Michigan
Wisconsin
Bruzdzinski's Match High 17 Kills Not Enough in Loss
11/3/2006 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan volleyball team fought down to the wire with the No. 10 Wisconsin Badgers at the Wolverines Rock the House match at Cliff Keen Arena, but the visitors piled on too much for too long in a 3-0 U-M loss (30-26, 30-14, 30-25) Friday night (Nov. 3).
Michigan matched Wisconsins hitting percentage in game one (.152) and committed two fewer errors, but the Badgers were able to pull ahead thanks to seven kills on 12 swings from Audra Jeffers. Wisconsin then routed Michigan in game two, with an obscenely high .593 attack percentage, and closed out the match with a hard-fought 30-25 win in game three.
"I wasnt pleased because we didnt compete hard enough tonight," said head coach Mark Rosen. "We played better in games one and three. We lost the serving game tonight, and Wisconsin passed well and we didnt."
The loss drops Michigan to 17-9 (4-9 Big Ten), while Wisconsin improves to 18-5 (10-3 Big Ten) and takes sole possession of third place in the conference.
Against one of the best teams in the nation, junior Katie Bruzdzinski (Naperville, Ill./Naperville North) acquitted herself in fine fashion, finishing with a match-high 16 kills, extending her streak of matches with double-digit kills to 39.
"We broke down in some areas at crucial parts of the game," said Bruzdzinski. "We did some good things, but we couldnt pull it out."
Bruzdzinski also added two blocks, one ace and three assists to her total, while lifting Wolverine spirits all night. She had five kills and a pair of blocks in game one, and eight terminations in game three to help U-M keep pace with the streaking Badgers.
Junior Lyndsay Miller (Ida, Mich./Ida) finished the match with eight kills, while sophomore Beth Karpiak (La Grange, Ill./Lyons Township) and freshman Veronica Rood (Temperance, Mich./Bedford) tallied six kills apiece. Michigans defense was led by freshman Megan Bowers (Indianapolis, Ind./Cathedral) 12 digs and sophomore Kerry Hances (Los Angeles, Calif./Marymount) six.
Michigan fell behind early in game one, but remained in the period thanks to the offensive efforts of Bruzdzinski, defensive heroics from Bower and Hance and the raucous crowd of 1,147 that packed Cliff Keen Arena to cheer on the team. The Wolverines rallied from a five point, 20-15 deficit to close within one, 27-26, thanks to a balanced attack that featured kills from five different Wolverines, including a pair from Miller and Karpiak. Jeffers struck for her seventh kill of the first frame, and Wisconsin used an ace and a Wolverine attack error to ice game one, 30-26.
Game two showcased how good the Badgers can be, as the team slammed 17 kills, hit .593 and overpowered the Wolverines to a 30-14 result. Despite great defense from Bower and company, the Wolverines could not repel the Badger attack, nor establish an offense of its own. Wisconsin recorded five team blocks in the period, holding Miller to a .000 attack percentage and forcing Rood into negative numbers.
Michigan came out of game three determined to make a mark, overcoming a nine point deficit midway through the period to pull within four, 21-17, on the power of three Bruzdzinski kills and an ace. Wisconsin inched ahead once again, but the Wolverines managed to close to within four late, 27-23, 28-24, and again at 29-25. However, the damage was done, and the Badgers closed out the sweep with a 30-25 win.
"Its always nice to have a good crowd and The Zone really helped tonight," said Bruizdzinski.
"We had a lot of support tonight and we would have liked to win it for them," added Rosen.
Michigan will host its second straight top-15 opponent when it welcomes No. 12 Minnesota to Cliff Keen Arena on Saturday (Nov. 4). The Gophers are in second place in the Big Ten Conference with an 11-2 record (17-6 overall).
"Minnesota is a very good team, just like Wisconsin," said Bruzdzinski. "We will have to serve them tough and keep to our game."
Contact: Richard Retyi (734) 763-4423
