Michigan
8-6, 4-3Big Ten
Illinois
10-5, 3-4Big Ten
Wolverines Drop Four-Game Road Decision at Illinois
10/12/2001 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Site:Â Champaign, Ill. (Huff Hall)
Result:Â Illinois 3, Michigan 1 (30-18, 30-28, 27-30, 30-27)
Records:Â U-M (8-6, 4-3 Big Ten), Illinois (10-5, 3-4 Big Ten)
Next U-M Match:Â Saturday, Oct. 13 -- at Indiana (Bloomington, Ind.), 7 p.m. EST/CDT
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Despite a pair of double-doubles by sophomore Erin Moore (Tiffin, Ohio/Columbian HS) and freshman Jennifer Gandolph (Greenwood, Ind./Center Grove HS), the University of Michigan volleyball team fell 3-1 to Illinois (18-30, 28-30, 30-27, 27-30) Friday evening (Oct. 12) to snap the Wolverines' five-match winning streak.
Playing solid defense and providing nearly half the Wolverines' offense in the match, Moore set a career high in digs with 16 and killed 14 attempts, while Gandolph posted a new a career high with 18 kills and added 13 digs. For Gandolph, the double-double was her seventh consecutive and ninth in the last 11 matches. She leads the team in digs with 150 and is second on the team with 151 kills.
At the net, sophomore Nicole Poquette (Grand Haven, Mich./Grand Haven HS) posted five blocks, and junior Katrina Lehman (Bloomfield Hills, Mich./Marian HS) added seven blocks for the Maize and Blue.
In game one, the Wolverines stayed with the Illini early and had the game tied at 6-6. From there, Illinois took a lead and stretched it to 16-9 on service rotations by Betsy Eiserman and Shadia Haddad. Every time Michigan won a sideout, Illinois found a way to quickly earn a point and take the ball back. With several multi-point service rotations, the Illini put the game away 30-18.
In game two, Michigan (8-6, 4-3 Big Ten) and Illinois played even to 10-10. From there, eight errors by the Fighting Illini helped the Wolverines take a 21-14 lead. Michigan stretched the lead to 25-18, but Illinois was able to get back on track with a major swing of momentum. Seven kills without an error, one service ace and two Michigan service errors allowed the Illini to score 12 of the last 15 points to win the game 30-28.
Despite the incredible shift in momentum, Michigan was able to stop the Fighting Illini in game three. Behind three blocks, Michigan jumped out to a 7-0 lead and, following a service rotation by Poquette, took the lead to 14-6. Again, Illinois got back into the game. A run of six points during a service rotation by Amber Lindner tied the game at 23-23. However, this time the Wolverines stood their ground and took the lead back. With the Wolverines at game point, the squad held off a surge by Illinois that drew the score within two before Gandolph killed an attack to give Michigan the 30-27 victory.
Game four started with Illinois (10-5, 3-4 Big Ten) taking a lead early and extending it to 16-10. Winning four of the next five points, the Fighting Illini extended their lead to 20-11 before Michigan rattled off six consecutive points with Nicole Kacor (Chicago, Ill./Mother McCauley HS) serving to bring the Wolverines back into the match at 16-20. Five points later, a kill by Gandolph closed the margin to 22-19. The game stayed close the rest of the way, and at game point for Illinois, Michigan's Carrie Ritchie (Mansfield, Ohio/Madison Comprehensive HS) entered the lineup to serve. She was able to help the Wolverines close to gap to 29-27, but Gandolph was blocked on her final attempt to give Illinois the game 30-27 and the match 3-1.
Michigan finishes the weekend Saturday night (Oct. 13) with a match at Indiana. The Wolverines face the Hoosiers at University Gym in Bloomington, Ind., beginning at 7 p.m. EST/CDT.
