Weekly Release #11
10/31/2005 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
This Week's Schedule
Michigan (10-11, 4-8 Big Ten) vs. #17 Minnesota (18-5, 8-4 Big Ten)
Friday, Nov. 4 7 p.m. Cliff Keen Arena
Michigan (10-11, 4-8 Big Ten) vs. Iowa (14-11, 4-8 Big Ten)
Saturday, Nov. 5 6 p.m. Cliff Keen Arena
Radio/Internet: Both matches will air LIVE on MGoBlue.com (subscription) with play-by-play by Brian Nemerovski, while WCBN 88.3 FM will carry the Minnesota match.
The Scouting Report ...
An Inside Look at Minnesota (Minnesota leads the all-time series, 39-8)
U-M has lost eight in a row to the Gophers with Michigan's last win coming at home in 2001. Michigan was swept 3-0 in Minneapolis in the first meeting this season against the then-ninth ranked Gophers. Minnesota was led by Meghan Cumpston (16 kills) and Sarah Florian (13 kills), while three-time All-American Paula Gentil had 20 digs. The Wolverines countered with Lyndsay Miller (13 kills) and Danielle Pflum (10 kills), but Katie Bruzdzinski was held to just five kills and a .067 attack percentage. Minnesota is the team to catch for fifth place in the Big Ten. The Gophers are two wins up on the Wolverines and a win will go a long way towards the Wolverines moving ahead of Iowa and Illinois who are currently even with the Wolverines in sixth place. Minnesota has one of the stingiest defenses in the Big Ten, ranking second in opponent hitting percentage, fifth in blocks and fifth in digs. Libero Paula Gentil is having another All-American season, leading the Big Ten in digs (5.65 digs per game), while also ranking second in the conference in aces per game (0.54). Surprisingly, no Gophers rank among the conference's top 10 in kills or blocks.
An Inside Look at Iowa (All-time series tied, 24-24)
Michigan has defeated the Hawkeyes in each of the last five meetings and the Wolverines have not lost to Iowa in Cliff Keen Arena since 1999. The Wolverines handled Iowa, 3-1 in Iowa City earlier in the season, vaulting four U-M players into double-digit kills and five into double-digit digs. Erin Cobler had a career-best 18 kills and added 14 digs, while Lyndsay Miller (15 kills), Danielle Pflum (14 kills) and Katie Bruzdzinski (13 kills) hit the double-digit mark. Stesha Selsky dug up 31 balls in four games (7.75 DPG). Michigan's match against Iowa could decide who holds sixth place in the conference with the Hawkeyes and Wolverines tied up with Illinois for sixth. Iowa is at the bottom of the Big Ten in kills (10th), blocks (9th) and hitting percentage (9th), but the Hawkeyes do rank seventh in aces and digs. Iowa's Catherine Smale is seventh in the conference in kills per game (3.62), while Emily Hiza is ninth in the Big Ten in digs per game (3.63).
This Week's Storylines ...
Selsky Digging Her Way Into the Recordbooks
Sophomore Stesha Selsky is just 36 digs shy of recording the most all-time single-season digs in U-M volleyball history. Selsky had the fourth-most single-season digs in her freshman campaign but is on pace to shatter the all-time mark in her first season as a full-time libero. Selsky is on pace to become just the seventh Wolverine in U-M volleyball history to record 1,000 digs or more in a career.
Gay Fills In the Middle
5th/senior Candace Gay earned her first two starts of the season, replacing injured junior Megan Bowman. Gay finished the week with 13 kills and nine blocks, setting a career high for blocks with seven at Illinois (Oct. 29). Gay averaged 1.86 kills and 1.29 blocks per game in her first full weekend of action.
The Michigan 500s
Four Wolverines reached the 500 kill milestone this season, led by sophomore Katie Bruzdzinski, who was the second-fastest Wolverine to hit the milestone in program history (42 matches). Sophomore Lyndsay Miller recorded her 500th kill in 52 matches -- becoming the fourth-fastest Wolverine to hit the mark, while juniors Megan Bowman and Danielle Pflum hit the milestone in their third seasons with the Wolverines. Jennifer Gandolph was the fastest Wolverine to 500 kills (38 matches), while Erin Moore was the third fastest (48 matches).
The Big Ten Race
Penn State still leads the Big Ten race (12-0) with Wisconsin (9-3) and Purdue (9-3) tied for second place. Ohio State (8-4) and Minnesota (8-4) are locked in a fourth-place tie, while Michigan (4-8), Illinois (4-8) and Iowa (4-8) are all tied for sixth. Michigan State (3-9), Northwestern (3-9) and Indiana (2-10) bring up the rear of the conference. Penn State is likely to capture its third straight Big Ten title, with the Badgers, Boilermakers, Buckeyes and Gophers battling for the top five spots. Michigan will face four of the teams tied or below it, while looking ahead to matches with four of the top teams in the conference.
Looking For a Sixth NCAA Tournament Bid
Michigan has never failed to earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament after posting a record of .500 or better under head coach Mark Rosen. The only team not to advance to the postseason under Rosen was the 2001 squad which went 13-14, finishing seventh in the Big Ten. Michigan needs to win five of the next eight matches to post a .500 record (15-15) and qualify for postseason consideration.
Defeating #7s
The seventh-ranked Wisconsin Badgers are the highest ranked opponent to fall to the Wolverines in program history - equaling Michigan's win over No. 7 BYU in 1999. Coincidentally, Michigan's win over BYU came in head coach Mark Rosen's season-opening debut with the Wolverines. Rosen has 14 wins over Top 25 teams since taking over at the University of Michigan.
Bowman Chasing the Blocking Record
Junior Megan Bowman sits seventh on the all-time blocks list with 352 rejections. She needs three blocks to climb to sixth place and 12 to move into fifth. Katrina Lehman is the all-time leader in blocks with 472, 40 more than the next-best total. If Bowman continues on her current pace, she will finish the season third on the all-time list behind Erin Moore, who finished her career with 432 blocks.
Katie Bruzdzinski Stars in Terminator 4
Sophomore Katie Bruzdzinski is fifth in the conference in kills, averaging 4.03 terminations per game.
Martin Making Her Mark
Freshman Mara Martin leads all Big Ten freshman setters and is fifth in the conference with 12.36 assists per game.
Selsky Among the Nation's Best in Digs
Sophomore Stesha Selsky is second in the conference with 5.60 digs per game. Selsky is just 0.05 digs per game behind three-time All-American Paula Gentil, who leads the conference with 5.65 digs per game (just four digs more than Selsky's total).
Miller Blocks With the Best in the Big Ten
Sophomore Lyndsay Miller stands seventh in the Big Ten in blocks per game, tallying 1.29 rejections per game.
Michigan Wins Its 500th
The University of Michigan volleyball program tallied its 500th all-time win with a stunning 3-2 victory over No. 7 Wisconsin. In 33 years of existence, Michigan volleyball has posted a 500-512 record. The program's first win came on October 24, 1973 against Kellogg Community College, while the first program win over a four-year institution came over Eastern Michigan University on November 3, 1973.
Wolverine Streaks
Sophomore Stesha Selsky has recorded double-digit digs in each of the last 12 matches, including seven 20+ dig outings in that span ... Sophomore Katie Bruzdzinski has had double-digit kills in each of the last six matches and has done the deed in 17 of 21 matches this season ... Senior/junior Erin Cobler made her 50th-consecutive start Friday night at Purdue.
Wolverine Streaks Snapped
Michigan's record fell to 8-2 when it wins the opening game of a match ... Junior Megan Bowman's streak of consecutive matches played ended at 50, while her streak of consecutive starts ended at 46 after Bowman sat out at Purdue (Oct. 28).
Michigan Milestones
Sophomore Stesha Selsky moved all the way up to second on the all-time single-season digs list with 420 this campaign ... Junior Danielle Pflum hit the 500 kill milestone against Illinois (Oct. 29), becoming the fourth Wolverine this season to reach the 500 kill mark ... 5th/senior Candace Gay had a career-best seven blocks at Illinois (Oct. 29) ... Senior Megan Knoebel had a career-best four digs at Purdue (Oct. 28) ... Freshman Elizabeth Rascke had career highs for assists (19), digs (three) and blocks (one) at Purdue (Oct. 28)
Milestones Upcoming
Head coach Mark Rosen needs one win to record his 325th career victory ... Junior Megan Bowman is three blocks shy of moving into sixth place on the all-time list, while 12 blocks will give her the fifth spot ... Sophomore Stesha Selsky needs 36 digs to post the most single-season digs in U-M volleyball history ... Selsky needs 102 digs to capture 10th place on the all-time digs list and needs 178 digs to become just the seventh player in U-M volleyball history to record 1,000 assists in her career ... Sophomore/freshman Mara Martin is 122 assists shy of moving into 10th place on U-M's all-time assists list ... Martin needs 115 assists to post the 10th-most single-season assists in Michigan volleyball history ... Martin also needs 98 assists to record 1,000 helpers in her career.
All The News That's Fit to Print ...
Draves Debuts
Filling in this weekend, sophomore Sarah Draves played all three games at Ohio State (Oct. 15), recording a career-best 10 kills and adding two digs. Draves tallied two kills the previous night at Penn State giving her 12 kills on the weekend -- or 150% more than her previous collegiate career total. Draves has played in just 11 matches in her career, tallying 20 kills.
Bruzdzinski and Selsky Named Big Ten Players of the Week
Sophomore Katie Bruzdzinski was named Big Ten Player of the Week and sophomore Stesha Selsky was honored as the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week for their exploits against Eastern Michigan, Georgia and Georgia Tech last week. It was the first time since the Big Ten added the defensive player of the week honor that a school has monopolized the weekly awards. Bruzdzinski had career highs in kills and blocks last week, recording the second-most single-match kills in program history with 33 against Georgia. Selsky had a career-best 33 digs against Georgia (tied for third-most in a single match in U-M history) and added 27 digs against the Eagles. The honor was the first for both players and the first for Michigan since November of 2002 when Jennifer Gandolph earned Big Ten Player of the Week honors.
Acing the Illini
Michigan's 12 service aces vs. Illinois (Oct. 7) were the most in a match since the Wolverines tallied 13 on September 17, 1999 against South Carolina.
Rosen's 200th is Michigan's 150th
Head coach Mark Rosen coached his 200th match at the helm of the Maize and Blue in the match against Iowa, helping the Wolverines capture their 150th Big Ten Conference victory. Rosen is 114-89 at U-M and holds the best winning percentage in program history.
Three For the Record Books
Michigan's 3-2 victory over Georgia (Sept. 16) in the Georgia Invitational put three Wolverines into the record books for single-match kills, digs, assists and attempts. Below are the recordbreakers and their feats:
Katie Bruzdzinski - 33 kills (third most), 72 attempts (tied for third most)
Mara Martin - 81 assists (fourth most)
Stesha Selsky - 33 digs (tied for third most)
Bruzdzinski was the closest to setting a new school record, falling just one termination shy of equaling the program record (34 kills by Sarah Behnke in 1999). Bruzdzinski is the first Wolverine since Behnke to crack the 30-kill mark, while Martin is just one of three setters to top 80 assists.
Katie Bruzdzinski's Breakout Season
Sophomore Katie Bruzdzinski set the freshman record for most kills in a season in 2004 and has already installed herself in the record books, thanks to a 33-kill performance against Georgia (Sept. 16) -- the second-most single-match kills in program history. Bruzdzinski is just nine kills shy of 500-career terminations and at this pace will finish with over 400 kills on the year -- a feat only eight Wolverines have accomplished in 32 years of U-M volleyball.
Georgia Invitational Champions
Michigan captured its second-straight tournament of the season with wins over Georgia and Georgia Tech at the Georgia Invitational. U-M's, 3-2 win over the host Bulldogs and a 3-0 sweep of the Yellow Jackets paved the way for a season tourney crown (following the Michigan Pepsi/Nike Invitational title) and three spots on the all-tournament team.
Sophomores Katie Bruzdzinski and Lyndsay Miller and senior/junior Erin Cobler each earned their second all-tournament team honor in as many weeks. Bruzdzinski recorded 33 kills against Georgia and 17 against the Yellow Jackets, while totaling 17 digs in the tourney and hitting .327. Miller had a career-best 17 kills vs. the Bulldogs and seven vs. Georgia Tech, while totaling nine blocks. Cobler recorded 14 kills vs. Georgia and eight against Georgia Tech, hitting a career-best .667 against the Yellow Jackets. The all-tournament team honors are the third of each student-athlete's career.
Martin Sets For the First Time and Makes History Doing It
Sophomore/freshman setter Mara Martin is not only the first freshman setter to start a season opener for the volleyball program but at 6-2, she is the tallest setter in Wolverine volleyball history. The redshirt freshman is also one of only three setters in U-M history to record 80 or more assists in a single match, tallying 81 in a 3-2 win over Georgia (Sept. 16) for the fourth-most single-match assists in program history. Martin finished one assist behind Shannon Melka's (1998-2001) 82 at Pacific in 1999, four short of Melka's 84 vs. Houston in 2000 and 14 shy of Linnea Mendoza's (1994-97) 95 vs. Illinois in 1996. Mendoza is the all-time assists leader in U-M volleyball history (5,072), while Melka ranks third (4,582). Last year's starter, Lisa Gamalski, ranks second all-time with 4,762, but never recorded more than 73 assists in a single match in her career.
These Kids Like to Block
Michigan's 35 block assists against Illinois State (Sept. 10) fell two shy of the school record for most block assists in a single match. The record of 37 was set in 1989 against Bowling Green. Three Wolverines (Lyndsay Miller, Danielle Pflum and Mara Martin) had career bests for blocks against the Redbirds.
Speaking of Blocks
Sophomore Lyndsay Miller's 11 total blocks against Illinois State (Sept. 10) tie the fourth-best total in a single match in U-M history, and her 11 block assists tie her for third on the single-match list. The last Wolverine to record 11 blocks in a match was junior Megan Bowman vs. No. 11 Texas in the second round of the 2004 NCAA Tournament.
One More Hand For Lyndsay Miller
Sophomore Lyndsay Miller had the first double-double of her career with 16 kills and 11 blocks vs. Illinois State (Sept. 10). The 16 kills tie a career-high, equaling her total against Western Michigan in 2004.
Freshman Debut For Karpiak
Freshman middle blocker Beth Karpiak earned her first-career start in the season opener at Notre Dame (Aug. 27), leading U-M with three blocks and recording four kills in her collegiate debut. Katie Bruzdzinski and Lyndsay Miller were the only freshman opening night starters for the Wolverines in 2004 and both went on to set freshman records in their debut campaigns.
Super Happy Trivia Challenge ...
Last week's question was: "What is the best second half record (by total wins) the Wolverines have ever posted in Big Ten play."
Michigan's best finish in the Big Ten was 13-7 in 1997, while the second-best finish was 12-8 in 2003 -- both would have been good guesses -- and you would have been half right. In 1996 Michigan finished 9-11 for sixth place in the Big Ten, this despite starting the first half of the Big Ten season with just three wins. The Wolverines then railed off a 6-4 record in the second half of the Big Ten slate to finish 9-11 and post the best second-half finish in conference history. The next year, Michigan went 7-3 in the first half and 6-4 in the second to finish 13-7 overall in the conference for a third-place tie.
Kevin Thomas was the only correct guesser, correctly selecting 1997 and 1996 (I'll throw out the 2003 guess -- two for three ain't bad).
This week's question deals with digs -- more specifically Michigan's 1,000 dig club. "Six Wolverines have recorded 1,000 digs or more in their careers, but who was the fastest to 1,000 digs (by matches)."
A new feature to the Michigan volleyball weekly release, the Super Happy Trivia Challenge is a chance for U-M volleyball fans to test their knowledge of the program, its players, its coaches and other random facts. Answers can be sent to rretyi@umich.edu and each winner will be recognized the following week in the weekly release.
Page Three ...
Michigan Welcomes Ed Tolentino
U-M Interim Assistant Coach Ed Tolentino joins the Wolverines for the 2005 campaign. Tolentino served as an assistant coach at Michigan State last season and has served as an assistant coach at Eastern Michigan and as a head coach at Oakland University.
Captain Kirk Ain't Got Nothing on Them
Senior/junior Erin Cobler and sophomores Katie Bruzdzinski and Lyndsay Miller were named captains for the 2005 squad. Bruzdzinski and Miller are the first-ever sophomore captains in U-M volleyball history.
Michigan Seventh in the Preseason Polls
The Wolverines were voted seventh in the Big Ten Conference Preseason Poll, down one spot from their sixth-place finish in 2004.
2005 Freshman Class
Four freshmen join the Wolverines in 2005, including Liz Andary, Kerry Hance, Beth Karpiak, and Liz Raschke. Andary is a right side/outside hitter who was all-state third team and a Detroit News/Free Press All-Conference first team selection in 2005. Hance is a defensive specialist who won a national championship with her club team (Sports Shack Volleyball Club) and was selected to the California State Volleyball Tournament All-Tournament Team in her senior year of volleyball. She is also a former high school teammate of sophomore Stesha Selsky. Karpiak is a middle blocker who was named Suburban Life Player of the Year and Champaign News-Gazette All-State first team in 2005. Raschke is a setter who was a Michigan Miss Volleyball finalist and all-state first team selection in 2005.
Cliff Keen Arena Updates
After a record-setting season at Cliff Keen Arena, the Michigan volleyball program has added a brand new, state-of-the-art, full color scoreboard that displays video animations, scores, graphics and real-time stats during home matches.
Rosen Leads USA Selects in Argentina
Head coach Mark Rosen traveled to Argentina in June 2005 to coach a team of USA Selects, competing against the Argentina Junior National Team as well as a number of club and professional squads. A demanding 10-day schedule - including stops in Buenos Aires, Cordoba and Santa Fe - featured six matches in six different cities against some of the best volleyball players in Argentina.
Bruzdzinski and Bowman Tour Italy
Katie Bruzdzinski and Megan Bowman competed abroad this summer, playing with a group of United States collegiate selects on Team VolleyHut in the Sibillini Tournament in Comunaza, Italy, which will feature some of the top under-20 teams in Europe. Bowman and Bruzdzinski competed against some of the top under-20 teams in Europe, including three-time Slovakian champions Slavia Bratislava, Olomuc from the Czech Republic, Postar Belgrade from Serbia and Vasas Budapest from Hungary.
Contact: Richard Retyi (734) 763-4423
