Weekly Release #10
10/24/2005 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
This Week's Schedule
Michigan (10-9, 4-6 Big Ten) at #16 Purdue (18-3, 7-3 Big Ten)
Friday, Oct. 28 7 p.m. Intercollegiate Athletic Facility
Michigan (10-9, 4-6 Big Ten) at Illinois (11-10, 2-8 Big Ten)
Saturday, Oct. 29 7 p.m. Huff Hall
Radio/Internet: Both matches will air LIVE on MGoBlue.com (subscription).
The Scouting Report ...
An Inside Look at Purdue (Purdue leads the all-time series, 36-18)
The Wolverines and Boilermakers locked up on Oct. 8 with Purdue winning, 3-0 and taking the first match vs. U-M in the last five meetings. Purdue was ranked #22 in the nation at that point and have not lost since, sporting the conference's second-best overall record and currently listed third in the Big Ten championship race. Four Boilermakers hit double-digits in kills in the first meeting, led by Denita Merlau who is 10th in the Big Ten with 3.53 kills per game. Danielle Pflum led the Wolverine attack with 12 kills, while Stesha Selsky chipped in 26 digs on defense. The last time Michigan visited Purdue was November 6, 2004 when the Wolverines pulled off a thrilling 3-2 win despite losing starting libero Sarah Allen in game two due to injury.
An Inside Look at Illinois (Illinois leads the all-time series, 34-17)
Michigan dominated the Illini in the first meeting of the season, acing Illinois 12 times en route to a 3-0 win. Illinois has struggled in Big Ten play, posting a 2-8 record and tied for last place in the Big Ten, while standing at 11-10 overall. Senior Rachel VanMeter is always dangerous for Illinois, recording 20 kills against Michigan in the first meeting of the season and leading the Big Ten with 5.78 kills per game. The Wolverines dropped a five game match to the Illini in 2004 at Huff Hall with Illinois ranked 24th in the country. The Wolverines had double-digit kills from Katie Bruzdzinski (20), Lyndsay Miller (15), Jennifer Gandolph (11) and Erin Cobler (10), while Gandolph, Stesha Selsky and Sarah Allen had double-digit digs.
This Week's Storylines ...
Michigan Wins Its 500th
The University of Michigan volleyball program tallied its 500th all-time win with a stunning 3-2 victory over No. 7 Wisconsin. In 33 years of existence, Michigan volleyball has posted a 500-512 record. The program's first win came on October 24, 1973 against Kellogg Community College, while the first program win over a four-year institution came over Eastern Michigan University on November 3, 1973.
Defeating #7s
The seventh-ranked Wisconsin Badgers are the highest ranked opponent to fall to the Wolverines in program history - equaling Michigan's win over No. 7 BYU in 1999. Coincidentally, Michigan's win over BYU came in head coach Mark Rosen's season-opening debut with the Wolverines. Rosen has 14 wins over Top 25 teams since taking over at the University of Michigan.
Records Can Be Deceiving
Seven of Michigan's nine losses have come to teams that currently reside in the CSTV/AVCA Coaches Top 25 Poll., including four defeats to teams currently in the top 10.
Big Ten Parity
Halfway into the Big Ten season, just one conference team sports a record below .500 (Indiana, 9-13). In the chase for the Big Ten title, only one conference school (Penn State) remains undefeated in conference play. Michigan is currently in sixth place in the conference, two wins behind Minnesota (6-4) and one victory ahead of Northwestern, Iowa and Michigan State (3-7).
Bowman Chasing the Blocking Record
Junior Megan Bowman sits seventh on the all-time blocks list with 352 rejections. She needs three blocks to climb to sixth place and 12 to move into fifth. Katrina Lehman is the all-time leader in blocks with 472, 40 more than the next-best total. If Bowman continues on her current pace, she will finish the season third on the all-time list just behind Erin Moore, who finished her career with 432 blocks.
Second and Fourth Fastest Wolverines to 500 Kills
Sophomore Katie Bruzdzinski reached the 500 kill milestone in Michigan's win over Michigan State (Sept. 21), becoming the second-fastest Wolverine to hit the mark in program history, while sophomore Lyndsay Miller reached the 500 kill plateau against No. 7 Wisconsin (Oct. 22), becoming the fourth-fastest Wolverine to achieve the feat. Bruzdzinski did it in 42 matches, while Miller did it in 52. All-time kills leader Jennifer Gandolph completed the feat in 38 matches, while U-M All-American Erin Moore hit the mark in the first match of her junior season, doing it in 48 matches.
Katie Bruzdzinski Stars in Terminator 4
Sophomore Katie Bruzdzinski is fifth in the conference in kills, averaging 4.09 terminations per game.
Martin Making Her Mark
Freshman Mara Martin leads all Big Ten freshman setters and is fifth in the conference with 12.57 assists per game.
Selsky is Digging 'Em Up Some
Sophomore Stesha Selsky is second in the conference with 5.53 digs per game. Selsky is just 0.06 digs per game behind three-time All-American Paula Gentil, who leads the conference with 5.59 digs per game.
Miller Blocks With the Best
Sophomore Lyndsay Miller stands fifth in the Big Ten in blocks per game, tallying 1.38 rejections per game.
Wolverine Streaks
Sophomore Stesha Selsky has recorded double-digit digs in each of the last 10 matches, including six 20+ dig outings in that span ... Sophomore Katie Bruzdzinski has had double-digit kills in each of the last four matches and has done the deed in 15 of 19 matches this season ... Michigan extended its record to 8-1 when it wins the opening game of a match.
Wolverine Streaks Snapped
Head coach Mark Rosen defeated Wisconsin for the first time in his career - it also marks the first time Michigan defeated the Badgers since 1996 ... Freshman Elizabeth Raschke's streak of consecutive games played ended at four when she did not see the floor vs. No. 7 Wisconsin.
Michigan Milestones
The seventh-ranked Wisconsin Badgers are the highest ranked teams the Wolverines have defeated in program history -- equaling No. 7 BYU who fell to Michigan in head coach Mark Rosen's season opening debut in 1999 ... Junior Megan Bowman and sophomore Lyndsay Miller each recorded the 500th kills of their careers this past weekend. Bowman added the 350th block of her career, while Miller reached the 250 block mark ... Sophomore Lyndsay Miller had career-bests in kills (19), attempts (34) and digs (4) vs. No. 7 Wisconsin ... Freshman Elizabeth Raschke made her first collegiate start vs. Northwestern, recording career bests in kills, attempts, assists and digs ... Michigan captured its 500th program victory with the win over No. 7 Wisconsin ... Head coach Mark Rosen notched his 115th win with the Wolverines ... Sophomore Stesha Selsky recorded the 750th dig of her collegiate career and already has the eighth-most single-season digs in program history.
Milestones Upcoming
Head coach Mark Rosen needs one win to record his 325th career victory ... Junior Megan Bowman is three blocks shy of moving into sixth place on the all-time list, while 12 blocks will give her the fifth spot ... Sophomore Stesha Selsky needs just eight digs to record the seventh-most single-season digs in program history ... Junior Danielle Pflum needs 12 kills to record 500 in her career ... Senior/junior Erin Cobler will make her 50th consecutive start in the match at Illinois.
All The News That's Fit to Print ...
Draves Debuts
Filling in this weekend, sophomore Sarah Draves played all three games at Ohio State (Oct. 15), recording a career-best 10 kills and adding two digs. Draves tallied two kills the previous night at Penn State giving her 12 kills on the weekend -- or 150% more than her previous collegiate career total. Draves has played in just 11 matches in her career, tallying 20 kills.
Bruzdzinski and Selsky Named Big Ten Players of the Week
Sophomore Katie Bruzdzinski was named Big Ten Player of the Week and sophomore Stesha Selsky was honored as the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week for their exploits against Eastern Michigan, Georgia and Georgia Tech last week. It was the first time since the Big Ten added the defensive player of the week honor that a school has monopolized the weekly awards. Bruzdzinski had career highs in kills and blocks last week, recording the second-most single-match kills in program history with 33 against Georgia. Selsky had a career-best 33 digs against Georgia (tied for third-most in a single match in U-M history) and added 27 digs against the Eagles. The honor was the first for both players and the first for Michigan since November of 2002 when Jennifer Gandolph earned Big Ten Player of the Week honors.
Acing the Illini
Michigan's 12 service aces vs. Illinois (Oct. 7) were the most in a match since the Wolverines tallied 13 on September 17, 1999 against South Carolina.
Rosen's 200th is Michigan's 150th
Head coach Mark Rosen coached his 200th match at the helm of the Maize and Blue in the match against Iowa, helping the Wolverines capture their 150th Big Ten Conference victory. Rosen is 114-89 at U-M and holds the best winning percentage in program history.
Three For the Record Books
Michigan's 3-2 victory over Georgia (Sept. 16) in the Georgia Invitational put three Wolverines into the record books for single-match kills, digs, assists and attempts. Below are the recordbreakers and their feats:
Katie Bruzdzinski - 33 kills (third most), 72 attempts (tied for third most)
Mara Martin - 81 assists (fourth most)
Stesha Selsky - 33 digs (tied for third most)
Bruzdzinski was the closest to setting a new school record, falling just one termination shy of equaling the program record (34 kills by Sarah Behnke in 1999). Bruzdzinski is the first Wolverine since Behnke to crack the 30-kill mark, while Martin is just one of three setters to top 80 assists.
Katie Bruzdzinski's Breakout Season
Sophomore Katie Bruzdzinski set the freshman record for most kills in a season in 2004 and has already installed herself in the record books, thanks to a 33-kill performance against Georgia (Sept. 16) -- the second-most single-match kills in program history. Bruzdzinski is just nine kills shy of 500-career terminations and at this pace will finish with over 400 kills on the year -- a feat only eight Wolverines have accomplished in 32 years of U-M volleyball.
Georgia Invitational Champions
Michigan captured its second-straight tournament of the season with wins over Georgia and Georgia Tech at the Georgia Invitational. U-M's, 3-2 win over the host Bulldogs and a 3-0 sweep of the Yellow Jackets paved the way for a season tourney crown (following the Michigan Pepsi/Nike Invitational title) and three spots on the all-tournament team.
Sophomores Katie Bruzdzinski and Lyndsay Miller and senior/junior Erin Cobler each earned their second all-tournament team honor in as many weeks. Bruzdzinski recorded 33 kills against Georgia and 17 against the Yellow Jackets, while totaling 17 digs in the tourney and hitting .327. Miller had a career-best 17 kills vs. the Bulldogs and seven vs. Georgia Tech, while totaling nine blocks. Cobler recorded 14 kills vs. Georgia and eight against Georgia Tech, hitting a career-best .667 against the Yellow Jackets. The all-tournament team honors are the third of each student-athlete's career.
Martin Sets For the First Time and Makes History Doing It
Sophomore/freshman setter Mara Martin is not only the first freshman setter to start a season opener for the volleyball program but at 6-2, she is the tallest setter in Wolverine volleyball history. The redshirt freshman is also one of only three setters in U-M history to record 80 or more assists in a single match, tallying 81 in a 3-2 win over Georgia (Sept. 16) for the fourth-most single-match assists in program history. Martin finished one assist behind Shannon Melka's (1998-2001) 82 at Pacific in 1999, four short of Melka's 84 vs. Houston in 2000 and 14 shy of Linnea Mendoza's (1994-97) 95 vs. Illinois in 1996. Mendoza is the all-time assists leader in U-M volleyball history (5,072), while Melka ranks third (4,582). Last year's starter, Lisa Gamalski, ranks second all-time with 4,762, but never recorded more than 73 assists in a single match in her career.
These Kids Like to Block
Michigan's 35 block assists against Illinois State (Sept. 10) fell two shy of the school record for most block assists in a single match. The record of 37 was set in 1989 against Bowling Green. Three Wolverines (Lyndsay Miller, Danielle Pflum and Mara Martin) had career bests for blocks against the Redbirds.
Speaking of Blocks
Sophomore Lyndsay Miller's 11 total blocks against Illinois State (Sept. 10) tie the fourth-best total in a single match in U-M history, and her 11 block assists tie her for third on the single-match list. The last Wolverine to record 11 blocks in a match was junior Megan Bowman vs. No. 11 Texas in the second round of the 2004 NCAA Tournament.
One More Hand For Lyndsay Miller
Sophomore Lyndsay Miller had the first double-double of her career with 16 kills and 11 blocks vs. Illinois State (Sept. 10). The 16 kills tie a career-high, equaling her total against Western Michigan in 2004.
Freshman Debut For Karpiak
Freshman middle blocker Beth Karpiak earned her first-career start in the season opener at Notre Dame (Aug. 27), leading U-M with three blocks and recording four kills in her collegiate debut. Katie Bruzdzinski and Lyndsay Miller were the only freshman opening night starters for the Wolverines in 2004 and both went on to set freshman records in their debut campaigns.
Super Happy Trivia Challenge ...
This week's question was a stumper, but a few of the faithful came through with the correct answer. The question was: "Who is the second tallest player in Michigan volleyball history"
The correct answer is Anne Poglits (1996-99) who is listed in the media guide at 6-4. Poglits and Draves are the only Wolverines ever to stack up 6-4 or taller. Congratulations to Joe Bruzdzinski and (who else) Karen Draves, who both answered correctly. Leave it to Mrs. Draves to gauge volleyball players in the 6-4 to 6-5 range! As always, thanks for playing and your imaginary certificates of achievement will be sent this afternoon.
With 10 matches left in the Big Ten season and Michigan gunning to the finish, I will ask the toughest question yet. Those who own the indispensible 2005 Michigan Volleyball Media Guide know that U-M U-M's best-ever win/loss finish in the Big Ten was in 1997 when the Wolverines went 13-7. But the question is "What is the best second half record (by total wins) the Wolverines have ever posted in Big Ten play." As always, good luck and keep those answers coming.
A new feature to the Michigan volleyball weekly release, the Super Happy Trivia Challenge is a chance for U-M volleyball fans to test their knowledge of the program, its players, its coaches and other random facts. Answers can be sent to rretyi@umich.edu and each winner will be recognized the following week in the weekly release.
Page Three ...
Michigan Welcomes Ed Tolentino
U-M Interim Assistant Coach Ed Tolentino joins the Wolverines for the 2005 campaign. Tolentino served as an assistant coach at Michigan State last season and has served as an assistant coach at Eastern Michigan and as a head coach at Oakland University.
Captain Kirk Ain't Got Nothing on Them
Senior/junior Erin Cobler and sophomores Katie Bruzdzinski and Lyndsay Miller were named captains for the 2005 squad. Bruzdzinski and Miller are the first-ever sophomore captains in U-M volleyball history.
Michigan Seventh in the Preseason Polls
The Wolverines were voted seventh in the Big Ten Conference Preseason Poll, down one spot from their sixth-place finish in 2004.
2005 Freshman Class
Four freshmen join the Wolverines in 2005, including Liz Andary, Kerry Hance, Beth Karpiak, and Liz Raschke. Andary is a right side/outside hitter who was all-state third team and a Detroit News/Free Press All-Conference first team selection in 2005. Hance is a defensive specialist who won a national championship with her club team (Sports Shack Volleyball Club) and was selected to the California State Volleyball Tournament All-Tournament Team in her senior year of volleyball. She is also a former high school teammate of sophomore Stesha Selsky. Karpiak is a middle blocker who was named Suburban Life Player of the Year and Champaign News-Gazette All-State first team in 2005. Raschke is a setter who was a Michigan Miss Volleyball finalist and all-state first team selection in 2005.
Cliff Keen Arena Updates
After a record-setting season at Cliff Keen Arena, the Michigan volleyball program has added a brand new, state-of-the-art, full color scoreboard that displays video animations, scores, graphics and real-time stats during home matches.
Rosen Leads USA Selects in Argentina
Head coach Mark Rosen traveled to Argentina in June 2005 to coach a team of USA Selects, competing against the Argentina Junior National Team as well as a number of club and professional squads. A demanding 10-day schedule - including stops in Buenos Aires, Cordoba and Santa Fe - featured six matches in six different cities against some of the best volleyball players in Argentina.
Bruzdzinski and Bowman Tour Italy
Katie Bruzdzinski and Megan Bowman competed abroad this summer, playing with a group of United States collegiate selects on Team VolleyHut in the Sibillini Tournament in Comunaza, Italy, which will feature some of the top under-20 teams in Europe. Bowman and Bruzdzinski competed against some of the top under-20 teams in Europe, including three-time Slovakian champions Slavia Bratislava, Olomuc from the Czech Republic, Postar Belgrade from Serbia and Vasas Budapest from Hungary.
Contact: Richard Retyi (734) 763-4423
