Michigan
13-4, 0-4
Wisconsin
12-2, 4-0
Michigan Falls at No. 14 Wisconsin in Top 25 Matchup
9/30/2006 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
MADISON, Wis. -- In a top-25 tilt, the No. 24 University of Michigan volleyball team came out on the wrong side of a 3-0 (30-24, 30-19, 30-16) affair against No. 14 Wisconsin Saturday night (Sept. 30) at the UW Field House.
The Wolverines dropped to 13-4 (0-4 Big Ten) with the loss, while Wisconsin climbed to 13-2 (4-0 Big Ten) and remained atop the conference standings.
Junior outside hitter Katie Bruzdzinski (Naperville, Ill./Naperville North) extended her streak of matches with double-digit kills to 30 with 14 terminations against the Badgers, while junior outside hitter Lyndsay Miller (Ida, Mich./Ida) added 10 kills of her own. Defensively, freshman Megan Bower (Indianapolis, Ind./Cathedral) led the team in digs for the first time in her collegiate career, recording 12 digs, including eight in game two, as the Wolverines shuffled her into the libero role at the start of the second period. The Badgers hit a gaudy .374 against the Wolverines and tallied 14 blocks.
Michigan kept within striking distance of Wisconsin for most of game one, trailing by just four, 22-18 at one point, but the Badgers strung together minor runs of two and three points to build their lead into an insurmountable obstacle and won 30-24. Penn and Miller each finished the frame with four kills, while Bruzdzinski added three kills and a team-high five digs.
The second game played out much like the first with the Wolverines down just two, 15-13, at the midway point, but the Badgers tore through a 10-3 run that burned both of Michigan's timeouts and all but sealed the stanza. Bruzdzinski paced the Wolverine attack with five kills, while a lineup change at libero helped Bower tally eight digs in the period.
The Badgers ran away with game three from the start, building an 18-5 lead and ending the night early for the Wolverines, 30-16.
Michigan returns to Ann Arbor for a rare Friday/Sunday showdown with Northwestern and Illinois. The Wolverines and Wildcats square off on Friday (Oct. 6) at 7 p.m. in Cliff Keen Arena before U-M hosts Illinois on Sunday (Oct. 8) in a matinee special at 2 p.m.
Contact: Richard Retyi (734) 763-4423
