Michigan
10-7, 6-4Big Ten
Penn State
14-4, 7-3Big Ten
U-M Upsets No. 11 Penn State in Three-Game Sweep
10/20/2001 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Site:Â Ann Arbor, Mich. (Cliff Keen Arena)
Result:Â Michigan 3, #11 Penn State 0 (30-18, 30-28, 30-27)
Records:Â U-M (10-7, 6-4 Big Ten), PSU (14-4, 7-3 Big Ten)
Next U-M Match:Â Wednesday, Oct. 24 -- at Michigan State (East Lansing, Mich.), 7 p.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- For the first time since 1995 and just the second time ever, the University of Michigan volleyball team has beaten Penn State. Freshman standout Jennifer Gandolph (Greenwood, Ind./Center Grove HS) posted a career-high 20 kills and led the Wolverines to a 3-0 (30-18, 30-28, 30-27) sweep over the 11th-ranked Nittany Lions tonight (Saturday, Oct. 20) in front of 654 fans at Cliff Keen Arena.
Gandolph not only led the way for Michigan offensively by hitting .400 (20-4-40), but she also led the team with 10 digs and added three blocks. Sophomore Erin Moore (Tiffin, Ohio/Columbian HS) chipped in with 12 kills, nine digs and four blocks, and senior setter Shannon Melka (Wheaton, Ill./St. Francis HS) contributed seven digs and four blocks in addition to 49 assists.
As a team, Michigan hit .315 (55-15-127) and held Penn State to just .194 (45-21-124). Solid defense -- 50 digs and nine blocks -- helped the Wolverines pull out the first victory over the Nittany Lions since a five-game win on Nov. 18, 1995, in Cliff Keen Arena.
Michigan (10-7, 6-4 Big Ten) opened the first game with a kill by Gandolph and never looked back. After four service rotations, the Wolverines held a 9-5 lead. Penn State stayed with Michigan as the game progressed, but a service ace by Katrina Lehman (Bloomfield Hills, Mich./Marian HS) put U-M up 21-12. Michigan extended the lead to 28-14 before winning 30-18. In the game, Gandolph hit an impressive .727 with eight kills and zero errors in 11 attempts.
With momentum on their side, the Wolverines started out hot in the second game and held a small lead until Penn State (14-4, 7-3 Big Ten) tied the game at 14-14. From there, the Nittany Lions took a 21-16 lead after service rotations by Shannon Bortner and Mishka Levy. However, three errors by Penn State and three kills by Moore got the Wolverines back into the game by tying the score at 24-24. Michigan took a lead a 28-26 after a kill by Lehman and a ball handling error on PSU's Jessica Hayden. From there, kills by Gandolph and Nicole Poquette (Grand Haven, Mich./Grand Haven HS) gave Michigan a 30-28 victory.
Penn State errors helped Michigan stay close through the start of the third game. The Nittany Lions took an early lead, but after six errors by PSU, the Wolverines tied the game at 10-10. Michigan was able to take a small lead, but Penn State battled back and grabbed a 22-18 lead after a service rotation by Hayden. Gandolph helped Michigan knot the score at 24-24 by posting three kills, and with the game tied at 26-26 Lehman gave Penn State the lead and the ball after a service error. However, a kill by Dana Chapman (Perrysburg, Ohio/Perrysburg HS) tied the game at 27-27.
Michigan's defense then came up huge, as Moore and Melka each assisted on back-to-back blocks to give Michigan a 29-27 lead. At game point, Penn State's pass of Poquette's serve went over the net to Moore, who pounded it directly to the center of the Penn State's side of the floor for the kill. The 30-27 win gave the Wolverines a three-game sweep of the Nittany Lions.
Michigan returns to the court on Wednesday (Oct. 24) to take on Michigan State in the second match of the State Pride Series at 7 p.m. in East Lansing, Mich. The Wolverines won the first match of the series with a five-game victory over the Spartans on Oct. 3 in Ann Arbor.
NOTES
• Michigan's win over Penn State is just its second in 23 meetings between the two teams.
• The Wolverines finished the first half of the round-robin Big Ten regular-season schedule with a 6-4 record, good for a fourth-place tie in the league standings. Since Penn State joined the league for the 1991 season, this is just the fifth time Michigan has had a winning percentage of over .500 at the halfway point of the league schedule. The squad's best first half was a 7-3 effort in 1997, while the Wolverines have had a 6-4 record at the midpoint on four occasions (1991, '92, '95, 2001).
QUOTES
Michigan Head Coach Mark Rosen
On the match ... "Our defense came up big tonight. Penn State has a really strong offense and can really attack the ball. Our defense was able to take them out of their offense. We really played much better than last night (against Ohio State). Our blocking was much, much better."
On winning a big match like this ... "It really builds confidence. Last night, we felt we played alright, but we didn't get the result we wanted. Tonight, we did. This will also really help in terms of the NCAA Tournament. This is an awesome win tonight."
U-M Freshman Outside Hitter Jennifer Gandolph
On beating Penn State, the school over which she chose Michigan ... "It was a huge deal. One of my best friends is on Penn State, and I been looking forward to it for a long time. I felt I really needed to step up and show what I can do tonight. Plus, it's a great rivalry between two good teams."
On her career-high 20 kills ... "Shannon's (Melka) sets were amazing. Every one of them was perfect all night. We were digging well and that set up the sets. I also tried mixing it up. If they blocked my first attempt, I would really try to realign on the second one."
