Michigan
13-0
Rice
6-7
U-M Downs Rice, Heads Into Big Ten Play Undefeated
9/16/2006 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Unlucky match number 13 proved anything but for the streaking No. 22 University of Michigan volleyball team as the Wolverines pushed their record to 13-0 to begin the season and captured their fourth straight tournament crown with a 3-0 win (30-25, 30-19, 30-28) win over Rice Saturday night (Sept. 16) in the finale of the Michigan/Nike Invitational at Cliff Keen Arena.
The Owls refused to be clipped in the first and third games, but the Wolverines fought back with junior outside hitter and tournament MVP Katie Bruzdzinski (Naperville, Ill./Naperville North), who led all players with 16 kills and pushed her streak of consecutive double-digit kill matches to 26. Bruzdzinski did the bulk of her damage with eight kills in the first frame and six in the second, and she finished with three aces, including a pivotal one in game three.
Junior outside hitter and all-tournament honoree Lyndsay Miller (Ida, Mich./Ida) chipped in with 13 kills in the match, playing a big role in Michigan's sweep with six terminations in the final frame, while sophomore Beth Karpiak (La Grange, Ill./Lyons Township) had nine kills and three blocks and hit .500 for the match.
Fifth-year senior right-side Erin Penn (Dexter, Mich./Dexter) and junior setter Stesha Selsky (Manhattan Beach, Calif./Marymount) were also named to the all-tournament team. Selsky led the team with 11 digs against the Owls while registering a career-best seven kills.
"We had a good tournament and I'm glad we finished the preseason well," said head coach Mark Rosen, who picked up his 340th collegiate victory. "Rice played very aggressive and we got a little sloppy, but we finished well in the third game. We have to get a little better at blocking and serving, but I think we're ready to take the next step and play Big Ten competition."
The Wolverines faced a tough challenge from a resilient Owls squad with nothing to lose in its final match of the tournament. Rice took a 13-10 lead midway through the first frame before Michigan could rally to knot it at 14-14 and then pull away for good. Penn tied it at 14-14 with an ace and Miller put the Wolverines ahead to stay with the third of her five kills in the period. Bruzdzinski paced the Wolverine attack with eight terminations on 12 swings, while the ever-economical Karpiak nailed five kills on just seven swings while adding a pair of blocks.
Michigan handled Rice easily in the second game, taking a 15-9 lead at the halfway point and leaving the Owls in the dust. U-M forced Rice into one more attack error than kill while recording four team blocks in game two. Bruzdzinski dominated on offense once again with six kills in the frame.
The Wolverines were forced to mount a late-game comeback in the third frame after trailing for much of the period and finding themselves behind the eight ball down 27-25.
"Rice played very well against us in the third game," said Penn. "They have some good attackers who got really hot at the end."
Smooth serving from Bruzdzinski put Rice on its heels and led to a kill from Penn to make it 27-26 and another from Miller to knot the frame at 27-27. Bruzdzinski's lethal jump serve then forced the Owls to hit a low-percentage ball into the net, giving U-M a 28-27 advantage, followed by a laser beam from the service line that aced the Owls defense and forced match point at 29-27. Rice was able to stave off elimination with a kill, making it 29-28, but Miller punctuated a long rally with a thunderous termination on the left side to seal Rice's fate.
Michigan begins the Big Ten Conference season with a pair of matches at home on Friday and Saturday (Sept. 22-23). Michigan hosts Indiana on Friday at 7 p.m. before welcoming No. 14 Purdue to Ann Arbor on Saturday at 7 p.m.
"Now we have to be ready to play Big Ten teams," said Rosen. "We have to be prepared to play at a faster pace and go toe to toe. We were able to bully some teams in the preseason, but we won't be able to do that anymore."
N O T E S
Michigan's win over Rice was the 340th of head coach Mark Rosen's collegiate coaching career. Rosen is 340-136 in his 15-year coaching career.
Junior Katie Bruzdzinski won her third tournament MVP award of the season at the Michigan/Nike Invitational, adding to her cache that includes MVP awards at the UC Irvine Nike Invitational and the Michigan/Pepsi Challenge.
Junior Katie Bruzdzinski had her 26th straight double-digit kill match with 16 kills vs. Rice.
Bruzdzinski is now 35 kills away from 1,000 for her career. Only eight Wolverines have ever hit 1,000 career kills, and Bruzdzinski is on pace to become the fastest to the milestone.
Junior Stesha Selsky and junior Lyndsay Miller played in their 75th career matches tonight.
Selsky has earned all-tournament honors in all four tournaments this year, while Miller has earned all tournament honors in each of Michigan's home tourneys.
Fifth-year senior Erin Penn has earned all-tournament honors in three of the four tourneys this year.
Contact: Richard Retyi (734) 763-4423
