Michigan
14-7, 6-4Big Ten
Iowa
5-15, 0-10Big Ten
Wolverines Resume Winning Ways with Sweep at Iowa
10/25/2003 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Site:Â Iowa City, Iowa (Carver-Hawkeye Arena)
Score:Â Michigan 3, Iowa 0 (30-25, 30-18, 30-9)
Records:Â U-M (14-7, 6-4 Big Ten), Iowa (5-15, 0-10 Big Ten)
Next U-M Event:Â Friday, Oct. 31 -- vs. Purdue (Cliff Keen Arena), 7 p.m.
IOWA CITY, Iowa -- The University of Michigan volleyball team snapped a two-match losing streak and closed out the first half of the Big Ten season in fine fashion Saturday night (Oct. 25) at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, routing Iowa 30-25, 30-18, 30-9 to salvage a split on the road trip. U-M was led by senior Erin Moore's (Tiffin, Ohio/Columbian HS) 15 kills and eight blocks as Michigan hit .337 and out-blocked the Hawkeyes 14.5-1.
With the win, the Wolverines conclude the first half of conference play with a 6-4 mark, including a league-best 4-1 record on the road. The win was the third straight for Michigan over the Hawkeyes (5-15), who fell to 0-10 in the Big Ten and suffered their 11th straight loss.
The Wolverines and Hawkeyes spent the first half of the opening game feeling each other out before Michigan went on a four-point run at 15-15 to take a 19-15 lead which it would not give up, cruising to a 30-25 victory. Moore had five kills in the opening frame as U-M hit .325 and out-blocked the Hawkeyes 6.5-0.
Michigan continued its dominance in game two, fighting back from an early four-point deficit to tie the game at 11-11. The Wolverines took the lead and opened up a two-point advantage at 16-14, causing the Hawkeyes to take a timeout. Coming out of the break, Michigan took over the frame, scoring nine of 10 poincts to take a 25-15 lead and cruise to a 30-18 win in game two. The Wolverines hit .444 in the game, committing only two errors, and held the Hawkeyes to a .028 hitting percentage, as Iowa was called for 10 attack errors, two on blocks by U-M.
The Wolverines closed out the match with a 30-9 rout as the Hawkeyes committed 15 attack errors while Michigan jumped on Iowa from the start, opening a 10-point lead at 15-5 before pulling out of reach and closing out the match.
In addition to Moore's dominance, junior Sarah Allen (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Mechanicsburg HS) posted a team-high 11 digs for her fourth straight match with double-digit digs. Junior Jennifer Gandolph (Greenwood, Ind./Center Grove HS) notched nine kills and nine digs while hitting .350, while senior Nicole Poquette (Grand Haven, Mich./Grand Haven HS), freshman Megan Bowman (St. John, Ind./Lake Central HS) and junior Lisa Gamalski (Milwaukee, Wis./Catholic Memorial HS) all notched five or more blocks.
The Wolverines will return home next weekend to open a three-match homestand, hosting Purdue and Indiana on Friday (Oct. 31) and Saturday (Nov. 1) at Cliff Keen Arena. Game time is slated for 7 p.m. each night.
NOTES
• Michigan concluded the first half of the Big Ten campaign with a 6-4 record, including a league-best 4-1 mark on the road.
• The Wolverines are now 6-0 when hitting .300 or better for the match.
• The 3-0 sweep gives U-M a 3-0 win in each weekend of Big Ten play so far this season.
• Erin Moore improved her career kill totals to 1,193, second all-time at U-M. She is 68 shy of the school record, held by Karen Chase (1,261 from 1995-98).
• With a season-high eight blocks, Moore moved into third place on Michigan's career total blocks list with 375 career blocks.
• Jennifer Gandolph moved into seventh place on the Wolverines' career digs list with her nine digs and now owns 923 for her career.
• Moore has reached double-digit kill totals in all but two matches this season, including 11 straight.
• Sarah Allen has posted 10 or more digs in six of her last seven outings, including a season-high four straight.
• U-M's 30-9 win in the third game marked the first time the Wolverines have held an opponent to single digits in a 30-point game in the three seasons the rally-scoring-to-30 format has been used. The previous low was 12 points against Florida Atlantic earlier this season (Aug. 29) in a 30-26, 28-30, 30-12, 30-18 victory at the Florida State Invitational.
