Weekly Release #13
11/16/2004 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
This Week's Schedule
Michigan (18-9, 8-8 Big Ten) at Wisconsin (16-8, 10-6 Big Ten)
Friday, Nov. 19 7 p.m. Wisconsin Field House Madison, Wis.
Michigan (18-9, 8-8 Big Ten) at Northwestern (8-18, 3-13 Big Ten)
Saturday, Nov. 20 7 p.m. Welsh-Ryan Arena Evanston, Ill.
Radio/Internet: Both matches will be carried live on mgoblue.com and the Sports Pass.
This Week's Storylines
Two in the Top 10
Freshman Lyndsay Miller and sophomore Megan Bowman rank in the top 10 in the Big Ten in blocks this season. Miller is fourth with 1.23 blocks per game, while Bowman is sixth with 1.20.
NCAA Tournament
No Michigan team has failed to secure a bid to the NCAA Tournament with 16 or more wins.
Fast Start
Michigan began the season 8-0, tying a program-best start before suffering its first loss and jumped out to a 14-2 record, the best start in program history.
1,500 Kills
Senior Jennifer Gandolph recorded the 1,500th kill of her career vs. No. 5 Minnesota.
Gandolph in Sports Illustrated
Senior Jennifer Gandolph was honored by Sports Illustrated in its Faces in the Crowd section after breaking three major statistical records at Michigan this season. Gandolph is the all-time leader in kills, digs and attempts.
Michigan vs. the Top 25
Michigan is 1-6 against teams ranked in the Top 25 this season, defeating then No. 22 Tennessee (currently ranked No. 15). Michigan posted a 2-9 record against Top 25 teams in 2003, downing No. 14 Michigan State and No. 18 Illinois.
Michigan at Wisconsin
U-M trails, 14-36 all-time, losing the last 16 matches to the Badgers. Wisconsin is still the only Big Ten team head coach Mark Rosen has not defeated. U-M's last win in Madison was October 10, 1992 when the Wolverines prevailed, 3-2.
Michigan at Northwestern
U-M leads, 28-21 all-time, winning the last four meetings and 18th of the last 20, both losses coming in Evanston. More than half of Northwestern's 21 wins against the Wolverines (11) have come on their home court.
4,500 Assists and Counting
Senior Lisa Gamalski recorded her 4,000th assist at Illinois on October 8, making her just the third Wolverine in program history to accomplish the feat. Gamalski is currently third all-time at U-M in assists, needing 163 assists to move into second place past Shannon Melka.
Freshman Leader
Lyndsay Miller has been a force in the middle, leading Michigan and second in the Big Ten with 1.23 blocks per game this season. Miller is third on the team with 320.0 points while also leading the Wolverines in blocks in 16 of 27 matches this season.
Aces Wilds
Freshman Katie Bruzdzinski has 35 aces on the season, bettering last year's leader, All-American Erin Moore who had 28.
100th Win
Head coach Mark Rosen recorded his 100th win at Michigan against Northwestern this season.
Home Cooking
Michigan is 10-3 at home this season after posting a 9-6 record at Cliff Keen Arena in 2003. U-M has notched nine or more wins at home in each of the last four seasons, tallying 11-win home seasons in 2000, 2001 and 2002, all school records.
Big Ten Improvement
Since head coach Mark Rosen took the helm in 1999, U-M has improved its conference win total every season. The Wolverines won seven conference matches in 1999, eight in 2000, nine in 2001, 10 in 2002 and 12 in 2003.
100th Match
Senior Sarah Allen competed in her 100th match with the Maize and Blue against Indiana on Friday, Nov. 5.
100th Match
Senior Lisa Gamalski played in her 100th career match against Northwestern on Friday, Nov. 22. Gamalski has played in every match for the Wolverines since the 2002 season.
50 Match Milestones
Sophomores Megan Bowman and Erin Cobler competed in their 50th matches for the Wolverines on Friday, Oct. 22 against Northwestern.
First Career Double-Double
Sophomore Danielle Pflum recorded the first double-double of her career with 11 kills and a career-high 12 digs at No. 8 Ohio State (10/16).
Hitting the Sweet Spot
Michigan has outhit its opponents in all but seven matches this season, slipping below .200 just four times in 27 contests. In contrast, Michigan has allowed just 14 of 27 opponents to hit better than .125, while holding six opponents below .061 hitting. Only four teams have hit better than .271 against the Wolverines this season. U-M is third the Big Ten in lowest opponent hitting percentage (.180).
Setting Career Highs Two Nights in a Row- Then Doing it AGAIN!
Freshman Katie Bruzdzinski set career highs for kills in back-to-back nights, recording 17 kills against Purdue (10/1) and then 19 kills against Indiana (10/2) before upping the ante two matches later with 20 kills at No. 24 Illinois (10/8). Bruzdzinski's previous best was 14 kills, set on opening day at Valparaiso (9/1).
Double-Double-Double-Double-Double-Double-Double
Senior Lisa Gamalski recorded seven straight double-doubles, from September 17 vs. Western Michigan to Ocotber 2 vs. Indiana. Gamalski threw in her first career triple-double against Tennessee to make it interesting.
Triple-Double-Triple-Double
Senior Lisa Gamalski recorded consecutive triple-doubles against Purdue (11/6) and No. 5 Minnesota (11/12), giving her four triple-doubles in her senior season and three against top 25 teams.
School Record for Service Aces
Freshman Katie Bruzdzinski broke a nine-year school record for service aces, recording eight aces against Virginia Tech on September 17 in the Michigan/Nike Invitational. The previous record was set in 1996 by Sarah Jackson against Notre Dame. The record was tied in 2000 by Katrina Lehman who nailed six aces past Michigan State in five games.
Five For the Ages
Five U-M players posted double-digit kills at Purdue (11/6), against No. 21 Illinois (10/30) and Purdue (10/1). The last time the Wolverines had five players post double-digit kills in any match was September 13, 2002 against Alabama.
News and Notes ...
Record-Setting Season
With 21 wins last season, Michigan cracked the 20-win plateau for the sixth time in school history and the first time since 1997. U-M posted 40 wins in 1981 while winning the Big Ten Conference title.
300 Career Wins
Head coach Mark Rosen notched his 300th career victory in a 3-0 win over Oakland University in the Michigan/Pepsi Challenge. Rosen now has 98 wins at the helm for the Maize and Blue, third-best all-time.
Gandolph's 100
Senior Jennifer Gandolph played in her 100th collegiate match against No. 22 Tennessee on September 18, notching a double-double with 15 kills and 11 digs against the Volunteers.
Gandolph Making More History
Jennifer Gandolph climbed a pair of Michigan plateaus in the opening weeks of the 2004 season, recording 81 attempts in the first four matches of the season, making her first all-time at Michigan in attempts and then shattering the school record for digs vs. Western Michigan in the third week of the season.
Sweeps Weeks
Michigan swept eight of its first 11 opponents this season.
Record Setting Performance
Michigan set a school record against Manhattan on September 4 when it hit .525 as a team, the most efficient attack percentage in 31 years of U-M volleyball. The previous record was set in 1991 against Iowa.
Non-Conference Action
U-M concluded its non-conference schedule with a 10-1 record. Last season, Michigan posted a 9-4 non-conference record.
Three-Time Tournament MVP
Senior Lisa Gamalski earned three tournament MVP awards in three weeks, taking home the hardware from both Michigan tournaments and the Manhattan College Invitational.
Three Tournament Crowns in Three Weeks
Michigan captured the 2004 Michigan/Nike Invitational with victories over Virginia Tech and No. 22 Tennessee, while the Wolverines took the Michigan/Pepsi Challenge with resounding wins over Eastern Michigan, Oakland University and Florida State. One week prior, the Maize and Blue captured the Manhattan College Invitational with victories over Maryland-Eastern Shore, Manhattan and American University.
All-Tournament Wolverines
Senior Lisa Gamalski earned Tournament MVP honors in the Michigan/Nike Invitational, Michigan/Pepsi Challenge and at the Manhattan College Invitational, while senior Jennifer Gandolph earned all tournament team honors in the Michigan/Pepsi Challenge and the Manhattan College Invitational. Freshman Katie Bruzdzinski and sophomore Megan Bowman captured all tournament team honors at the Michigan/Nike Invitational, whil sophomore Erin Cobler and freshman Lyndsay Miller added all-tournament team honors to their resumes at the Michigan/Pepsi Challenge.
A Little Help to 300 Career Wins
Head coach Mark Rosen and his coaching staff are entering their sixth season together at Michigan, but have a lot of history together. Associate head coach, Leisa Rosen (Mark's wife) has coached with Mark since 1994 at Northern Michigan, helping him earn each of his victories since. Assistant head coach, Jun Liu, was a star player on the Rosens' Northern Michigan squad in 1994-96 before joining the staff as a coach. Liu spent one year at Marquette before rejoining Mark and Leisa at Michigan when the two were hired to take over the program, meaning Liu has been a part of a majority of Mark's victories too.
Record-Setting Season II
Michigan set the school record for the best hitting percentage last season, recording a .250 mark. The previous best was .246, set in 2002. U-M also set a new single-season record with 633 block assists, surpassing the previous best of 514 in 2002. Only two U-M teams recorded more than 500 block assists.
Top Five Home Crowds in 2004
2,058 vs. Minnesota (Nov. 12)
1,721 vs. Michigan State (Oct. 6)
1,583 vs.Western Michigan (Sept. 17)
1,526 vs. Northwestern (Oct. 22)
1,458 vs. Florida State (Sept. 11)
Freshmen Debuts
Three U-M freshmen made their debuts in the Maize and Blue's season opening win over Valparaiso. Katie Bruzdzinski and Lyndsay Miller started the match, while Stesha Selsky subbed in liberally throughout the match. Bruzdzinski opened her collegiate career in style, leading U-M in kills (14), aces (2) and points (17.5), while narrowly missing a double-double with nine digs. Miller had six kills and tied for the team lead with four blocks. Selsky led the team with 14 digs, while adding seven assists and her first collegiate kill.
U.S. Junior National Team Recruits
Head coach Mark Rosen has brought in two U.S. Junior National Team players this season in Katie Bruzdzinski and libero Stesha Selsky. Bruzdzinski played for the national team from 2000-03, while Selsky played during the 2003 season. Senior Jennifer Gandolph was Rosen's first U-M recruit with U.S. Junior National Team ties in 2001.
2004 Recruiting Class
Head coach Mark Rosen might have his deepest recruiting class yet with five outstanding freshmen and two transfer students joining the Wolverines for the 2004 season. Rosen's recruiting class was ranked No. 6 nationally by prepvolleyball.com. Heading the list was prepvolleyball.com's No. 23 Senior Ace Katie Bruzdzinksi, followed by its No. 25 Senior Ace Lyndsay Miller. Sarah Draves ranked No. 56 among the nation's seniors and Stesha Selsky came in at No. 78. Freshman Mara Martin ranked No. 100 in the nation, capping the incoming freshman class of 2004. St. John's University sophomore transfer Erin Poglits ranks fifth all-time with the Red Storm in career assists, despite playing just one season. St. Clair Community College junior transfer Megan Knoebel joins the Maize and Blue after leading her team in assists last season and holding the team's highest serve percentage her freshman and sophomore seasons.
Next Up -- Final Week of the Season ...
The Wolverines embark on their final regular-season road trip when they visit Wisconsin on Friday, Nov. 19 at 7 p.m. and Northwestern on Saturday, Nov. 20 at 7 p.m. Wisconsin is currently fourth in the Big Ten, while Northwestern is ninth.
Milestone Tracker ...
Candace Gay recorded her 100th career kill against Iowa (11/13) ... Head coach Mark Rosen is one win shy of tying for second all-time at Michigan with school victories. Rosen currently has 102 wins with the Maize and Blue ... Stesha Selsky needs four digs to set a new freshman single-season record for digs at Michigan ... Megan Bowman needs four blocks to move into 11th place all-time at Michigan ... Katie Bruzdzinski needs 19 kills to move into second place all-time at Michigan for kills by a freshman in a single season ... Lisa Gamalski needs nine digs to move into eighth place all-time at Michigan and 24 to take seventh spot ... Gamalski also needs 73 assists to move into second place all-time at Michigan ... Lyndsay Miller needs seven blocks to move into a tie for sixth place all-time for single-season blocks ... Miller needs eight blocks to tie for fifth and nine to tie for fourth.
Contact: Richard Retyi (734) 763-4423
