Michigan
8-5, 2-2Big Ten
Minnesota
13-2, 3-1Big Ten
Wolverines Drop Three-Game Match at No. 9 Minnesota
10/1/2005 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- The University of Michigan volleyball team kept pace with the No. 9 Minnesota Golden Gophers all night but suffered late-game lapses in each of the three periods to fall 26-30, 22-30, 25-30 Saturday night (Oct. 1) at the Sports Pavilion.
Sophomore Lyndsay Miller (Ida, Mich./Ida) had her fourth straight double-digit kill outing, leading all Wolverines with 13 and adding six blocks, while junior Danielle Pflum (Martinsville, Ind./Martinsville) tallied 10 kills for her fourth consecutive double-digit kill outing. Junior Megan Bowman (St. John, Ind./Lake Central) added five blocks to U-M's defense as well, while sophomore Stesha Selsky (Manhattan Beach, Calif./Marymount) had 12 digs to lead all Wolverines.
Michigan kept it close with the No. 9 team in the nation through the first half of each game, but late Minnesota runs in all three periods doomed the Wolverines to defeat. Michigan held Minnesota to .154 and .205 hitting percentages in games one and two, respectively, but struggled on offense as well, connecting for .054 and .044 on its own side. The loss drops U-M to 8-5 and 2-2 in the Big Ten, while Minnesota improves to 13-2 and 3-1 in conference.
The teams traded the lead until an 18-18 deadlock, after which Minnesota pulled ahead on a 6-1 run and never looked back, taking the opening stanza 30-26. U-M trailed by three early, 9-6, when a pair of kills and a block by Miller catapulted the Wolverines on a 7-1 run and forced Minnesota into its first timeout. The Gophers rebounded on a 5-1 run to regain the lead, 15-13, but back-to-back blocks by Miller and a kill and a block from sophomore/freshman Mara Martin (Monroe, Mich./St. Mary's Catholic) gave U-M control once more, 17-16. Minnesota evened it at 18-18 and swung the match in its favor with a 6-1 run to keep ahead of the Wolverines for the opening-period win.
In the second game the Wolverines fell behind by as many as eight points early before rallying to within three, but Minnesota controlled the tempo late to battle to a 30-22 win. Pflum hammered five kills and added two blocks to the cause in the period. Michigan chiseled into an eight-point Minnesota lead, turning an 18-10 deficit into a 20-16 contest and forcing the Gophers to burn one of their timeouts. Once again, the plucky Gophers rallied out of the huddle, working a 9-4 run to game point and taking a two-game lead.
Miller's eight kills in game three buoyed Michigan's hopes of a comeback, but a late-game lapse allowed the Gophers to overcome a 17-15 U-M lead and close out the match, 30-25. After a one-point, 3-2 lead, Michigan remained a step behind Minnesota until the halfway point when the Wolverines put together back-to-back points to lead 17-15. Minnesota rallied out of its timeout to tie it at 17-17 and then ripped off a 6-1 run to pull in front, 24-18. The Wolverines fought back to within three, 25-22, on kills by Bruzdzinski and Martin, but the Gophers shut the door with a 5-3 run.
The Wolverines return to Cliff Keen Arena for homecoming weekend to face Illinois on Friday (Oct. 7) and Purdue on Saturday (Oct. 8). Match time is scheduled for 7 p.m. against the Illini and 6 p.m. vs. the Boilermakers.
Contact: Richard Retyi (734) 763-4423
