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Poor passing plagues Michigan volleyball in weekend tourney

Every team has a weakness, a part of its game that will cause certain defeat. This weekend, Michigan's opponents found the Wolverines' flaw and they attacked.

Poor passing is sure to doom a volleyball team, and this weekend was no exception. The Wolverines lost to Minnesota in pool play and were eliminated by Iowa State in the first round of seeded play.

The Wolverines entered the Michigan Intercollegiate Volleyball Tournament on Friday on a high note. They had defeated Michigan State the previous weekend and were looking to reach the semifinals or even the finals of the tournament in Kalamazoo.

But those dreams fell short as Michigan was eliminated in the first round once again. At the Big Ten Championships, the Wolverines steamrolled the competition in pool play, faltering only once the bracket play began.

That was again the case this weekend as Minnesota -- in pool play -- and the Cyclones -- in tournament competition -- took advantage of Michigan's weak middle.

"(Minnesota) served us off the court," Michigan coach Kent Booker said. "They didn't serve to Ernesto (Rodriguez) and only served to Ted Skolarus."

This focus on one individual is a strategy not often employed in volleyball, but this time it worked. Skolarus was worn down by the constant pressure to return, and consequently, his confidence suffered.

Skolarus is the squad's primary passer -- and without strong passes, the all-around game suffers.

"If the passing doesn't work, it's hard to set the middle attackers and cover the (center)," Booker said.

The coach tried to overcome this with a number of strategies -- none of which were successful. He experimented by moving three passers onto the court at once, but this threw off Michigan's rhythm.

Booker then attempted to substitute in Judd Larned, but it was too little, too late. Michigan stayed with Minnesota point for point thereafter, but the Gophers had already jumped out to a lead.

The tournament was not a total loss, though. The Wolverines received strong performances from Rodriguez and Chad Stilstra, who led the team to pool round victories over Miami (Ohio) and Central Michigan.

The injury bug is playing tricks on Michigan again.

Suresh Pothiraj was expected to sit out the MIVA Tournament after twisting his knee in practice last week. The sprain was not as serious as was first thought and Pothiraj played the entire weekend without problems.

Andy Spitser had trouble passing with the soft cast he has on his thumb. Spitser's effectiveness was limited, decimating the Wolverines' power game.

Michigan heads back out on the court with a rare home match at Cliff Keen Arena Saturday. The 7:30 p.m. contest will pit the Wolverines against Eastern Michigan.