Weekly Release #11
11/6/2001 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Upcoming Games
Friday, Nov. 9 -- vs. Wisconsin (Cliff Keen Arena), 7 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 10 -- vs. Northwestern (Cliff Keen Arena), 7 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 16 -- at Penn State (State College, Pa.), 7 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 17 -- at Ohio State (Columbus, Ohio), 7 p.m.
U-M Back Home to Host No. 6 Wisconsin, Northwestern
The University of Michigan volleyball team (11-10, 7-7 Big Ten) returns to the comforts of Cliff Keen Arena to host the No. 6 Wisconsin Badgers and the Northwestern Wildcats. The Wolverines host the Badgers at 7 p.m. on Friday (Nov. 9) and the Wildcats at 7 p.m. on Saturday (Nov. 10). U-M looks to get back on track after dropping a pair of road matches to then-No. 24 Minnesota and Iowa last weekend. Playing at home, where the Wolverines are 9-1 this season, could help avenge road losses to Northwestern and then-No. 9 Wisconsin in the first weekend of the Big Ten Conference season and give the team a boost toward an unprecedented third consecutive trip to the NCAA Championship Tournament.
Keep the Good Times Rolling on Saturday
Fans can help pack Cliff Keen Arena to cheer on the Wolverines in their match against Northwestern at 7 p.m. on Saturday (Nov. 10). Fans with a ticket stub from the football game against Minnesota Saturday afternoon will receive free admission to the volleyball match just by showing their ticket stub.
Looking Back
This weekend, Michigan will honor its volleyball alumni with a ceremony during Saturday's match (Nov. 10) with Northwestern. Prior to the match, members the 1981 Big Ten championship team will be recognized for their accomplishment 20 years ago. Other former U-M volleyball players will be recognized during the intermission.
On No. 6 Wisconsin...
Michigan and Wisconsin are meeting for the 43rd time. Wisconsin leads the series 29-13. On Sept. 22, U-M fell to the then-No. 9 Badgers 3-1 (30-13, 30-24, 24-30, 30-17) at the UW Field House in Madison, Wis. The Badgers (19-3, 13-1 Big Ten) opened the Big Ten season with 11 consecutive victories before falling on the road to then-No. 13 Penn State. Michigan is one of just four conference teams to even win a game against Wisconsin, as the Badgers have swept 10 of their 14 Big Ten matches this year. A pair of All-Americans, setter Lizzy Fitzgerald and middle blocker Sherisa Livingston, lead the Badgers. In conference play, Livingston leads the Big Ten with an attack percentage of .437 and is second with 5.13 kills per game. Fitzgerald is second in conference play with 13.43 assists per game and, with an average of 2.74 digs per game, is one of six Badgers averaging 2.00 digs per game in Big Ten action. Head coach Pete Waite, in his third season at Wisconsin, has a record of 68-17 at UW and is 340-119 in 14 years as a collegiate head coach. The Badgers captured the Big Ten title and were the national runners-up last season. Wisconsin on the Web: www.uwbadgers.com.
On Northwestern...
Michigan and Northwestern are meeting for the 43rd time. Michigan leads the series 23-19 but has won 13 of the last 14 meetings overall and the last 10 matches in Ann Arbor. Michigan opened the conference season with a 3-2 loss (21-30, 30-23, 32-34, 30-16, 15-13) to the Wildcats on Sept. 21 in Evanston, Ill. Northwestern (8-13, 4-10 Big Ten) has dropped its last six Big Ten matches after opening the conference season with a 4-4 record. Freshman middle blocker Erika Lange leads the Wildcats in the front row with 2.86 kills per game and 1.53 blocks per game. Freshman setter Drew Robertson is averaging 9.44 assists per game. Second-year head coach Keylor Chan has a record of 13-38 at the school and is 31-53 in three seasons as a collegiate head coach. Northwestern on the Web: www.nusports.com.
Wolverines Fall into Tie for Sixth after Two Road Losses
Michigan' road woes continued last weekend as the Wolverines fell 3-1 (28-30, 30-22, 30-27, 30-23) at then-No. 24 Minnesota on Friday night (Nov. 2) and 3-1 (23-30, 30-23, 30-22, 30-25) at Iowa on Saturday (Nov. 3). At Minnesota, five Wolverines recorded double-digit kills, including 11 in 21 attempts with just one error for an attack percentage of .476 by sophomore Nicole Poquette (Grand Haven, Mich./Grand Haven HS). However, it wasn't enough to overcome solid play by the Gophers, including six kills, six service aces, 10 digs and five blocks by the setter Lindsey Berg. After some travel problems getting to Iowa and no practice time during the day, the Wolverines struggled to get momentum and fell in four games. Poquette finished her solid weekend by posting a career-high 15 digs in the match.
Getting in Position for the Postseason
The Big Ten has received at least five NCAA Tournament bids in each of the last eight seasons (since 1993). In each of the last four seasons, the conference has received at least six tournament bids, including a record eight bids in 1999. Michigan is tied with Minnesota for sixth place, just one game behind No. 24 Illinois and two games behind Michigan State, with three weeks remaining the regular season.
Tough at Home
Michigan has lost just once (No. 10 Ohio State, Oct. 19) in 10 matches at home this season. Dating back to last season, U-M has won 13 of the last 14 at Cliff Keen Arena.
Going to be a Tough One
Michigan has won five of the last nine matches against Wisconsin in Ann Arbor. However, the last win over the Badgers at home was a three-game sweep (15-12,15-7,15-12) on Oct. 11, 1996.
Looking to Extend the Streak
Michigan has won 13 of the last 14 matches against Northwestern, with the only loss a 3-2 defeat earlier this season (Sept. 21) in Evanston, Ill. In Ann Arbor, the Wolverines have defeated the Wildcats in 10 consecutive matches. The last time Northwestern won at Cliff Keen Arena was Nov. 24, 1990.
One of the Few
Michigan fell to then-No. 9 Wisconsin 3-1 (30-13, 30-24, 24-30, 30-17) on Sept. 22 in the second match of the conference season. The victory in game three is more significant than it first appears because it is one of just six games the Badgers have lost in conference play this season. In addition to the Wolverines, Ohio State and Michigan State have each won a single game against Wisconsin, while then-No. 11 Penn State won three games in its 3-2 victory over the Badgers on Oct. 27.
Sharing the Workload
Five players recorded double-digit kills at then-No. 24 Minnesota, giving the Wolverines back-to-back matches with four or more players in double digits for the first time this season. The Wolverines have had four or more players reach double-digit kills in six of 20 matches this year, including two matches with five in double figures.
Short and Long
In three-game sweeps and five-game battles, Michigan has a combined record of 9-4, including 4-1 when matches go the distance. However, when a match takes four games to decide, the Wolverines are 2-6.
Every Other Game
Michigan has found success in every other game this year. The team has a record of 31-16 in the odd numbered games (one, three and five) while posting a combined mark of 10-24 in games two and four.
Solid Weekend of Work
Sophomore Nicole Poquette put together a solid weekend of work against then-No. 24 Minnesota (Nov. 2) and Iowa (Nov. 3). In Friday's match against the Gophers, Poquette hit .476 (11-1-21) and added eight digs and six blocks. The following evening at Iowa, she led the team defensively with a career-high 15 digs. She also contributed 12 kills and five blocks.
On the List
Senior Nicole Kacor (Chicago, Ill./Mother McAuley HS) moved into a tie for seventh with Heather Olsen (1984-87) on the U-M all-time digs list with 10 last weekend. She needs 31 more digs to catch Karen Marshall (1986-89), who is sixth on the list with 938 career digs. Senior setter Shannon Melka (Wheaton, Ill./St. Francis HS), with 864 career digs, needs 16 more to tie Aimee Smith (1991-94) and move into the top 10 on the Wolverines' all-time list. JoAnna Collias (1990-93) is the all-time leader at Michigan with 1,131 career digs.
At the Net
Junior Katrina Lehman (Bloomfield Hills, Mich./Marian HS) moved into sixth on the U-M career block assists list with 257. She needs just six more to catch Kim Clover (1986-89), who is fifth on the list with 263. With 101 total blocks this year, Lehman is closing in on U-M's single-season record of 132 (Linsey Ebert, 1997). She has 287 career blocks; the U-M record is 375 (Julia Sturm, 1987-90).
Movin' On Up
Freshman Carrie Ritchie (Mansfield, Ohio/Madison Comprehensive HS), who played in the front row the first time this season against Purdue (Oct. 27), set a career highs in kills with four against Iowa (Nov. 3).
Still Digging Away
Jennifer Gandolph (Greenwood, Ind./Center Grove HS) has recorded double-digit digs in 16 of the last 18 matches. She posted a career-high 18 digs against Purdue (Oct. 27) and leads the Wolverines with 234 digs and an average of 3.00 digs per game in 21 matches. In conference play, she has dug 170 attacks in 57 games for an average of 2.98 digs per game. She is second in the Big Ten in both overall and conference digs per game and is one of just two freshmen among the top five in each category.
Senior Setter Near the Top of the Stats
Senior setter Shannon Melka added 102 assists last weekend and increased her assist total to 698 this season. Melka is third in the Big Ten with an average of 12.67 assists per game in league play. She has 4,264 career assists, good for second on the U-M all-time career assist list. Linnea Mendoza (1994-1997) holds the U-M career record with 5,072 assists.
Rosen Nearing Another Milestone
Head coach Mark Rosen, with a record of 46-37 at Michigan, is just four wins away from his 50th victory as a Wolverine. He will be the fourth of Michigan volleyball's six head coaches to reach the mark. Currently, Rosen's winning percentage of .554 gives him the highest winning percentage of any volleyball head coach at Michigan and makes him one of just two coaches to have winning record at the school (Sandy Vong, 177-151-7, .539).
Blue Aces Organizing a "Beat the Buckeyes" Charter
The Blue Aces, Michigan volleyball's booster club, is organizing a bus trip to Ohio State for the Saturday, Nov. 17, match. The charter will depart from Cliff Keen Arena and stop in Findlay, Ohio, to pick up additional fans. Following the match, fans will participate in a dinner with the team in Columbus. Tickets -- $35 for Blue Aces members, $50 for non-members -- are on sale now through Nov. 10. The cost of the dinner is not included in the price of the trip. Contact the Michigan volleyball office at 734-647-3035 for more information.
NCAA Tournament Selection Show
The NCAA Division I Volleyball Tournament Selection Show is scheduled for Monday, Nov. 26, at 3 p.m. EST. The show will be live on Fox Sports South, Fox Sports West 2 and Fox Sports Arizona.
Ask the Coach
Log on to MGoBlue.com to submit your questions to head coach Mark Rosen. Coach Rosen's responses to selected questions will be posted on Wednesdays throughout the season.
Co-Captains
The 2001 Michigan volleyball team has co-captains leading the squad, seniors Annie Maxwell (Santa Barbara, Calif./Santa Barbara HS) and Shannon Melka. Melka was a captain in 2000 as a junior as well.
Big Ten Standings (through 11/3/01)
BIG TEN OVERALL Teams W-L Pct. W-L Pct. 1. Wisconsin 13-1 .929 19-3 .864 2. Ohio State 12-2 .857 20-2 .909 3. Penn State 10-4 .714 17-5 .773 4. Illinois 9-5 .643 16-6 .727 5. Michigan State 8-6 .571 15-6 .714 6. Minnesota 7-7 .500 13-9 .591 MICHIGAN 7-7 .500 11-10 .524 8. Northwestern 4-10 .286 8-13 .381 Indiana 4-10 .286 7-15 .318 10. Iowa 2-12 .143 4-17 .190 11. Purdue 1-13 .071 3-19 .136
USA Today/AVCA Top 25 (11/5/01)
Rank, School (1st-place) Points Record Prev 1. Long Beach State (63) 1623 20-0 1 2. Nebraska (2) 1562 20-1 2 3. Stanford 1476 21-2 3 4. Arizona 1423 16-3 4 5. Southern Cal 1378 17-2 5 6. Wisconsin 1280 19-3 7 7. Florida 1170 18-1 9 8. Colorado State 1144 20-1 6 9. Ohio State 1123 20-2 10 10. Pepperdine 987 17-3 13 11. UCLA 985 13-6 8 12. Hawaii 937 20-4 12 13. Penn State 865 17-5 11 14. Utah 802 18-4 15 15. Texas A&M 755 18-3 14 16. Brigham Young 599 17-5 16 17. Pacific 591 20-7 17 18. Northern Iowa 531 22-1 18 19. Santa Clara 370 17-7 20 20. South Carolina 369 17-4 19 21. Colorado 314 15-7 22 22. Cal-Santa Barbara 267 13-1 21 23. Notre Dame 181 16-5 23 24. Illinois 122 16-6 25 25. Kansas State 79 14-7 NR
Contact: Jason Gerdom (734) 763-4423
