, the Wolverines rallied to take game four, then came from behind in game five to down Purdue for their first win at the IAF since 2001.
In game one the Wolverines were able to distance themselves early from the Boilermakers, taking a 14-9 lead early in the stanza. Purdue threatened to cut U-M's lead, but led by four kills by freshman Danielle Pflum (Martinsville, Ind./Martinsville HS), the Wolverines kept the Boilermakers at bay, winning by a 30-21 margin.
Michigan opened up a quick 2-0 lead in game two, only to see Purdue go on a run and take a five-point lead midway through the stanza. The Wolverines rallied, pulling to within one at 11-10, and eventually took the lead and held a three-point advantage at 24-21 before Purdue called a timeout, then reeled off four straight points to regain the lead at 25-24. With the game tied at 26, Purdue took four of the final five points to tie the match with a 30-27 win.
Purdue came out of the locker room in game three and took over the game, jumping out to a six-point lead and never looking back, taking a 2-1 lead in the match with a 30-20 victory. Michigan, which trailed by 10 at one point in the middle of the game, fought back to within six, but could not put a run together as Purdue slammed the door with a few kills by Kim Cappa.
Michigan jumped out to a quick lead in game four, then after trading points with the Boilermakers, opened up a six-point lead late in the stanza after Purdue had tied the game at 19s, cruising to a 30-22 victory to force a deciding fifth set.
In game five Michigan fell behind by a three-point margin early in the frame but fought back to within one on several occasions, eventually taking the lead at 11-10 when junior Lisa Gamalski (Milwaukee, Wis./Catholic Memorial HS) and Moore blocked Leah Wischmeier at the net, causing Purdue to take a timeout. Pflum slammed a kill home to make it 12-10, then blocked a Boilermaker attack to put U-M up 13-10. The Boilermakers tried to close the game, but Moore closed out the match with a kill to give the Wolverines a 15-12 victory.
Pflum finished the match with 13 kills, while Megan Bowman (St. John, Ind./Lake Central HS) also recorded 13 in addition to matching a career high with nine blocks. Junior Jennifer Gandolph (Greenwood, Ind./Center Grove HS) notched a double-double with 12 kills and 15 digs, including her 1,000th career termination. Gamalski finished the match with 61 assists and led Michigan to a .250 hitting percentage, while Purdue managed only .194.
The Wolverines will return to Ann Arbor for a pair of Big Ten matches next weekend, hosting Northwestern and Illinois on Friday and Saturday (Oct. 17-18). First serve is slated for 7 p.m. on both nights at Cliff Keen Arena.
NOTES
• The Wolverines swept their weekend road trip, marking the first Big Ten weekend sweep on the road since the 1997 campaign. In addition, Michigan is a perfect 3-0 on the road in the Big Ten this season, the most Big Ten road victories since 1997. Michigan has won six matches away from Cliff Keen Arena this season, including six straight.
• Michigan has gone to a deciding fifth game in each of the last three Saturdays.
• Erin Moore recorded a career-high 28 kills, topping her previous mark of 25.
• Jennifer Gandolph improved her career kill total to 1,010 and became the eighth player in U-M history to notched 1,000 career terminations.
• Gandolph has notched 10 or more kills in all but three of her appearances this season.
• Erin Moore has recorded 10 or more kills in all but two of her matches, including six straight. Moore has also notched four 20-kill efforts this season.
• Moore improved her career kill total to 1,129 -- 132 shy of the school record, held by Karen Chase (1,291 from 1995-98).
• Megan Bowman led the team with nine blocks, including eight assists, for her 12th match of the year with five or more blocks.
