12A - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, October 7, 2004 Starting on the right foot Win extends best start in 'M' history Freshman's passion sparks teammates By Stephanie Wright Daily Sports Writer After unsteady play in the first three games, the Michigan volley- ball team regained its consistency to knock off rival Michigan State, 3-1, in front of 1,721 last night at Cliff Keen Arena.y Freshman Katie Bruzdzin- ski led the Wolver- ines with 12 kills and 17 digs, recording her fourth double-double of the season and leading Michigan in kills for the third straight match. But it was sophomore Dan- ielle Pflum's inspired play off the bench in games three and four that focused the Wolverines (4-1~ Big Ten, 14-2 overall) > and propelled them to a commanding 30-12 win in the fourth game. "It came down to two factors: momentum and Danielle Pflum," Michi- gan coach Mark Rosen said. "(Pflum) came in and just lit it on fire. She really changed the match around. She came in with a reckless aban- don mentality to throw caution to the wind and just go after it. The next thing you know, the whole team is feeding off of that." After seeing lim- ited action in Michigan's . matches against Purdue and Indiana last weekend, Pflum replaced strug- gling senior Jennifer Gan- MIKE HULSEBUS/Daily Gandolph dolph at the end of game three. Pflum made her presence felt immediately, recording two kills to even the game M at 28 and put HI A the Wolverines 161CHIGAN 3 aahead 30-29. Junior Alicia Boswell's aggressive serve forced Michigan State (1-4, 6-7) into an attack error, and Michigan won the game 31- 29. Pflum added four kills in the fourth game to finish with six kills and no errors for the match. Michigan also picked up its .i defense to control game four. Leading 8-3, freshman Lynd- l say Miller and senior Lisa Gamalski both missed key hits on a rally. But fresh- man Stesha Selsky was there to save both points. The Wolverines held the Spartans to a -.053 hit- ting percentage in the fourth game. "We really took care of the basics - ball con- trol and passing - in game four," Michigan sophomore Erin Cobler said. "I think we picked up our serving to keep them off balance. We could run our offense a lot better and it was a lot harder for them to keep up their defense. I think we did a good job of taking care of our game." Michigan was focused at the start of game one, but tough Michigan State defense kept the game close. The sharp deci- sion-making of Gamalski - who had three kills and five assists in the first game - led the Wolver- ines to a 30-19 win. The pressure and emotion of the intense rivalry threw off Michi- gan in game two. The Spartans came out sharp after dropping the first J game. Michigan State Freshman Lyndsay Miller has been a consistent source of enthusiasm for the Michigan volleyball team all season. And last night's 3-1 win over Michigan State was no different. Miller energized her teammates by shouting and pumping her fists after each of her nine blocks - a new career high. Her passion helped shift the momentum of the match in Michigan's favor. But such emotional leadership is nothing new for Miller. In game three of Saturday night's match against Indiana, Michigan need- ed some enthusiasm. Indiana had won game one, 30-25, and was leading game three, 19-15. The Wolverines lacked the spirited intensity they needed for them to regain control of the match. Then a burst of energy came in the form of Miller, like it so often does. After every big Michigan point, it's not just The Zone - Michigan's student cheering section - that gets excited. Miller cheers right along with them, jumping up and down and firing up her teammates. As dynamic and efferves- cent as she is in games, Miller says she is equally enthusiastic in everyday life. "I'm kind of all over the place," Mill- er said. "I'm definitely the same off the court. I'm always hyper, always going, always jumping up and down." Miller has energized the Wolverines, propelling them to a program-best 14- 2 start. While her emotion continues to motivate her team, in recent weeks she has found yet another way to lead - dominant play. Miller is third in the Big Ten in blocks, averaging 1.37 per game, and has led the Wolverines in blocks in 10 out of 16 matches this season. Miller is also second on the team with 196.5 points and has notched double-digit kills in five matches. "I had no idea I would even have around that (many), so it was kind of shocking," Miller said. "There's so many good middle blockers (in the Big Ten), and there's so many good players, that it's cool to be up there. But it's like, all right, now I have to come back to By Stephanie Wright Daily Sports Writer earth and get some more blocks. I need more. that's not good enough. Although she has been productive all season. Miller's breakout game came against then-No. I Minnesota two weeks ago. Miller had a match-high 10 kills. while adding five blocks. Her play was impressive enough to make other teams take notice. "(Notre Dame) came out really com- mitted on her early in game one and two," Michigan coach Mark Rosen said. "They committed all over her, and we really couldn't get her the ball because she had such a good game against Min- nesota. They had that videotape and they looked at the stats, and went. Oh, this kid. We've got to make sure we stop her.' It's quite a compliment for a first- year player in the middle of the season to already be the person they're focus- ing on." Miller genuinely appreciates the praise and is proud of her accomplish- ments. But what excites her most is how her play - and the attention that comes with it - has benefited her teammates. "If they focus on me, that means someone else is going to be open," Miller said. "It gives someone else an opportunity to have some great looks at kills. I want my teammates to be able to count on me for blocks and kills and know that I'm going to get them no mat- ter what. It's pretty cool that they can rely on me." a MIKE HULSEBUS /Daily Michigan fifth-year senior Lisa Gamalski taps the ball against Michigan State last night. tied the game at 19-19 and then took a 21-19 lead on a service ace from freshman Miken Trogdon and a Wolverine attack error. Michigan State went on the win the second game 30-24. The Wolverines' uneasy play also kept them off balance throughout a close game three, which they would go on to win. But by the middle of game four, the Wolverines were hitting on all cylinders. Michigan State coach Chuck Erbe was sitting dejectedly on his team's bench, seeming to have almost stopped coaching his team. The 1,721 fans in attendance rep- resented the fifth-largest crowd in Cliff Keen Arena history. MIKE HULSEBUS/Daily Lyndsay Miller goes up for a kill. I U 10 You Don't Have to Get Drunk to Have Fun at the Game "We want Michigan to continue being a place that is 6