Weekly Release #14
11/22/2005 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
This Week's Schedule
Michigan (13-14, 7-11 Big Ten) vs. #19 Ohio State (19-8, 12-6 Big Ten)
Friday, Nov. 25 6 p.m. Cliff Keen Arena
Michigan (13-14, 7-11 Big Ten) vs. #2 Penn State (27-2, 18-0 Big Ten)
Saturday, Nov. 26 6:30 p.m. Cliff Keen Arena
Radio/Internet: Both matches will air LIVE on MGoBlue.com (subscription) with play-by-play by Brian Nemerovski, while Friday night's match will be carried by WCBN (88.3 FM).
The Scouting Report ...
An Inside Look at Ohio State (Ohio State leads the series, 45-10)
Despite the misleading all-time series record, the Wolverines are 4-6 against Ohio State in the last 10 meetings, sweeping the Buckeyes in 2003. OSU is tied for third place in the Big Ten Conference with Minnesota as both teams chase Wisconsin, who is one win ahead of the pack.
Ohio State is coming off a loss to Minnesota, but the Buckeyes have put together two impressive months of play, losing just two matches in October and two in November and dropping back-to-back matches just once all season with September losses to Illinois and Penn State occurring in consecutive outings.
In the last meeting, Michigan dropped three close periods, losing 27-30, 27-30, 30-32 at St. John Arena, thanks to double-digit kills from Katie Bruzdzinski (15) and a career-high for Sarah Draves (10).
An Inside Look at Penn State (Penn State leads the series, 27-3)
Michigan faces a Nittany Lion squad that is undefeated in conference play, clinching this year's Big Ten title after winning the league in 2003 and 2004. Michigan has lost the last five meetings with Penn State, but the Wolverines are 2-8 in the last 10 meetings, with wins in 2001 and 2002.
This year's addition on the Nittany Lions is frightening indeed, dropping two matches all season to then No. 3 Stanford and No. 1 Nebraska. Penn State has only dropped THREE GAMES all season to Big Ten opponents, including a 3-2 win over Purdue on Sept. 24 and a 3-1 win over Wisconsin on October 28. PSU has lost just 12 games all year, defeating 11 ranked opponents along the way. If Penn State sweeps Michigan State, the Nittany Lions could enter Cliff Keen Arena having not dropped a single game in eight matches (two days shy of a month of perfect volleyball).
That being said, Michigan did hang with the Nittany Lions in State College earlier this season, losing 3-0 but playing two tight games in a match televised on ESPN2. Katie Bruzdzinski and Erin Cobler reached double digits with 15 and 10 kills respectively, while Stesha Selsky anchored the defense with 22 digs.
This Week's Storylines ...
Selsky Digging Her Way Into the Records
On November 5 vs. Iowa, sophomore Stesha Selsky became U-M's single-season leader in digs, passing Alija Pittenger on the all-time list. Selsky is on pace to become just the seventh Wolverine in U-M volleyball history to record 1,000 digs or more in a career, needing just 46 more digs to hit the milestone.
Selsky Also Digs Into the Top 10
Sophomore Stesha Selsky moved into ninth on Michigan's all-time digs list last weekend, vaulting Shannon Melka (1998-2001) and Karen Marshall (1986-89) to settle in just five digs behind Nicole Kacor (1998-2001) and eighth place. Selsky has 954 digs in her two-year career and is on pace to shatter the all-time record by the time her career with the Maize and Blue comes to an end.
Selsky Climbing the Big Ten Record List
Sophomore Stesha Selsky's 552 digs this season ranks as the 11th best single-season total in Big Ten Conference history with two matches still remaining. Michigan State's Nicole Colaluca (591 digs) and Minnesota's Paula Gentil (571 digs) have already cracked the top 10 list this season. Gentil holds the conference record with 924 digs in the 2004 season.
Selsky's 39 Digs One of the Best Performances, Ever
Sophomore Stesha Selsky's 39 digs against Northwestern (Nov. 19) were the second most by a U-M athlete in a single match, trailing only Jayne Hickman (1984-86) who recorded 43 digs in a match on September 21, 1985 vs. Wisconsin. It was also the seventh most digs in a single-match in Big Ten Conference history and tied for the 20th most digs in a four-game match in NCAA Division I volleyball history.
Gay Fills In the Middle
5th/senior Candace Gay has earned the last eight starts in the middle for the Wolverines, putting up career numbers in her final season with the Maize and Blue. Since earning a starting spot, Gay has averaged 1.89 kills and a team-best 1.21 blocks per game, while leading all Wolverines with a .272 hitting percentage. Gay also hammered a pair of aces against Wisconsin, nearly doubling her career total.
Milestone Watch For the Super Fan
Soiphomore Katie Bruzdzinski is currently fourth all-time for most attempts in a single-season with 1,124, 48 attempts out of third place, 83 out of second and 198 out of top spot ... Sophomore Lyndsay Miller is four blocks shy of posting the 10th most single-season blocks in U-M history. Miller needs nine to move into ninth, 13 to take eighth, 14 to take seventh, 15 to take sixth and 26 to take fifth spot ... Sophomore/freshman Mara Martin is 56 assists shy of moving into seventh place on the all-time assists list. Martin would need 363 assists to pass Erin McGovern for sixth place ... Sophomore Stesha Selsky is six digs out of taking eighth on the all-time digs list, 35 shy of seventh place and 78 away from sixth ... Junior Megan Bowman is just three blocks shy of of moving into sixth place on the all-time blocks list and 11 shy of fifth spot ... Senior/junior Erin Cobler has made 75 career starts and has played in 91 career matches ... Junior Danielle Pflum played in her 75th collegiate match last weekend, while Lyndsay Miller and Stesha Selsky played in their 60th career matches.
Martin Reaches 1,000 Assist Mark
Sophomore/freshman Mara Martin became just the 10th player in Michigan volleyball history to record 1,000 assists in her career when she passed the mark against Iowa (Nov. 5).
Rosen Wins His 325th
Head coach Mark Rosen recorded the 325th win of his collegiate coaching career with a 3-1 decision over Iowa (Nov. 5). Rosen holds Michigan's best career winning percentage and has won 118 matches with the Maize and Blue in his seven seasons at the helm.
The Michigan 500s
Five Wolverines reached the 500 kill milestone this season, led by sophomore Katie Bruzdzinski, who was the second-fastest Wolverine to hit the milestone in program history (42 matches). Sophomore Lyndsay Miller recorded her 500th kill in 52 matches -- becoming the fourth-fastest Wolverine to hit the mark, while senior/junior Erin Cobler and juniors Megan Bowman and Danielle Pflum hit the milestone in their third seasons with the Wolverines. Jennifer Gandolph was the fastest Wolverine to 500 kills (38 matches), while Erin Moore was the third fastest (48 matches).
The Big Ten Race to the NCAA Tournament
Michigan has never failed to earn a berth in the NCAA Tournament with a record .500 or better under head coach Mark Rosen. The Wolverines must win their remaining two matches to qualify for NCAA Tournament consideration with a record of .500 or above. An in-depth look at the remaining schedule:
The Good
Michigan's final two matches are at home, where the Wolverines have won 75% of the time this year.
The Big Ten has led the nation in NCAA Tournament selections the last three seasons, sending seven teams in 2003 and 2004 and a record-tying eight teams in 2002.
This weekend is Senior Night. Anything can happen on Senior Night!
The Bad
The Wolverines are 0-2 this season against their four remaining opponents.
Michigan's remaining opponents are 46-10 and have lost two matches in October.
Selsky Among the Nation's Best in Digs
Sophomore Stesha Selsky is second in the conference with 5.75 digs per game. Selsky is 0.08 digs per game behind three-time All-American Paula Gentil, who leads the conference with 5.83 digs per game. Selsky was ranked 13th in the nation last week and should remain near the top 10 this week (NCAA statistics released on Wednesdays).
Katie Bruzdzinski Terminates
Sophomore Katie Bruzdzinski is fifth in the conference in kills, averaging 3.93 terminations per game.
Martin Making Her Mark
Freshman Mara Martin leads all Big Ten freshman setters and is listed fourth in the conference with 12.51 assists per game.
Miller Blocks With the Best in the Big Ten
Sophomore Lyndsay Miller stands eighth in the Big Ten in blocks per game, tallying 1.23 rejections per game.
All The News That's Fit to Print ...
State Pride Series Win
Michigan's 3-0 sweep over Michigan State on November 9 handed the Wolverines the State Pride Series title for the fourth year in a row, extending U-M's all-time lead to 9-7. Michigan also retained the State Pride Series flag, which now resides in a custom built mahogany case made by head coach Mark Rosen. The case contains the original State Pride Series flag which was flown over the state capitol building on Sept. 18, 1990 to inauguarate the first season of the State Pride Series.
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 503-515 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.
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.
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 ...
Last week's question was: "Who is U-M's all-time leader in NCAA Tournament kills"
The correct answer is Sarah Behnke (1997-2000). Behnke totaled 87 postseason kills in her career, including a school record 34 kills against Pacific in 1999, which ranks as the all-time single-match record and the Michigan postseason record. Jennifer Gandolph (2001-04) is second with 57 kills, while Erin Moore (2000-03) is third with 51 terminations.
Leave it to U-M's own Jennifer Gandolph to answer this one correctly. In her correctly answering email, Ms. Gandolph added, "Texas got lucky last year when they pulled that match out of their hat because I was going to ring up 38 kills on Stanford in the regionals!" (disclaimer - Jennifer Gandolph may not have actually written the previous statement. In fact, it's likely I just made it up. But we know she was thinking it!)
This week is the regular-season finale of the Super Happy Trivia Challenge, meaning we have SENIOR NIGHT to look forward to. So, here is the question for this week.
"In her final season of play, which Michigan senior A) the most kills in her final year; B) the most digs in her final year; C) the most blocks in her final year Also, for extra bonus points, how many kills/digs/blocks did A, B and C have in their final matches in Cliff Keen Arena Pull out those pencils and get cracking!
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
