Michigan
9-7, 5-4Big Ten
Ohio State
16-1, 8-1Big Ten
Michigan Falls No. 10 Ohio State in Three Close Games
10/19/2001 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Site:Â Ann Arbor, Mich. (Cliff Keen Arena)
Result:Â #10 Ohio State 3, Michigan 0 (30-27, 30-26, 30-23)
Records:Â U-M (9-7, 5-4 Big Ten), OSU (16-1, 8-1 Big Ten)
Next U-M Match:Â Saturday, Oct. 20 -- vs. Penn State (Cliff Keen Arena), 7 p.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan volleyball team stayed with Ohio State in each game of tonight's match (Friday, Oct. 19) but fell 3-0 (30-27, 30-26, 30-23) to the 10th-ranked Buckeyes in Cliff Keen Arena. In front of the second-largest crowd of the season -- 1,088 fans -- the Wolverines used a balanced attack and eight blocks to keep up with OSU but were unable to overcome solid serving and attacking by the Buckeyes. The loss, Michigan's first at home this season, ended the Wolverines' home winning streak at eight matches.
Sophomore Dana Chapman (Perrysburg, Ohio/Perrysburg HS), filling in for injured Chantel Reedus (Woodridge, Ill./Downers Grove South HS), led the way with a team-high nine kills and a career-high four blocks, including three kills with no errors and three blocks in the second game. Senior setter Shannon Melka (Wheaton, Ill./St. Francis HS) recorded 26 assists, seven digs and five kills on nine attempts.
In a match with very few rallies, each game moved along quickly. In game one, Michigan (9-4, 5-4 Big Ten) stayed within three points of the Buckeyes the entire game. In the first half of the game, Ohio State's rusty serving resulted in five service errors. With the game tied at 17-17, the Wolverines pulled ahead and took a 20-18 lead during a service rotation by sophomore Erin Moore (Tiffin, Ohio/Columbian HS). Despite the short run by U-M, the Buckeyes scored the next two points to tie the game at 20-20. From there, neither team was able to solidify a lead until the Ohio State scored three of the final four points to win 30-27.
In game two, Ohio State (16-1, 8-1 Big Ten) was able to dig half of Michigan's 32 attack attempts and post 20 kills in the game. The Buckeyes took a slight lead in the beginning but extended it to nine points at 17-8 after a service rotation by Nikki Cisco that included back-to-back service aces. The Wolverines rallied back to close the gap to three points at 27-24, but OSU was able to take the game 30-26.
The Wolverines started on fire in game three and jumped out to an 8-4 lead on a kill by Chapman. Again, the Buckeyes rallied to take an 18-15 lead after a service ace and two additional errors by U-M. As it did most of the evening, Ohio State used strong serving to force Michigan into bad passes. With the Wolverines unable to set up for clean attack attempts, OSU extended its lead and won the game 30-23. The Buckeyes hit .400 (15-3-30) in the game and held Michigan to just .053 (13-11-38).
The weekend continues tomorrow night (Oct. 20) at 7 p.m. when Michigan hosts No. 11 Penn State in Cliff Keen Arena. The Nittany Lions swept Michigan State 3-0 this evening in East Lansing, Mich.
NOTES
• Prior to the match, Michigan associate head coach Leisa Rosen was recognized for her induction to the Ohio State University Athletic Hall of Fame. Rosen lettered for the Buckeyes from 1998 to 1991 under current OSU head coach Jim Stone.
• Sophomore Chantel Reedus tore the lateral meniscus and damaged the cartilage in her left knee in the match at Illinois last Friday (Oct. 12). Following surgery, she will be out the remainder of the season, as the recovery time is expected to be three to four months.
• Freshman Jennifer Gandolph (Greenwood, Ind./Center Grove HS) tallied seven kills and nine digs in the match, ending her streak of eight consecutive matches with a double-double.
• Tonight's match is the second consecutive in which sophomore Dana Chapman has led the Wolverines offensively. She recorded nine kills vs. Ohio State after a career-high 23 kills at Indiana (Oct. 13).
