Michigan
19-8, 7-8
Wisconsin
22-3, 14-2
Michigan One Point Away From Upset in Loss at UW
11/9/2007 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
MADISON, Wis. -- The University of Michigan volleyball team had the No. 11 Wisconsin Badgers on the brink of just their fourth loss of the season with match point in game five, but the home Badgers rallied to win with three straight points in a 3-2 (30-24, 27-30, 30-27, 22-30, 14-16) U-M defeat Friday night (Nov. 9) in the UW Field House.
Michigan had a 14-13 lead in game five against Wisconsin, but the Badgers railed off three straight to pull out the victory. Senior Katie Bruzdzinski (Naperville, Ill./Naperville North) had a Herculean effort in the match with 26 kills, 10 digs, two blocks, two assist and an ace, while sophomore Veronica Rood (Temperance, Mich./Bedford) had a career-high 18 kills and hit a team best .441 in the loss. Junior Beth Karpiak (La Grange, Ill./Lyons Township) was also huge in the match, tallying six blocks -- three in the fifth frame -- and nailing 13 kills. Senior Lyndsay Miller (Ida, Mich./Ida) also added 13 kills to round out Michigan's double-digit terminators. Senior Stesha Selsky (Manhattan Beach, Calif./Marymount) finished with a match-high 23 digs.
Michigan handed Wisconsin just its fourth game one loss of the season in a 30-24 defeat, keyed by Rood's remarkable five kills on seven swings and Bruzdzinski's solid all-around play with five kills, five digs, one ace and one assist. The Wolverines trailed until the 12-12 mark, when Zimmerman put U-M ahead with a kill. From that point on, the Wolverines never trailed, leading by as much as seven (26-19) at one point.
U-M had a prime opportunity to put Wisconsin down two games to none for the first time all season, but the Badgers rallied from a late 24-23 deficit to win, 30-27, and even the contest at one game apiece. Bruzdzinski added seven kills in the period, with Rood remaining hot on the outside with four -- but Badger Brittney Dolgner put up 10 terminations in the period, including three from the back row in the comeback. U-M overcame a big early deficit, trailing 10-3 at one point, but rallied to knot it up at 23-23 and then take the first lead of the frame at 24-23. Wisconsin called timeout and back-to-back Dolgner kills from the back row flipped the advantage to 25-24 for Wisconsin. Michigan tied it at 25, but Wisconsin blew up on a 3-0 run to make it 28-25 and set itself up for victory.
Michigan started hot and ended hot in game three, busting out to an 8-3 lead to stay ahead of the Badgers for good in a 30-27 win. Bruzdzinski and Karpiak each tallied seven kills while Rood had four on seven swings.
Wisconsin rebounded in game four to give the home fans some extra volleyball, punching U-M in the mouth with a 7-0 run after a 16-16 tie score and roaring down the stretch to win, 30-22. Michigan had no answer for the Badgers down the stretch as UW hit .297 for the period and capitalized on the tough serving of libero Jocelyn Wack.
Game five was a heartbreaker with the Wolverines holding match point at 14-13, but U-M watched Wisconsin put together three straight points for the 16-14 defeat. Bruzdzinski had four kills in the period and Rood two on four swings, while Karpiak was huge at the net with three blocks, including a big block solo.
Michigan takes on Illinois on Saturday (Nov. 10) in Huff Hall at 7 p.m. CST. Live audio will be available via MGoBlue.com.
N O T E S
Sophomore Veronica Rood had a career-high 18 kills at Wisconsin -- one better than her previous best, which was recorded at Hawaii in the season opener on Aug. 24.
Senior Katie Bruzdzinski tallied 20+ kills for the fifth time in the last six matches.
Michigan handed Wisconsin just its fourth game one loss of the season.
Michigan is now 5-3 in five-game matches and 2-3 in five-game conference matches.
Contact: Richard Retyi (734) 763-4423
