Weekly Release #12
11/14/2000 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Upcoming Schedule
Friday, Nov. 17 -- at Minnesota (Minneapolis, Minn.), 7 p.m. CST
Saturday, Nov. 18 -- at Iowa (Iowa City, Iowa), 7 p.m. CST
Friday, Nov. 24 -- vs. Wisconsin (Cliff Keen Arena), 7 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 25 -- vs. Northwestern (Cliff Keen Arena), 7 p.m.
Michigan Volleyball Chases NCAA Bid
The University of Michigan volleyball team, which is 17-10 overall and 7-9 in the Big Ten and in seventh place, remains in the hunt for its second straight NCAA Tournament bid this week with key conference road matches. The Wolverines travel to Minneapolis, Minn., on Friday (Nov. 17) to face No. 8 Minnesota at the Sports Pavilion (7 p.m. CST) and then face Iowa at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa, on Saturday (Nov. 18) at 7 p.m. CST. Michigan trails fifth-place Iowa by one game in the Big Ten standings.
#8 Minnesota: Minnesota (25-2, 14-2 Big Ten) is tied for first in the Big Ten with Wisconsin ... The Gophers have won four of five and 10 of 11 ... Minnesota is 11-1 overall at home and 7-1 at home in the conference ... Minnesota is ranked No. 8 in the country and has been as high as No. 5 this season ... Minnesota on the Internet: www.gophersports.com.
All-Time Series: Minnesota leads, 31-6
In the 1990s: Minnesota led, 6-14
Current "W" Streak: Minnesota, 4
Longest Series "W" Streak: Minnesota, 19 (1979-9/29/91)
Iowa: Iowa (12-12, 8-8 Big Ten) is tied for fifth in the Big Ten with Michigan State ... Iowa is 6-5 overall at home at 3-4 at home in the Big Ten ... Iowa has lost four of its last six ... Iowa on the Internet: www.hawkeyesports.com.
All-Time Series: Iowa leads, 18-17
In the 1990s: U-M led, 12-8
Current "W" Streak: Iowa, 1
Longest Series "W" Streak: U-M, 4 (11/30/96-10/24/98)
The First Time I
Michigan's first match this season vs. then-No. 7 Minnesota (Oct. 21) was a three-game loss (15-5, 15-9, 15-9) as the Gophers out-hit Michigan .289 (53-16-128) to .101 (48-34-139), while also out-blocking the Wolverines 17-6. Michigan freshman Chantel Reedus (Woodridge, Ill./Downers Grove HS) was the only Wolverine in double digits in kills, with 10. Reedus also led the Wolverines with 11 digs. The three-game sweep at Cliff Keen Arena is the only time Michigan has been swept at home this season.
The First Time II
Michigan's first match vs. Iowa, on Oct. 20 at Cliff Keen Arena, was one of the toughest losses of the season for the Wolverines as they let a 2-0 lead slip away for a 3-2 (10-15, 12-15, 15-6, 16-14, 15-13) loss. Michigan served for the match with a 14-13 lead in game four, but an attack error gave Iowa the chance to come back for a 16-14 game-four win and eventually the match victory. Chantel Reedus paced the Wolverines, hitting .375 (19-4-40) with a career-best 19 kills. Senior Alija Pittenger (Virginia Beach, Va./First Colonial HS) collected a match-best 21 digs and a team-best four aces in the loss.
Tournament Implications
Michigan's match vs. Iowa on Saturday (Nov. 18) will go a long way in determining the Maize and Blue's postseason fate in 2000. Michigan is currently alone in seventh place in the conference, one game behind Iowa and Michigan State, which are tied for fifth. The Big Ten has received at least six tournament bids in each of the last three seasons, including eight a year ago. Although Iowa has a one-game lead on the Wolverines, it has an overall mark of 12-12 and an above-.500 overall record is a prerequisite for a tournament bid. Michigan closes the season hosting No. 4 Wisconsin and Northwestern, while the Hawkeyes face No. 8 Minnesota and No. 13 Ohio State in the final week of the regular season.
Four Straight
For the first time since opening the 1997 Big Ten season 4-0, Michigan has won four consecutive Big Ten contests. The Wolverines' wins over Purdue (Nov. 3), Illinois (Nov. 4), Michigan State (Nov. 8) and Ohio State (Nov. 10) are the first four-match win streak in the conference for Michigan since dumping Minnesota, Iowa, Northwestern and Michigan State Sept. 26-Oct. 3, 1997.
Ranked Foes Go Down
For the first time since at least 1995 -- when Michigan began keeping track of opponents' rankings -- Michigan defeated ranked opponents in back-to-back matches, with wins over No. 25 Michigan State (3-2) and No. 13 Ohio State (3-0) last Wednesday (Nov. 8) and Friday (Nov. 10), respectively. Michigan now has three wins over ranked opponents this season, including its three-game sweep of then-No. 21 Notre Dame (Oct. 18) earlier this season at Cliff Keen Arena.
Peaking in November
Michigan is once again hitting its peak during the November stetch drive and has now won six straight matches in November and seven of its last eight dating back to last season. The Wolverines defeated NCAA Tournament teams Illinois and Michigan State along with Northwestern to go 3-1 in their last four matches of 1999, helping them to their second NCAA bid in three years. Michigan has now begun another late-season surge this year with four straight wins -- Purdue, Illinois, Michigan State and Ohio State -- to open the month of November.
Big Ten Player of the Week
Michigan senior outside hitter Alija Pittenger (Virginia Beach, Va./First Colonial HS) was named co-Big Ten Player of the Week for Nov. 6-12 after helping Michigan to wins over No. 25 Michigan State (Nov. 8) and No. 13 Ohio State (Nov. 10). Pittenger shared the honor with Nicole Branagh of Minnesota. Pittenger recorded the first triple-double of her career and Michigan's first of the season in the win over Michigan State with 17 kills, 13 assists and 13 digs. Pittenger also collected her team-leading 15th double-double of the season in the win over Ohio State, with 10 kills and 15 digs. Pittenger currently leads the Big Ten in digs (3.91 dpg). Pittenger is the first Wolverine to earn Big Ten Player of the Week honors since current senior Joanna Fielder (Costa Mesa, Calif./Newport Harbor HS) won the award on Sept. 6, 1999.
Minnesota Connection
Michigan has one player on its roster from the state of Minnesota in freshman outside hitter Kristin Kraut (Eagan, Minn./Cretin-Derham Hall HS). "I am very pleased with the play of Kris and I would say that from the start of camp back in August, Kris has improved as much if not more than any other player on our roster," said head coach Mark Rosen. "We moved her from middle blocker to outside hitter to better utilize her explosiveness."
Blocking Back
One of the keys to Michigan's four-match win streak has been its improved blocking. The Wolverines out-blocked Ohio State 14-10 in their 3-0 win on Friday (Nov. 10), which was the third time in four matches Michigan has out-blocked its opponent. After out-blocking just one conference opponent it its first 12 Big Ten matches, the Wolverines have done so against Purdue (9-3) and Illinois (12.5-8) in addition to Ohio State during the winning streak.
Michigan vs. NCAA Tournament Opponents
Michigan's upcoming match vs. Minnesota (Nov. 17) will mark the 19th match this season in which the Wolverines have faced a team that made the 1999 NCAA Tournament field. Thus far in 2000, Michigan is 10-8 vs. 1999 NCAA Tournament participants.
| 9/2 | vs. Sacramento State | W, 3-0 (15-7, 15-8, 15-10) |
| 9/2 | at Pacific | L, 0-3 (13-15, 12-15, 12-15) |
| 9/15 | vs. Houston | W, 3-2 (6-15, 15-7, 14-16, 15-8, 15-13) |
| 9/16 | vs. Virginia | W, 3-0 (15-1, 15-4, 15-6) |
| 9/16 | at Arkansas | W, 3-0 (15-5, 15-11, 15-9) |
| 9/20 | at Michigan State | L, 2-3 (15-11, 11-15, 13-15, 15-6, 5-15) |
| 9/24 | at Ohio State | L, 1-3 (11-15, 9-15, 15-11, 7-15) |
| 9/29 | at Illinois | W, 3-0 (15-8, 15-10, 15-10) |
| 10/6 | vs. Indiana | W, 3-2 (14-16, 15-7, 2-15, 15-6, 15-9) |
| 10/7 | vs. Penn State | L, 2-3 (17-15, 15-12, 3-15, 13-15, 10-15) |
| 10/14 | at Wisconsin | L, 0-3 (7-15, 7-15, 7-15) |
| 10/18 | vs. Notre Dame | W, 3-0 (15-6, 16-14, 16-14) |
| 10/21 | vs. Minnesota | L, 0-3 (5-15, 9-15, 9-15) |
| 10/27 | at Penn State | L, 0-3 (6-15, 10-15, 10-15) |
| 10/28 | at Indiana | L, 1-3 (15-11, 15-17, 7-15,10-15 |
| 11/8 | vs. Michigan State | W, 3-2 (15-13, 9-15, 15-13, 7-15, 15-10) |
| 11/10 | vs. Ohio State | W, 3-0 (15-13, 15-9, 15-9) |
Wolverines Dump Ranked Conference Foes Back-to-Back
Michigan continued its late-season surge with another weekend sweep of Big Ten opponents as Michigan defeated No. 25 Michigan State 3-2 (15-13, 9-15, 15-13, 7-15, 15-10) and No. 13 Ohio State 3-0 (15-13, 15-9, 15-9) on Wednesday (Nov. 8) and Friday (Nov. 10), respectively, at Cliff Keen Arena. Michigan dropped Michigan State behind a triple-double in kills (17), assists (13) and digs (13) from Alija Pittenger as well as a career best in kills (19) from Erin Moore (Tiffin, Ohio/Columbian HS). Moore also led Michigan with a hitting percentage of .333 (19-6-39) in the win. Two nights later, the Wolverines defeated Ohio State behind 15 kills from senior Sarah Behnke (Baroda, Mich./Lakeshore HS) and 47 assists from junior Shannon Melka (Wheaton, Ill./St. Francis HS)
Milestone for Pittenger
Senior outside hitter Alija Pittenger reached 100 block assists for her Michigan career when she recorded four in the Wolverines' loss at Penn State (Oct. 28). Pittenger also recently joined the 500-kill club and is closing in on 1,000 digs for her career. With four matches left in the season, Pittenger needs 41 digs to reach 1,000 for her career.
Behnke Keeps Climbing
Senior co-captain and outside hitter Sarah Behnke moved into No. 5 on Michigan's career kills list after collecting 33 kills in wins over Michigan State and Ohio State last week.
Michigan's Career Kill Leaders
| 1. | Karen Chase (1995-98) | 1261 |
| 2. | Michelle Horrigan (1989-93) | 1124 |
| 3. | Sarah Jackson (1994-97) | 1084 |
| 4. | Karen Marshall (1986-89) | 1060 |
| 5. | Sarah Behnke (1997-current) | 1059 |
Lehman Chases Milestone
Sophomore middle blocker Katrina Lehman (Bloomfield Hills, Mich./Marian HS) reached 100 block assists for the season after leading Michigan with seven blocks in its win over Ohio State last Friday (Nov. 10). With four matches remaining Lehman is 15 block assists short of the Michigan single-season record of 115, set by Linsey Ebert (1995-98) in 1997. Lehman also has 115 total blocks for the season, which is 17 shy of the Michigan record of 132, also set by Ebert in 1997.
USA Today/AVCA Division I Coaches Top 25 (11/13/00)
Team Pts Record LW 1. Nebraska (49) 1489 24-0 1 2. Hawaii (11) 1451 23-0 2 3. Southern Cal 1328 21-2 6 4. Colorado State 1302 27-2 5 5. Arizona 1287 23-3 3 6. Wisconsin 1167 24-3 4 7. UCLA 1132 19-6 7 8. Minnesota 1099 25-2 8 9. Penn State 987 23-5 11 10. Florida 971 22-4 9 11. Pacific 949 22-3 10 12. Pepperdine 813 22-5 12 13. Brigham Young 771 20-6 14 14. Cal-Santa Barbara 758 22-6 15 15. Santa Clara 653 24-3 16 16. Long Beach State 560 18-7 17 17. Ohio State 524 21-5 13 18. Utah State 457 21-8 18 19. Utah 382 19-6 19 20. Notre Dame 319 23-5 21 21. Stanford 288 15-11 20 22. Loyola Marymount 238 19-7 22 23. Texas A&M 177 16-7 24 24. Kansas State 96 18-6 NR 25. Missouri 83 21-5 23
Tracking Michigan in the Polls
Aug. 14 24th (preseason poll) Sept. 4 25th Sept. 11 23rd Sept. 18 21st Sept. 25 25th Oct. 2 Not Ranked Oct. 9 Not Ranked Oct. 16 Not Ranked Oct. 23 Not Ranked Oct. 30 Not Ranked Nov. 6 Not Ranked Nov. 13 Not Ranked
2000 Season Match Bests (through Nov. 10)
TEAM Kills 98, vs. Houston (9/15) Attempts 262, vs. Houston (9/15) Hit Pct. .389 (53-16-95) vs. New Mexico (9/8) Assists 93, vs. Houston (9/15) Service Aces 10, at Michigan State (9/20) Digs 122, vs. Houston (9/15) Block Solo 4, vs. Maryland (9/1) 4, at Ohio State (9/24) Block Assist 24, vs. Houston (9/15) Total Blocks 13, vs. Houston (9/15) INDIVIDUAL Kills 26, Sarah Behnke vs. Penn State (10/7) Attempts 60, Sarah Behnke at Michigan State (9/20) Hit Pct. .900 (9-0-10), K. Lehman vs. New Mexico (9/8) Assists 85, Shannon Melka vs. Houston (9/15) Service Aces 6, Katrina Lehman at Michigan State (9/20) Digs 36, Alija Pittenger vs. Houston (9/15) Block Solo 2, accomplished 6 times, last by Katrina Lehman vs. Ohio State (11/10) Block Assist 9, Joanna Fielder vs. Houston (9/15) Total Blocks 9, Joanna Fielder vs. Houston (9/15)
Big Ten Conference Team Records (through Nov. 12)
BIG TEN OVERALL 1. Wisconsin 14-2 .875 24-3 .926 Minnesota 14-2 .875 25-2 .889 3. Penn State 12-4 .750 23-5 .821 4. Ohio State 11-5 .688 21-5 .808 5. Michigan State 8-8 .500 15-10 .600 Iowa 8-8 .500 12-12 .500 7. Michigan 7-9 .438 17-10 .630 8. Indiana 6-10 .375 15-11 .577 9. Illinois 4-12 .250 13-14 .481 10. Purdue 3-13 .188 11-17 .393 11. Northwestern 1-15 .063 4-22 .154
This Week in the Big Ten
Wednesday, Nov. 15
Penn State at Indiana, 7 p.m.
Thursday, Nov. 16
Illinois at Northwestern, 7 p.m. CST
Friday, Nov. 17
Michigan at Minnesota, 7 p.m. CST
Ohio State at Indiana, 7 p.m.
Illinois at Wisconsin, 7 p.m. CST
Michigan State at Iowa, 7 p.m. CST
Saturday, Nov. 18
Michigan at Iowa, 7 p.m. CST
Ohio State at Penn State, 7:30 p.m.
Purdue at Wisconsin, 7 p.m. CST
Michigan State at Minnesota, 7:30 p.m. CST
Big Ten Statistical Rankings (through Nov. 12)
ALL GAMES TEAM INDIVIDUAL Hit Pct. 7th (.226) Assists 2nd (15.80) Shannon Melka, 4th (13.35) Blocks 11th (2.21) Katrina Lehman, 10th (1.20) Kills 4th (17.30) Sarah Behnke, 10th (3.90) Aces 6th (1.48) Katrina Lehman, 5th (0.39) Alija Pittenger, 6th (0.38) Digs 3rd (16.70) Alija Pittenger, 1st (3.91) Nicole Kacor, 4th (3.50) BIG TEN TEAM INDIVIDUAL Hit Pct. 8th (.198) Assists 4th (15.44) Shannon Melka, 4th (13.11) Blocks 11th (1.97) Kills 4th (16.95) Sarah Behnke, 10th (3.68) Aces 9th (1.22) Shannon Melka, 7th (0.33) Katrina Lehman, 8th (0.32) Digs 6th (15.71) Alija Pittenger, 2nd (3.68) Nicole Kacor, 6th (3.16)
Michigan's 2000 Record ...
vs. ranked opponents 3-7 vs. unranked opponents 14-3 ALL three-game matches 13-4 ALL four-game matches 0-3 ALL five-game matches 4-3 BIG TEN three-game matches 4-3 BIG TEN four-game matches 0-3 BIG TEN five-game matches 3-3 in game one (ALL) 19-8 in game two (ALL) 18-9 in game three (ALL) 16-11 in game four (ALL) 3-7 in game five (ALL) 4-3 total games won-lost (ALL) 60-38 total games won-lost (BIG TEN) 30-33 points in total games (ALL) 1,270-1,102 points in total games (BIG TEN) 761-803 at Cliff Keen Arena (home) 10-3 on the road (away/neutral) 7-7
Contact: Rich Marion (734) 763-4423
