'M' spikers move on to 2nd round of NCAAs

The NCAA tournament is something new for both the Michigan and Temple volleyball teams. Last night in College Station, Texas, their inexperience showed.

In a game that included many gigantic momentum swings, Michigan advanced to the second round of the tournament for the first time ever with a five-game victory over Atlantic 10 champion Temple, 15-8, 6-15, 15-12, 8-15, 15-10, snapping the Owls' 21-game winning streak.

The victory sets the Wolverines (21-11 overall) against Texas A&M, which beat Hofstra -- 15-4, 15-5, 15-5 -- following the Wolverines' victory. Michigan will play the Aggies at 8 p.m. today, and the winner will advance to the Sweet Sixteen.

The Owls (29-5) and Wolverines were unable to sustain any sort of consistency throughout the match, as Michigan outhit Temple .363 to .289 in the odd-numbered games. Temple returned the favor in the even-number games, outhitting Michigan .318 to .134.

"They are a much better team than people give them credit for," Michigan coach Greg Giovanazzi said. "Temple's serving game was just excellent."

To overcome Temple's excellent play, the Wolverines got a clutch effort from middle blocker Linsey Ebert. Ebert led the Wolverines with 18 kills and hit a blistering .419. She also added three blocks, including a key solo block in the deciding fifth game.

Ebert's play was even more remarkable, considering the Owls were trying to keep the ball away from Ebert and fellow middle blocker Sarah Jackson with their serves. "Their serving game took us out of our best offensive set, which is the set to the middle," Giovanazzi said.

The Wolverines resorted to a bit of trickery in the beginning of the first game, as freshman Sarah Behnke used a rarely seen jump serve to grab four consecutive points.

After falling behind early, the Owls closed the gap to 8-7, but five straight points by the Wolverines put the game out of reach. Junior outside hitter Jeanine Szczesniak led the way in the opener, smacking four of her 13 kills. Senior Linnea Mendoza also notched her 5,000th career assist during the first game.

Game 2 was just the opposite for the Wolverines, as they hit a lowly .098. Despite the poor attacking, Michigan did force a deadlock at six before Temple ran off nine consecutive points to tie the match.

Temple was led by Albanian freshman Alma Kovaci, who hit a remarkable .600 during the second game. Kovaci finished with 20 kills, second to fellow outside hitter Sharia BryantŐs 21.

"They have really dynamic outside hitters," Giovanazzi said.

The uneven pattern continued during the third game, as the Wolverines and Owls traded points before Michigan finally pulled away with the game. After Temple surged ahead, 7-6, the Wolverines made a crucial run, scoring five consecutive points to take the lead for good.

As was the theme of the night, a role reversal happened in the fourth game, as the Owls roared back to tie the match.

The fourth game didn't look like it was going to go Temple's way in the beginning, as Michigan broke out to a 5-1 lead. The Wolverines expanded the margin to 8-3, but Temple scored 12 consecutive points, tying the match once again.

In a game of spurts, the Wolverines came through with the most important one in the final game, as they grabbed a 4-1 lead. Michigan maintained the lead for the rest of the game, drawing off EbertŐs key block solo to clinch the victory.

12-05-97