Weekly Release #13
11/21/2000 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Upcoming Schedule
Friday, Nov. 24 -- vs. Wisconsin (Cliff Keen Arena), 7 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 25 -- vs. Northwestern (Cliff Keen Arena), 7 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 26 -- NCAA Tournament Selections, 8 p.m.
Michigan on Bubble as Final Weekend Approaches
The University of Michigan volleyball team, which is 17-12 overall and 7-11 in the Big Ten, closes its 2000 regular-season campaign this weekend with a pair of home matches at Cliff Keen Arena. The Wolverines face No. 5 Wisconsin on Friday (Nov. 24, 7 p.m.) before going up against Northwestern on Saturday (Nov. 25, 7 p.m.) in the regular-season finale. The Wolverines are alone in seventh place in the Big Ten, one game ahead of eighth-place Indiana and two games behind Michigan State and Iowa. The Big Ten received eight NCAA Tournament bids in last season.
Scouting the Opponents
#5 Wisconsin: Wisconsin (26-3, 16-2 Big Ten) is tied for first in the Big Ten with Minnesota ... Wisconsin has beaten Minnesota twice this season ... Wisconsin has won 13 of its last 14 matches ... Wisconsin is 10-2 on the road this season, 7-1 in the Big Ten ... Sherisa Livingston is second in the Big Ten in kills (5.03 kpg) ... Wisconsin on the Internet: www.uwbadgers.com.
All-Time Series: UW leads, 27-13
In the 1990s: UW led, 6-14
Current "W" Streak: UW, 8
Longest Series "W" Streak: UW 10, (10/2/87-11/16/91)
Northwestern: Northwestern (5-23, 2-16 Big Ten) is in 11th place in the Big Ten ... Northwestern broke a 14-match losing streak with a win over Illinois last Thursday (Nov. 16) ... one of Northwestern's Big Ten wins was a 3-2 win over Penn State (Sept. 23) ... Northwestern is 0-8 on the road in the Big Ten ... Northwestern on the Internet: www.nusports.com.
All-Time Series: U-M leads, 22-18
In the 1990s: U-M led, 16-4
Current "W" Streak: U-M, 11
Longest Series "W" Streak: U-M, 11 (11/26/94-current)
The First Time I
Michigan's first match this season vs. then-No. 7 Wisconsin was a 3-0 loss (15-7, 15-7, 15-7) on Oct. 14 at Madison, Wis. Wolverine freshman Chantel Reedus (Woodridge, Ill./Downers Grove HS) collected nine kills and a team-best 10 digs in her first career start. The Wolverines hit just .107 (42-29-121), while Wisconsin hit at a rate of .318 (47-13-107).
The First Time II
Michigan's first match this season vs. Northwestern was a wild affair as the Wolverines nearly blew a 2-0 lead in games but pulled out a 3-2 (15-12, 15-13, 14-16, 14-16, 15-12) victory. Katrina Lehman (Bloomfield Hills, Mich./Marian HS) dominated in the middle by tying a career best in kills (21) and hitting .472 (21-4-36). Lehman also led Michigan with five blocks. The Wolverines collected 88 kills to just 71 for the Wildcats in the win, but Northwestern out-blocked Michigan 24-9. Senior Alija Pittenger (Virginia Beach, Va./First Colonial HS) matched a season best with 18 kills, hit .343 (18-6-35) and collected Michigan's third-highest dig total of the season, with 26 in the win.
Tournament Implications
Michigan's bid for its first-ever back-to-back NCAA Tournament bids could be on the line with its weekend series at home vs. Wisconsin and Northwestern. The Wolverines currently sit in seventh place in the conference, one game ahead of eighth-place Indiana and two games behind fifth-place Michigan State and Iowa. However, Iowa is just 13-13 overall and a team must have a overall record of better than .500 to earn a berth into the NCAA Tournament. Iowa faces eighth-ranked Minnesota (Nov. 22) at home and 17th-ranked Ohio State on the road in its final two matches. Michigan State also hosts Wisconsin (Nov. 25) and Northwestern (Nov. 24), while Indiana travels to Purdue (Nov. 24) and Illinois (Nov. 25) for the final weekend of the Big Ten season.
Wolverines Look for 12th Straight Over Wildcats
Michigan's current 11-match win streak over Northwestern is its longest over any team in the Big Ten. The Wolverines have not lost to Northwestern since Sept. 23, 1994 in a 3-0 loss at Evanston, Ill. The Wolverines are also looking for their 10th straight win over Northwestern at home. The last Wolverine home defeat to the Wildcats came on Nov. 24, 1990. The following is a breakdown of Michigan's 11-match win streak and nine-match home win streak over Northwestern:
| 1991 | Nov. 15 | W | 15-8, 15-10, 15-1 | H |
| 1992 | Nov. 21 | W | 15-11, 15-11, 15-4 | H |
| 1993 | Oct. 8 | W | 12-15, 15-5, 15-11, 15-11 | H |
| 1994 | Nov. 26 | W | 15-11, 2-15, 15-7, 15-12 | H |
| 1995 | Sept. 23 | W | 8-15, 15-5, 15-5, 15-10 | H |
| 1995 | Nov. 24 | W | 17-15, 15-1, 15-9 | A |
| 1996 | Oct. 5 | W | 15-11, 16-14, 15-13 | A |
| 1996 | Nov. 1 | W | 15-2, 15-3, 13-15, 15-4 | H |
| 1997 | Oct. 1 | W | 15-10, 15-7, 15-11 | H |
| 1997 | Oct. 29 | W | 15-9, 15-5, 15-3 | A |
| 1998 | Oct. 2 | W | 15-7, 15-12, 15-12 | A |
| 1998 | Oct. 30 | W | 13-15, 15-8, 15-3, 15-13 | H |
| 1999 | Oct. 16 | W | 15-13, 11-15, 15-6, 15-13 | H |
| 1999 | Nov. 26 | W | 15-11, 15-6, 15-9 | A |
Friendly Confines
Cliff Keen Arena has developed into an excellent home-court advantage for the Wolverines this season as the Maize and Blue enters the final home weekend of the season needing one win to set a new school record for home wins in a season. The Wolverines are currently 10-3 overall this season at home, which matches the best home record in school history. That mark was set in 1991 when Michigan went 10-3 overall at home, including 7-3 in the Big Ten. Two wins this weekend and the Wolverines would match the best Big Ten home record in school history of 7-3. The 1991 and '97 Wolverines each went 7-3 at home in conference play.
Michigan at Home in 2000
| 9/8 | W | Northern Illinois | 3-0 |
| 9/8 | W | New Mexico | 3-0 |
| 9/9 | W | South Carolina | 3-0 |
| 9/26 | W | Toledo | 3-0 |
| 10/6 | W | Indiana | 3-2 |
| 10/7 | L | Penn State | 2-3 |
| 10/18 | W | Notre Dame | 3-0 |
| 10/20 | L | Iowa | 2-3 |
| 10/21 | L | Minnesota | 0-3 |
| 11/3 | W | Purdue | 3-0 |
| 11/4 | W | Illinois | 3-0 |
| 11/8 | W | Michigan State | 3-2 |
| 11/10 | W | Ohio State | 3-0 |
| 11/24 | | Wisconsin | |
| 11/25 | | Northwestern | |
Big Ten Player of the Week
Michigan senior outside hitter Alija Pittenger 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 recorded the first triple-double of her career and Michigan's first of the season in the win over Michigan State (Nov. 8) 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 (Nov. 10), 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. Pittenger shared the honor with Nicole Branagh of Minnesota.
Wisconsin Connection
The Wolverines sport one player on the roster from the state of Wisconsin. True freshman setter Lisa Gamalski (Milwaukee, Wis./Catholic Memorial HS) is redshirting this season but has impressed the coaches behind the scenes this season in practice. "Gamalski has a chance to be a very good setter in this league because of her athleticism," said head cocah Mark Rosen. "Athletically she does things in the gym that are very impressive and she has made great progress with the technical side of setting this season. We expect her to have an impact on our program for the next four seasons."
Michigan vs. NCAA Tournament Opponents
Michigan's upcoming match vs. Wisconsin will mark the 20th match this season that the Wolverines have faced a team that made the 1999 NCAA Tournament field. Thus far in 2000, Michigan is 10-9 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) |
| 11/17 | at Minnesota | L, 0-3 (14-16, 10-15, 13-15) |
Wolverines Drop Back-to-Back Road Tilts
Michigan's four-match win streak was snapped this past weekend as the Wolverines dropped a pair of conference matches on the road. Michigan was swept (16-14, 15-10, 15-13) by No. 8 Minnesota on Friday (Nov. 17) at the Sports Pavilion in Minneapolis, Minn. Katrina Lehman was Michigan's top performer in the loss with 10 kills, a hitting mark of .318 (10-3-22) and a match-best seven blocks. The Wolverines held Minnesota to a hitting percentage of just .158 (52-30-139) while out-blocking the Gophers 13-12.
Michigan then traveled to Iowa City, Iowa, for a match vs. Iowa in Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Saturday (Nov. 18). The Wolverines dropped a 3-1 (15-8, 15-12, 2-15, 15-12) decision to Hawkeyes despite 25 kills from senior Sarah Behnke. The Wolverines also out-blocked their fifth opponent in the last six matches, with a 12.5-9 advantage over the Hawkeyes.
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 two matches left in the regular season, Pittenger needs six digs to reach 1,000 for her career.
Behnke Keeps Climbing
Senior co-captain and outside hitter Sarah Behnke moved into No. 3 on Michigan's career kills list after collecting 25 kills in the loss to Iowa last Saturday (Nov. 18). Behnke is just 30 kills shy of moving into the second spot on Michigan's career kills list.
Michigan's Career Kill Leaders
| 1. | Karen Chase (1995-98) | 1,261 |
| 2. | Michelle Horrigan (1989-93) | 1,124 |
| 3. | Sarah Behnke (1997-current) | 1,094 |
| 4. | Sarah Jackson (1994-97) | 1,084 |
| 5. | Karen Marshall (1986-89) | 1,060 |
Lehman Ready for the Record Book
Sophomore middle blocker Katrina Lehman reached 112 block assists for the season after leading Michigan with six blocks in its loss to Iowa last Saturday (Nov. 18). With two matches remaining Lehman is three block assists short of the Michigan single-season record of 115, set by Linsey Ebert (1995-98) in 1997. Lehman also has 128 total blocks for the season, which is four shy of the Michigan record of 132, also set by Ebert in 1997.
Catch the NCAA Selection Show
The 2000 NCAA Divison I Volleyball Tournament Selection Show will air live on UMTV (channel 22 on MediaOne in Ann Arbor) at 8 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 26.
USA Today/AVCA Division I Coaches Top 25 (11/20/00)
Team Pts Record LW 1. Nebraska (50) 1490 26-0 1 2. Hawaii (10) 1450 24-0 2 3. Southern Cal 1374 24-2 3 4. Arizona 1319 24-3 5 5. Wisconsin 1231 26-3 6 6. Colorado State 1160 29-3 4 7. Minnesota 1148 27-2 8 8. Penn State 1039 25-5 9 9. Florida 973 25-4 10 10. Pacific 949 24-3 11 11. UCLA 946 20-7 7 12. Brigham Young 901 23-6 13 13. Cal-Santa Barbara 764 23-6 14 14. Santa Clara 741 26-3 15 15. Pepperdine 688 23-6 12 16. Long Beach State 588 20-7 16 17. Ohio State 503 22-6 17 18. Utah 406 20-7 19 19. Notre Dame 396 25-5 20 20. Stanford 309 17-11 21 21. Utah State 255 21-9 18 22. Kansas State 232 20-6 24 23. Loyola Marymount 226 20-8 22 24. Missouri 131 23-5 25 25. Texas A&M 72 17-8 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 Nov. 20 Not Ranked
2000 Season Match Bests (through Nov. 18)
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. 19)
BIG TEN OVERALL 1. Wisconsin 16-2 .889 26-3 .897 Minnesota 16-2 .875 27-2 .931 3. Penn State 14-4 .778 25-5 .833 4. Ohio State 12-6 .667 22-6 .786 5. Michigan State 9-9 .500 16-11 .593 Iowa 9-9 .500 13-13 .500 7. MICHIGAN 7-11 .389 17-12 .586 8. Indiana 6-12 .333 15-13 .536 9. Illinois 4-14 .222 13-16 .448 10. Purdue 4-14 .222 12-18 .400 11. Northwestern 2-16 .111 5-23 .179
This Week in the Big Ten
Wednesday, Nov. 22
Minnesota at Iowa, 7 p.m. CST
Friday, Nov. 24
Wisconsin at Michigan, 7 p.m.
Northwestern at Michigan State, 7 p.m.
Indiana at Purdue, 7 p.m.
Iowa at Ohio State, 7 p.m.
Penn State at Illinois, 7 p.m. CST
Saturday, Nov. 25
Northwestern at Michigan, 7 p.m.
Wisconsin at Michigan State, 7 p.m.
Minnesota at Ohio State, 7 p.m.
Penn State at Purdue, 7 p.m.
Indiana at Illinois, 7 p.m. CST
Big Ten Statistical Rankings (through Nov. 19)
ALL GAMES TEAM INDIVIDUAL Hit Pct. 7th (.219) Assists 3rd (15.78) Shannon Melka, 5th (13.26) Blocks 10th (2.30) Katrina Lehman, 10th (1.24) Kills 4th (17.27) Sarah Behnke, 9th (4.00) Aces 5th (1.46) Alija Pittenger, 5th (0.38) Katrina Lehman, 6th (0.37) Digs 4th (16.87) Alija Pittenger, 1st (3.98) Nicole Kacor, 4th (3.50) BIG TEN TEAM INDIVIDUAL Hit Pct. 8th (.194) Assists 4th (15.49) Shannon Melka, 5th (13.00) Blocks 10th (2.17) Kills 4th (16.97) Sarah Behnke, 10th (3.83) Aces 9th (1.24) Shannon Melka, 6th (0.34) Digs 6th (16.17) Alija Pittenger, 2nd (3.81) Nicole Kacor, 6th (3.19)
Michigan's 2000 Record ...
vs. ranked opponents 3-8 vs. unranked opponents 14-4 ALL three-game matches 13-5 ALL four-game matches 0-4 ALL five-game matches 4-3 BIG TEN three-game matches 4-4 BIG TEN four-game matches 0-4 BIG TEN five-game matches 3-3 in game one (ALL) 19-10 in game two (ALL) 18-11 in game three (ALL) 17-12 in game four (ALL) 3-8 in game five (ALL) 4-3 total games won-lost (ALL) 61-44 total games won-lost (BIG TEN) 31-39 points in total games (ALL) 1,354-1,195 points in total games (BIG TEN) 845-896 at Cliff Keen Arena (home) 10-3 on the road (away/neutral) 7-9
Contact: Rich Marion (734) 763-4423
