Michigan
7-0
UC Irvine
0-5
Wolverines Sweep Anteaters, Win UC Irvine Tournament
9/2/2006 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
IRVINE, Calif. -- It may not have been pretty, but the University of Michigan volleyball team used 14 team blocks and more outstanding serving to outmatch tournament hosts UC-Irvine in a 3-0 sweep (30-22, 30-22, 30-27) in the finale of the UC-Irvine Nike Invitational. Michigan remains undefeated at 7-0 on the season, keeping the Anteaters winless on the 2006 campaign with a 0-5 record.
Junior tournament MVP Katie Bruzdzinski (Naperville, Ill./Naperville North) was the lone Wolverine with double-digit kills with 11, while the rest of the Wolverines set up a roving wall at the net to force UC-Irvine into 31 attack errors and a .038 attack percentage on the night.
Sophomore Beth Karpiak (La Grange, Ill./Lyons Township) led the block patrol with eight rejections, including a career-best four solo stuffs, while fifth-year senior all-tournament honoree Erin Penn (Dexter, Mich./Dexter) had seven blocks and senior Megan Bowman (St. John, Ind./Lake Central) added five.
Sophomore Kerry Hance (Los Angeles, Calif./Marymount) had a team-high 13 digs, while junior all-tournament setter Stesha Selsky (Manhattan Beach, Calif./Marymount) had 12 digs.
Michigans defense powered the squad to a 30-23 game one win thanks to seven team blocks, led by five rejections for Karpiak, including two solo efforts. Michigans wall forced UC-Irvine to hit .000 in the first frame, while the Wolverine servers kept the Anteaters on their heels with three service aces and countless tough serves that led to poor attacks by the host squad.
U-Ms solid defense continued in game two with the Wolverines adding five more team blocks with Bowman recording four and Penn adding three in the frame. The Wolverines dominated the net, forcing UC-Irvine to hit -.059 with three more attack errors than kills. Michigan didnt need a lot of offense but got some anyway with four kills from Bruzdzinski and three each from Karpiak and junior Lyndsay Miller (Ida, Mich./Ida).
The Anteaters fought back in the third, equaling the Wolverines efforts down the stretch. With the game tied 20-20, UC-Irvine and Michigan tied five more times, knotting the frame at 27-27 before Michigan powered through three-straight points for the sweep. Hance brought up game point with her second ace of the night and Karpiak blocked the final ball to keep Michigan perfect on the season.
Michigan returns to Cliff Keen Arena for its home opener in the Michigan/Pepsi Challenge, taking on Marquette on Friday (Sept. 8) at 11 a.m. and then hosting Virginia that same evening at 7:30 p.m. Michigan wraps up the tourney on Saturday (Sept. 9) with the first-ever U-M volleyball match held in Crisler Arena when the Wolverines take on Pacific at the conclusion of the U-M/Central Michigan football game. Approximate start time for the volleyball match is 3:30 p.m.
Contact: Richard Retyi (734) 763-4423
