Michigan
20-11, 7-11Big Ten
Penn State
27-2, 16-2Big Ten
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Penn State | 30 | 34 | 30 | 3 |
| Michigan | 27 | 32 | 14 | 0 |
U-M Pushes No. 5 Penn State to Edge in Home Finale
11/18/2006 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Cliff Keen Arena)
Score: Michigan lost to #5 Penn State 0-3 (27-30, 32-34, 14-30)
Records: U-M (20-11, 7-11 Big Ten), PSU (27-2, 16-2 Big Ten)
Next U-M Event: Wednesday, Nov. 22 -- at Michigan State (East Lansing, Mich.), 7 p.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan volleyball team battled tooth and nail with the No. 5 Penn State Nittany Lions, pushing the top team in the Big Ten to the brink in games one and two on the power of junior Katie Bruzdzinski's (Naperville, Ill./Naperville North) match-high 18 kills, but U-M was swept 30-27, 34-32, 30-14 Saturday night (Nov. 18) in Cliff Keen Arena.
Bruzdzinski showed All-America form with 10 kills in game one, nearly pushing Michigan over the edge after a 26-26 tie, and her six kills in game two, including three terminations in four points to give Michigan game point, nearly changed the outcome of the entire evening. Instead, Penn State used a near flawless attack all night, committing just seven attack errors -- four unforced -- and hitting a staggering .434 as a team, while serving up 10 aces. Led by 15 kills from Megan Hodge and 14 from Nicole Fawcett, Penn State had to dig deep to repel Bruzdzinski and the Wolverines and remain atop the Big Ten Conference standings at 16-2 (27-2 overall).
Michigan fell to 20-11 (7-11 Big Ten) with two matches remaining in the regular season.
Freshman Megan Bower (Indianapolis, Ind./Cathedral) anchored the U-M defense with 11 digs, while junior Stesha Selsky (Manhattan Beach, Calif./Marymount) finished with eight digs, becoming Michigan's all-time leader in digs by passing former Wolverine great Jennifer Gandolph.
Bruzdzinski gave Michigan a chance in game one with her 10 kills, equalizing Penn State's flawless attack that featured 18 kills on 44 attempts with zero attack errors. Michigan outdug Penn State by a slim margin in the period thanks to the tandem of Bower and Selsky, who tallied seven and five digs, respectively. The teams locked up at 5-5 in the early moments of the match when a kill from junior Lyndsay Miller (Ida, Mich./Ida) followed by back-to-back aces from fifth-year senior Erin Penn (Dexter, Mich./Dexter) gave Michigan an 8-5 advantage. Penn State responded with a kill from Hodge and then back-to-back aces of its own to knot it at 8-8. The teams traded points and then Bruzdzinski struck for back-to-back kills to give Michigan a lead that it would hold through the heart of the period.
Penn State remained a step behind Michigan as the teams alternated siding out or traded modest runs before the Nittany Lions gained traction to catch up and tie the game, 20-20. The teams traded points six more times for a 26-26 deadlock when a Penn State block and a Fawcett kill gave PSU a 28-26 lead and tipped the balance of power in the period. Bruzdzinski counterattacked with a kill of her own to make it 28-27, but Penn State took back-to-back points to win out, 30-27.
Game two began as a Penn State romp with the Nittany Lions leading by as many as seven points, 17-10, but Michigan got back on track, using six kills from Bruzdzinski in the period to mount a huge comeback and force Penn State to the edge. The Wolverines chewed away at their seven-point deficit, using aces from Bruzdzinski and Bower coupled with blocks from Selsky, Miller, sophomore Beth Karpiak (La Grange, Ill./Lyons Township) and freshman Veronica Rood (Temperance, Mich./Bedford) to put the Lions on their heels. The Wolverines rallied to tie the game at 21-21 and mount an inspired 26-23 lead, but the Nittany Lions countered with a 3-0 run to deadlock it at 26-26. Bruzdzinski put together back-to-back backbreaking kills to make it 28-26, but Penn State was somehow able to rally back with a pair more kills to tie it once again at 28-28.
Enter Bruzdzinski once again to slam down another kill to force game point with the Wolverines ahead 29-28, but Fawcett responded for the visitors to knot it once again, 29-29. Penn followed with a kill to push Penn State to game point for the second time, but just as before Fawcett countered with a kill to tie it up, 30-30. This time Penn State struck first on an ace from -- who else -- Fawcett to make it 31-30 and push Michigan to the edge for the first time, but a service error let the home fans breathe a huge sigh of relief with the match tied for the 11th time, 31-31. Hodge forced game point with a kill in the next series and Miller responded for the Wolverines, tying it for the 12th time, but Hodge wasn't done, hammering her seventh kill of the period to push Michigan to game point for the third time, 33-32. This time Michigan would not be able to respond, hitting a ball into the net on the next attack and allowing Penn State to slip into the locker room with a two-games-to-none lead.
Michigan's tank appeared near empty in game three as Penn State came out gunning, building a 14-point, 23-9 lead and winning out 30-14. Miller managed five kills for the Wolverines in the period, but three Wolverines were pushed into a negative hitting percentage as Penn State hit .462 as a team.
Michigan will have a quick turnaround for the final week of the regular season, heading to East Lansing, Mich., for a midweek showdown with Michigan State on Wednesday (Nov. 22) before closing out the slate at Iowa on Saturday (Nov. 25). The NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship selection show airs Sunday (Nov. 26) on ESPNews between 3-4 p.m. The Big Ten had six teams selected to the 2005 NCAA tournament, seven teams in 2004 and 2003, and eight teams chosen in 2002.
NOTES
• Junior setter Stesha Selsky became Michigan's all-time leader in digs with eight digs against No. 5 Penn State, giving her 1,382 digs.
• Fifth-year senior Erin Penn moved into a tie for third place on U-M's all-time matches played list, competing in her 123rd match with the Maize and Blue.
• Michigan's 10-5 home record fell one victory short of equaling the Wolverines' most home wins in a single season.
QUOTES
Michigan Head Coach Mark Rosen
On tonight's match ... "I'm really proud of how our team came out and played tonight. In the first two games we stuck with our game plan. Overall we also played with a lot of heart and character. We got frustrated in game three and got away from our plan, but I loved the way we looked in games one and two."
On the play of Katie Bruzdzinski ... "She played an exceptional match tonight. She has been carrying a big load for us and that's a lot on her shoulders. Tonight she did a great job. She's working hard on defense and giving us a tremendous amount of offense."
On Michigan coming one win shy of tying for the program record for most home wins in a season ... "It's funny because sometimes we play better on the road than at home. This is probably the best road team we've ever had here. Our kids like playing at home, and we play well at home or away."
On the final week of the regular season ... "We need to prepare for Michigan State. It's the most important match we have. The next match is always the most important. Monday and Tuesday our primary focus will be to prepare to beat MSU and then we'll turn around and do the same for Saturday's match against Iowa. It's pretty much like any other week in the Big Ten season."
U-M Freshman Libero Megan Bower
On tonight's match ... "We competed very well in games one and two. In game three we seemed to be waiting for them to make mistakes. We didn't play well as a team and we had poor execution in game three."
On the performance of Katie Bruzdzinski ... "She is a great player and she handles the pressure of being our go-to hitter well. Tonight she took on too big of a load and the other teams are starting to catch on. We need to take advantage of other teams keying on her and give her some help on offense."
On her first home season in Cliff Keen Arena ... "The crowd has been great all year. This is a special place to play, and we always play well to protect our home court."
On the team's thoughts on the final week of the regular season ... "We built some momentum at the end of this season and we're looking to make the postseason. A great postseason run is a definite goal for this team, but we're still taking it one match at a time."
