Michigan
10-4, 1-3Big Ten
Purdue
9-7, 1-3Big Ten
Michigan Has Two-Match Win Streak Snapped at Purdue
9/30/2000 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Site:Â West Lafayette, Ind. (Intercollegiate Athletic Facility)
Result:Â Purdue def. #25 Michigan 3-1 (15-7, 16-14, 10-15, 15-10)
Records:Â U-M (10-4, 1-3 Big Ten), Purdue (9-7, 1-3 Big Ten)
Next U-M Match:Â Friday, Oct. 6 -- vs. Indiana (Cliff Keen Arena), 7 p.m.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- The 25th-ranked University of Michigan volleyball team ended its weekend Big Ten Conference road trip with a 3-1 (15-7, 16-14, 10-15, 15-10) loss to Purdue at the Intercollegiate Athletic Facility. Junior outside hitter Nicole Kacor (Chicago, Ill./Mother McAuley HS) led Michigan with 21 kills, while Katrina Lehman (West Bloomfield, Mich./Marian HS) scorched the net for the second straight match, with a hitting percentage of .378 (20-6-37).
Michigan struggled out of the gate in game one as Purdue notched five of the first six points. The Wolverines, who hit just .200 (17-8-45) for the game, continued to struggle and Purdue eventually pushed its lead to 9-3. Michigan settled down and went on a 4-1 run to cut the deficit to 10-7 as setter Shannon Melka (Wheaton, Ill./St. Francis HS) clicked with her middle blockers Joanna Fielder (Costa Mesa, Calif./Newport Harbor HS) and Lehman. Although Lehman and Fielder combined for 37 kills on the match, they could not stop Purdue from closing out game one with a 5-3 run for a 15-10 win.
Game two was a different story as Michigan and Purdue went back and forth, with Purdue's largest lead of the game coming at 6-3. The Wolverines, however, answered and took a 7-6 lead thanks to an improved attacking game. Michigan, which hit .271 (26-10-59) for the game, eventually pushed its lead to 12-8 before Purdue mounted a comeback. The Boilermakers, who matched Michigan's improved hitting with a mark of their own (.333, 27-9-54), stormed back with a 5-1 run to knot the game at 13 apiece. From there the Maize and Blue could muster only one more points as Purdue pulled out a important 16-14 game-two win to lead the match 2-0 heading into intermission.
Finally in game three, Michigan jumped out to a early advantage and led 4-1. Senior outside hitter Sarah Behnke (Baraoda, Mich./Lakeshore HS), who delivered a season-best four aces, aided the Wolverine cause in the game three. Michigan stayed hot throughout game three, hitting at a rate of .323 (28-7-65) and never let Purdue back in it after taking an early advantage. The Wolverine attack, which included five Michigan players in double-digits in kills for the match, was too much in game three as the Maize and Blue coasted to a 15-10 win.
Game four opened up tight, with the lead changing hands on a couple of occasions before Michigan was able to tie the score at five apiece. However, the Wolverines attacking suddenly cooled as Michigan hit just .180 (21-12-50) for game three and Purdue pulled out to an 8-6 lead. Michigan, which racked up 15 service errors for the match, could not recover from the two-point deficit and eventually fell 15-10 in game four, dropping the match 3-1 to Purdue.
Michigan returns home to face Big Ten foe Indiana on Friday (Oct. 6, 7 p.m.) in its annual "Rock The House" match at Cliff Keen Arena.
MATCH BESTS
Kills: U-M 92 (Nicole Kacor 21); Purdue 88 (Julie Doud 29)
Assists: U-M 84 (Shannon Melka 68); Purdue 82 (Melissa Risher 71)
Service Aces: U-M 7 (Sarah Behnke 4); Purdue 6 (Maegan Petersen 4)
Digs: U-M 61 (Kacor 19); Purdue 74 (Doud 23)
Blocks: U-M 5 (Kacor, Joanna Fielder, Katrina Lehman 2); Purdue 14 (Jennie Williams 6)
NOTES
• Katrina Lehman's 20 kills are a career best.
• Michigan actually recorded more kills than Purdue (92-88).
QUOTES
Michigan Head Coach Mark Rosen
On the match in general ... "We played well at times this evening, but to win on the road in this conference you have play more consistently than we are right now. This match is just another example of life on the road in the Big Ten."
