Weekly Release #14
11/23/2004 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
This Week's Schedule
Michigan (19-10, 9-9 Big Ten) vs. No. 8 Ohio State (25-3, 15-3 Big Ten)
Friday, Nov. 26 7 p.m. Cliff Keen Arena Ann Arbor, Mich.
Michigan (19-10, 9-9 Big Ten) vs. No. 4 Penn State (25-2, 16-2 Big Ten)
Saturday, Nov. 27 7 p.m. Cliff Keen Arena Ann Arbor, Mich.
Radio/Internet: Friday's match will be broadcast LIVE on WCBN, 88.3 FM.
The Front Page
Top 10 Blockers
Freshman Lyndsay Miller and sophomore Megan Bowman rank in the top 10 in the Big Ten in blocks this season. Miller is third with 1.27 blocks per game, while Bowman is sixth with 1.21.
Home Cooking
Michigan is 11-3, tying a program record for home wins. One more win at home will give the Wolverines a new school record.
One More Assist
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 needs one more assist to move into second place all-time with 4,583 assists.
NCAA Tournament
No Michigan team has failed to secure a bid to the NCAA Tournament with 16 or more wins.
NCAA Selection Show
The NCAA Division I Tournament Selection Show will air LIVE on ESPNews on Sunday, November 28 at 6:45 p.m. The 64-team tournament field will be placed in eight brackets for the first and second rounds to be played on campus sites to be determined. Thirty-two conferences send an automatic representative, giving the selection committee 32 at-large bids.
This Week's Storylines
U-M 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. 11). Michigan posted a 2-9 record against Top 25 teams in 2003, downing No. 14 Michigan State and No. 18 Illinois. Michigan has already faced four top-10 teams this season and will finish the year facing six teams with top-10 rankings.
Michigan vs. Ohio State
U-M trails, 10-43 all-time, winning three of the last five matches. Ohio State defeated Michigan, 3-1 in Columbus on October 16. Michigan swept the 2003 series.
Michigan vs. Penn State
U-M trails, 3-25 all-time, losing the last three matches including a 3-0 defeat on October 15. U-M defeated Penn State in 2001 and 2002, as well as taking a match in 1995.
Aces Wilds
Freshman Katie Bruzdzinski has 37 aces on the season, bettering last year's leader, All-American Erin Moore who had 28.
Rosen Climbs the Charts
Head coach Mark Rosen is tied for second all-time at U-M for coaching wins, pulling even with Greg Giovanazzi with his win against Northwestern on November 20. Giovanazzi coached seven seasons at Michigan, winning 104 matches. Rosen is in his sixth season and needs 74 wins to become U-M's all-time winning coach.
Bowman Blocks REAL Good
Sophomore Megan Bowman continues to climb Michigan's all-time blocking charts, moving into 11th-place all-time on November 19. Bowman is eight blocks shy of 10th spot (284) and 37 blocks shy of ninth place (313).
Freshman Class For the Recordbooks
A trio of freshmen -- Katie Bruzdzinski, Lyndsay Miller and Stesha Selsky -- were not only the sixth-best recruiting class in the country (according to prepvolleyball.com) heading into the season, but they have proved their mettle in their debut seasons. Bruzdzinski is chasing down the all-time freshman kills and attempts records, while Miller is chipping away at the all-time freshman blocks mark. Selsky has already secured the freshman dig record and is setting a new standard for freshman defensive specialists.
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.
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.
Hitting the Sweet Spot
Michigan has outhit its opponents in all but eight matches this season, slipping below .200 just four times in 29 contests. In contrast, Michigan has allowed just 15 of 27 opponents to hit better than .125, while holding six opponents below .061 hitting. Only five teams have hit better than .271 against the Wolverines this season. U-M is third the Big Ten in lowest opponent hitting percentage (.185).
100th Match
Senior Lisa Gamalski played in her 100th career match against Northwestern on Friday, November 22. Gamalski has played in every match for the Wolverines since the 2002 season.
Gandolph's 100th
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.
50 Match Milestone
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).
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). Bruzdzinskis previous best was 14 kills, set on opening day at Valparaiso (9/1).
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.
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.
Five For the Ages
Five U-M players posted double-digit kills against Purdue (11/6), No. 25 Illinois (10/30) and again vs. Purdue (10/1). The last time the Wolverines had five players post double-digit kills in any match was September 13, 2002 against Alabama.
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.
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.
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.
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 -- NCAA Tournament ...
The Wolverines hope to secure an at-large bid to the 2004 NCAA Division I Tournament announced Sunday, November 28 at 6:45 p.m. on ESPNews. Michigan has competed in four of the last five NCAA tournaments, advacing to the second round three of the four times.
Milestone Tracker ...
Jennifer Gandolph will tie for fourth all-time in career matches played against Ohio State on Friday ... Head coach Mark Rosen needs one more victory to move into second place all-time for wins by a Michigan head coach ... Megan Bowman is eight blocks shy of moving into 10th on the all-time list ... Michigan volleyball needs one more home win to set a new record for most home victories in a season ... Katie Bruzdzinski needs 39 kills to claim top spot for kills by a freshman in a single season.
Contact: Richard Retyi (734) 763-4423
