Weekly Release #16

2003 Season Storylines ...
Reaching New Heights -- With a 21-12 record in 2003, Michigan cracked the 20-win plateau for the sixth time in school history, marking the first time since 1997 the Wolverines have recorded 20 or more wins. In addition, U-M's 21 victories are most of head coach Mark Rosen's tenure, surpassing the 19 wins from the 2000 campaign.

High Five -- Michigan made its fifth appearance in the NCAA Tournament and has been invited to be a part of the 64-team field in four of the last five years, all under head coach Mark Rosen. In 12 years of coaching, Rosen has guided his team to the NCAA Tournament on 10 occasions.

Road Warriors -- The Wolverines captured more than half of their wins in 2003 away from the friendly confines of Cliff Keen Arena, posting a 12-6 record on the road.

Among the Leaders -- With two weekends left in the 2003 volleyball season, Michigan is ranked 14th in the nation in blocking. The Wolverines averaged 3.07 blocks per game during the season, second among Big Ten schools.

There's Always Room for Improvement -- Since head coach Mark Rosen took over the program 1999, the Wolverines have improved upon their conference win total in each season, recording seven in 1999, eight in 2000, nine in 2001, 10 in 2002 and 12 in 2003.

Finishing Higher Than Estimated -- The Wolverines, picked to finish seventh in the Big Ten by the league's head coaches in a preseason poll, concluded the 2003 campaign in fifth place in the league standings, marking their highest finish in the conference since tying for third in 1997. Since 1985, when the Big Ten adopted the double round-robin schedule format, the Wolverines have placed fifth or higher on three occasions.

A Record-Setting Year -- Michigan set the school record for the best hitting percentage in 2003, recording a .250 mark. The old record was a .246 hitting percentage, set in 2002. In addition, U-M's 633 block assists in 2003 established a single-season record, surpassing the 514 recorded by the 2002 squad. Since 1983, only two U-M teams have recorded more than 500 block assists.

News and Notes ...
Four Wolverines Named Academic All-Big Ten -- Redshirt freshman Erin Cobler, junior Lisa Gamalski, sophomore Candace Gay and senior Erin Moore were all named to the Academic All-Big Ten Volleyball team. To be eligible for the squad, student-athletes must have a grade point average of 3.0 or higher.

Moore Receives CoSIDA All-Academic Recognition -- Senior Erin Moore was voted to the CoSIDA University Division All-Academic District IV Volleyball second team, becoming the second student-athlete in U-M volleyball history to receive Academic All-District honors. She joins Shareen Luze, who received second-team accolades in 1996. To be nominated for Academic All-District honors, a student-athlete must be a starter or important reserve and carry a cumulative grade point average of 3.20 or higher. Team members are selected by a vote of the members of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) within the district. District IV is made up of Division I schools in Alabama, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee.

Moore Earns All-Mideast Region Accolades -- Senior Erin Moore was honored by the American Volleyball Coaches Association as one of 12 players named to the AVCA All-Mideast Region team. Moore, an honorable mention selection to the All-Mideast Region team in 2002, is the program's second AVCA honoree, joining 1997 all-district selection Linnea Mendoza (1994-97). Moore is now eligible for the AVCA All-America team, which will be announced on Dec. 17. Michigan has not had an individual receive All-America honors in the 31-year history of the program.

Moore, Bowman Earn All-Big Ten Honors -- Senior Erin Moore and freshman Megan Bowman received honors from the Big Ten Conference after guiding Michigan to a fifth-place finish in the league during the 2003 campaign. Moore was a unanimous selection to the All-Big Ten team, marking the second straight season she has been named to the squad. Moore is also the first player in U-M volleyball history to earn first-team All-Big Ten accolades twice. Bowman was selected to the Big Ten All-Freshman team, becoming the second player in the history of the program to be named to the squad. Junior Jennifer Gandolph, a 2001 pick, is the only other player in U-M history to be named to the All-Freshman team.

Seventh Heaven -- Seven teams from the Big Ten Conference made the NCAA Tournament in 2003, marking the most selections for any conference. Last season, the league placed a record eight teams in the field of 64.

Back to Back -- For the second time in school history, Michigan posted 10 wins in Big Ten play in back-to-back seasons. In their 22-year history in the Big Ten, the Wolverines have posted 10 or more victories on only six occasions. The only other time U-M posted 10 or more conference wins in consecutive campaigns was in 1991 and 1992, when the Wolverines won 10 and 11, respectively.

NCAA Tourney Tidbits -- Michigan is 4-5 all-time in the NCAA Tournament ... The Wolverines were placed in the field of 64 for the second straight season for the second time in school history. U-M was selected to the 1999 and 2000 brackets ... Michigan is 4-1 in the first round and 0-4 in the second round ... In each of their five NCAA Tournament selections, the Wolverines have traveled west of the Mississippi River for the first and second rounds.

Strong Finishers -- U-M posted wins in four of its last five regular-season matches, marking the best regular-season finish during the final three weekends since head coach Mark Rosen took over the program in 1999.

Movin' On Up -- Junior Jennifer Gandolph finished the season ranked second in career digs at U-M with 1,083 and jumped over Linnea Mendoza (1,080 from 1994-97) during the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament. Gandolph is 48 digs away from the all-time record of 1,131, held by JoAnna Collias (1990-93).

The Chase Is Now On -- Jennifer Gandolph will go into the 2004 campaign with the career kills record in sight. Gandolph is currently third with 1,229 terminations, 155 behind senior Erin Moore's record of 1,384. In between the two is Karen Chase, who recorded 1,261 kills from 1995-98.

More on Gandolph -- Jennifer Gandolph posted career highs for kills (469), kills per game (3.84), digs (417), digs per game (3.42) and block solos (14) in 2003, and also recorded a career-best 20 service aces. Entering the 2003 campaign, Gandolph had 27 aces to her credit.

Finishing as One of the Best -- Senior Nicole Poquette capped her career at Michigan tied for third in career hitting percentage with senior Erin Moore, as each posted a .263 percentage. Poquette, who hit .260 or better in three of her four seasons at U-M, also concluded her career ranked third in career block assists (352) and fifth in career blocks (11-352-363). Poquette tied a career high with 20 service aces and four block solos in 2003 while also tallying a career-best 103 block assists and 107 total blocks. In addition, she averaged 0.97 blocks per game, the best average of her career.

Megan in the Middle -- Freshman Megan Bowman finished the season with a team-high 1.47 blocks per game with 14-139-153 totals in 31 matches. Her totals were good enough to rank 22nd in the nation in blocks per game (as of Dec. 7), while her 153 blocks, including 139 assists, ranked third among U-M's top single-season totals. As of Dec. 9, Bowman is tied with Penn State freshman Cassy Salyer for the blocking lead among Big Ten players.

Playing Both Sides of the Net -- Junior Lisa Gamalski posted a career-high 159 kills in 2003 and registered the most assists of her career with 1,511. Gamalski, who also tied a personal best with 23 aces, recorded a career-high 73 blocks, including a career-best 72 assists, and averaged 0.60 blocks per game, also a career high.

Going the Distance -- Sophomore Alicia Boswell saw the most action of her career in 2003, appearing in all 33 matches as a serving specialist. Prior to the season, Boswell had only played in 18 matches, including 17 in 2002. Boswell posted a career-best 22 service aces and 25 digs in 2003.

The Big Ten's Most Complete Player -- Although she was not named Player of the Year in the Big Ten, senior Erin Moore held the distinction as the conference's most complete player, as she ranked among the top six in three different categories in league matches -- hitting percentage (4th - .310), kills (5th - 4.34 per game), and blocks (6th - 1.31 per game) -- and also tied for 11th in service aces with 0.26 per game. No other player in the conference can claim that distinction.

Saving the Best for Last -- Erin Moore established career highs in almost every statistical category in 2003 -- kills (522), attempts (1,206), hitting percentage (.293), service aces (27), total blocks (161) and block assists (154). In addition, Moore averaged 4.28 kills per game and 1.32 blocks per game, also career highs.

Rewriting the Record Book -- Erin Moore set the school's single-season record for block assists with a career-high 154, surpassing the old record held by Katrina Lehman (135 in 2002) ... Moore also tallied a career-high 161 blocks in 2003, eclipsing Lehman's mark of 156, also set in 2002 ... Moore's 522 kills marked the highest single-season kill total in U-M history, topping Shannon Brownlee's 507 in 1995 ... Moore also set the U-M record for block assists in a conference season with 97, surpassing Lehman's mark of 93, set in 2001.

Leaving a Legacy -- Erin Moore concluded her time at Michigan with the school record for career kills, recording 1,384 from 2000-03. Moore also took a U-M record 3,210 swings in her career and tied senior Nicole Poquette for third in career hitting percentage at U-M with a .263 mark. In addition, Moore finished her career ranked second in career block assists and total blocks with 37-394-431 totals.

Doubling Up -- Junior Sarah Allen, the Wolverines' libero, turned in a career year in 2003, ranking second on the team with a career-best 2.i80 digs per game. Allen, who played in all of U-M's 33 matches, a career high, posted 10 or more digs in 19 matches this season after entering the 2003 campaign with just one 10-dig match to her credit.

Not That We're Looking Ahead or Anything ... -- Head coach Mark Rosen will enter the 2004 campaign six wins shy of his 300th career victory. Rosen owns a career record of 294-117 in 12 seasons as a head coach, including an 85-70 mark in five years at Michigan.

Freeballs -- Despite being limited to just 18 matches, senior Chantel Reedus tallied a career-high three blocks solos in 2003.

If You've Been With Us All Season, These May Look Familiar ...
Playing the Percentages -- Michigan was 16-3 in 2003 when it hit .250 or better. In matches in which they hit .300 or better, the Wolverines were 8-0, while U-M owned a 3-0 record when recording a hitting percentage of .400 or better.

Five Sign NLIs During Early Signing Period -- The Wolverines signed five student-athletes to National Letters of Intent during the early signing period (Nov. 12-19). Katie Bruzdzinski (Naperville, Ill./Naperville North HS), Sarah Draves (Ypsilanti, Mich./Ypsilanti HS), Mara Martin (Monroe, Mich./St. Mary Catholic Central HS), Lyndsay Miller (Ida, Mich./Ida HS) and Stesha Selsky (Manhattan Beach, Calif./Marymount HS) have all committed to attend the University and compete in volleyball in the fall of 2004.

Anytime, Anywhere -- The motto "Anytime, Anywhere" was adopted by the Michigan volleyball team for its trip to Prague, Czech Republic, in August, and the Wolverines brought that mantra into the season. U-M won 12 matches away from Cliff Keen Arena, surpassing last season's total of five. The Wolverines, with a 7-3 record on the road in Big Ten play, posted the most conference road wins in school history, surpassing the 1997 squad, which triumphed in six of its 10 road contests. Prior to 2003, Michigan had recorded no more than two wins on the road in Big Ten play during each of the last five seasons.

Layin' the Smackdown -- U-M's 30-9 win in the third game of its 3-0 (30-25, 30-18, 30-9) win at Iowa on Oct. 25 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.

Home Sweet Home -- U-M posted a 9-6 at Cliff Keen Arena this season and has notched nine or more wins at home in each of the last four seasons.

Sweep Success -- Michigan's victories at Indiana and Purdue on Oct. 10-11 marked the first weekend road sweep for the Wolverines since 1997, when U-M went on the road and downed Minnesota and Iowa in back-to-back days. U-M also wrapped up the Big Ten campaign with a pair of road wins at No. 18 Illinois and Northwestern on Nov. 28-29, marking the first time since 1995 Michigan has swept two Big Ten road series in a single campaign.

One Less Thing to Worry About -- Michigan's 3-1 win at Ohio State on Nov. 16 marked the first win in U-M volleyball history in Columbus, snapping a 24-match losing streak to the Buckeyes on OSU's home court.

Triple Play -- Michigan captured three of its four pre-conference tournaments, marking the second time in school history U-M has won three in-season tournaments. The Wolverines captured the Michigan/Pepsi Challenge, Tennessee's Toyota Lady Vol Classic and the Michigan/Nike Challenge this season, equaling the feat set by the 1987 squad, which took three of its four in-season tournaments.

State Pride Banner Stays at Michigan -- Michigan retained the State Pride Series Banner, awarded annually to the winner of the Michigan-Michigan State series, by virtue of a 5-3 lead in games won. The last time Michigan, which captured the banner with a sweep of the Spartans last season, won consecutive State Pride Banners was from 1990-92, the first three years of the competition. Each team won a match this season, with U-M posting a 3-0 sweep in East Lansing on Oct. 1, while the Spartans recorded a 3-2 victory in Ann Arbor on Nov. 5.

Forming Her Own Club -- Junior Jennifer Gandolph accomplished something no other player in the history of U-M volleyball has in the program's 30-plus year history on Nov. 14 at No. 16 Penn State. With her 20th dig of the night, Gandolph recorded her 1,000th career dig, becoming the first player in the program's history to top the 1,000 mark in career digs and kills.

Crowded Houses -- 2,947 fans packed into Cliff Keen Arena to see Michigan face Iowa (Nov. 21) and No. 22 Minnesota (Nov. 22), marking the second-highest home weekend total in school history, and just 119 fans shy of the school record of 3,066, set on Nov. 6-7, 1992, when U-M hosted Ohio State and Penn State ... An even 2,800 fans, including a season-high 1,486 against No. 12 Penn State (Sept. 27), saw Michigan face Ohio State (Sept. 26) and Penn State, marking the third-highest weekend series attendance total in school history ... U-M's 1,800 fans against Michigan State on Nov. 5 marked the fourth-largest home crowd in Michigan history, while the crowd of 1,712 to watch the Wolverines taken on Minnesota on Nov. 22 was the fifth-largest.

This Seems Awfully Familiar ... -- The Wolverines' starting lineup may have looked familiar to those who have been watching the team for the past few seasons. Five of the six regular starters from 2002 -- juniors Lisa Gamalski and Jennifer Gandolph, along with seniors Erin Moore, Chantel Reedus and Nicole Poquette -- were back in 2003. Gamalski completed her second season as the regular starter at setter, while Gandolph, Moore, Reedus and Poquette have been regular starters since the 2001 campaign.

Taking On the Top 25 -- U-M was 2-9 against opponents ranked by the AVCA in 2003.

Moore Named Preseason All-Big Ten -- Senior Erin Moore was one of 12 student-athletes named to the Preseason All-Big Ten Team, marking the second straight year she has been selected to the squad. Moore earned All-Mideast Region honorable mention from the AVCA in 2002, becoming just the second U-M player in the program's history to receive all-region accolades from the AVCA. Moore was also named to the 12-member All-Big Ten team, improving upon her All-Big Ten honorable mention laurels in 2001.

U-M Picked Seventh in Big Ten Preseason Coaches Poll -- The Wolverines were tabbed to finish seventh in the Big Ten by the league's head coaches. Michigan, which tied for sixth in the Big Ten last year with a 10-10 mark, has improved its win total and position in the Big Ten standings during each year of head coach Mark Rosen's tenure. Last year's 10 wins were the most in league play since the 1997 campaign.

Serving Up Europe! -- The U-M volleyball team traveled to Prague, Czech Republic, Aug. 14-24 to compete against club teams in the Prague area as part of its preseason training. Player journals and photos from the Wolverines' trip are available on MGoBlue.com.

Contact: Paul Thomas (734) 763-4423