After 16 years, Wolverines make debut in NCAA tournament

College Station is a small college town in the middle of the Piney Woods of eastern Texas. It is the home of Texas A&M and a six-story bonfire on the eve of the Texas A&M-Texas football game. For the Michigan women's volleyball team, College Station is paradise, as the Wolverines head there to play in their first-ever NCAA tournament, where they'll play Atlantic-10 champion Temple on Thursday.

"I know nothing about the place," senior setter Linnea Mendoza said. "I have only been to Texas once, but I had fun there."

The Texas trip culminates 16 years of hard work and frustration for the Wolverines. After being overlooked for a bid in 1995 despite an 11-9 conference record and 19 wins overall, Michigan finally gets its chance to star in the big dance.

LOUIS BROWN/Daily Jeanine Szczesniak and the rest of the Wolverines are Texas-bound. The Lonestar State is the sight of Michigan's first-ever NCAA tournament game, against Temple on Thursday.

"We are fired up," Michigan assistant coach Aimee Smith said. "The team was all huddled together watching the selection show on satellite hookup and filling in their brackets. They even mentioned us as a sleeper team, which was pretty cool."

Michigan clinched the bid this weekend with victories over Ohio State and Purdue. The Wolverines finished with program highs in conference and overall victories, with 13 and 20, respectively.

"It feels great to be in the tournament," Michigan coach Greg Giovanazzi said. "There wasn't a lot of suspense. We knew we were in, due to our play this weekend and Minnesota's loss to Illinois."

The Wolverines step into uncharted waters Thursday when they play Temple. If they beat the Owls, the Wolverines will play the winner of the game between Hofstra and 16th-ranked Texas A&M.

"I like our draw a lot," Michigan coach Greg Giovanazzi said. "I coached the coach at A&M ,and they we're 16th in the last poll, so it will be pretty neat seeing her again."

This weekend was also significant because it was Giovanazzi's 40th birthday, which led to an improvised reunion of his former players. With the Wolverines in the tournament for the first time, there was a lot of pride among current and former Wolverines alike.

"It's exciting to come back and be here for this," Smith, a 1995 graduate, said. "The alumni are just as excited as the players.

"Players who graduated four or five years ago we're here this weekend and were excited. We felt we have helped build the program to the point it is at now."

Michigan starts its postseason schedule Thursday, but the real source of Michigan's postseason run came in August, when the Wolverines were picked seventh in the conference at the coaches' meeting.

"We were picked seventh, which was really disappointing because we felt that we weren't receiving any respect from anybody," Mendoza said.

"The tournament bid feels great. When I came here as a freshman, I wanted to be part of a building program. I believe we will be recognized now, both in the Big Ten and nationally."

As it stands, the Wolverines finished in a tie for third place with Ohio State. The only teams to stand in front of Michigan in the Big Ten are Penn State and Wisconsin, who both received top seeds in the tournament.

Six Big Ten teams made the tournament for only the second time in history. The Big 12 and the Pac-10 also sent six teams.

Along with the Wolverines, Buckeyes, Nittany Lions and Badgers, the Big Ten sends Minnesota and Michigan State. While the Spartans are in the Pacific region and the Badgers are in the Central, the Lions, Golden Gophers, and Buckeyes join Michigan in the East Region.

"The NCAA had to do that because there are so many Big Ten teams in the tournament," Giovanazzi said. "It's a testament to the strength of this conference."

This isn't the first time Michigan has been in the postseason. The Wolverines participated in the now-defunct National Intercollegiate Volleyball Championship in Kansas City in 1995 and finished eighth at the American Intercollegiate Women's Association tournament in 1981.

The NCAA is different however. Not only does it mark a peak in Michigan's building program, it also gives the Wolverines a better shot to match or better this year's result in the future.

"This will have a huge effect on recruiting and how this program is perceived," Giovanazzi said. "U of M is used to success, and now volleyball can be a part of the athletic department's success."

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