Michigan
8-2, 0-1Big Ten
Michigan State
8-2, 1-0Big Ten
Michigan Drops Five-Game Battle at Michigan State
9/20/2000 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Site:Â East Lansing, Mich. (Jenison Fieldhouse)
Result:Â #17 Michigan State 3, #21 Michigan 2 (11-15, 15-11, 15-13, 6-15, 15-5)
Records:Â U-M (8-2, 0-1 Big Ten), MSU (8-2, 1-0 Big Ten)
Next U-M Match:Â Sunday, Sept. 24 -- at Ohio State (Columbus, Ohio), 2 p.m.
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- The 21st-ranked Michigan volleyball team opened up Big Ten Conference play at 17th-ranked Michigan State on Wednesday (Sept. 20) and pushed the Spartans to five games before falling 15-11, 11-15, 15-13, 15-6, 5-15 in front of a crowd of 2,096 at Jenison Fieldhouse. The Wolverines were led by a pair of seniors as middle blocker Joanna Fielder (Costa Mesa, Calif./Newport Harbor HS) hit at a clip of .341 (19-5-41), while outside hitter Sarah Behnke (Baroda, Mich./Lakeshore HS) registered 18 kills for the match.
The first game of the match was a back-and-forth affair, with neither squad leading by more than two points until Michigan State went on a 6-2 run and turned a 5-4 deficit into a 10-7 lead. However, the Spartans' run was ended on one of Behnke's game-high eight kills. Michigan eventually cut Michigan State's lead to one (11-10) on an ace from Fielder, which forced a Spartan timeout. After a Michigan State sideout, Wolverine junior setter Shannon Melka (Wheaton, Ill./St. Francis HS) served out the final five points of the game to give Michigan a 15-11 win, despite being outhit .245 (17-5-49) to .218 (19-7-55) for the game.
Game two began a little differently as Michigan State opened up a 5-1 lead early, before Michigan immediately answered to knot the game at five apiece. Michigan's 4-0 run was paced by Fielder, who hit .300 (5-2-10) for the game and began to connect with Melka on the slide attack. Despite the work of Fielder and Alija Pittenger (Virginia Beach, Va./First Colonial HS), who registered 11 digs in the first two games, Michigan State slowly took control of game two at the net. Michigan was held to a attack percentage of .083 (17-12-60), while Michigan State hit at a rate of .292 (20-6-48) as the Spartans pulled away for a 15-11 win, tying the match at a game apiece heading into intermission.
The Wolverines came out of the locker room to take a quick 2-0 lead in game three only to see Michigan State answer with a 6-0 run to prompt a Michigan timeout. The Wolverines came out of the timeout to play their best volleyball of the match and go on a 11-2 run. Michigan pushed its lead to 13-8 behind the solid service game of Pittenger and six more kills from Fielder, who hit .500 (6-1-10) for the game and helped hold Michigan State to a hitting percentage of .190 (14-6-42). However, with a 13-8 lead Michigan began to struggle with its serve reception and Michigan State went on a 5-0 run to tie the game at 13 and force another Michigan timeout. After several sideouts and one extended rally, Michigan State scored the final two points for a 15-13 game-three win and a 2-1 match lead.
With their backs against the wall, the Wolverines answered the bell in game four and turned a 3-1 deficit into a 10-3 lead before a Spartan timeout. Michigan's run was keyed by Katrina Lehman (West Bloomfield, Mich./Marian HS), who notched her second ace of the match, and Pittenger, who served six straight points during the run. After two points from the Spartans cut the lead to 10-5, Lehman delivered three consecutive aces to give Michigan a 13-5 lead. Fielder, who helped hold the Spartans to a game-four hitting percentage of .138 (10-6-29), registered her third kill of the game to give Michigan a 15-6 game-four win, sending the match into a deciding fifth game.
Michigan was unable to build on the momentum from its game-four win as Michigan State jumped out to a 5-0 lead, a difficult margin from which to come back in rally scoring, which is the format for the fifth game in collegiate volleyball. Michigan stopped the run on a kill from Pittenger, but 5-1 was the closest Michigan would get as Fielder recorded the only two Wolverine kills in the game as Michigan hit -.063 (2-3-16) as a team. Michigan State kept the Wolverines at bay while posting a 15-5 game-five victory to clinch the 3-2 match win.
Michigan faces its second consecutive top-25 opponent when it matches up against Ohio State on Sunday (Sept. 24, 2 p.m.) at St. John Arena in Columbus, Ohio.
MATCH BESTS
Kills: U-M 69 (Joanna Fielder 19); MSU 71 (Sarah Gustin, Amy Sibbernsen 14)
Assists: U-M 61 (Shannon Melka 52); MSU 63 (Christie Landry 48)
Service Aces: U-M 10 (Katrina Lehman 4); MSU 6 (Erin Hartley, Angela Morley 2)
Digs: U-M 76 (Alija Pittenger 18) MSU 89 (Hartley, Jessica Sanborn 18)
Blocks: U-M 2 (Four players with 1); MSU 16 (Sanborn 7)
NOTES
• The loss to Michigan State breaks Michigan's six-match winning streak.
• Michigan's 10 service aces against Michigan State, including four by Katrina Lehman, is a season best for the Wolverines.
• The Wolverines are now 1-1 in five-game matches this season.
• Michigan recorded a season-low two blocks in the loss to Michigan State.
Michigan Head Coach Mark Rosen
On losing a tight match ... "This is a tough one to take because I felt we had our chances. I am pleased to see us play relatively well on the road and compete against one of the better teams in our conference and in the country. However, our program is now at a point where we have competed and went toe-to-toe with some of the best teams in the country, and we are not into moral victories at Michigan."
On the play of Joanna Fielder ... "The healthier Joanna gets the better she plays and I think it showed in the fact that she played her best match of the year against one of the better teams in our conference. When Shannon [Melka] and Joanna are connecting, it opens up a lot of things for us offensively."
