Michigan
17-7 (4-7)
Illinois
13-8 (4-7)
Spikers Win Important Road Match in Sweep of Illini
10/27/2006 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- The University of Michigan volleyball team picked up its first Big Ten road win, and moved up the Big Ten standings, thanks to a critical 3-0 (34-32, 32-30, 30-26) sweep of fifth-place Illinois Friday night at Huff Hall.
Junior Katie Bruzdzinski (Naperville, Ill./Naperville North) was a star for the Wolverines, putting the team on her back in game one with eight kills, one ace and three digs, pushing U-M over the edge in a 34-32 thriller. Bruzdzinski finished with a team-high 17 kills and two aces, but junior Lyndsay Miller (Ida, Mich./Ida) also played a big role in the win, finishing with 10 kills including back-to-back terminations to close out game one. Defensively, freshman Megan Bower (Indianapolis, Ind./Cathedral) led all players with 18 digs and handled 21 serves flawlessly, while Miller led the team with six blocks.
The win improves Michigan to 17-7 (4-7 Big Ten), moving the squad into a three-way tie for seventh place in the conference, while Illinois dropped to 13-8 (4-7 Big Ten).
Miller had three kills in game one, but none bigger than back-to-back terminations to end the period, giving Michigan a 34-32 win. The Wolverines fell behind early, but fought back to tie it at 10-10 thanks to a 3-0 run, capped by a combo block from junior Stesha Selsky (Manhattan Beach, Calif./Marymount) and sophomore Beth Karpiak (La Grange, Ill./Lyons Township). After falling behind by four, 20-16, the Maize and Blue called timeout and rallied on an 8-2 run, using four kills and an ace from Bruzdzinski to take a 24-22 lead. Illinois fought back to tie it at 24-24 and the teams traded points, with ties at 25-25 and 26-26, before U-M put together back-to-back points to make the count 28-26. The Illini rebounded with a point, but Miller responded with her first kill of the night to force game point, 29-27. Illinois staved off elimination with back-to-back points, then survived another three game points despite a pair of kills from Bruzdzinski down the stretch. With the score tied 32-32, Miller hammered her second kill of the night to make it 33-32, and then slammed home the winner, finally giving U-M the victory.
Bruzdzinski hammered five kills in the second frame, while the Wolverine defense blocked five balls in a thrilling 32-30 win. After six tie scores to open the match, Michigan turned an 8-8 deadlock into a six-point, 17-11 lead, thanks to three straight blocks for the Wolverines and kills from Bruzdzinski and freshman Veronica Rood (Temperance, Mich./Bedford). Illinois closed to within a pair, 17-15, and Michigan pulled ahead seven, 23-16 before Illinois closed to within one, 26-25, thanks to five team blocks in eight points. The teams traded points down the stretch with Karpiak, Rood and Miller striking for kills, but with Illinois facing game point once again, down 29-27, the Illini fought back from the brink, tying it 29-29. Miller slammed another late kill, making it 30-29 Wolverines and, after a four minute conversation by all four officials, a Karpiak attack on the outside was ruled out, helping the Illini claw back to tie it once more at 30-30. Karpiak got another chance on her next swing, capitalizing on a clean kill to make the score 30-31; Slesky resisted the temptation to dig an Illini ball close to the sideline, letting it travel out of bounds for an Illinois error and another Michigan win.
The Wolverines took a quick 4-0 lead in the third game, only to see the Illinois storm back and take its own four-point, 12-8 lead. Michigan fell behind by as many as five, 15-10, before Bruzdzinski helped spark a comeback to pull U-M even at 16-16. Illinois won two points in a row, but Michigan countered with a 5-0 run, highlighted by kills from Bruzdzinski and Karpiak, an ace from Selsky and a huge block for the Wolverines, wresting momentum from the home squad and making it 21-18. The Illini closed within one, 25-24, but Rood shut the door with another kill, and Michigan maintained at least a two point edge down the stretch to close it out with a sweep, 30-26.
Michigan travels to Evanston, Ill., to face Northwestern on Saturday (Oct. 28) at 7 p.m. CDT.
N O T E S
Tonight's win gives head coach Mark Rosen his 135th victory with the Maize and Blue. Rosen is Michigan's second all-time winningest volleyball coach, posting a record of 135-106 in his eighth season. Former head coach Sandy Vong tops the list, leading U-M to a 177-150-7 record in 11 seasons.
Freshman Megan Bower reached the 250 dig milestone tonight.
Junior Katie Bruzdzinski became the 10th Wolverine in program history to record 100 service aces in a career.
Sophomore Kerry Hance reached the 500 dig milestone tonight.
Sophomore Beth Karpiak competed in her 40th match tonight, making the 25th start of her collegiate career.
Sophomore Liz Rachke competed in her 30th match tonight.
Contact: Richard Retyi (734) 763-4423
