Volleyball looks to break into top 25

The Michigan volleyball team will make a road trip this weekend to take on the up-and-coming programs of Northwestern and Indiana. Both are senior-led teams with deep benches. All three teams are trying to break into the top 25 and the upper echelon of the ultra-competitive Big Ten.

First up will be Northwestern. The Wildcats share a few similarities with the Wolverines. Northwestern boasts a 7-3 (1-1 Big Ten) record that includes three losses to top 25 teams. Michigan also has three losses to top 25 teams, and each team has lost to Texas this season.

Northwestern is led by senior Jessica Holloway, who has started at left outside hitter for the past three years. In that time she has led the team in kills twice and has surpassed the 1,000-kill milestone. She has also led the team in digs for the past three years.

Senior Sharon Fisk also stands in the way of victory for the Wolverines tomorrow. She, on the right side, is the other outside hitter who can cause some major problems for Michigan's attack. The fifth-year player was the only one to record 100 blocks in a season for five straight seasons for the Wildcats.

Although Northwestern lost both matches to Michigan last year, this year's team is a much-improved version of last year's squad. All 11 letterwinners return for Northwestern making this team an NCAA-tournament hopeful.

Michigan has been experimenting with several lineups in the past couple matches. Several players who have not seen much playing time during the nonconference schedule saw considerable playing time at the beginning of the Big Ten season. These players include fifth-year senior and defensive specialist Cheerena Tennis, and sophomore outside hitter Sarah Behnke - both major contributors last season - along with sophomore middle hitter Annie Maxwell and freshman outside hitter Nicole Kacor.

"I'm just not going to live and die with one lineup," said Michigan coach Greg Giovanazzi. "We have too many talented people. There's a lot of pure competition with a lot of people who are very close at one position."

Giovanazzi has also said that he intends to rotate these players in and out until he finds a lineup that fits his game plan.

Next for the Wolverines will be Indiana in the Wolverines first televised match of the season. The match will be tape-delayed until Sunday at 4 p.m. on Fox Sports Chicago. The actual starting time for the match will be 7 p.m. on Saturday.

Indiana also has a team similar to Michigan's - only about a year behind. The Hoosiers are led by three seniors and have a strong supporting cast of five juniors - just like Michigan had last year.

The Hoosiers are ranked No. 28 in the nation. They're also No. 3 in the NCAA District 2 Regional Poll. Michigan is No. 7 in the District Poll.

Senior Jen Magelson holds the Indiana school records for service aces and digs. She is also has 1,177 kills putting her fifth on the school's list - 204 from the record. Ryann Conners also poses a threat for the Wolverines, and with a 4.11 kills-per-game average is ninth in the Big Ten.

Kristina Sanderson is also a force to be reckoned with a .241 attack percentage, and she ranks sixth in the league in assists.

Indiana has also been known for misleading fast starts. The Hoosiers started last season 15-0 before dropping 15 of the last 18 matches of the season to finish eighth in the Big Ten. The Hoosiers are 8-4 this season with a 1-1 Big Ten record.

Giovanazzi is optimistic about his team's chances on the road trip. The Wolverines are 5-1 on the road this season, and seem to match up evenly with both Northwestern and Indiana.

This is "a great opportunity to get back on track," Giovanazzi said. "We're going to play teams, if we get back on track, (that) we're going to have good matches with."

10-01-98