Michigan
13-15, 7-12Big Ten
Ohio State
20-8, 13-6Big Ten
Three Wolverines Hit Double-Digit Kills in Loss to OSU
11/25/2005 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Despite three Wolverines hitting the double-digit mark for kills and sophomore Stesha Selsky (Manhattan Beach, Calif./Marymount) dominating on defense with 24 digs, the University of Michigan volleyball team fell to No. 19 Ohio State in three games (28-30, 22-30, 24-30) Friday night (Nov. 25) in Cliff Keen Arena.
Selsky finished with 24 digs, tallying a staggering 13 in the first period, nine in the second and just two in the third as the Buckeyes channeled their attack away from her. Sophomore Katie Bruzdzinski (Naperville, Ill./Naperville North) led all players with 15 kills, while senior/junior Erin Cobler (Dexter, Mich./Dexter) tallied 14 and sophomore Lyndsay Miller (Ida, Mich./Ida) added 11. Fifth-year senior Candace Gay (Detroit, Mich./Sacred Heart) had four blocks to lead the Wolverines in rejections for the fourth straight match.
Michigan drops to 13-15 and 7-12 in conference play, while Ohio State improves to 20-8 and 13-6 in the Big Ten. With just one regular-season match remaining, Michigan will finish below .500 and will not be eligible for an NCAA at-large berth, meaning the Wolverines will miss the postseason for just the second time in seven seasons.
In game one, Ohio State pulled away with the match deadlocked at 27-27 to take the period, 30-28 thanks to a pair of kills from Buckeye Nicole Britenriker and a Wolverine attack error. Bruzdzinski and Cobler powered the U-M offense with six kills apiece, while Selsky kept Ohio State off the board with 13 digs.
Ohio State took a 9-8 lead in game two and never looked back, winning 30-22 and outhitting Michigan, .389 to .238, while forcing the Wolverines into seven attack errors. Bruzdzinski led the Wolverine attack once again with five kills, while Selsky kept the home team in the game with nine more digs. Cobler and sophomore Sarah Draves (Ypsilanti, Mich./Ypsilanti) each added four kills to the cause, while Gay chipped in a pair of blocks.
With all the momentum, Ohio State rallied from a two-point deficit early, taking a 14-13 lead and fighting to a 30-24 lead and the match. Miller hammered five kills in the period, with Bruzdzinski and Cobler contributing four kills each.
Michigan ends the regular season against No. 2 Penn State Saturday (Nov. 26) at 6:30 p.m. in Cliff Keen Arena. It will be the final collegiate match for two Wolverines -- Gay and senior Megan Knoebel (Marysville, Mich./Marysville) -- while student assistant Ashley Buckingham will also serve in her final match for the Wolverines.
Q U O T E S
Michigan Head Coach Mark Rosen
On tonight's match ... "We took ourselves out of the match at points in the game, and it's hard to do that against a team like Ohio State. Their setter is very good -- one of the best in the nation -- and they have very deceptive blockers. The bottom line is that we couldn't trade points with them. We're disappointed in how we played tonight, and it's especially sad because we have a few players who are playing at a very high level right now."
N O T E S
The crowd of 1,296 gives Michigan five straight home crowds of 1,000 fans or more.
The loss mathematically eliminates Michigan from any hope at an NCAA Tournament berth by ensuring that the Wolverines will finish below .500 (the minimum criteria for a postseason berth). Head coach Mark Rosen has led his team to the NCAA Tournament in five of the last six seasons.
Sophomore Stesha Selsky is 22 digs shy of hitting the 1,000-dig milestone, something that only six Wolverines have done in program history. If Selsky achieves the mark against Penn State, she will be the fastest Wolverine to 1,000 digs, doing it in 62 matches. The fastest Wolverine to 1,000 digs was Jennifer Gandolph, who did it in 85 matches.
Contact: Richard Retyi (734) 763-4423
