Michigan
11-0
Temple
3-10
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Temple | 18 | 14 | 19 | 0 |
| Michigan | 30 | 30 | 30 | 3 |
Michigan Serves Up a Storm in Win Over Temple
9/14/2007 12:01:00 AM | Volleyball
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Cliff Keen Arena)
Score: #10 Michigan def. Temple 3-0 (30-18, 30-14, 30-19)
Records: U-M (11-0), Temple (3-10)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Sept. 15 -- vs. Georgia Tech at Michigan/Nike Invitational (Cliff Keen Arena), 7:30 p.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 10 University of Michigan volleyball team recorded 13 service aces -- the most its delivered in one match in nearly two seasons -- and held Temple to a .000 attack percentage in a 3-0 (30-18, 30-14, 30-19) sweep Friday night (Sept. 14) at the Michigan/Nike Invitational in Cliff Keen Arena. The win keeps Michigan (11-0) undefeated for the 2007 season.
Six separate Wolverines pummeled the Owls with service aces, led by four from senior Katie Bruzdzinski (Naperville, Ill./Naperville North), three from freshman Lexi Zimmerman (Barrington, Ill./Barrington) and a pair each for junior Beth Karpiak (La Grange, Ill./Lyons Township) and freshman Maggie Busch (Toledo, Ohio/Toledo Christian). Michigan's strong service helped set up tremendous blocking, as the Wolverines put up 11.0 team blocks in the three-game set, led by Karpiak's season-best seven rejections.
Temple hit negative in games one and two before it finally pushed the numbers into the positive column in game three to finish with 26 kills and 26 errors. On the other side of the net, Michigan used a balanced attack as every active player on the team saw time on the court. Ten separate Wolverines recorded kills, led by nine from Karpiak and sophomore Veronica Rood (Temperance, Mich./Bedford). Zimmerman anchored the defense on the floor with a career-best 15 digs.
Michigan dominated game one with tough serving, acing the Owls five times, recording four blocks and forcing Temple to hit -.053 in a 30-18 victory. Karpiak built a roof with her four rejections, while Rood added three to Michigan's total. Rood was also one of two Wolverines with five kills in the period, equaling Karpiak's five terminations. Three Wolverines combined for five service aces, led by a pair each for Busch and Bruzdzinski, while Zimmerman added one. Defensively, Zimmerman added eight digs to the cause.
Game two proved even more lopsided, as the Wolverines put up five team blocks, nailed four aces and forced the Owls into a -.088 attack percentage in a 30-14 U-M victory. Zimmerman put down a pair of aces to give her three total in the match, and senior Stesha Selsky (Manhattan Beach, Calif./Marymount) and junior Kerry Hance (Los Angeles, Calif./Marymount) each added a service ace. Michigan's reserves made their mark late in the period, as freshman Jackie Nissen (Crystal Lake, Ill./Prairie Ridge) recorded three blocks -- including a career-best two solo -- and a kill, while sophomore birthday-girl Cassie Petoskey (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer) had two kills on two swings and a rejection.
Temple hit in the positive column in game three, but the Wolverines pounded the Owls with four more aces and added a pair of blocks in a 30-19 run. Both Bruzdzinski and Karpiak had a pair of aces in the third game, while Karpiak added two more blocks to her match-high seven.
Michigan returns to action in the tournament finale Saturday night (Sept. 15) against Georgia Tech in Cliff Keen Arena at 7:30 p.m. Fans with a football ticket stub from the Michigan/Notre Dame game will receive free admission to the match. Georgia Tech won both of its matches thus far in the tournament, defeating Temple (3-0) and Utah Valley State (3-0).
NOTES
• Freshman Lexi Zimmerman's 15 digs marks a career high.
• Michigan's 13 service aces are the most Wolverine aces in a match since 2005, when U-M faced Illinois on Oct. 7.
• Sophomore Cassie Petoskey recorded a career-best three kills on her birthday against the Owls. She also added her first collegiate block.
• Freshman Jackie Nissen had a career-high three blocks, including a collegiate-best two solo.
• Zimmerman had three service aces in a single match for the fourth time this season, equaling her career best.
• Senior Stesha Selsky moved into sole possession of sixth place on the Big Ten's all-time digs list with 1,668 career digs.
• Head coach Mark Rosen's next victory will be his 150th as head coach at Michigan.
QUOTES
Michigan Head Coach Mark Rosen
On the match ... "We kept our level high even though we switched our lineup a lot, which is something I was pleased with. We served well tonight. We exploited a lot of their weaknesses. Katie (Bruzdzinski) was a giant part of that. She served for 22 real points for us which is huge. We took it to them pretty well. We did a good job of blocking which goes hand in hand with good serving. When you get them off balance it increases our chances of blocking. I thought our blockers did a really nice job. Jackie Nissen comes off the bench and gets a couple of blocks stone cold, but she's a very good blocker."
U-M Sophomore Outside Hitter Cassie Petoskey
On having a career night in front of her family and friends on her birthday ... "It was a fun night. I was excited to have all my friends and family here and to show them that I can play good volleyball. It's fun to get playing time for all the hard work I've put in in the summer and the preseason. It was good to play with the team in front of such a great crowd and have the adrenaline and do well."
