Dec. 5, 2003

Box Score

BERKELEY, Calif. - The University of Michigan volleyball team opened the NCAA Tournament with a 3-0 rout of Colorado at Haas Pavilion on the campus of the University of California, downing the Buffaloes 30-22, 30-22, 30-11 to advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in five appearances. Senior Erin Moore (Tiffin, Ohio/Columbian HS) was the only Wolverine in double figures with 13 kills and hit .435, while freshman Megan Bowman (St. John, Ind./Lake Central HS) tallied a career-high 11 blocks.

Moore also established school records for single-season kills and blocks, adding seven block assists in the win as U-M held the Buffs to a .020 hitting percentage and out-blocked Colorado with a season high 18.5 blocks to UC's five.

The win improved U-M's record to 4-4 in the NCAA Tournament, and marked the second 3-0 victory for the Wolverines in the postseason. U-M downed Fairfield by a 3-0 margin in the first round of the 1999 Tournament in Stockton, Calif.

In addition to the potent Wolverine offense, which hit. .308 for the match, U-M also added 10 service aces, tying a season high. Senior Nicole Poquette (Grand Haven, Mich./Grand Haven HS) led Michigan with a season-high three aces, while five other players recorded aces, including junior Jennifer Gandolph (Greenwood, Ind./Center Grove HS) and Moore, who tallied two each.

Michigan took a quick 1-0 lead in the match with a 30-22 victory in game one. U-M opened the match with a 3-0 lead and led the entire way, distancing itself when it took six of seven points to go up by a 15-8 margin. The Wolverines led by as many as 10 in the frame, and held off a Colorado rally late in the game as the Buffaloes pulled to within six at 28-22 by taking seven points during a 10-point stretch. Erin Moore led the Wolverines with six kills and also notched two aces in the opening stanza.

Colorado jumped out to a 4-1 lead in game two, but the Wolverines rallied to take 15 of 19 points to open up a 16-8 advantage and cruise to a 30-22 victory. Michigan hit .355 in the game and held the Buffaloes to a .094 hitting percentage behind eight blocks, including five by Bowman.

In game three, the Buffaloes opened up a 2-0 lead before the Wolverines went on a tear, scoring 17 of 19 points, including a 12-point run, to take a 17-4 lead. Michigan added another scoring run, capturing seven of eight points to improve its lead to 26-8 en route to a 30-11 victory to close out the match. The Wolverines were firing on all cylinders offensively for the second straight game, hitting .357, while the defense posted six blocks, holding Colorado to a -.161 hitting percentage. In addition, the Wolverines recorded five of their 10 services aces, including two by Nicole Poquette.

In addition to Bowman and Moore's dominating performances at the net, junior Sarah Allen (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Mechanicsburgh HS) led the Wolverines with 11 digs. Two other Wolverines -- Poquette and redshirt freshman Erin Cobler (Dexter, Mich./Dexter HS) -- also topped the five-block plateau, with both recording six.

The Wolverines will now take on the winner of the No. 8 California-St. Mary's (Calif.) match on Saturday (Dec. 6). Opening serve is slated for 7:30 p.m. PST at Haas Pavilion on the campus of the Unviersity of California. The winner of the match will advance to the regional round, scheduled for December 12-13 in Honolulu, Hawaii.

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