Michigan
14-8, 8-4Big Ten
Penn State
18-5, 8-4Big Ten
Michigan Upsets Penn State, Moves Into Tie for Second
11/2/2002 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Cliff Keen Arena)
Result: Michigan 3, #11 Penn State 2 (31-29, 28-30, 30-20, 15-30, 15-10)
Records: U-M (14-8, 8-4 Big Ten), PSU (18-5, 8-4 Big Ten)
Next U-M Match: Friday, Nov. 8 -- at Ohio State (Columbus, Ohio), 7 p.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan volleyball team defeated No. 11 Penn State tonight (Saturday, Nov. 2) to move into a tie for second place in the Big Ten Conference standings. The Wolverines recorded their fourth consecutive victory -- and second consecutive at home over PSU -- on the strength of kill-dig double-doubles by Jennifer Gandolph (Greenwood, Ind./Center Grove HS), Erin Moore (Tiffin, Ohio/Columbian HS) and Nicole Poquette (Grand Haven, Mich./Grand Haven HS). The trio thrilled the Cliff Keen Arena crowd of 1,515, the sixth largest for a volleyball match, by combining for 48 kills, 45 digs and 10 blocks.
Gandolph led the offense with a match-high 22 kills, Moore added 14 kills and Poquette contributed 12. Chantel Reedus (Woodridge, Ill./Downers Grove South HS) and Katrina Lehman (Bloomfield, Hills, Mich./Marian HS) also recorded double-digit kills with 15 and 10, respectively. It marked the second time this season that five Wolverines have recorded 10 or more kills in a match (vs. Alabama, Sept. 13).
Moore led all players on defense, tying her career high with 18 digs. Her efforts helped the Wolverines tie their season high in digs with 85 (at Iowa, Sept. 27). Everyone who played tonight recorded at least two digs, and the team tied a season high with four players reaching double digits.
Michigan's outstanding individual efforts also included the play of sophomore setter Lisa Gamalski (Milwaukee, Wis./Catholic Memorial HS), who recorded 64 assists and 17 digs, both one shy of tying career highs. Libero Carrie Ritchie (Mansfield, Ohio/Madison Comprehensive HS) added seven digs, while servicing specialist Alicia Boswell (Long Beach, Calif./Wilson HS) had several solid service rotations and defensive specialist Sarah Allen (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Mechanicsburg HS) added three digs.
Michigan (14-8, 8-4 Big Ten) won game one 31-29 to take an early lead in the match. The Wolverines' defense posted 24 digs and two blocks and allowed the offense to put away 18 kills. The defensive effort included a huge dig by Poquette on Penn State All-American Mishka Levy to set up a Reedus kill on the final point of the game.
The Wolverines played Penn State (18-5, 8-4 Big Ten) close in game two, tying the game at 27-27. However, a block and a kill by Levy gave the Nittany Lions a 30-28 victory and tied the match at one game each.
Following the intermission, the Wolverines came out firing on all cylinders. Michigan hit .475 (22-3-40) in the game and added 22 digs and three blocks. Gandolph (9-0-14) and Poquette (4-0-6) combined for 13 kills in 20 attempts with no errors. U-M took the game 30-20 for a 2-1 games lead that would disappear quickly as game four was all Penn State. The Nittany Lions played tough defense (17 digs) and hit .438 (16-2-32) to win 30-15 and force a fifth game.
The Wolverines looked like they might be in trouble after their first attack was blocked, but the team recovered and tied the game on a kill by Gandolph. The Wolverines built a lead by siding out on Penn State's next five serves. Back-to-back kills by Gamalski and Reedus forced game point at 14-9, and PSU posted a final point before Reedus closed the match with a kill for a 15-10 victory in the game and 3-2 win in the match.
Michigan hits the road for a match against Ohio State at 7 p.m. Friday (Nov. 8) at St. John Arena in Columbus, Ohio. The Wolverines finish the road trip with a match against Indiana at 7 p.m. Saturday (Nov. 9) at the University Gym in Bloomington, Ind.
QUOTES
Michigan Head Coach Mark Rosen
On the match ... "It's a huge win for the season. It impacts the standings a lot. The thing that was so impressive was how our kids handled the emotion. It was up and down, ebb and flow type of game, and I think our players did a great job of handling our little battles within the match."
On beating Michigan State and Penn State this week ... "It was huge. There was a bottleneck in the middle of the standings, and this pushed us up to a point where we are tied for second. Some of the other teams dropped back a little bit, so this was a huge weekend."
On the play of Nicole Poquette ... "I thought Nicole was really steady. Whenever we needed a big point or dig, she came up with it. She made an unbelievable dig at the end of game one. It was like, 'Where did that come from' She just made play after play when we really, really needed it. That tells me she was really focused."
On next weekend's matches ... "These are two big matches at Ohio State and Indiana. Ohio State plays really well at home. We haven't been very successful there, but I think we are ready to be successful there. They are more healthy, so they are going to be a little bit better than when they were here. Indiana is a team that is playing well right now, and they are always good at their place. I think we have two good battles ahead of us, but I think the team is ready to go and they'll get after it."
