Michigan
13-14, 9-11Big Ten
Illinois
20-8, 13-7Big Ten
Loss to No. 21 Fighting Illini Ends Michigan's Season
11/24/2001 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Cliff Keen Arena)
Result: #21 Illinois 3, Michigan 2 (23-30, 28-30, 30-25, 34-32, 15-9)
Records: U-M (13-14, 9-11 Big Ten), Illinois (20-8, 13-7 Big Ten)
Next U-M Match: Season completed
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The 2001 University of Michigan volleyball season came to a close with a 3-2 loss (23-30, 28-30, 30-25, 34-32, 15-9) to No. 21 Illinois tonight (Saturday, Nov. 24) in front of 1,045 fans at Cliff Keen Arena. The Wolverines took a 2-0 lead into the intermission but dropped the last three games to finish the regular season with a 13-14 record, just one win shy of being eligible to receive a bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Michigan's three seniors all contributed in the final match of their collegiate careers. Annie Maxwell (Santa Barbara, Calif./Santa Barbara HS) entered the match on several occasions to serve, Nicole Kacor (Chicago, Ill./Mother McAuley HS) recorded a kill and 10 digs, and Shannon Melka (Wheaton, Ill./St. Francis HS) had 14 digs and a season-high 71 assists.
Michigan (13-14, 9-11 Big Ten) opened the match strongly and posted 30-23 and 30-28 victories in the first two games. Three Wolverines -- Jennifer Gandolph (Greenwood, Ind./Center Grove HS), Erin Moore (Tiffin, Ohio/Columbian HS) and Carrie Ritchie (Mansfield, Ohio/Madison Comprehensive HS) -- posted double-digit kills in the first two games. Michigan also controlled the net, blocking nine Fighting Illini attacks. Junior Katrina Lehman (Bloomfield Hills, Mich./Marian HS) recorded seven of her career-high 10 blocks in the two games.
Illinois (20-8, 13-7 Big Ten) bounced back after the intermission and was able to stay with the Wolverines. In the third game, Michigan struggled at the net, committing 15 attack errors. The game stayed close, but Illinois scored six of the last seven points to win 30-25.
Michigan reduced its errors in the fourth game, but the Illini found their rhythm also. Illinois held a lead between one and six points most of the way. They ran the score to 28-24 and looked to put the game away, but Michigan fought back. Kills by Gandolph and Ritchie during a service series by Nicole Poquette (Grand Haven, Mich./Grand Haven HS) tied the game at 28-28. Illinois earned game point on a U-M attack error, but Moore tied the game at 29-29 with a kill. The Wolverines saved game point two more times before finding themselves with a chance to win after a kill by Lehman gave U-M a 32-31 lead. However, an attack error by the Wolverines and a pair of kills by Illinois gave the Illini a 34-32 win and sent the match to a fifth game.
A pair of Michigan errors spotted Illinois a 2-0 lead in the final game. The Wolverines closed the margin to one at 3-2, but three more attack errors gave Illinois a 6-3 lead. The margin grew to five at 11-6 before Michigan closed to within two points at 11-9. The momentum swung back to Illinois after its posted a pair of kills to take a 13-9 lead. Michigan tried to rally but handed the Fighting Illini a 15-9 win and the match on back-to-back attack errors.
The Wolverines finished the regular season 13-14 overall and 9-11 in the Big Ten, good for seventh place in the conference standings.
NOTES
• Carrie Ritchie posted a career-high 23 kills in tonight's match. She shattered her previous mark of 13, which she recorded at Penn State (Nov. 16).
• Michigan finishes the season with a 9-11 mark in the Big Ten, the program's best conference record since going 13-7 in 1997.
• Michigan has increased its attendance for the third consecutive season. This season's tally of 11,588 fans is the most since 13,577 fans packed the arena during the 1997 campaign.
• Katrina Lehman finished the 2001 season with 119 block assists and set the Michigan record most block assists in a season. Last year, she had 115 block assists and tied Linsey Ebert for a share of the previous record.
• Lehman's 10 blocks vs. Indiana also add to two records she broke earlier this season. She increased the U-M record for block assists in a conference season to 93 and the U-M record for total blocks in a conference season to 100.
• Lehman finished the season with 130 total blocks, two shy of the Michigan single-season record (132, Linsey Ebert, 1997).
• Michigan recorded a season-high 17 blocks tonight against Illinois.
• Of the team's 14 losses this season, all but two came to teams that have spent at least one week in the AVCA/USA Today Top 25, and all three home losses this season were to ranked teams (No. 10 Ohio State, No. 6 Wisconsin and No. 21 Illinois).
QUOTES
Michigan Head Coach Mark Rosen
On the match ... "It's tough. This is the third five-game match we have lost in three weeks. They were all against top-ranked teams and any one of them would have probably gotten us into the NCAA Tournament. We had a match point in game four and just couldn't put it away after we worked so hard to get that far. Then in game five, we came out just a little bit tentative, and that is something that you just can't afford to do. It's a bitter loss, but I'm proud of how the girls played. We came into this weekend with our back against the wall, and I thought they fought really hard. Unfortunately, we just couldn't put it away."
On the growth of the program not being reflected in the lack of a trip to the NCAA Tournament ... "I think there are a lot of factors involved. The loss of the four matches that couldn't be rescheduled hurt us from a record standpoint. We had more wins in the Big Ten than we've had since we got here. We are taking steps. This is the most wins with the youngest team we've had. We started two freshmen on the outside, and we started a sophomore in the middle and on the right side. We're headed in the right direction, and I'm really excited about that. Not being able to go the NCAA Tournament and take this team through that experience is frustrating and bitter, but that is something that we need to work harder on next year."
On the seniors ... "We are really going to miss these seniors. Graduation is always difficult, and this year is no exception. Nicole Kacor, Annie Maxwell and Shannon Melka have made some big contributions to this program, and we are going to miss their influence. Hopefully, some of the younger players have learned from them and that will have a positive influence on the rest of their careers."
