Michigan
13-1, 1-1Big Ten
Wisconsin
10-1, 2-0Big Ten
Badgers Upend Michigan in Top-10 Showdown
9/22/2007 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- In a showdown of top 10 national powers, the No. 10 University of Michigan volleyball team suffered its first defeat of the season, losing to No. 9 Wisconsin, 3-0 (30-28, 30-19, 30-23) Saturday night (Sept. 22) in a nationally televised match in Cliff Keen Arena.
In the Wolverines' debut on the Big Ten Network, U-M put its unblemished record on the line against a powerful Wisconsin squad. The Badgers squeaked through game one, 30-28, after the period was knotted up at 28-28, but Wisconsin blew the match open with dominating second and third stanzas. Wisconsin improved to 10-1 overall (2-0 Big Ten), while Michigan slipped to 13-1 (1-1 Big Ten).
Junior Beth Karpiak (La Grange, Ill./Lyons Township) continued her hot play of late, tying for the team lead with 10 kills, while adding three blocks. Karpiak also hit .400 for the match to lead all Wolverines. Senior Katie Bruzdzinski (Naperville, Ill./Naperville North) had double-digit kills for the 91st time in her career with 10 terminations and added a service ace to her total. Other notable stats included sophomore Veronica Rood's (Temperance, Mich./Bedford) nine kills and senior Stesha Selsky's (Manhattan Beach, Calif./Marymount) match-best 12 digs.
In a thrilling opening period, Michigan and Wisconsin traded the lead three times and found themselves deadlocked on nine occasions with the most back-and-forth action saved for the end. The Wolverines built a three-point, 24-21 lead, but Wisconsin bounced back to tie it 25-25. The teams traded points at 26-26, 27-27 and 28-28, but the Badgers managed the final two points to close out the game and take the lead.
Game two was a lopsided affair, as Wisconsin played stellar defense and hit on all cylinders on offense, posting a .387 attack percentage in a 30-19 win. The Badgers never trailed in the game; Michigan's lone bright spot was Karpiak's four kills on nine swings.
Wisconsin closed the match out in the third frame with more precision attacking and a whopping 7.0 team blocks to win 30-23. The Badgers hit .333 as a team, as four Wisconsin players recorded three or more kills, while Michigan was held to .029 at the net. Once more, the Badgers never trailed, pushing to the finish to hand Michigan its first loss of the year.
The Wolverines return to action in their first Big Ten road contest of the year when they face Iowa Friday (Sept. 28) at 7 p.m. CDT in Iowa City, Iowa.
N O T E S
Michigan's match against Wisconsin was the Wolverines' first performance on the Big Ten Network. The match was carried live across the nation from Cliff Keen Arena.
Michigan's 1,325 fans in Cliff Keen Arena was a season high.
Michigan took its first loss of the season, ending its streak of 13 straight wins, which tied the program record for best start to a season.
Contact: Richard Retyi (734) 763-4423
