Michigan
24-10, 10-10Big Ten
Colorado State
23-8, 13-3MWC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado State | 24 | 27 | 23 | 0 |
| Michigan | 30 | 30 | 30 | 3 |
Michigan Off to First Sweet 16 After Upset of Colorado State
12/1/2007 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Crisler Arena)
Event: NCAA Tournament (Second Round)
Score: Michigan def. #21 Colorado State 3-0 (30-24, 30-27, 30-23)
Records: U-M (24-10), CSU (23-8)
Attendance: 1,364
Next U-M Event: Friday, Dec. 7 -- at Penn State in NCAA Regional (State College, Pa.), 7:30 p.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan volleyball team upset the No. 21-ranked Colorado State Rams in three straight games (30-24, 30-27, 30-23) on Saturday (Dec. 1), advancing to the NCAA Sweet 16 for the first time in program history. In front of 1,364 fans at Crisler Arena, the Maize and Blue limited the Rams' offense throughout the contest, tallying 14 team blocks and registering six aces with just one service error.
Megan Bower
Senior Katie Bruzdzinski (Naperville, Ill./Naperville North) led the attack for the Maize and Blue, notching a team-high 14 kills. Junior Beth Karpiak (La Grange, Ill./Lyons Township) came up big in the match, contributing nine terminations and eight blocks, while sophomore Megan Bower (Indianapolis, Ind./Cathedral) added a career-high seven blocks and tacked on eight kills in the winning effort.
Twice in the first game Michigan held a seven-point advantage over the Rams, but Colorado State climbed back late to make it a close contest. Up just 22-20, the Wolverines used a CSU miscue and blocks by senior Lyndsay Miller (Ida, Mich./Ida) and freshman Lexi Zimmerman (Barrington, Ill./Barrington) to kickstart their offense, pulling out the 30-24 win. Bruzdzinski led the Maize and Blue charge with four kills, while Karpiak and Bower each tacked on three apiece. Karpiak also provided U-M with a solid defensive effort, contributing four blocks.
The second game transpired much the same as the first, with U-M again holding a pair of seven-point leads midway through. The Rams battled back to knot the game for the first time all night at 23. The teams exchanged points, and, with a block, Colorado State took its first lead of the whole contest. The 27-26 edge was shortlived, however, as the Wolverines used four straight points to put away game two. Zimmerman earned 15 assists with Bruzdzinski tallying seven kills to lead the charge. Karpiak and Bower each chipped in three blocks to propel their team to the game-two win.
Colorado State put pressure on Michigan early in the third game, trailing by no more than four points. However, with the game tied 12-12, Bruzdzinski gave the Wolverines a lead they would not relinquish. U-M quickly pulled ahead by six points aided by a pair of kills by Bower and freshman Maggie Busch's (Toledo, Ohio/Toledo Christian) first postseason ace and ended the final game with the 30-23 victory. Bower's four terminations led the Wolverine charge, with Zimmerman tacking on 10 assists. Both Bower and Miller had a pair of blocks to move U-M to the next round of NCAA play.
With the win, Michigan advances to the NCAA Regional in State College, Pa., and will face off against Big Ten rival and No. 1-ranked Penn State on Friday (Dec. 7) at 7:30 p.m.
QUOTES
Michigan Head Coach Mark Rosen
On the win over Colorado State ... "I'm exciting about how we played tonight and I'm looking forward to continuing play. We blocked very well tonight. We've relied a lot on floor defense a lot this year rather than blocking, but over the last month we've really developed into much more of a blocking team. I think with the scouting report, our players had a good idea of what Colorado State liked to do, and I think right from the beginning of game one our blockers did a good job of executing. We blocked exceptionally in game one and that set the tone for the night and affected the hitters a lot."
On Michigan's strong serving ... "It's rare for us to have six aces and one error. I think it's rare for any team, but I think it's momentum. Sports in general are momentum related. Just like when a team hits 10 three-pointers in a game, people say that's not normal. We served really well last night, and tonight we were able to affect them greatly and limit our errors. Our fans would like us to do that every night, but I don't think we can."
On the effect the Crisler crowd had on the match ... "It wasn't as big of a factor last night as this night because I think we got used to the atmosphere. Prior to last night we hadn't been here before in this environment and we weren't sure what it would be like. Last night the numbers and the volume of the crowd was a pleasant shock, but tonight, because of the weather and a few other factors, it was different. When you're on the court I don't think they notice it. It doesn't hurt to be home and it doesn't hurt to have people cheering for you instead of the other team."
U-M Senior Outside Hitter Katie Bruzdzinski
On advancing to the program's first Sweet 16 and playing Penn State in the regional semifinal ... "It feels pretty awesome. I don't think about losing to them twice. I think we're going to just go and play hard. Hopefully that will be enough. There's no reason we can't compete with them because any team can be beaten on any given night."
U-M Junior Middle Blocker Beth Karpiak
On Michigan's short serving against Colorado State ... "Short serving is a great technique to get your opponents to set the ball to the outside and that way our blocking system can be more focused on that, rather than having the opposition always having three very good options. Hopefully it gets them off track. We work on it in practice, but it's not something we do all the time."
NOTES
• Seniors Lyndsay Miller and Stesha Selsky each competed in their school-record 130th career matches.
• Senior Stesha Selsky holds the Michigan record for the most digs in NCAA Tournament play with 94 in her career.
• With 35 assists against Colorado State and 1,663 total helpers during the 2007 campaign, freshman Lexi Zimmerman moved closer to becoming Michigan's single-season assists leader. Zimmerman needs just 15 more assists to best Linnea Mendoza's (1994-97) 1,677 assists in 1997.
• Senior Lyndsay Miller climbed to within four blocks of becoming U-M's all-time leading blocker. Miller trails only Katrina Lehman (1999-2002) on the all-time list.
• Michigan climbs to 24 wins on the season -- its most wins under head coach Mark Rosen. Michigan's 24 wins are the third-most in U-M volleyball history. The Wolverines won 26 matches in 1980 and a record 40 victories in 1981.
• Michigan has defeated Colorado State twice this season, winning six of seven games.
• Michigan advances to its first NCAA Regional in program history.
• Freshman Maggie Busch made the first NCAA Tournament appearance of her career and tallied her first postseason service ace.
