Michigan
10-5, 4-1Big Ten
Michigan State
11-4, 3-2Big Ten
Efficient Offense Helps Wolverines Dominate Spartans
10/9/2002 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Cliff Keen Arena)
Result: Michigan 3, #18 Michigan State 0 (30-25, 30-20, 30-24)
Records: U-M (10-5, 4-1 Big Ten), MSU (11-4, 3-2 Big Ten)
Next U-M Match: Friday, Oct. 11 -- at Penn State (State College, Pa.), 7 p.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Sophomore Jennifer Gandolph (Greenwood, Ind./Center Grove HS) hit .600 (13-1-20), posted 12 digs and blocked four Michigan State attacks to lead the University of Michigan volleyball team to a three-game sweep (30-25, 30-20, 30-24) of the 18th-ranked Spartans on Wednesday (Oct. 9). A crowd of 1,113 fans at Cliff Keen Arena saw the Wolverines tear apart MSU's defense for 52 kills and a .365 hitting percentage (52-14-104), their second-best outing of the season.
With the win, Michigan improved to 10-5 overall (4-1 Big Ten) and broke a three-way tie with Michigan State and Northwestern for sole possession of third place in the Big Ten Conference standings.
Sophomore setter Lisa Gamalski (Milwaukee, Wis./Catholic Memorial HS) continued her excellent offensive play, earning a match-high 40 assists and contributing five attacks. Her setting decisions froze the Michigan State blockers, holding them to a season-low three team blocks.
The Wolverines' outstanding individual play was not limited to Gandolph. Juniors Chantel Reedus (Woodridge, Ill./Downers Grove South HS) and Erin Moore (Tiffin, Ohio/Columbian HS) recorded 11 and 10 kills, respectively. On defense, Katrina Lehman (Bloomfield, Hills, Mich./Marian HS) posted a match-high seven blocks.
Michigan State (11-4, 3-2 Big Ten) took the first lead of the match at 4-1, but it ended up being the Spartans' largest lead of the evening. Reedus got Michigan going with four consecutive kills to give the team its first lead at 5-4. Michigan rolled from there, using a service rotation by Nicole Poquette (Grand Haven, Mich./Grand Haven HS) to extend its lead to 10-5. The Wolverines kept expanding their lead until they grabbed the win 30-25.
Game two also started with an MSU lead, but the contest stayed close. The teams battled to a 17-17 tie before U-M went on a 13-3 run to close out game two 30-20. The final game was nearly identical to the second. The teams were tied at 15-15 before Michigan took a commanding lead after a 10-5 run. A pair of Michigan State errors closed out the contest at 30-24 and gave the Wolverines the three-game sweep.
The Wolverines finish the week on Friday (Oct. 11) with a match against No. 9-ranked Penn State in State College, Pa. The contest will start at 7 p.m. in Rec Hall.
NOTES
• Including a 6-0 home mark this season, Michigan volleyball has posted a record of 98-79 (.554) in 14 years at Cliff Keen Arena. The team needs just two more wins to reach the century mark, making the Saturday, Oct. 26, match against Purdue the earliest possible date for the accomplishment.
• Redshirt freshman Alicia Boswell (Long Beach, Calif./Wilson HS) saw her first action of the season and recorded one service ace while playing in all three games.
QUOTES
Michigan Head Coach Mark Rosen
On the match ... "I think we were on all cylinders. When you have as many people on their best match, that makes it pretty easy to control things. I thought (Lisa) Gamalski did a phenomenal job running the offense today. I think she went in really prepared to run it against them and affect them. Our hitters did a great job. She can get them all in good situations, but if she doesn't have enough hitters to get on fire then that breaks down. But everybody, when they got the ball, was ready to go. Plus we passed the ball well, and if you pass the ball well, then it allows [Gamalski] to run the offense."
On the effect of the crowd ... "There's no question it helps to be home, and we had a great crowd tonight. I think this team's getting tougher and stronger mentally. As the confidence comes, that helps the team when we get down a little bit. It seems like the girls are comfortable knowing we can battle back in."
On choosing which attacker to set during the match ... "[Lisa Gamalski] made all the choices tonight. We showed her what to do to affect their team, and she went out there and executed it tonight. She did a great job of picking them apart. When we were down 4-1 in that first series, they were playing some great defense. They had some big, huge digs, and we were struggling a little bit. Then I thought our defensive level really got better. The next thing you know, we were out-defending them, and that was huge. I think passing became a huge key tonight. That let us run our offense, and as soon as we ran our offense, they couldn't stop it. I think that was one of the biggest keys."
U-M Sophomore Jennifer Gandolph
On the match ... "I think I wasn't as into the whole rivalry thing as a freshman, but I am definitely into it now. I know their team better, and when I see them, I just want to go after it. This year I was a little more comfortable. [Lisa Gamalski's] sets were great, and we passed awesome. Lisa got us one-on-ones plenty of times, and our middles were pulling their middles. She did a great job setting. She was awesome."
