Michigan
19-10, 9-9Big Ten
Northwestern
8-20, 3-15Big Ten
Bruzdzinski's 15 Kills Help Michigan Win at Northwestern
11/20/2004 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
EVANSTON, Ill. -- University of Michigan volleyball freshman Katie Bruzdzinski (Naperville, Ill./Naperville North) led all Wolverines with 15 kills, becoming the second most prolific freshman in U-M history for kills in a debut season, while sophomore Erin Cobler (Dexter, Mich./Dexter) had nine kills and 10 digs as the Wolverines swept Northwestern 3-0 (30-21, 30-26, 30-20) Saturday night (Nov. 20) at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
Freshman Lyndsay Miller (Ida, Mich./Ida) added seven blocks, including a career-high three solo, while freshman Stesha Selsky (Manhattan Beach, Calif./Marymount) had a team-high 15 digs.
The win give Michigan a 19-10 overall record and an 8-8 mark in Big Ten Conference play, while Northwestern drops to 8-20 and 3-15 in league play. The Wolverines earn the season sweep of the Wildcats, having defeated NU in three games at Ann Arbor in October.
In game one, Michigan and Northwestern inched out to a 6-6 tie until the Bruzdzinski sparked a 4-0 run with a pair of kills, giving the Wolverines a 10-6 lead. Michigan maintained a comfortable cushion until Bruzdzinski exploded once again for three kills and a service ace in a 6-1 run late, giving U-M a 22-14 lead and a stranglehold on game one.
Michigan took an early lead in game two and held a four-point margin (20-16) thanks to four kills by Bruzdzinski and three by Cobler, but Northwestern rebounded on a 7-2 run to take its first lead of the game, 23-22. Out of a timeout, the Wolverines traded points with the Wildcats before Bruzdzinski sparked a 3-0 U-M run, making it 26-24 Wolverines. The teams traded points twice more before senior Jennifer Gandolph's (Greenwood, Ind./Center Grove) first kill of the night and a stuff from Miller gave Michigan a two games to none lead.
Michigan took its momentum from games one and two to lead early, 18-10, thanks to all-around excellent play and never allowed the Wildcats to get back into the flow. Miller recorded three of the final five points and Bruzdzinski notched the match-clinching kill as the Wolverines earned the sweep against Northwestern.
Michigan returns home for its final regular-season stand of the season against Ohio State on Friday (Nov. 26) at 7 p.m. and Penn State on Saturday (Nov. 27) at 7 p.m. U-M will host Parents' Night on Friday and Senior Night on Saturday.
N O T E S
Katie Bruzdzinski recorded 15 kills against Northwestern to move into second place on the U-M's single-season list for kills by a freshman. Bruzdzinski now has 302 kills in her career. The all-time freshman leader is Jennifer Gandolph, who hammered 340 kills in her inaugural season in 2001.
Bruzdzinski tallied 25 attempts against Northwestern, moving her into second place on the U-M single-season freshman list for attempts. Bruzdzinski now has 767 attempts in her first collegiate season. Jennifer Gandolph is the all-time leader with 912 attempts in her debut season in 2001.
Senior Lisa Gamalski notched nine digs against Northwestern, moving into eighth place on Michigan's career digs list. Gamalski has 931 digs in her career and needs just eight digs to move into seventh place on the all-time list.
Freshman Lyndsay Miller moved into the fourth spot on Michigan's single-season list for blocks by a freshman with seven rejections against Northwestern. Miller now has 134 blocks in her first season of college ball. Megan Bowman is atop the list with 153 blocks as a freshman in 2003.
Contact: Richard Retyi (734) 763-4423
