Bruzdzinski Repeats as Conference Player of the Week
11/13/2006 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
PARK RIDGE, Ill. -- University of Michigan junior outside hitter Katie Bruzdzinski (Naperville, Ill./Naperville North) became the first Big Ten volleyball player to earn back-to-back league Player of the Week honors since October 2005, the conference office announced Monday (Nov. 13). Bruzdzinski helped the Wolverines upset No. 16 Purdue and defeat Indiana for a sweep of the two-match weekend road series.
Bruzdzinski
Bruzdzinski played a pivotal role in Michigan's upset of No. 16 Purdue on Friday (Nov. 10), helping Michigan knock off back-to-back ranked opponents for just the third time in program history. She averaged 7.33 kills for the week with a .447 hitting percentage, more than doubled her conference-leading service aces per game (0.83), and added 2.17 digs per game to help solidify Michigan's defense.
Against Purdue, Bruzdzinski slammed 24 kills in the three-game match, hitting a gaudy .571 and adding six digs and a block to her stat sheet. She had nine kills in game one to help the Wolverines seize momentum in West Lafayette and hand the Boilermakers their second home loss in 12 matches this season. Bruzdzinski hit .500 in game one, .583 in game two (eight kills) and .667 in game three (seven kills) while dominating on the left side.
Looking to avenge an early season loss to Indiana, Bruzdzinski nailed 20 kills in three games against the Hoosiers on Saturday (Nov. 11) while serving five aces and adding seven digs. She came fast out of the blocks with nine kills in game one -- including four kills in the final five points -- to propel Michigan to victory. With Michigan spreading its attack in games two and three, Bruzdzinski concentrated on serving, slamming three aces in game two and a pair in game three for five aces in the match, which tied for seventh place on U-M's single-match service ace list.
The honor is the third of Bruzdzinski's career and the fourth Big Ten accolade for the Wolverines this season, following defensive player of the week honors for junior Stesha Selsky (Manhattan Beach, Calif./Marymount) and sophomore Kerry Hance (Los Angeles, Calif./Marymount). The last Big Ten player to earn back-to-back player of the week honors was Ohio State's Marisa Main, who was named Big Ten Player of the Week on Oct. 17 and 24 in 2005. Bruzdzinski is just the 10th player in conference history to earn back-to-back Big Ten Player of the Week honors. She also becomes U-M's all-time leader in conference honors, passing Selsky and Linnea Mendoza (1994-97), who each have a pair of weekly honors to their credit.
With two weeks remaining in the regular season, Michigan returns home this week to host No. 23 Ohio State and No. 3 Penn State. The Wolverines host the Buckeyes for Senior Night on Friday (Nov. 17) before welcoming the Nittany Lions to Cliff Keen Arena for Parents Night on Saturday (Nov. 18). Both matches begin at 7 p.m.
Contact: Richard Retyi (734) 763-4423
