2015 Season Preview: Volleyball
8/19/2015 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Aug. 19, 2015
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2015 OUTLOOK
The Wolverines return 13 letterwinners and five starters plus the libero to this year's squad. That includes Cole and senior libero Tiffany Morales, who both spent this summer on the roster of the U.S. Collegiate National Team China Tour. In fact, Michigan had five players that spent the summer either on foreign trips or with the USA Volleyball Collegiate National Team. Sophomore outside hitter Adeja Lambert was on the Big Ten Foreign Tour in Europe. Sophomore outside hitter/defensive specialist Caroline Knop was in Europe with the U.S. Women's Junior National Team. Senior middle blocker Krystalyn Goode played in the U.S. Collegiate National Team program in New Orleans in July.
Knop will be in the back row for the Wolverines and could be a six-rotation player like she was her freshman season, when she averaged 2.70 kills and 2.42 digs per set. Morales returns as the libero, leading the Maize and Blue with 3.82 digs per set last season. She is fourth all-time in career digs heading into her senior campaign. Fellow senior Lindsey Lerg will be joined by her sister, freshman Jenna Lerg, in the back row.
Cole moved to middle blocker from right side last season and will return there in 2015. She will be joined by seniors Goode and Olivia Reed as well as sophomore Claire Kieffer-Wright, who participated in both volleyball and track and field her first year in Ann Arbor. Junior/sophomore Gabbie Bulic returns after missing 2014 due to injury, and freshman Cori Crocker adds more depth to an already deep position for the Wolverines.
Lambert and Knop gained experience at the pins last year after Ally Davis and Kelly Murphy missed considerable time due to injuries. Now, both of the redshirt juniors are back and are joined by PrepVolleyball.com's National Player of the Year and freshman Carly Skjodt. Sophomore Katherine Mahlke is back as U-M's opposite after playing in 25 matches her first year on campus.
Michigan must replace Lexi Dannemiller, but senior Carly Warner earned experience last year, playing in 22 matches and being named to two in-season all-tournament teams. She will be joined by freshman Maddy Abbott as U-M will not have a Lexi at setter for the first time in nine years.
STUDENT-ATHLETES TO WATCH
Abby Cole -- Cole had a breakout season in 2014 for the Wolverines as she was a unanimous selection to the All-Big Ten team and was an AVCA All-North Region selection after leading U-M with 3.67 kills per set and 103 team blocks and setting a Michigan single-season hitting percentage record (.359). Cole also was a unanimous selection to this year's Preseason All-Big Ten team, one of only four players in the conference to have that distinction.
Tiffany Morales -- Morales has been a three-year starter for the Maize and Blue at libero and enters her senior season with 1,468 career digs, a total that is fourth on U-M's career digs list. She played on the U.S. Collegiate National Team China Tour squad over the summer and is part of a deep back row for this year's squad.
Caroline Knop -- Knop came to Ann Arbor as a libero/defensive specialist but started all 30 matches in the front row last season. A crowd favorite due to her energy and excitement, Knop was a Big Ten All-Freshman team selection in 2014 after averaging 2.70 kills and 2.42 digs and recording eight kill/dig double-doubles. Knop could be a six-rotation player this season or spend her time in the back row.
Left: Tiffany Morales // Center: Abby Cole // Right: Caroline Knop
KEY COMPETITIONS
Oct. 3 vs. Michigan State
The in-state rivals meet twice in the same week for the second year in a row. Michigan travels to East Lansing on Wednesday, Sept. 30, with the rematch occurring on Saturday night at 7 p.m. inside Cliff Keen Arena. Each team won at home last season, with the Wolverines defeating the Spartans in four sets inside Crisler Center.
Oct. 21 vs. Penn State
The defending national champion comes into town in mid-October for a Wednesday night match. A sold out crowd at Cliff Keen Arena watched Penn State win in three sets last year, but Michigan was close to breaking PSU's streak of 32 consecutive sets, falling, 25-23, and, 27-25, in sets two and three, respectively.
Nov. 21 vs. Nebraska (at Crisler Center)
Michigan's only regular-season match inside Crisler Center also will be the team's Senior Night and the annual Block Out Bullying match. The Wolverines will look to defeat the Cornhuskers for the second straight season on campus after U-M earned a straight-set win last October. Cole had 19 kills and was named the Big Ten Player of the Week after that victory.
QUOTABLE
Head Coach Mark Rosen
On the team's depth going into the 2015 season ... "This has been one of the most exciting preseasons that I can remember as far as training just because of our depth. We have a lot of depth as each position which creates a lot of healthy dynamics. People are pushing and challenging each other. We can make switches and changes and I really like it. It's something that is the antithesis of last year. Last year, we thought we had some depth but injuries early on limited that. It's encouraging and exciting but also creates a new dynamic. We talked as a whole program that our strength could also be our weakness. If our players and coaches don't handle that depth well, if people get frustrated with our roles or don't accept our roles, we could have problems. I think it can be a huge positive but we have to manage it that way and I think, right now, our players are managing that perfectly."
Junior Abby Cole
On the team's summer workouts ... "I think that doing the lifting and conditioning together will help us immensely this season. If we were at home, everyone would be doing the workouts. That's what you do at this level. You want to get better that bad so you do whatever you can. It was competition for us doing them together. Who can lift more? Who can run faster? We're always pushing each other and that will help us a lot this season."
2014 RECAP
The Wolverines battled injuries and its toughest schedule in recent memory in 2014, winning 13 matches, including a straight-set win over No. 8 Nebraska, a four-set win over Michigan State inside Crisler Center and a win over rival Ohio State in November. Michigan was 9-6 at home last year and won six conference matches at home. Abby Cole was named a unanimous All-Big Ten honoree in 2014, averaging 3.67 kills per set and totaling 103 blocks on the campaign. Dannemiller ended her U-M career as an All-Big Ten honorable mention as was a two-time Big Ten Setter of the Week her senior season.
