Michigan
13-3, 0-3Big Ten
Minnesota
9-4, 3-0Big Ten
Michigan Loses to Red-Hot Minnesota in Road Contest
9/29/2006 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- The No. 24 University of Michigan volleyball team came a whisker away from posting a different result against Minnesota, but the homestanding Gophers used critical runs at the end of games one and two to pull off a 32-30, 30-28, 30-24 Big Ten sweep of the Wolverines Friday night (Sept. 29) at the Sports Pavilion.
Michigan falls to 13-3 on the season (0-3 Big Ten) and extends its losing streak to three, while Minnesota climbs to 9-4 (3-0 Big Ten) and continues its hot streak with its seventh straight win.
Michigan held five-point leads midway through the first and second games only to see Minnesota chip away and string together critical plays at the end of both frames. Michigan led 19-14 in game one and forced the Gophers into a corner with a 30-29 lead, but the home squad scored three straight points to win the frame. A similar situation developed in game two with Michigan up five, 24-19, before the Gophers gnawed their way back to pull out a 30-28 win.
Junior outside hitter Katie Bruzdzinski (Naperville, Ill./Naperville North) had nine kills through the first two frames and served three aces in the pivotal first game. She finished the match with 10 terminations, extending her streak of matches with double-digit kills to 29. Junior outside hitter Lyndsay Miller (Ida, Mich./Ida) led the Wolverines with 14 kills and added a pair of blocks, while junior setter Stesha Selsky (Manhattan Beach, Calif./Marymount) had 18 digs in the match.
Michigan trailed through the early part of game one before taking its first lead at 13-12 thanks to Penn's first kill of the night. The Wolverines extended their lead to five, 19-14, but the Gophers slowly chipped away at the deficit before tying the game at 27-27. Minnesota then scored back-to-back points to force game point at 29-27, but a gritty U-M squad fought back from the brink twice to tie it at 29-29 on Bruzdzinski's third ace of the frame. Michigan struck next to pull ahead 30-29, but Minnesota fought back from its own oblivion and railed off three straight points to win 32-30.
Game two followed a similar script to game one, with Michigan rallying back from an early deficit to take a late lead only to see Minnesota chip away at the deficit and pull out a squeaker. Michigan tied the game at 19-19 when sophomore defensive specialist Liz Raschke (Portage, Mich./Portage Central) stepped to the line and served for six straight points to give the Wolverines a comfortable five-point, 24-19 lead. Minnesota fought back with a 4-0 run of its own, eventually tying it at 28-28 and then using a block and a kill from junior middle blocker Jessy Jones to take a two-game lead.
The Gophers built a near insurmountable lead to start game three, pulling ahead by as many as 11 points, up 25-14, before the Wolverines showed much life. U-M did cobble together the makings of a memorable comeback thanks to five kills in the period by Miller, turning the 11-point deficit into a four-point hole, down 27-23, but Minnesota shook the cobwebs loose to finish strong on a 3-1 run to close out the match.
Michigan travels to Wisconsin to take on the No. 14 Badgers on Saturday (Sept. 30) at 7 p.m. CDT.
Contact: Richard Retyi (734) 763-4423
