Michigan
3-2
Texas A&M
4-1
Wolverines Stay Perfect at Home with Sweep of Aggies
9/6/2003 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Site:Â Ann Arbor, Mich. (Cliff Keen Arena)
Score:Â Michigan 3, Texas A&M 0 (30-25, 30-17, 32-30)
Records:Â U-M (3-2), Texas A&M (4-1)
Next U-M Event:Â Sunday, Sept. 7 -- vs. Louisville at Michigan/Pepsi Challenge (Cliff Keen Arena), 1 p.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan volleyball team remained perfect for the season at home, downing visiting Texas A&M by a 3-0 (30-25, 30-17, 32-30) margin Saturday night (Sept. 6) in front of a raucous crowd at Cliff Keen Arena. Senior Erin Moore (Tiffin, Ohio/Columbian HS) paced the Wolverines with 15 kills as U-M dispatched its opponent in three games for the second straight night.
With the win, the Wolverines will now play for the 2003 Michigan/Pepsi Challenge title on Sunday (Sept. 7) against No. 16 Louisville. U-M is 2-0 in the tournament, while the Cardinals and Texas A&M are 1-1. Murray State has dropped both of its matches during the event.
The Aggies took a quick lead in game one, but a rally midway through the stanza put U-M in the driver's seat, as the Wolverines opened up a six-point lead at 21-15 and cruised to victory. In game two, Michigan came out firing on all cylinders, hitting .429 and putting A&M out of the game from the start. The Wolverines scored 18 points in just five rotations to take an 18-6 lead, as the Aggies struggled, hitting just .059.
Game three was the most dramatic of the match as Michigan found itself down 28-24 late in the game. Kills by senior Nicole Poquette (Grand Haven, Mich./Grand Haven HS) and Moore, plus a miscue on an A&M attack tied the game at 28 and got the crowd back into the match. After trading points to get the score to 30-30, junior setter Lisa Gamalski (Milwaukee, Wis./Catholic Memorial HS) put U-M ahead for good with a dump over the net, then junior Jennifer Gandolph (Greenwood, Ind./Center Grove HS) finished the match with a hit from the left side that handcuffed A&M's blockers.
Gandolph finished the match with 15 kills and 10 digs for her third double-double of the season and second in as many matches. Poquette was the star for U-M on defense, leading the team with 13 digs and six blocks, both season highs. Freshman Megan Bowman (St. John, Ind./Lake Central HS) added five block assists for the match, while Moore contributed four.
The Wolverines will wrap up play in the Michigan/Pepsi Challenge on Sunday (Sept. 7), facing No. 16 Louisville at 1 p.m. at Keen Arena.
In other action Saturday at the Michigan/Pepsi Challenge, No. 16 Louisville topped Murray State 3-2 (27-30, 30-24, 24-30, 30-25, 15-12). Lena Ustymenko led the Cardinals (2-3) with 19 kills, while Paige Sun recorded 23 kills and 26 digs for the Racers (0-2). Murray State will face Texas A&M at 11 a.m. Sunday (Sept. 7).
QUOTES
Michigan Head Coach Mark Rosen
On the differences between the second and third games ... "I think the second game had more to do with a momentum run, which you can't count on. We got the big separation in points in two rotations. That's awesome but you can't count on that. In some ways that hurt us in game three because we kind of expect it to be that easy and you just don't get games that easy against a team like that. Then we got a little frazzled in the middle of game three because it wasn't coming as easy and we got out of what we were doing. I thought that was the key in what was going wrong. What I was really proud of was how our kids fought back. That's a game where, in rally scoring, it's hard to get those three or four points back late in the game. They did an awesome job."
On what was discussed during the timeout late in game three ... "I just told them that we had to really step up our defense. I really was trying to set it up for game four if we got there. We just needed to get some momentum back and I said that if we're going to do anything at this point it's going to have to be great defense. Then they went and played great defense. It certainly wasn't anything I said, it was what they did. I think that just shows a lot about our team."
On winning six straight games, back-to-back matches dating back to last night ... "We just like to win. You're not going to win everything 3-0. I thought our kids played well. We've been talking all week about the process and doing things the right way and the wins would take care of themselves. That's more what I'm focused on. We're doing things the right way and we're getting better every game and we're being successful because of it."
On playing No. 16 Louisville on Sunday ... "I think that they're a team that's still trying to find itself. They've struggled this tournament. They're a really good, physical team that has a lot of weapons from a lot of different places. They haven't really found a lineup. They haven't gotten a game that's really felt good for them. I told our team that we don't want to let them find themselves against us. They're a team that is absolutely dangerous, even though they have struggled. They can come on at any point and be really good. They beat Minnesota last week, which is the top team in the Big Ten right now. We just have to know that they're going to fight hard. We need to be consistent. I think they're a team that will struggle against a team that is steady and consistent. If we can be consistent that increases our odds of winning."
NOTES
• Jennifer Gandolph, who has posted 10 or more kills in her last four matches, recorded her third double-double of the season and second in as many games.
• Erin Moore has had double-figure kill totals in 52 of her 82 career matches, including four times this year.
• Nicole Poquette's 13 digs and six block assists were both season highs.
• Megan Bowman posted a season-high six kills and recorded five block assists for the third time this year.
• The win was the first-ever for U-M over Texas A&M in volleyball. Entering the match, the Aggies led the series 2-0.
• Michigan has not surrendered a game at home this season, winning both of its matches by a 3-0 margin.
