Michigan
13-13, 9-10Big Ten
Indiana
8-19, 5-14Big Ten
U-M Keeps NCAA Hopes Alive with Win over Hoosiers
11/23/2001 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Site:Â Ann Arbor, Mich. (Cliff Keen Arena)
Result:Â Michigan 3, Indiana 1 (30-27, 30-28, 19-30, 30-24)
Records:Â U-M (13-13, 9-10 Big Ten), Indiana (8-19, 5-14 Big Ten)
Next U-M Match:Â Saturday, Nov. 24 -- vs. Illinois (Cliff Keen Arena), 7 p.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan volleyball team collected a 3-1 victory (30-27, 30-28, 19-30, 30-24) over the Indiana Hoosiers tonight (Friday, Nov. 23) in front of 1,124 fans at Cliff Keen Arena. The Wolverines improved their record to 13-13 with the win and must defeat No. 21 Illinois tomorrow night (Nov. 24) to finish the season with a winning percentage over .500 and be eligible for a bid to the NCAA Tournament.
After taking a 2-1 lead in the match, it appeared the teams were headed to a fifth game before Michigan (13-13, 9-10 Big Ten) stepped up its play midway through the fourth game. The Wolverines fell behind early 7-1 but managed to fight back and close the gap to two points at 11-9 on a block by sophomore Erin Moore (Tiffin, Ohio/Columbian HS) and freshman Jennifer Gandolph (Greenwood, Ind./Center Grove HS).
Indiana took the lead back to six at 20-14 but the Wolverines fought back once again. A service series by sophomore Nicole Poquette (Grand Haven, Mich./Grand Haven HS) which included a service ace and three U-M kills tied the game at 20-20. The Hoosiers took a 21-20 lead, but Moore tied the game again at 21-21 before Gandolph landed back-to-back kills and senior Annie Maxwell (Santa Barbara, Calif./Santa Barbara HS) drilled a service ace to give Michigan the lead for good at 24-21.
Another service ace, this time by senior Shannon Melka (Wheaton, Ill./St. Francis HS), and two consecutive errors by the Hoosiers gave the Wolverines game point. After a U-M blocking error, Gandolph closed out the game with a strike down the middle and gave the Wolverines a 3-1 victory in the match.
Michigan two big hitters in the match, Gandolph and Moore, came through in the fourth game. Moore posted six of her 15 total kills and had no attack errors in the game, while Gandolph killed seven of her match-high 17 kills in game four. Moore finished the match with a team-high attack percentage of .480 (15-3-25). Freshman Carrie Ritchie (Mansfield, Ohio/Madison Comprehensive HS) posted her second career kill-dig double-double with 12 kills and a career-high 18 digs.
The Wolverines started the match with two close games, as neither team led by more than four points in either game. From the first serve until it was 14-14, the score was tied eight times. From there, the Wolverines took a four-point lead, capped by a service ace from junior Katrina Lehman (Bloomfield Hills, Mich./Marian HS). However, the Hoosiers fought back and tied the game at 27-27. Despite the late run, Michigan captured the win after consecutive kills by Poquette and Moore and an attack error by the Hoosiers' Monica Pritz to take a 1-0 lead in the match.
The roles reversed for game two as Indiana (8-19, 5-14 Big Ten) held the lead most of the way. Michigan took its first lead since 1-0 at the 19-18 mark on a service error by the Hoosiers. Four kills later, they held a 22-20 advantage and looked to extend the lead. However, a service series by IU's Melissa Brewer which included two service aces gave the Hoosiers the lead at 25-22. Michigan clawed back and tied the game at 25-25 and 28-28 before an Indiana attack error gave the Wolverines game point. Gandolph gave Michigan the 30-28 win and extended the lead in the match to 2-0 with her fourth kill of the game.
Michigan handed the Hoosiers the third game by committing 12 attack errors, two service errors, five reception errors and three ball-handling errors -- a total of 22 points. The Wolverines started the game close and were tied with the Hoosiers at 12-12 before an eight-point service series by Laurie Gardner gave IU a 20-12 lead. In the series, she recorded three service aces and forced U-M into four attack errors. Michigan picked up a point, but the Hoosiers went on another run during a service series by Christina Archibald and extended their lead to 27-14. The Wolverines battled back at the end to put five more points on the board but dropped the game 30-19, forcing the fourth game.
Michigan hosts No. 21 Illinois at 7 p.m. tomorrow night (Saturday, Nov. 24) in the final regular-season match. A win keeps the Wolverines eligible for a bid to the NCAA Tournament, while a loss ends the season for the squad. Football fans will receive free admission by presenting a ticket stub from Saturday's (Nov. 24) football game against Ohio State.
NOTES
• Tonight's win gives the Wolverines a 9-10 mark in the Big Ten Conference, the program's best conference record since going 13-7 in 1997.
• With 1,124 fans tonight at Cliff Keen Arena, Michigan increased its attendance for the third consecutive season. This season's current mark of 10,543 fans is the most since 13,577 fans packed the arena during the 1997 campaign.
• Katrina Lehman moved three block assists closer to the Michigan record for most block assists in a season. She has 110 this year and is closing in on the record of 115 blocks assists. Last year, she tied Linsey Ebert for a share of the record.
• Lehman's three block assists also add to two records she broke earlier this season. She has increased the U-M record for block assists in a conference season to 84 and the U-M record for total blocks in a conference season to 90.
QUOTES
Michigan Head Coach Mark Rosen
On the match ... "It's definitely a weekend where we know what we have to do. Our backs are against the wall, and we have to make sure we handle that. I thought we did a nice job tonight. In games one and two, I thought we played really well. We played nice and steady and were able to push away at the end. Game three was all us. We made [22] errors between our attacking errors, our service errors, our reception errors and our ball-handling errors. Of the 30 points they scored, we gave them [22] on our errors. That's not any way to win a volleyball game. That was frustrating, but I thought we came back really well in game four. To battle back in game four was really great. We were down 20-14 and just chipped away. Annie (Maxwell) went in a served some key balls and the next thing you know, we're on top."
On the early timeout in the fourth game ... "Well, we got the stats from game three, and I told them what the stats were. I told them that we made [22] errors. I wanted them to know that we were controlling the game, negatively and positively. When we play well, we control the game. When we make mistakes, we control the game. I wanted them to know that we had control of this match. If we can change our style of play, we can regain control in a positive way."
On the momentum going into tomorrow night ... "It certainly gives us more confidence. Our kids know we have to come out and play well tomorrow night. Illinois will create more problems because they have some bigger, faster players. It will be a totally different style of play. This creates some momentum, but our kids have to be ready to come back tomorrow and face a different team on a different day."
