Michigan
Minnesota
Chase Dominates at Net as Michigan Rocks No. 22 Minnesota
10/9/1998 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Site:Â Ann Arbor, Mich. (Cliff Keen Arena)
Score:Â Michigan 3, #22 Minnesota 0 (16-14, 15-5, 17-15)
Team Records:Â Michigan (10-6, 2-4 Big Ten), Minnesota (12-3, 2-3 Big Ten)
Next Match:Â Friday, Oct. 16 -- at Penn State (State College, Pa.), 7:30 p.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Led by a phenomenal hitting performance from senior Karen Chase (Orinda, Calif./Miramonte HS), the Michigan volleyball team recorded an impressive three-game sweep (16-14, 15-5, 17-15) of 22nd-ranked Minnesota on Friday (Oct. 9) in the Wolverines' annual "Rock the House" match at Cliff Keen Arena.
Chase was nearly flawless as she blasted 22 kills and committed just one error in 26 hitting attempts for a Michigan and Cliff Keen Arena record hitting percentage of .808. "It was as dominant a performance by a outside hitter as I have seen," commented head coach Greg Giovanazzi.
The previous Michigan mark of .650 was shared by Alison Noble (11/12/82) and current senior Jeanine Szczesniak (Evergreen Park, Ill./Mother McAuley HS) (11/8/96). The previous arena record of .681 by Michigan State's Becky Belanger (9/20/89) had stood for more than nine years.
Game one included four lead changes and a Wolverine comeback, which allowed the Maize and Blue to jump on top with a 16-14 win. Trailing 14-9, Michigan rattled off the final seven points as Chase compiled a game-one hitting percentage of .818 (10-1-11).
In game two, the Wolverines broke a tight game wide open with nine consecutive points to take a 13-3 lead. A solid service game by Szczesniak was key to Michigan's rally as the Wolverines took control of the match with a 15-5 win.
The Maize and Blue used the momentum to jump out to a 9-3 lead in game three, and U-M led 14-8 before the Golden Gophers fought back and knotted the game at 14-all. Following several sideouts and with the game tied 15-15, Szczesniak delivered her second service ace of the match before the Wolverines closed out the contest with a 17-15 win.
In her most extensive action of the campaign, sophomore Sarah Behnke (Baroda, Mich./Lakeshore HS) contributed solid passing to go with 10 kills. Linsey Ebert (Fowlerville, Mich./Fowlerville HS) joined Chase as a dominant force at the net with a hitting percentage of .318 (13-6-22), and setter Alija Pittenger (Virginia Beach, Va./First Colonial HS) compiled a career-best and Michigan season-high 50 assists as well as a career-high four blocks.
MATCH BESTS
Kills:Â U-M 66 (Karen Chase 22); Minnesota 56 (Nicole Branagh 18)
Assists:Â U-M 63 (Alija Pittenger 50); Minnesota 48 (Lindsey Berg 47)
Service Aces:Â U-M 6 (Jeanine Szczesniak 2); Minnesota 2 (Yvonne Wichert-Nicole Branagh 1)
Digs:Â U-M 65 (Jeanine Szczesniak 18); Minnesota 54 (Nicole Branagh 13)
Blocks:Â U-M 6 (Alija Pittenger-Linsey Ebert 4); Minnesota 5 (Heather Baxter 4)
NOTES
• The sixth of Jeanine Szczesniak's 18 digs against Minnesota gave her 1,000 for her career. She is the fourth Wolverine to reach the 1,000-dig plateau and is currently fourth on Michigan's all-time dig list with a total of 1,012.
• Michigan is now 5-2 in "Rock the House" matches. This is the second time Michigan triumphed over Minnesota in a "Rock the House" match. The other match occurred in 1995, when the Wolverines defeated the Golden Gophers in three games.
• This victory marks Michigan's first victory over a top-25 opponent in five tries this season.
• Linsey Ebert registered 13 kills on the match, with her ninth spike giving her 800 for her career.
• Junior defensive specialist Maggie Cooper (Portage, Mich./Portage Northern HS) recorded two kills in two attempts against Minnesota after entering the match with just one career kill.
