Michigan
15-13, 9-9Big Ten
Illinois
12-15, 6-12Big Ten
Wolverines Finish Final Road Trip With Loss at Illinois
11/23/2002 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Site: Champaign, Ill. (Huff Hall)
Result: Illinois 3, Michigan 0 (30-21, 30-28, 30-25)
Records: U-M (15-13, 9-9 Big Ten), Illinois (12-15, 6-12 Big Ten)
Next U-M Match: Friday, Nov. 29 -- vs. Wisconsin (Cliff Keen Arena), 7 p.m.
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- The University of Michigan volleyball team fell into a tie for seventh place in the Big Ten Conference standings following a 3-0 (30-21, 30-28, 30-25) loss at Illinois tonight (Saturday, Nov. 23) at Huff Hall. The Wolverines (15-13, 9-9 Big Ten), who are tied with Indiana, have two home matches remaining in the regular season.
Michigan was led by Erin Moore (Tiffin, Ohio/Columbian HS) and Katrina Lehman (Bloomfield, Hills, Mich./Marian HS), who posted 12 and 10 kills, respectively. Moore added seven digs, while Lehman led the team in blocks with five. Jennifer Gandolph (Greenwood, Ind./Center Grove HS) posted a match-high 15 digs.
Carrie Ritchie (Mansfield, Ohio/Madison Comprehensive HS) filled in for the injured Chantel Reedus (Woodridge, Ill./Downers Grove South HS) for the second consecutive night and posted eight kills and eight digs. Sarah Allen (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Mechanicsburg HS) stepped in as the libero, Ritchie's primary position this season.
The Wolverines' hitting struggled for the second night in a row. U-M committed 29 errors on the way to a .162 (51-29-136) hitting percentage, while Illinois limited its errors and hit .295 (48-12-122). The Illini also recorded eight service aces while Michigan had just three. At the net, Michigan blocked five attacks, while Illinois turned away 13 of Michigan's kill attempts.
After Illinois (12-15, 6-12 Big Ten) took game one 30-21, Michigan was able to keep game two close. Trailing 21-15, the Wolverines battled back to tied the game at 26-26. U-M kept it close and was down one point at 29-28. However, a kill by Sue Webber gave Illinois the 30-28 victory and a two-game lead.
Game three was much of the same. Behind 14-9, Michigan made a run and closed the gap to two points at 14-12. The Wolverines keep the margin close through 27-25 but could not hang on through the end. Illinois scored the final three points to win the game 30-25 and sweep the match.
Michigan returns home to Cliff Keen Arena for the final weekend of the regular season. The Wolverines host No. 14 Wisconsin on Friday (Nov. 29) and then close out Big Ten play with a contest against Northwestern on Saturday (Nov. 30). Both matches are slated to start at 7 p.m.
NOTES
• Sophomore Candace Gay (Detroit, Mich./Academy of the Sacred Heart) saw limited action in game one. She filled in for Erin Moore during three rotations and recorded one kill.
