Michigan
0-1
Kansas State
1-0
Michigan Suffers Season-Opening Loss to Kansas State
8/29/2003 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Site: Tallahassee, Fla. (Tully Gymnasium)
Score: #15 Kansas State 3, Michigan 0 (30-22, 30-25, 30-17)
Records: U-M (0-1), KSU (1-2)
Next U-M Event: Friday, Aug. 29 -- vs. Florida Atlantic at Florida State Invitational (Tallahassee, Fla.), 5 p.m.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Opening the 2003 campaign against the opponent that eliminated it from the 2002 NCAA Tournament, the University of Michigan volleyball team suffered a 3-0 setback (22-30, 25-30, 17-30) at the hands of 15th-ranked Kansas State on Friday (Aug. 29) in the opening match of the Florida State Invitational. Seniors Chantel Reedus (Woodridge, Ill./Downers Grove South HS) and Erin Moore (Tiffin, Ohio/Columbian HS) led the Wolverines statistically in the match with six kills each as U-M struggled in its debut.
The Wolverines and Wildcats traded points early in game one as neither team built a lead larger than three points. K-State took a four-point lead at 19-15, then extended it to as many as eight before a net violation by U-M gave the Wildcats a 30-22 victory.
After a close start in the second frame, a 10-0 run by Kansas State in the middle of the game secured a 2-0 lead, while a 9-2 opening to the third stanza sealed the match.
Michigan falls to 0-3 against K-State since the series began in 2000. The Wolverines have never taken a game from the Wildcats, suffering 3-0 setbacks in each meeting.
Although the Wolverines struggled offensively, they saw some bright spots on the defensive side of the net and in the serving department as redshirt freshman Erin Cobler (Dexter, Mich./Dexter HS), in her first start, led the team with four of its six aces. Moore and senior Nicole Poquette (Grand Haven, Mich./Grand Haven HS) led the squad with four block assists each, while juniors Jennifer Gandolph (Greenwood, Ind./Center Grove HS) and Lisa Gamalski (Milwaukee, Wis./Catholic Memorial HS) paced U-M with eight digs apiece.
The Wolverines got a chance to play their entire roster with the exception of redshirt freshman Ashley Buckingham (Greenwood, Ind./Center Grove HS), who remains out with an injury. Freshmen Megan Bowman (St. John, Ind./Lake Central HS) and Danielle Pflum (Martinsville, Ind./Martinsville HS), along with junior Kristina Sabbagh (Kaunas, Lithuania) all made their collegiate debuts in the match.
Michigan continues play in the Florida State Invitational with a 5 p.m. match against Florida Atlantic this afternoon.
