Michigan
22-9 (10-09Big Ten)
Ohio State
13-16 (7-13Big Ten)
Seniors Push Michigan Past Rival Buckeyes in Four Games
11/23/2007 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
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ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan volleyball team set a record for single-season wins under head coach Mark Rosen Friday (Nov. 23) with its 22nd victory of the year in a commanding 3-1 win (30-17, 26-30, 30-16, 30-26) over Ohio State in Cliff Keen Arena.
The Wolverines improved to 22-9 (10-9 Big Ten) with the victory and swept Ohio State in the season series for the first time since 2003. Ohio State concludes its season 13-16 (7-13 Big Ten) in head coach Jim Stone's 26th and final season with the Buckeyes.
Michigan used a pinpoint attack from its middle blockers, senior Lyndsay Miller(Ida, Mich./Ida) and junior Beth Karpiak(La Grange, Ill./Lyons Township), who combined for 24 kills and a .489 hitting percentage. Miller led all players with a .520 attack percentage and had 14 kills, hammering six terminations on nine swings in game four. Karpiak finished with 10 kills and hit .455, nailing five kills on 10 swings in crunch time during the fourth frame.
Senior Katie Bruzdzinski(Naperville, Ill./Naperville North) set the tone early with seven kills on 12 swings (.583) in game one and finished with a Wolverine-best 16 terminations. On defense, Miller and sophomore Megan Bower(Indianapolis, Ind./Cathedral) frustrated OSU hitters with six blocks apiece, while senior Stesha Selsky(Manhattan Beach, Calif./Marymount) had 28 digs in the match, including 10 in game three.
Michigan's serving also played a big part in the win, with freshman Lexi Zimmerman(Barrington, Ill./Barrington) tying a career best with four aces and junior Kerry Hance(Los Angeles, Calif./Marymount) recording three. Sophomore Cassie Petoskey(Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer) had her first collegiate service ace in game three to add to the Wolverine total.
Michigan dominated the action in game one, outhitting Ohio State .441 to .095 and leading from 4-3 on in a 30-17 victory. Led by Bruzdzinski's seven kills on 12 errorless swings and Selsky's eight digs, Michigan came back from a 3-1 deficit to take a 4-3 lead never to look back. The Wolverines committed just two attack errors all period on 34 swings while tallying 17 kills. Karpiak and Bower combined on a pair of blocks to help set the tone and force OSU into eight errors.
Ohio State fought back to tie the evening at one game apiece with a 30-26 win in game two. Michigan led by six early, 13-7, but the Buckeyes chipped away at the deficit and finally evened things up at 22-22. Ohio State then took the lead at 23-22 and, despite three tie scores, never trailed after that point. The Buckeyes improved their hitting percentage to .261 in the period, while Michigan slipped to .213 in the frame. Bruzdzinski, Bower, Miller and Rood each tallied three kills apiece in the frame, while Miller added three more blocks to her stat line. Selsky matched her game-one total in digs with eight more in game two.
Michigan forced Ohio State into 15 attack errors in game three -- compared to just eight Buckeye kills -- in a commanding 30-16 Wolverine victory to put the home squad up two games to one. Michigan scored the first six points and led 16-5, forcing Ohio State to use both of its timeouts midway through the period. Five Wolverine aces, including two apiece for Hance and Zimmerman, highlighted Michigan's tough serving. Selsky also frustrated the OSU hitters with 10 digs in the period.
Game four featured 10 ties and five lead changes, but it was the Wolverines who caught fire down the stretch, scoring five straight points after a 23-23 tie to win out, 30-26. At the pivotal 23-23 mark, Karpiak nailed her fourth kill of the period to make it 24-23, and she followed with a block assist two points later to help make it 26-23 Wolverines. Zimmerman struck for her fourth ace of the night in the next point, and Bower hammered her sixth and final kill of the night to make it 28-23 U-M. OSU rebounded with back-to-back points, but Zimmerman and Karpiak scored the final two points for the Wolverines to seal the Maize and Blue win.
Michigan will wrap its regular season by hosting the No. 1 team in the nation and the five-time defending Big Ten champion Penn State Nittany Lions Saturday (Nov. 24) at 5 p.m. in Cliff Keen Arena. The Wolverines will be celebrating Senior Night on Saturday, honoring their four stellar seniors, and the match will air tape delayed on the Big Ten Network at 6 p.m. Sunday (Nov. 25).
Contact: Richard Retyi (734) 763-4423
