Michigan
5-5, 2-2Big Ten
Minnesota
8-4, 2-2Big Ten
Michigan Upsets 17th-Ranked Minnesota in Four Games
9/29/2001 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Site:Â Ann Arbor, Mich. (Cliff Keen Arena)
Result:Â Michigan 3, #17 Minnesota 1 (30-26, 30-27, 26-30, 30-27)
Records:Â U-M (5-5, 2-2 Big Ten), Minnesota (8-4, 2-2 Big Ten)
Next U-M Match:Â Wednesday, Oct. 3 -- vs. Michigan State (Cliff Keen Arena), 7 p.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan volleyball team upset the 17th-ranked Minnesota Golden Gophers 3-1 (30-26, 30-27, 26-30, 30-27) tonight (Saturday, Sept. 29) at Cliff Keen Arena for its first win this season over a ranked team.
The Wolverines were led by freshman Jennifer Gandolph (Greenwood, Ind./Center Grove HS), who recorded her third consecutive double-double with 12 kills and 10 digs against the Golden Gophers. Sophomore Chantel Reedus (Woodridge, Ill./Downers Grove South HS) led all attackers with 17 kills and hit .345 in the match, while Erin Moore (Tiffin, Ohio/Columbian HS) killed 13 attempts and tied Katrina Lehman (Bloomfield Hills, Mich./Marian HS) for the team lead in blocks with four.
Michigan (5-5, 2-2 Big Ten) started the match by hitting .486 in game one. Reedus and Lehman combined for 13 of Michigan's 21 kills, while a solid service series by Moore near the end of the game helped the Wolverines turn a 24-23 lead into a 30-25 victory. The Wolverines carried the momentum from the first game into the second but were unable to pull away from the Gophers. Neither team could put together any stretches of more than three consecutive serves. The game stayed close throughout until a kill by Reedus gave Michigan the game 30-27.
Sophomore Dana Chapman (Perrysburg, Ohio/Perrysburg HS) entered the lineup midway though the first game to give Michigan additional height on the right side and killed three of six attempts in game two and finished the night with three blocks.
In the third game, Minnesota (8-4, 2-2 Big Ten) shortened its serves and caught Michigan off guard. The Wolverines' poor passes of the Gophers' serves did not help set up plays well and forced them into hitting just .152 in the game. After falling behind 10-5, Michigan was able to keep the game close and lost by a final score of 30-26.
A sloppy start to the final game doomed the Gophers, as five attack errors and one service error gave Michigan a quick 9-4 lead. When Minnesota tied the game at 16-16, Moore put together four consecutive serves to help the Wolverines to a 20-16 lead. The Gophers stayed close until an attack by Moore deflected off two Gopher defenders and went out of bounds to give Michigan a 30-27 win to capture the match 3-1.
Michigan carries the momentum of two Big Ten Conference wins and a five-match home winning streak into Wednesday night's (Oct. 3) contest against intrastate rival Michigan State. The Spartans and Wolverines are slated to start the first match of the State Pride Series at 7 p.m., with the first 300 fans receiving free Nike water bottles.
QUOTES
Michigan Head Coach Mark Rosen
On the beating a ranked team at home ... "It was just awesome. Our kids played and competed well tonight. In the third game, [Minnesota] started to serve us short, which caught us a little off guard. They also really stepped up their defense, but our players fought hard and kept the game close."
On individual play ... "Shannon Melka set well tonight, and Erin Moore played really tough. Dana (Chapman) moved into the right side position about a month ago, and we put her in tonight because she has been doing well in practice and we needed a little more height up front."
