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Lack of focus plagues `M' in loss to Spartans

How do you spell victory in volleyball? F-o-c-u-s.

Why didn't the Michigan men's volleyball team win Friday night? Because of a lack of focus.

Once again, Michigan faced a roadblock, and once again it impeded the Wolverines' progress. Michigan State stopped the Wolverines cold Friday night in three sets, 15-5, 15-12, 15-12, in East Lansing

Michigan has dropped two regular season matches to the Spartans this season. To setter Justin Biebel, the result Friday night was reflective of the effort.

"(The Spartans) were ready to play and we weren't," he said.

Although it may not be that clear-cut, Michigan has struggled against the Spartans in the past. The Wolverines have yet to beat the squad from East Lansing this season and psychological factors may be creeping into play.

The questions of "can we beat them?" and "do they have our number?" are the thoughts that come into play after such a long victory drought against one squad. While the fear factor may create a sense of uncertainty on another team, the Wolverines are more concerned with beating the Spartans and breaking the streak of `Ls.'

"It's not that we're intimidated, but there is a lot of importance put on the match because we haven't beaten them in a while," Biebel said.

The encouraging aspect of the match against Michigan State was the improvement the team showed with each game. What began as an old-fashioned runaway became a closer contest once the Wolverines tightened up their mistakes and stood up to the Spartans.

"Things improved as everyone loosened up and just started playing the game," Biebel said.

The third game saw Michigan peak when it held an 11-5 lead on the Spartans. But after that, the team fell apart. The Wolverines stumbled their way to a 15-12 defeat in the deciding game, allowing Michigan State every opportunity to get back into the game -- by not maintaining focus.

"When we get a decent lead like that, we have a hard time maintaining the intensity to finish out the game," Biebel said.

The Wolverines have talented players who have grown together as a team, but have yet to reach their full potential. The reasons for their struggles are vague.

"A lot of (the problem) has to do with keeping mental focus," Biebel said. "The change (in improvement) has to do with everyone taking care of what's wrong in their own game."

By starting with the individual effort, the team's fortunes should improve, and getting off to a fast start would contribute to that.

Against Michigan State, the night started with no Wolverine taking care of their own game or anyone else's.

The first set was characterized by all-around poor passing and setting. These simple mistakes in the basic components of the game just made it more difficult for Michigan to record the necessary kills. Kills or not, Michigan was at a loss before the match even began.

The distinct advantage that Michigan State enjoys is its depth. The volleyball program is far more developed on the Spartan campus than the one that exists at Michigan.

Michigan State fields four volleyball teams at varying levels of skill, with three of them competing as full squads. This gives the Spartans a great deal more talent to choose from when selecting its "A" squad.

The Wolverines, on the other hand, have only two teams that are in competition.