Michigan
14-4, 1-4Big Ten
Northwestern
7-7, 1-4Big Ten
U-M Ends Skid With Balanced Attack Against Wildcats
10/6/2006 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan volleyball team broke a four-match losing streak thanks to a trio of double-digit kill performances and four double-digit dig efforts against the Northwestern Wildcats in a 3-0 (30-28, 30-25, 30-28) sweep Friday night (Oct. 6) in Cliff Keen Arena.
"We played a very balanced match tonight," said head coach Mark Rosen. "Stesha (Selsky) made very good choices tonight and helped spread our attack and get a lot of players involved. Beth (Karpiak) was also a big factor on offense, and she made her presence felt with a lot of kills."
Junior outside hitter Lyndsay Miller (Ida, Mich./Ida) led all players with 16 kills, including six each in games two and three, while junior outside hitter Katie Bruzdzinski (Naperville, Ill./Naperville North) and sophomore middle blocker Beth Karpiak (La Grange, Ill./Lyons Township) tallied 14 kills apiece. Karpiak had just three kills in each of the first and second frames before ripping eight terminations on 12 swings in the third period to help lock down a U-M sweep.
Defensively, sophomore libero Kerry Hance (Los Angeles, Calif./Marymount) led all Wolverines with 21 digs, including nine in game two, while Bruzdzinski tied a season high with 14 and junior setter Stesha Selsky (Manhattan Beach, Calif./Marymount) and fifth-year senior right side Erin Penn (Dexter, Mich./Dexter) added 10 apiece. Hance recorded her most digs since Aug. 25 when she finished with a career-best 27 vs. Binghamton.
Michigan improves to 14-4 on the season and moves to 1-4 in the Big Ten, while Northwestern evens its record at 7-7 and drops to 1-4 in the conference.
Bruzdzinski was the Wolverines' catalyst in a game-one 30-28 win, recording nine of Michigan's points in the period on seven kills, one solo block and a service ace. Bruzdzinski also chipped in four digs for the defense, which was anchored by Hance's seven digs. U-M watched a four-point, 23-19 lead evaporate when Northwestern rallied on a 5-0 run to take the lead, 24-23, and force Michigan into a timeout. Senior middle blocker Megan Bowman (St. John, Ind./Lake Central) tied it up with her first kill of the night, but the teams traded points, tying at 25-25 and 26-26, before U-M could cobble together back-to-back points on a kill by Bruzdzinski followed by a solo block from the junior to make it 28-26 Wolverines. Northwestern scored next followed by a kill from Karpiak to force game point, and Bruzdzinski drove the final spike in the ground with a kill to wrap up game one, 30-28.
Michigan survived a back-and-forth game two, thanks in part to Hance's nine digs in the period and Miller's six kills. Birthday girl Karpiak added three blocks in the period, helping put U-M up two games to none in the match. The Wolverines built a solid six-point, 23-17 lead and extended it to 29-20 before settling into cruise control and sending the Wildcats into the locker room for the intermission with a 30-25 loss.
Karpiak played a big part in game three with eight kills, while Bruzdzinski and Selsky anchored the defensive line with six digs apiece in a closely contested 30-28 Wolverine win. Miller chipped in with six of her match-high 16 terminations, including a pivotal kill that tied the match at 28-28 and set the Wolverine up for the sweep. Michigan was forced to rally from a two-point deficit late in the period, trailing 24-22, and knotted the match at 24-24 with back-to-back kills from Bruzdzinski and Karpiak to pull the Wolverines back into the game. The teams tied four more times down the stretch on two kills from Karpiak and one each from Bruzdzinski and Miller until Penn forced game point with a termination on the right side, making it 29-28. With Selsky serving for the match, the teams traded attacks back and forth until Penn nailed another ball to the floor on the right side to snap the team's losing streak.
Michigan will take a day off before hosting Illinois in a Sunday (Oct. 8) matinee beginning at 2 p.m. in Cliff Keen Arena.
N O T E S
Sophomore libero Kerry Hance tallied 21 digs vs. Northwestern, her second highest total of the season. Hance had a career-best 27 digs vs. Binghamton on Aug. 25.
Sophomore defensive specialist Liz Raschke played in her 25th match tonight. Raschke had four digs in the match, one shy of her career high.
Junior Katie Bruzdzinski extended to 31 her streak of matches with double-digit kills. She also recorded the 23rd double-double of her collegiate career with 14 kills and 14 digs.
Senior middle blocker Megan Bowman tied a career high with four digs.
Contact: Richard Retyi (734) 763-4423
