Michigan
21-11
ColoradoÂ
21-10
Moore, Bowman Lead Rout of Colorado in NCAA Opener
12/5/2003 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Site:Â Berkeley, Calif. (Haas Pavilion)
Event:Â NCAA Tournament (First Round)
Score:Â Michigan 3, Colorado 0 (30-22, 30-22, 30-11)
Records:Â U-M (21-11), Colorado (21-10)
Next U-M Event:Â Saturday, Dec. 6 -- at California in NCAA Second Round (Berkeley, Calif.), 7:30 p.m. PST
BERKELEY, Calif. -- The University of Michigan volleyball team opened the NCAA Tournament with a 3-0 rout of Colorado at Haas Pavilion on the campus of the University of California, downing the Buffaloes 30-22, 30-22, 30-11 on Friday (Dec. 5) to advance to the NCAA second round for the fourth time in five appearances. Senior Erin Moore (Tiffin, Ohio/Columbian HS) was the only Wolverine in double figures with 13 kills and hit .435, while freshman Megan Bowman (St. John, Ind./Lake Central HS) tallied a career-high 11 blocks.
Moore also established school records for single-season kills and blocks, adding seven block assists in the win as U-M held the Buffs to a .020 hitting percentage and out-blocked Colorado with a season high 18.5 blocks to CU's five.
The win improved U-M's record to 4-4 in the NCAA Tournament and marked the second 3-0 victory for the Wolverines in the postseason. U-M downed Fairfield by a 3-0 margin in the first round of the 1999 tournament in Stockton, Calif.
In addition to the potent Wolverine offense, which hit. .308 for the match, U-M added 10 service aces, tying a season high. Senior Nicole Poquette (Grand Haven, Mich./Grand Haven HS) led Michigan with a season-high three aces, while five other players recorded aces, including junior Jennifer Gandolph (Greenwood, Ind./Center Grove HS) and Moore, who tallied two each.
Michigan took a quick 1-0 lead in the match with a 30-22 victory in game one. U-M opened the match with a 3-0 lead and led the entire way, distancing itself when it took six of seven points to go up by a 15-8 margin. The Wolverines led by as many as 10 in the frame and held off a Colorado rally late in the game as the Buffaloes pulled to within six at 28-22 by taking seven points during a 10-point stretch. Moore led the Wolverines with six kills and notched two aces in the opening stanza.
Colorado jumped out to a 4-1 lead in game two, but the Wolverines rallied to take 15 of 19 points to open up a 16-8 advantage and cruise to a 30-22 victory. Michigan hit .355 in the game and held the Buffaloes to a .094 hitting percentage behind eight blocks, including five by Bowman.
In game three, the Buffaloes opened up a 2-0 lead before the Wolverines went on a tear, scoring 17 of 19 points, including a 12-point run, to take a 17-4 lead. Michigan added another scoring run, capturing seven of eight points to improve its lead to 26-8 en route to a 30-11 victory to close out the match. The Wolverines were firing on all cylinders offensively for the second straight game, hitting .357, while the defense posted six blocks, holding Colorado to a -.161 hitting percentage. In addition, the Wolverines recorded five of their 10 services aces, including two by Poquette.
In addition to Bowman and Moore's dominating performances at the net, junior Sarah Allen (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Mechanicsburgh HS) led the Wolverines with 11 digs. Two other Wolverines -- Poquette and redshirt freshman Erin Cobler (Dexter, Mich./Dexter HS) -- also topped the five-block plateau, both recording six.
The Wolverines will now take on host and No. 8-ranked California, a 30-20, 30-21, 30-23 winner over St. Mary's (Calif.), on Saturday (Dec. 6). Opening serve is slated for 7:30 p.m. PST at Haas Pavilion. The winner of that match will advance to the regional round, scheduled for Dec. 12-13 in Honolulu, Hawaii.
QUOTES
Michigan Head Coach Mark Rosen
On the match ... "I thought our girls did a great job. We had a pretty good plan of what we wanted to do, and I thought execution-wise it was excellent, obviously from the score standpoint. I think we served very, very tough and got them (Colorado) off-balance. I think we did a great job, especially blocking. We've been kind of a blocking team as our defensive mode and I thought tonight we did a great job with that. The serving kind of set it up. I like the way our team was able to keep the level high throughout the match, which I think is always a challenge when you're controlling the game really well."
U-M Senior Erin Moore
On the match ... "I think we just went out and took care of business. We wanted to come out and serve tough and we did and that kind of broke them (Colorado) down. It was a really good game and we played well."
NOTES
• The Wolverines have advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in five appearances.
• Michigan's 3-0 victory was its second-ever sweep victory in NCAA Tournament history.
• U-M is now 4-4 in NCAA Tournament play.
• Michigan's 18.5 blocks marked a season high, and the Wolverines tallied 10 service aces, tying a season high.
• Megan Bowman's 11 blocks are a career high, while her nine block assists tied a career high. Bowman has posted 10 or more blocks twice this season.
• Nicole Poquette's three service aces marked a season high.
• Erin Cobler tied a career high with six block assists, and she hit .400 for the match, marking the second time this season she has hit .400 or better in an outing.
• Erin Moore set the U-M single-season record for kills and now has a career-high 511 for the season. The mark surpasses Shannon Brownlee's 507 in 1995.
• Moore also set the single-season record for total blocks, improving her career-best total to 157, eclipsing Katrina Lehman's 156 during the 2002 campaign.
• Moore hit .435, marking the eighth time this season she has hit .400 or better in a match.
• Sarah Allen topped the 10-dig mark for the 20th time this season.
