Michigan
11-0
IPFW
6-8
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IPFW | 22 | 26 | 22 | 0 |
| Michigan | 30 | 30 | 30 | 3 |
U-M Uses Full Team Effort to Down IPFW, Move to 11-0
9/15/2006 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Cliff Keen Arena)
Score: #22 Michigan def. Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne 3-0 (30-22, 30-26, 30-22)
Records: U-M (11-0), IPFW (6-8)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Sept. 16 -- vs. New Hampshire at Michigan/Nike Invitational (Cliff Keen Arena), 11 a.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The newly minted No. 22 University of Michigan volleyball team continued its winning ways and used nearly its entire squad to improve to 11-0 on the season with a 3-0 (30-22, 30-26, 30-22) win over IPFW Friday night (Sept. 15) in the Michigan/Nike Invitational at Cliff Keen Arena.
The Wolverines played 13 members of their program, led offensively by junior outside hitter Katie Bruzdzinski's (Naperville, Ill./Naperville North) 16 kills as well as double-digit offensive performances for fifth-year senior right-side Erin Penn (Dexter, Mich./Dexter) and senior middle blocker Megan Bowman (St. John, Ind./Lake Central), who each finished with 10 kills. The key to the match was a game-one stunner in which the Wolverines hit .654 as a team, committing just one attack error and registering 18 kills.
"We took advantage of our offense in game one and everything really clicked," said sophomore middle blocker Beth Karpiak (La Grange, Ill./Lyons Township), who tallied five kills on five swings in the first stanza. Karpiak finished the night tied for the team lead with Bowman with three blocks and added nine kills on 16 swings.
"We played well and we started to pull away, which allowed me to shuffle our lineup," added head coach Mark Rosen.
Rosen inserted junior/sophomore setter Mara Martin (Monroe, Mich./St. Mary's Catholic) into the match in the first game, allowing her to quarterback large portions of the first and second periods. Martin helped the Wolverines accrue their .654 attack percentage in game one and finished night with 13 assists, two blocks and a pair of digs. Martin replaced junior starting setter Stesha Selsky (Manhattan Beach, Calif./Marymount), who was perfect in game one, setting the ball nine times for nine kills in an unprecedented performance. Despite ceding the floor to Martin for large stretches in games one and two, Selsky finished with 12 digs and 37 assists while adding a service ace. Selsky's 12 digs moved her into second place on U-M's all-time digs list, passing JoAnna Collias (1,131).
If the Wolverines were nervous about their national ranking they did not show it. "We talked to them for a few minutes on the first day we were ranked but it's nothing we can control," said Rosen. "All we can control is winning games. It's a cliche, but that's how we're approaching it."
Michigan built a seven-point, 15-8 lead halfway through the first frame and cruised to victory after leading by as many as 10 points. U-M's offense was powered on the strength of five kills each from Bruzdzinski and Karpiak and four terminations from Penn. Karpiak was an unblemished 5-for-5 with five kills on five swings, while Penn went a flawless 4-for-4. Junior Lyndsay Miller (Ida, Mich./Ida) also chipped in with a kill on her only attempt of the first game and finished with seven terminations, three digs and a block on her birthday.
Michigan emptied the bench in game two after taking an eight-point, 15-7 lead, allowing junior outside hitter Sarah Draves (Ypsilanti, Mich./Ypsilanti) and freshman right-side Cassie Petoskey (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer) to see significant minutes. Draves made the most of her time on the floor, registering two kills on five swings and adding a block, while Petoskey chipped in with a pair of digs in the second frame. U-M extended its lead to 25-15 before coasting to the finish for a 30-26 win.
"I think we got a little out of whack in game two," said Rosen, "but we played well and stayed aggressive."
IPFW showed it would not go quietly in the third game by keeping the Wolverines close through the midway point. With Michigan up by three, 19-16, the Mastodons had a chance to force a fourth game, but U-M extended the margin to six points with a 25-19 lead and closed the period out in style with three final kills from birthday girl Miller.
Action in the Michigan/Nike Invitational wraps up Saturday (Sept. 16) with four matches. The Wolverines will face New Hampshire at 11 a.m. and Rice at 7:30 p.m. in Cliff Keen Arena.
NOTES
• Junior setter Stesha Selsky's 12 digs gave her 1,138 in her career and moved her past JoAnna Collias (1,381, 1990-93) for second place on U-M's all-time digs list. Selsky needs 243 digs to equal U-M recordholder Jennifer Gandolph's (2001-04) 1,381 career digs.
• Junior outside hitter Lyndsay Miller celebrated her birthday with seven kills, three digs and a block.
• Selsky set nine balls in game one vs. IPFW, each of which led to a kill. Michigan's .654 attack percentage in the first frame is a season best.
• Junior outside hitter Katie Bruzdzinski had her 24th straight double-digit kill match. Bruzdzinski's 16 kills led all players.
• Senior middle blocker Megan Bowman recorded the 400th block of her collegiate career. Bowman ranks third on U-M's all-time list with 400 blocks, just 32 behind second-place Erin Moore (2000-03).
• Head coach Mark Rosen needs one victory to record his 130th win at Michigan. Rosen is two wins shy of his 340th career victory.
