Michigan
6-3
Toledo
7-3
Michigan Shoots Down Toledo in Three Straight Games
9/19/2002 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Cliff Keen Arena)
Result: Michigan 3, Toledo 0 (30-17, 30-25, 30-21)
Records: U-M (6-3), Toledo (7-3)
Next U-M Match: Saturday, Sept. 21 -- at Notre Dame (South Bend, Ind.), 7 p.m. EST/CDT
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan volleyball team displayed its finest hitting of the season with a .385 attack percentage (41-11-78) in a three-game sweep (30-17, 30-25, 30-21) of the Toledo Rockets tonight (Thursday, Sept. 19) at Cliff Keen Arena. The Wolverines' offense was led by Jennifer Gandolph (Greenwood, Ind./Center Grove HS) and Chantel Reedus (Woodridge, Ill./Downers Grove South HS), who each recorded a match-high nine kills.
Junior captain Erin Moore (Tiffin, Ohio/Columbian HS) was a wall, posting a match-high seven blocks. Her efforts helped the team to 14 blocks, its second-highest total of the year. The defensive effort kept the Rockets to a .073 hitting percentage (31-24-96). U-M was also helped by 12 service errors by Toledo.
Michigan (6-3) came out firing and took a quick 13-3 lead following a service rotation by Katrina Lehman (Bloomfield Hills, Mich./Marian HS) that rattled off nine consecutive points. Lehman nailed down all four of her services aces in that rotation. The teams traded points until Toledo (7-3) made a small run late in the match to slightly close the gap. However, a pair of attack errors forced game point, and a kill by Gandolph gave the game to the Wolverines 30-17.
The second game was a little closer from the start until Moore's first service rotation increased the Michigan lead to 14-9. The Wolverines slowly expanded the lead to 25-18, but then the Rockets posted three consecutive points to draw within four at 25-21. Three Michigan errors kept Toledo in the game, but the Rockets did not take advantage of the situation and fell 30-25 in the second game.
The Wolverines jumped out to a 10-4 lead in the third game on a service rotation by Nicole Poquette (Grand Haven, Mich./Grand Haven HS). The Rockets committed three attack errors and allowed a service ace to help the Wolverines' cause. As U-M stretched its lead, head coach Mark Rosen was able to use his bench and gave Candace Gay (Detroit, Mich./Sacred Heart HS) and Shaynell Neal (Glenwood, Ill./Bloom Township HS) some valuable playing time. Gay recorded two kills, while Neal's lone kill finished the game at 30-21 and gave the Wolverines the sweep.
Michigan plays its final non-conference match on Saturday (Sept. 21) against Notre Dame at the Joyce Center in South Bend, Ind. The match is schedule to start at 7 p.m. EST/CDT (8 p.m. EDT).
NOTES
• With five blocks tonight, Katrina Lehman now has 363 career blocks. She needs 12 more to tie Julia Sturm (1987-90) for the all-time record of 375 total blocks.
• Tonight's match was head coach Mark Rosen's 100th match at Michigan. Rosen is tied with Sandy Vong (1973-83) for the highest winning percentage of any coach in the history of Michigan volleyball with a record of 54-46 (.540 winning percentage) in four seasons.
• U-M junior Nicole Poquette's sister, Chelsey, is a freshman for the Rockets and appeared in her third game of the season tonight.
• U-M head coach Mark Rosen and Toledo head coach Kent Miller are long-time friends. The pair grew up together in Anchorage, Alaska, attended the same high school and spent one year together at Oregon State before Rosen continued his education at California State-Northridge. Tonight is the third time they have coached against each other, with Rosen's team winning all three contests.
• Michigan's next home match, against Big Ten Conference rival Indiana on Friday, Oct. 4, will be the 11th annual Rock the House.
• Michigan volleyball has posted a record of 95-79 (.546) in 14 years at Cliff Keen Arena. The team needs just five more wins to reach the century mark, making the Saturday, Oct. 26, match against Purdue the earliest possible date for the accomplishment.
QUOTES
Michigan Head Coach Mark Rosen
On the match ... "I felt like we were very ready. We just lost two in a row. Whether they were good teams or not, good teams don't want to lose two in a row. I thought we were very focused, saying let's get back on track, and this is a good match to do that. I thought we were really ready to play, and the first three or four points you can tell that we were ready to go."
On not calling timeout during runs by Toledo ... "On the one run in game two, (Jessica) Buck was serving and she just got on fire. I really wanted to call timeout to break her rhythm, but I only have two timeouts so I kind of had to wait for a better time. I don't want to call it too early because if she gets back on another run, I only have one timeout. I felt like we had enough of a lead, and I felt we were going to be able to regroup. It was more of a tactical move; I just didn't feel it was the right time to call a timeout."
On using the bench and getting them more comfortable in the lineup ... "You have to get into the match to get more comfortable. Tonight they (Candace Gay and Shaynell Neal) were much more comfortable then they were a couple of nights ago against Bowling Green. They do a great job in practice. It's just a matter of getting comfortable in a match environment and with the match pressure."
