Spikers lose to Badgers, edge Illini

The measure of a good team is one that beats teams they are supposed to beat. Some say the measure of a great team is a team that occasionally beats teams it's not supposed to.

The Michigan women's volleyball team has not quite made it into the great category yet, as the Wolverines (9-5 Big Ten, 16-9 overall) split games this weekend. Michigan defeated Illinois (4-9, 13-10) on Friday, 15-9, 15-13, 5-15,13-15, 15-13, and fell to No. 5 Wisconsin (13-1, 22-2) on Saturday, 15-7, 15-13, 13-15, 15-4.

The split marked the fourth-consecutive weekend in which Michigan only took one of its two games. This streak of up-and-down weekends leaves the Wolverines in a fourth-place tie with Michigan State in the Big Ten with six games to play.

"When you are playing top 25 teams every week, it's hard to get a sweep," Michigan coach Greg Giovanazzi said.

JOHN KRAFT/Daily Sarah Benke and the Michigan volleyball team split this weekend's series against Illinois and Wisconsin. The Wolverines have split the past four weekends against conference opponents and are currently in a fourth-place tie with Michigan State.

Wisconsin, with their No. 5 ranking, definitely qualifies as a top team. The Badgers played like it in the first and last game, blitzing the Wolverines to help get their first win at Cliff Keen Arena since 1991.

In the second and third games, Michigan looked more like the team that had a five-game home winning streak over the Badgers. After the Badgers won game one, 15-7, they jumped out to a 12-5 lead over the Wolverines in the second game. But Michigan fought back, scoring seven consecutive points to tie the game.

Michigan eventually fell in the second game, but used the momentum from that game to jump out to a 7-3 lead in the third game. Senior Sarah Jackson, who led the team with 20 kills, nailed four of them during the rally.

"Linnea (Mendoza) and I were working on setting the one in transition and that shot was open a lot," Jackson said.

Wisconsin fought back to deadlock the game at 13, but Michigan used a Jeanine Szczesniak ace and a net violation to get the victory.

Michigan's game three victory just slowed the Badgers down, as Wisconsin trashed the Wolverines in the final game. After starting the game tied at four, the Badgers scored 11 consecutive points to finish things off.

"When you are playing the No. 5 team in the nation, its tough," Giovanazzi said. "They are very good at getting runs."

The Wolverines started the weekend by beating Illinois in a game that went down to the last play. Michigan started off hot against the Illini, taking the first two games.

A seemingly different Michigan team played in the third and fourth games, as Illinois smacked the Wolverines in the third game and outlasted them in the fourth.

"It was a mental breakdown on our part," senior setter Linnea Mendoza said. "This is something that would happen to us three years ago, but hadn't happened to us this year.

"It was a lesson for us. Nobody wants to come out like that again."

Illinois could not keep the momentum going, as they fell into a pattern of hitting and service errors. The Illini compiled eight errors in the final game, including the final two points.

"They played with aggressiveness, and we played tentatively," Illinois coach Don Hardin said. "They just had the confidence because they had been in this situation a lot in the past.

Another thing the Wolverines had that Illinois didn't was junior outside hitter Karen Chase, who peppered the Illini with 23 kills and a .319 hitting percentage.

"I think I match up really well with their block," Chase said. "They gave me a lot of line, and that is my favorite shot."

11-10-97