Michigan
12-12, 8-9Big Ten
Penn State
19-6, 12-5Big Ten
Wolverines Drop Five-Game Heartbreaker at Penn State
11/16/2001 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Site:Â State College, Pa. (Rec Hall)
Result:Â #14 Penn State 3, Michigan 2 (23-30, 30-22, 26-30, 30-25, 15-9)
Records:Â U-M (12-12, 8-9 Big Ten), PSU (19-6, 12-5 Big Ten)
Next U-M Match:Â Saturday, Nov. 17 -- at Ohio State (Columbus, Ohio), 7 p.m.
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Despite a strong defensive effort in which it recorded 80 digs and a season-high 14 blocks, the University of Michigan volleyball team fell to 14th-ranked Penn State in five games (23-30, 30-22, 26-30, 30-25, 15-9) in front of 2,160 fans tonight (Friday, Nov. 16) at Rec Hall. Sophomore Erin Moore (Tiffin, Ohio/Columbian HS) led the way defensively, posting career highs with 18 digs and seven blocks while adding 15 kills.
On the offensive front, freshman Carrie Ritchie (Mansfield, Ohio/Madison Comprehensive HS) hammered home a career-high 13 kills, while freshman Jennifer Gandolph (Greenwood, Ind./Center Grove HS) led the team with 18 kills and added 14 digs for her 16th double-double of the season. Senior setter Shannon Melka (Wheaton, Ill./St. Francis HS) recorded 61 assists and, with six kills, tied her career high in kills for the second time in three matches. All three chipped in at the net, as Ritchie and Gandolph set career highs with four blocks each, and Melka had a season-high six blocks.
Michigan (12-12, 8-9 Big Ten) started the night a little slowly and found itself down 6-1 early in the first game. The Wolverines fought back and tied the game at 16-16 before Melka and Moore took over. With three kills by each, U-M scored 10 of the next 14 points to take a 26-20 lead. Moore, who had five kills in the game, added a service ace to take the lead to seven at 27-20. Junior Katrina Lehman (Bloomfield Hills, Mich./Marian HS) added a point for the Wolverines and then joined up with Gandolph for a block to give Michigan game point. An attack error by the Nittany Lions closed out the game for the Wolverines at 30-23.
Game two started much the same, with Penn State (19-6, 12-5 Big Ten) taking an early 6-3 lead. Michigan closed to within one point at 11-10 when Gandolph reeled off five of her six kills in the game over a span of 10 plays. Two errors by PSU tied the game at 12-12, but the Wolverines could not keep a grip on the momentum. Penn State recorded six kills and a service ace to pull away and take a 21-15 lead. Michigan stayed with the Nittany Lions, but it wasn't enough as Penn State evened the match at one game each with a 30-22 victory in game two.
Game three was the one of the match's closest games, as the teams traded sideouts and found the game tied on eight occasions by the time the score reached 16-16. From there, it remained close until the score read 23-23. At that point, U-M took command and rattled off seven of the last 10 points for a 30-26 victory. In the run, Gandolph had two of her game-high five kills and Penn State handed U-M three points, including the final one, on attack errors.
Down two games to one, Penn State stepped up its play at the net and recorded six blocks in game four. The game started out close and was tied at 7-7 before the Nittany Lions made a run which included three blocks and took an 18-12 lead. Michigan once again clawed its way back into the game. Ritchie put home a kill for a sideout and then stepped back and fired off two consecutive service aces to start the comeback. Michigan pulled within three at 24-21 but couldn't draw closer. PSU tied the match with a 30-25 victory in the game.
The Wolverines gave themselves a chance to win in the fifth game by staying close to Penn State in the beginning. A pair of kills by Lehman helped tie the score at 4-4. Michigan could not take a lead but kept the game tight and was training by one point at 9-8 before Penn State pulled away. The Nittany Lions' Mishka Levy killed two attacks but was blocked by Moore and Melka on the third try to run the score to 11-9. However, a U-M service error and back-to-back attack errors put the game out of reach for the Wolverines at 14-9. Penn State closed out the game and the match with a kill by Katie Schumacher.
The Wolverines head to Columbus, Ohio, to face No. 9 Ohio State at 7 p.m. tomorrow night (Saturday, Nov. 17). The match with the Buckeyes will be shown tape-delayed at 3 p.m. Sunday (Nov. 18) on the Ohio News Network.
NOTES
• Tonight's match was the first time this season that six U-M players recorded double-digit digs -- Erin Moore (18), Jennifer Gandolph (14), Carrie Ritchie (14), Nicole Poquette (12), Nicole Kacor (11) and Shannon Melka (10).
• Michigan has had four or more players reach double-digit kills in eight of 24 matches this year, including two matches with five players in double figures.
• Erin Moore set a career high in assists with three. She had recorded two assists twice in her career, the last against Illinois on Nov. 4, 2000.
• Michigan is 0-12 in matches played against Penn State in State College, Pa.
