Michigan
4-1
New Mexico
2-4
Michigan Dominates New Mexico at Net in 3-0 Win
9/8/2000 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Site:Â Ann Arbor, Mich. (Cliff Keen Arena)
Event: All Sport® Volleyball Challenge
Result: #25 Michigan 3, New Mexico 0 (15-3, 15-5, 15-9)
Records:Â U-M (4-1), UNM (2-4)
Next U-M Match:Â Saturday, Sept. 9 -- vs. South Carolina (Cliff Keen Arena), 4:30 p.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 25-ranked University of Michigan volleyball team inched to within one match of winning its own All Sport Volleyball Challenge tournament title for the first time with a convincing 3-0 (15-3, 15-5, 15-9) win over New Mexico on Friday (Sept. 8) at Cliff Keen Arena. Michigan hit a season-best .389 (53-16-95) behind dominant play from freshman Nicole Poquette (Grand Haven, Mich./Grand Haven HS) and sophomore Katrina Lehman (West Bloomfield, Mich./Marian HS), who combined to hit .633 (21-2-30) for the match.
Michigan jumped to an early 6-1 lead, paced by a team hitting percentage of .458 (16-5-48) and three team blocks in the first game. Sophomore middle blocker Lehman played a complete game one, notching three block assists, two service aces and hitting .750 (3-0-4). Lehman would finish the match with a hitting mark of .900 (9-0-10). Freshman outside hitter Poquette continued her strong early season play by hitting .429 (4-1-7) and adding a pair of block assists in game one. After New Mexico cut the lead to 6-3, Michigan went on a 9-0 run and closed out the 15-3 game-one win with one of Lehman's aces.
Utilizing the momentum from game one, Michigan ran out to another 6-1 lead and racked up a hitting percentage of .455 (17-2-33). Senior middle blocker Joanna Fielder (Costa Mesa, Calif./Newport Harbor HS) notched four kills, giving her eight for the match and a hitting percentage of .385 (8-3-13) through games one and two. Again, New Mexico cut the deficit to 6-3 only to see Michigan answer with a 7-0 run to lead 13-3. Michigan's run was paced by five service points from senior outside Alija Pittenger (Virginia Beach, Va./First Colonial HS), who also led the match with nine digs after two games. Michigan eventually took a two-game lead into the intermission after a 15-5 game-two victory.
Game three proved to be a carbon copy of the first two games as Michigan took control from the outset, scoring the first seven points of the game. Michigan's run was paced by junior setter Shannon Melka (Wheaton, Ill./St. Francis HS), who registered one of her two service aces during the rally. Melka finished the match with 39 assists, seven digs and a hitting percentage of .500 (4-0-8). Michigan eventually pushed its lead to 11-1 before New Mexico made its best run of the match. The Lobos cut the deficit to three (11-8), prompting a timeout by Michigan head coach Mark Rosen. Freshman middle blocker Erin Moore (Tiffin, Oho/Tiffin HS) combined with Poquette for a block coming out of the timeout to regain the momentum for Michigan. From there the Wolverines won three of the last four points of the game for a 15-9 game-three win and its second straight sweep.
Michigan closes out the All Sport Volleyball Challenge is Saturday (Sept. 9, 4:30 p.m.) vs. South Carolina in Cliff Keen Arena.
MATCH BESTS
Kills: U-M 53 (Nicole Poquette 12); UNM 29 (Amy Amundson 8)
Assists: U-M 48 (Shannon Melka 39); UNM 23 (Kelly Griffin 20)
Service Aces: U-M 9 (Katrina Lehman 3); UNM 2 (Griffin, Jessie Goffard 1)
Digs: U-M 38 (Alija Pittenger 11); UNM 22 (Goffard, Blaire Burns 5)
Blocks: U-M 5 (Lehman, Nicole Poquette 4); UNM 3 (Amundson 3)
NOTES
• Michigan's all-time record at Cliff Keen Arena is now an even 72-72 after the win over New Mexico.
• Nicole Poquette led the Wolverines in kills (12) for the first time in her career. Her 12 kills is also a career high.
• Michigan has hit .319 or better in three of its five matches in 2000.
QUOTES
Michigan Head Coach Mark Rosen
On the victory ... "We played really well at times but not quite as well as I would like at other times. Overall, we continue to show excellent balance throughout our lineup and that is something we will need to continue if we want to be successful."
On what it would mean for Michigan to win the All Sport Challenge ... "I did not realize until later this week that this is the eighth time we have hosted this tournament but have yet to win it. It is something the team and I would like to accomplish."
