Michigan
3-0
Wright State
1-2
Sweep of Wright State Gives Rosen 330th Career Win
8/26/2006 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Site: Toledo, Ohio (Savage Hall)
Event: Rocket Classic
Score: Michigan def. Wright State 3-0 (30-16, 30-14, 30-24)
Records: U-M (3-0), WSU (1-2)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Aug. 26 -- at Toledo at Rocket Classic (Toledo, Ohio), 7:30 p.m.
TOLEDO, Ohio -- The University of Michigan volleyball team turned in its most dominating performance of the young season, leading from start to finish against an overmatched Wright State squad in a 3-0 win (30-16, 30-14, 30-24) Saturday afternoon (Aug. 26) on the second day of the Rocket Classic in Savage Hall.
Michigan improves to 3-0 on the season and leads the tournament with a perfect mark, while Wright State drops to 1-2. Michigan can wrap up the tournament crown with a win against the host Toledo Rockets Saturday night (Aug. 26) at 7:30 p.m.
Head coach Mark Rosen earned his 330th career victory thanks to a commanding performance by Michigan's usual suspects and solid efforts on defense, at the net, and at the service line. Michigan held Wright State to a .010 hitting percentage, allowing the Raiders to record just one more kill than attack error on the day. The Wolverines also tied their season high with nine aces, spreading the wealth between seven U-M servers.
Junior Katie Bruzdzinski (Naperville, Ill./Naperville North) led the team with 14 kills and hit .345, while junior Lyndsay Miller (Ida, Mich./Ida) broke the double-digit mark with 10 kills. Michigan's defensive duo of junior Stesha Selsky (Manhattan Beach, Calif./Marymount) and sophomore Kerry Hance (Los Angeles, Calif./Marymount) also proved pivotal in disrupting Wright State's attack. Selsky recorded a game-high 21 digs, while Hance dug 12 balls and helped limit the Raiders' tough serving.
Bruzdzinski hammered six of her kills in game one to pace the Wolverines, who jumped out to a 20-15 lead and rode freshman Megan Bower's (Indianapolis, Ind./Cathedral) serving to a 28-15 advantage and the frame. Bower tallied a career-best three service aces and served for 25 points in the match, including 10 straight in game one and six straight in game two.
Michigan was even more dominant in the second game, building a 20-8 lead and forcing 11 Raider errors to seven kills. Senior Megan Bowman (St. John, Ind./Lake Central) tallied four blocks in the frame, moving into fifth place on U-M's all-time blocks list, passing Nicole Poquette (2000-03). Wright State pushed Michigan as far as it could in game three, trailing by just two, 20-18, but Bower's tough serving pushed momentum to the Maize and Blue once more and the Wolverines swept the match unblemished.
Freshman Veronica Rood (Temperance, Mich./Bedford) debuted in game two when she subbed in for Bruzdzinski on the left side late in the frame. Rood took her first ball and hammered it home for her first collegiate kill, then added two more kills on two more swings to finish with a perfect 1.000 hitting percentage. Junior Sarah Draves (Ypsilanti, Mich./Ypsilanti) saw her first action of the season in game three, recording one dig and serving two points.
Michigan faces host Toledo on Saturday night (Aug. 26) at 7:30 p.m. in the finale of the Rocket Classic.
