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 Megan Smolen had her seventh double-double of the season. |
Sept. 24, 2004
DETROIT - The Wayne State and Northwood volleyball teams made history on Friday night as they tied the NCAA Division II record for the highest scoring single game (42-40), but it was the 14th-ranked Timberwolves leaving with a 3-0 (30-28, 30-25, 42-40) win over WSU. NU's record improves to 12-1 overall and 4-0 in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference as the Warriors fall to 7-5, 2-2.
WSU went on a five-point run and continued for its largest lead of game one, 11-6, before Northwood tied the game at 15. A relentless Sofi Berczely (Buenos Aires, Argentina) at the net finally got the kill to fall for an 18-15 WSU advantage. The score was notched again at 19 before the Warriors went up, 27-24, after two kills apiece by Berczely and junior Megan Smolen (Grosse Ile, Mich.). NU managed to tie the game again at 27 and went on for the 30-28 win.
The Warriors trailed early in the second game until they went on a six-point run to pull even at 16 as senior Leslie Coxon (Mason, Mich.) was serving and the Timberwolves hit three errors. After a few sideout exchanges, redshirt sophomore Kristi Pieper (Roseville, Mich./Fraser) served up a pair of aces for a 19-17 lead in game two. WSU continued to lead, 24-21, after a Berczely kill and block assists by Berczely and senior Toni Purgatori (Yale, Mich.). But Northwood outscored WSU, 9-1, in the final stretch of the game for the win.
Wayne State continued playing tough in game three and jumped out to 14-8 lead with middle blocker Elisa Joris (Walled Lake, Mich./Western) doing just that. Joris combined with Pieper and Smolen on block assists before getting a solo block of her own. Kills by Smolen and Purgatori gave WSU its largest cushion of seven points (19-12). However, the Warrior rally was answered with an 11-point run by NU. Joris replied with back-to-back block solos and a block assist with setter Kerri Royer (Lawton, Mich./Kalamazoo Central) to cut the deficit to one.
After a couple Northwood hitting errors, WSU led 27-26 when the historical rally started. Every time either team gained a one-point advantage, the opponent answered to tie the game. In fact, the game was tied 15 times from the 26-point mark on. Joris tied the game for the last time at 40-40 with a kill, one of her six in the final game, but the T'Wolves finally pulled away for the win.
Smolen led the Warriors with 16 kills and added 11 digs for her seventh double-double of the year. Joris finished with nine kills, seven total blocks and six digs.
Wayne State looks to bounce back as the Warriors host Saginaw Valley State Saturday at 1 pm.
