Michigan
Ohio State
Four Wolverines Tally Double-Digit Kills in Loss at OSU
10/16/2004 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Led by double-digit kill performances by four Wolverines, the University of Michigan volleyball team took undefeated No. 8 Ohio State to four games before falling 22-30, 30-28, 24-30, 23-30 in a close match Saturday night (Oct. 16) in St. John Arena. Freshman Katie Bruzdzinski (Naperville, Ill./Naperville North) led all Wolverines with 18 kills, while junior/sophomore Erin Cobler (Dexter, Mich./Dexter) had 12 kills and sophomore Danielle Pflum (Martinsville, Ind./Martinsville) and freshman Lyndsay Miller (Ida, Mich./Ida) each finished with 11 kills.
Michigan drops its third in a row, all to ranked opponents, and falls to 14-5 and 4-4 in the Big Ten with all conference losses coming to Top 25 teams. Ohio State remains one of four unbeaten teams in the country, improving to 18-0 and 8-0 in the conference, and is sure to rise in the national poll which will be released Monday.
Michigan burst out of the gate in game four to take a 7-4 lead on a pair of kills from Miller and a kill apiece for Bruzdzinski, Cobler and Pflum. Ohio State chipped away at the lead until a 5-1 burst turned the tables, giving the Buckeyes a 13-12 lead. Miller responded for the Wolverines, knotting it up at 13-13, but OSU sped on another 3-1 run to take a 16-14 lead. Undeterred, U-M scored four in a row, led by a quick tip by Lisa Gamalski (Milwaukee, Wis./Catholic Memorial), another kill from Bruzdzinski and a powerful shot down the line for Pflum, making it 18-16. Ohio State responded with three points of its own before Cobler tied it at 19-19. Unfortunately for Michigan, a series of errors turned a close game into an 8-1 Ohio State rally, forcing Michigan into a pair of timeouts and a 27-21 hole. Michigan did not lie down, scoring two in a row to close within four, down 27-23, but the damage was done as OSU star Stacey Gordon broke the Big Ten all-time kills record with her 31st finisher of the night, giving OSU a 30-23 win.
Michigan took an early 1-0 lead in game two on the first of four game-two kills by Pflum, but Ohio State regained the lead and stayed ahead until Michigan turned a 17-15 deficit into an 18-17 lead, forcing the Buckeyes into a timeout. U-M came out of the timeout and drilled two more points, building a 5-0 run, before Ohio State responded with three straight points, tying it 20-20. Bowman responded for Michigan with a hard kill down the middle, sparking a 5-1 Wolverine run that included a kill by Miller and a kill and an ace for Cobler, putting Michigan up 25-21. The resilient Buckeyes came back with two points at 25-23, but Miller added a kill and a block to inch Michigan ahead 27-24. Ohio State and Bruzdzinski traded kills, making it 28-25, and sophomore Megan Bowman (St. John, Ind./Lake Central) and Bruzdzinski sealed the deal with kills to tie the match at one game apiece.
Ohio State never trailed in game one, keeping Michigan at bay as the Wolverines closed to within a point on five occasions. The Buckeyes took a 20-18 lead and roared on a 10-2 run to close it out, 30-22, thanks to a six-point run with Gordon serving for OSU.
Ohio State returned from the intermission in game three to jump to a 3-0 lead, never looking back. Michigan came within a point of tying it at 5-4 and 8-7, but the Buckeyes poured on the pressure, leading by as much as nine. Bruzdzinski started a mini comeback with a pair of kills, followed by a pair of blocks with Miller, closing the deficit to 26-23. Ohio State, led by Gordon, rebounded with two quick points, pulling ahead 28-23, and finishing off the Wolverines 30-24 to take a two-games-to-one lead.
Michigan returns home to face Northwestern on Friday (Oct. 22) at 7 p.m. and Wisconsin on Saturday (Oct. 23) also at 7 p.m.
Contact: Richard Retyi (734) 763-4423
