Michigan
15-10, 5-9Big Ten
Illinois
12-13, 3-11Big Ten
U-M Spikers Back on Track After Second Straight Sweep
11/4/2000 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Site:Â Ann Arbor, Mich. (Cliff Keen Arena)
Result:Â Michigan 3, Illinois 0 (15-10, 16-14, 15-6)
Records:Â U-M (15-10, 5-9 Big Ten), Illinois (12-13, 3-11 Big Ten)
Next U-M Match:Â Wednesday, Nov. 8 -- vs. Michigan State (Cliff Keen Arena), 7 p.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan volleyball team swept its second straight Big Ten Conference opponent with a 15-10, 16-14, 15-6 win over Illinois tonight (Saturday, Nov. 4) at Cliff Keen Arena. The Wolverines used a balanced attack, with four different players recording double-digit kills. Senior Alija Pittenger (Virginia Beach, Va./First Colonial HS) led attack with a hitting mark of .379 (14-3-29) to go with a match-best 22 digs.
Michigan came out strong in game one for the second consecutive match and used an 8-0 run to turn a 3-2 lead into an 11-2 advantage. Michigan's run was buoyed by great play from freshman middle blocker Erin Moore (Tiffin, Ohio/Tiffin HS), who hit .714 (5-0-7) for the game and served four straight Michigan points during the run. Moore led a Michigan attack that hit .370 (26-6-54) for the game.
Despite Michigan's sizzling attacking, Illinois slowly crept back into the game and cut the deficit to 11-7 after a 4-0 run. Michigan, however, regrouped and after two of Sarah Behnke's (Baroda, Mich./Lakeshore HS) match-best 17 kills, the Wolverines pushed their lead out to 14-10. Block assists from Katrina Lehman (Bloomfield Hills, Mich./Marian HS), Pittenger and Chantel Reedus (Woodridge, Ill./Downers Grove HS) gave Michigan a 15-10 win.
The Wolverines were slow out of the gate in game two, partially because their hitting cooled off to a mark of .143 (19-10-63) for the game. Illinois used the Maize and Blue's struggles to go on an 8-0 run of its own and gain a lead of as much as eight at 11-3. Behind 10 game-two kills combined from senior Behnke and Pittenger, Michigan answered the Illinois challenge and closed the gap to 11-6.
After Illinois pushed its lead to game point at 14-6, the Wolverines took control of the entire match. Michigan efficiently sided out consistently and began to cut into the lead with blocks from Lehman, who registered four blocks in game two alone. Illinois called a timeout after its lead had been cut to four (14-10), but Michigan maintained its momentum and fittingly knotted the game at 14 following a kill from Lehman. Lehman then served out the Michigan win and back-to-back Illinois errors gave the Wolverines a 16-14 game-two win and a 2-0 lead at the break.
The steady play with which Michigan closed out game two remained in game three as the Wolverines regained their attacking, hitting .340 (25-7-53) for the game. With the game-two score knotted at two apiece, Michigan methodically pulled away from the Fighting Illini with a 5-0 run paced by Moore, who hit .400 (6-2-10) in game three. Pittenger also hit .500 (4-1-6) in game three and helped Michigan pull away for a 15-6 game-three win and three-game match victory.
Michigan remains at home in Big Ten action next week with a pair of matches at Cliff Keen Arena. The Wolverines face instate rival Michigan State on Wednesday (Nov. 8) while also playing host to Ohio State on Friday (Nov. 10). Both matches start at 7 p.m.
MATCH BESTS
Kills: U-M 70 (Sarah Behnke 17) Illinois 57 (Shadia Haddad 15)
Assists: U-M 65 (Shannon Melka 53); Illinois 56 (Betsy Eiserman 47)
Service Aces: U-M 1 (Katrina Lehman 1); Illinois 3 (Heather Wilson 2)
Digs: U-M 62 (Alija Pittenger 22); Illinois 65 (Haddad 18)
Blocks: U-M 12.5 (Lehman 8); Illinois 8 (Lydia Gard 4)
NOTES
• Michigan's 70 kills in the win over Illinois is a team-season best for a three-game match.
• Michigan's sweeps over Purdue and Illinois this weekend mark the first back-to-back conference wins this season for the Wolverines.
• Junior setter Shannon Melka's (Wheaton, Ill./St. Francis HS) 53 assists is a season best for a three-game match. Michigan's 65 team assists is also a season best for a three-game match.
• Michigan's 12.5 blocks in tonight's win over Illinois is the second highest total this season and the most for a three-game match. Michigan collected 13 blocks in its five-game win over Houston on Sept. 15.
• Katrina Lehman led Michigan with eight blocks, which matched her season best.
QUOTES
Michigan Head Coach Mark Rosen
On the match in general ... "We played a pretty solid match tonight. Obviously, the comeback in game two was a critical part of the match and I was very pleased with the way our kids maintained their poise. These two wins were key for us and now we have to get ready for two more important Big Ten matches next week."
On the play of seniors Sarah Behnke and Alija Pittenger ... "They are playing very steady, solid volleyball right now. Sarah's ball control is getting better and when she is on, she can be a dominant attacker. Alija, on the other hand, is giving us what she has given us all year -- great ball control and passing -- and for the most part has been a very efficient attacker."
