Michigan
12-0
Georgia Tech
6-4
Michigan Stays Perfect in Comeback Over Georgia Tech
9/15/2007 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 10 University of Michigan volleyball team used 38 digs from senior libero Stesha Selsky (Manhattan Beach, Calif./Marymount) and 23 kills from Katie Bruzdzinski (Naperville, Ill./Naperville North) to mount a comeback against Georgia Tech for a 3-2 (17-30, 30-24, 30-32, 30-25, 15-12) win Saturday night (Sept. 15) in Cliff Keen Arena. The win helped U-M remain a perfect 12-0 on the season
In the tournament finale of the Michigan/Nike Invitational, Georgia Tech took a 2-1 lead in front of Michigan's largest crowd of the season, but the Wolverines fought back to take games four and five to win their fourth tournament title of the year. Michigan completed the non-conference season undefeated for the second year in a row.
Despite being ill all day, Selsky tallied the fourth-highest total for digs in a single match in Michigan volleyball history with 38, while Bruzdzinski keyed the offense with a match-best 23 kills -- including eight in the vital fourth game -- to keep Michigan the only undefeated team in the Big Ten Conference.
Selsky and Bruzdzinski were not alone, as four Wolverines tallied double-digit kills and four racked double-digit digs. Junior Beth Karpiak (La Grange, Ill./Lyons Township) finished with 15 kills and hit a team-high .481, sophomore Veronica Rood (Temperance, Mich./Bedford) had 13 kills and senior Lyndsay Miller (Ida, Mich./Ida) finished with 10 terminations. Freshman Lexi Zimmerman (Barrington, Ill./Barrington) had a career-best 18 digs, while Bruzdzinski had 14 digs and sophomore Megan Bower (Indianapolis, Ind./Cathedral) finished with 10.
At the service line, Bruzdzinski managed a season-best five aces from the line -- two in the second and one each in the third, fourth and fifth frames. Zimmerman added a pair of aces.
In game one, Georgia Tech took over the match at the midway point, turning a slight 17-14 advantage into a 10-point, 24-14 chasm after a 7-0 Yellow Jacket run. Georgia Tech hit .410 for the frame and sided out at a 70-percent clip, while Tech's all-tournament team honoree Lindsey Gray nailed seven kills on 11 swings. The bright spots for Michigan were Karpiak with four kills on eight swings and Selsky, who recorded six digs on defense.
Michigan rallied in game two, solidifying its attack and spreading the ball to five players that recorded kills -- led by Bruzdzinski's five. Michigan hit .302 as a team and led from 4-3 onward, with Selsky upping her game with 11 digs in the second game.
Georgia Tech regained momentum after the break, outdueling Michigan 32-30 in a frame that featured 18 tie scores and 11 lead changes. Michigan survived game point on a kill from Rood that knotted it up 29-29, and Bruzdzinski's sixth kill of the frame put Tech's back against the wall (30-29). The Yellow Jackets rebounded to tie it with a kill on the next point, and GTU gained the game point advantage on a second termination. U-M committed a ball handling error to give its visitors a 2-1 lead.
The Wolverines rallied to send the match to an extra game with a win in the fourth, hitting .308 and using a punishing eight kills from Bruzdzinski to extend the match. Seven Wolverines combined for 21 digs, while senior Sarah Draves (Ypsilanti, Mich./Ypsilanti) played a key role on the right side with three kills on four swings.
The fifth game was a back-and-forth affair and featured nine ties and six lead changes with furious action of both sides of the net. The teams traded leads and knotted up the game until an 11-11stalemate was broken by Rood's second kill of the frame, which pushed Georgia Tech into a timeout. Out of the break, Karpiak and Draves combined on a block, and Rood terminated again to force game point, 14-11. Michigan served the next ball into the net to make it 14-12, but Karpiak's 15th and final kill of the match after a long rally ended the madness, giving the Wolverines their fourth tournament title of the year.
Michigan begins Big Ten play on Friday (Sept. 21) against Illinois in Cliff Keen Arena. Match time is set for 7 p.m.
Contact: Richard Retyi (734) 763-4423
