Michigan
0-1
Notre Dame
1-0
Young Wolverines Swept by Experienced Irish in Opener
8/27/2005 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Site: South Bend, Ind. (Joyce Center)
Score: Michigan lost to Notre Dame 0-3 (24-30, 16-30, 26-30)
Records: U-M (0-1), Notre Dame (1-0)
Next U-M Event: Friday, Sep. 2 -- vs. Long Beach State at Sports Imports Invitational (Columbus, Ohio), 5 p.m.
SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- In its 2005 season opener, the University of Michigan volleyball team fell to a senior-laden Notre Dame squad, losing 3-0 (24-30, 16-30, 26-30) despite 19 kills from sophomore Katie Bruzdzinski (Naperville, Ill./Naperville North), Saturday night (Aug. 27) at the Joyce Center.
Sophomore Lyndsay Miller (Ida, Mich./Ida) added 12 kills to the cause and sophomore Stesha Selsky (Manhattan Beach, Calif./Marymount) led the team with 21 digs, while freshman Beth Karpiak (LaGrange, Ill./Lyons Township) was dominant at times, leading U-M with three blocks.
A young Wolverine squad took some time to settle into the match, appearing a little shaky and dropping the first two games, but U-M came on strong in the third frame with nine kills from Bruzdzinski and a steadier hand on defense.
The Wolverines led 5-3 early in game two, but a 6-0 Notre Dame run turned the tide to force the Wolverines into a timeout, trailing 9-5. Solid blocking by Karpiak and senior/junior Erin Cobler (Dexter, Mich./Dexter) helped U-M claw within two, trailing 11-9, but Notre Dame slowly pulled ahead and punctuated the game with a 10-2 run to close the door and take a two-game lead heading into the locker room.
Michigan committed a number of errors in game one, trailing by 10 before eventually dropping the period 30-24 despite six kills from Bruzdzinski and five from Miller.
The Wolverines travel to Columbus, Ohio, to compete in the Sport Imports Invitational on Friday and Saturday (Sept. 2-3) against No. 24 Long Beach State and No. 1 Nebraska.
