Michigan
14-2, 4-1Big Ten
Michigan State
6-7, 1-4Big Ten
Bruzdzinski Shines as Michigan Topples Michigan State
10/6/2004 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Freshman Katie Bruzdzinski (Naperville, Ill./Naperville North) marked her third straight double-double with 12 kills and 17 digs as the University of Michigan volleyball team defeated instate rival Michigan State 3-1 (30-19, 24-30, 31-29, 30-12) before the fifth-largest crowd in Cliff Keen history in the opening salvo of the Pontiac Challenge Cup Series on Wednesday (Oct. 6) at Cliff Keen Arena.
| | Bruzdzinski added five aces and five blocks to her 12-kill, 17-dig double-double. |
U-M sophomore Erin Cobler (Dexter, Mich./Dexter) recorded 11 kills and five blocks, while sophomore Megan Bowman (St. John, Ind./Lake Central) added nine kills and five blocks and freshman Lyndsay Miller (Ida, Mich./Ida) was a presence at the net with nine blocks.
With the match tied one game apiece, MSU took an early lead in game three, pulling away from Michigan 10-6. The Wolverines rallied to tie it at 12, 13 and 14 before pulling ahead for the first time, 15-14 on a kill from Cobler. Michigan kept ahead until State crept up to tie it at 20-20 and pull ahead on a Michigan attack error. The Wolverines rebounded to tie again, but the Spartans continued to get the better of the home team, leading 28-25 and looking to take a stranglehold on the match. A Spartan service error followed by an attack error after an excellent defensive play by freshman Stesha Selsky (Manhattan Beach, Calif./Marymount) brought Michigan to within one, down 28-27. A kill by sophomore Danielle Pflum (Martinsville, Ind./Martinsville) tied the match at 28-28, and an attack error from the Spartans made it game point. An unfortunate error by U-M made it 29-29, but Pflum rose to the challenge, knocking her second kill in four swings through the Spartan defense to force game point again. This time, junior Alicia Boswell (Long Beach, Calif./Wilson) stepped in and served a tough ball that forced Michigan State into an attack error and gave the Wolverines a 2-1 lead in games.
Michigan cruised past Michigan State in a pivotal game four, routing the Spartans 30-12. MSU stayed close to U-M, balancing the game at 2-2 with a kill from Michelle Kopka, but Michigan responded with a kill from Bruzdzinksi, making the score 3-2. With Michigan holding a slim 3-2 lead, three straight attack errors by the Spartans sent the Wolverines on a 4-0 run to give them a 7-2 cushion. The Wolverines kept the pressure on, posting two kills by Bowman and one by Pflum, who came off the bench and finished with six kills off 12 attempts with no errors. Michigan stayed focused, forcing 12 attack errors by the Spartans in game four and sealing the match with a kill down the middle by Pflum.
In game one, the Wolverines ousted the Spartans 30-19 thanks to a tough Michigan defense that forced nine attack errors by Michigan State. Six different Wolverines put points on the board, including service aces by Cobler, Selsky and senior Jennifer Gandolph (Greenwood, Ind./Center Grove).
With Michigan leading the match 1-0, Michigan State came back for game two ready to battle and tied it, 1-1. The Spartans edged the Maize and Blue thanks to Kim Schram, who finished the match with 16 kills, and Kopka.
Michigan travels on the road to Illinois to face the No. 24 Illini on Friday (Oct. 8) at 7 p.m. CDT. It will be the Wolverines' third ranked opponent of the season. Michigan defeated current No. 18 Tennessee in September but fell to then No. 1 Minnesota on the road.
Contact: Richard Retyi (734) 763-4423
