Michigan
12-6, 3-6Big Ten
Indiana
13-5, 4-5Big Ten
Wolverines Spiked in Three at Indiana
10/22/1999 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Site:Â Bloomington, Ind. (University Gym)
Result:Â Indiana 3, Michigan 0 (15-8, 15-11, 15-10)
Records:Â U-M (11-7, 3-6 Big Ten), IU (13-5, 4-5 Big Ten)
Next U-M Match:Â Saturday, Oct. 23 -- at Illinois (Champaign, Ill.), 7 p.m. CDT
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The University of Michigan volleyball team entered the final weekend of the first half of the Big Ten Conference season with a matchup against the Indiana Hoosiers, one of six teams the Wolverines were tied with for fifth in the conference entering Friday's (Oct. 22) action. Michigan's bid to remain in the upper half of the Big Ten fell short with a three-game (8-15, 11-15, 10-15) loss to Indiana despite a team-leading 10th double-double for sophomore outside hitter Nicole Kacor (Chicago, Ill./Mother McAuley HS), who recorded 14 kills and a team-high 16 digs.
Indiana jumped out strong in game one behind a sizzling hitting percentage of .324 (18-6-37), while Michigan collected 13 attack errors on 45 attempts for a hitting percentage of .156 (20-13-45). Despite the Hoosiers' hot hitting, the Wolverines owned a 6-4 lead before Indiana went on a 10-0 run to take control of the game 14-6 and eventually go up 1-0 with a 15-8 game one win.
Michigan's attacking improved in game two as the Wolverines hit their highest game percentage of the match at .196 (17-8-46). Sophomore setter Shannon Melka (Wheaton, Ill./St. Francis HS) began to find a groove with outside hitters Sarah Behnke (Baroda, Mich./Lakeshore HS) as Michigan sided out very well throughout game two. However, Indiana was up to the challenge and took an early lead, one the Maize and Blue was unable to overcome. Eventually the Hoosiers held off Michigan's charge to post a 15-11 game-two win and took a commanding 2-0 match lead heading into the locker room.
Game three was tight from the first serve as the two teams exchanged leads on several occasions. Kacor (14 kills) and Behnke (team-high 15 kills) kept Michigan in the match with help from freshman middle blocker Katrina Lehman (Bloomfield Hills, Mich./Marian HS). With the game knotted at 10 apiece, Indiana's attackers took over. Michigan, which out-dug the Hoosiers 49-47 for the match, compiled just five blocks and could not prevent a late game-three Indiana rally. The Hoosiers rattled off the final five points for a 15-10 game-three win and match victory.
Michigan continues with the second contest of a four-match road trip as it heads to Champaign, Ill., for a match vs. the second-place and No. 20 Illinois Fighting Illini on Saturday (Oct. 23, 7 p.m. CDT).
MATCH BESTS
Kills: U-M 51 (Sarah Behnke 15); IU 58 (Cydryce Carter)
Assists: U-M 48 (Shannon Melka 44); IU 51 (Laurie Gardner 43)
Service Aces: U-M 3 (Three players with 1); IU 5 (Hillary Toivonen 2)
Digs: U-M 49 (Nicole Kacor 16); IU 47 (Carter 13)
Blocks: U-M 5 (Joanna Fielder 3); IU 9.5 (Jill Mudge 6)
NOTES
• The Wolverines are now 6-5 in 1999 vs. 1998 NCAA Tournament teams.
• Sarah Behnke has led the Wolverines in kills in four of their last six matches.
• Nicole Kacor, who leads the Big Ten in digs (3.83 dpg), upped her average with a team-high 16 digs (5.33 dpg) against the Hoosiers.
• Michigan now holds a slim 10-9 series advantage over Indiana in the '90s.
QUOTES
Michigan Head Coach Mark Rosen
On the match vs. Indiana ... "This just goes to show how hard it is to win on the road in the Big Ten. We did not play our best match by any means, but I thought we did some positive things, especially our younger players. However, when you go up against a good team on its home court, you have to play a great game to beat them. Because [Indiana] is 3-5 in the Big Ten people forget they reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament a year ago, which is proof of how strong this conference is."
