Setting the Bar: A look inside the 2009 volleyball season (Part 2)

By Matt Fancett, U-M Athletic Media Relations

BATTLING THE BIG TEN

The Wolverines put the loss to Oregon State in the rear-view mirror and headed into Big Ten play determined to prove they were better for it. They started with wins at Indiana and Purdue, the latter in dramatic comeback fashion. They made it a 3-0 start in Big Ten play for the first time since 1997 with their 12th sweep of the year at Northwestern. They were getting solid production from the outside as Alex Hunt and Juliana Paz were doing what everyone thought they would.

But it was the production of another member of the senior class, Veronica Rood that had people buzzing.

Rood, who saw the emergence of Hunt last season eat into her playing time on the outside, made a decision prior to the season to do whatever she could to help the team. When the coaching staff approached Rood just before preseason practices began about sliding over to the middle to fill a huge void created by the graduation of Beth Karpiak, Rood happily accepted.

"I had two options," stated Rood. "I could pout about not playing, or I could figure out a way to help the team. It was really pretty simple."

"Leisa and I were just brainstorming ideas one night at home," said Rosen. "I think she is the one that actually threw out the possibility of moving Rood to the middle. There was this pause as we both thought that it could really work out."

The coaching duo was spot on. Rood was more comfortable playing in her natural middle position and using her quickness to give defenders fits. She quickly became not only a viable third offensive option, she became a weapon.

A night after rolling past Northwestern, the Wolverines found themselves in a battle at No. 12 Illinois. It appeared the Wolverines were about to add another signature win to their ledger, taking the first two sets from the Illini and leading in the third. That is when the wheels fell off, however, as Illinois rallied for a 3-2 win, handing Michigan its first conference loss of the season.

After responding with a five-set win at Iowa the following Friday, the team suffered its most damaging loss to date, 3-1 at Wisconsin. The Badgers, who entered the match with a 7-7 record, found a way to upset the then eighth-ranked Wolverines in four sets, sending Michigan home unhappy for the 17th consecutive season.

"That was a tough match to lose because as the No. 8 team in the country, I feel like we needed to win that match," said Paz reflecting on the loss. "I think it showed us again that we can't rest on rankings or records, in the Big Ten you have to bring it every night."

Michigan proved Paz's words to be true in its very next match, taking No. 1-ranked Penn State to the brink the following weekend at Keen Arena. The match was sold out three days ahead of time and the crowd certainly didn't sit on their hands. Michigan gave the crowd and the national television audience watching on ESPN2 reason to take notice by building a 2-1 set lead. Michigan had Penn State on the ropes, a position none of the Nittany Lion players or for that matter the volleyball world was accustom to.

Penn State rallied to take the final two sets, but just like the win at Nebraska, Michigan, even in defeat, had sent a message that this was no fluke season building in Ann Arbor.

"We talked about how this would be the type of match where you will get punched in the nose and the question is, are you going to run into a corner, or come out swinging?" Rosen said postgame. "I thought we punched back all night. They walked out of here victorious, but to use a boxing analogy, we cut them a little bit."

The Wolverines went 8-3 in their next 11 matches following the near upset of Penn State. They were balanced offensively with Paz, Rood, Hunt and Megan Bower. Lexi Zimmerman was up to her old tricks again, even after dislocating her thumb at Michigan State, then doing her best Willis Reed impersonation to return just four points later and lead the Maize and Blue to victory. A trip to the NCAA Tournament was no longer in question; the question now was where will Michigan be seeded?

AN EMOTIONAL NIGHT AT KEEN

Senior night games are always emotional, but there was a special feeling in the air when Michigan faced No. 12-ranked Minnesota on Nov. 20. There was a match to win and there were special players to celebrate, and it had to be in that order.

"There was no special message before the match," said redshirt sophomore Karlee Bruck. "We didn't have a 'win one for the seniors' speech because we didn't need to verbalize it. They have all meant so much to us, it was just understood. We wanted to give them the best send-off possible."

Bruck, the seniors and the rest of the team did just that by sweeping the Golden Gophers and strengthening their NCAA Tournament resume in the process. The jubilation on the court following the match quickly gave way to a celebration of the senior class, a moment that Rosen found tough to swallow.

"It is always bittersweet," he said postgame. "This group has accomplished so much together and taken this program to a new level. I think when people look back five, 10, 20 years from now, this class will be recognized as the group that helped put Michigan volleyball reach a national level. They are achievers. That's the word I would use to describe them."

There was still plenty left to achieve for the team, however, heading into the final conference weekend with dates at rival Ohio State and a return trip to face still undefeated and top-ranked Penn State looming ahead.

A BUMP IN THE ROAD

"We talked all year about wanting to play our best volleyball at the end of the season," said Rosen. "We certainly didn't do that."

An ugly 3-0 loss at Ohio State was the first bump for the Wolverines. Suddenly, they looked nothing like Michigan. They didn't play well defensively, allowing Ohio State to hit .385 for the match. They didn't pass the ball well and couldn't find a rhythm in serving, committing 11 service errors without a single ace.

"We have to be better than that," said Bower after the loss. "I mean, they aren't a bad team, but we beat ourselves tonight. There is no question in my mind. It isn't acceptable."

The following night the Wolverines were dispatched in three by Penn State. Bower did her part, contributing a team-high nine kills, but again it wasn't enough and the Wolverines were spinning their wheels at the exact time they needed to be throwing it into overdrive.

With selection Sunday looming, the team now wondered if it had cost itself a shot at one of the top 16 seeds in the tournament, and with it a chance to host first- and second-round action. That is when the leadership of the team started to shine through again.

"We just got right back to work and believed that somehow we were going to get it done," said senior Cassie Petoskey. "We had to put that weekend behind us. There was no sense in dwelling on it. We still had the ultimate goal within reach. We talked about getting to the Final Four and that was still a possibility. We just had to believe in ourselves again."

And there is magic in believing.

Check back tomorrow (Friday, Dec. 18) for part three to see how the Wolverines celebrated selection Sunday and traversed their way to new heights in NCAA Tournament play.