Volleyball reassesses nal goals after difcult Big Ten season

Conference titles, tournament berths - such distractions no longer plague the Michigan volleyball team. The young Wolverines have earned the privilege of finishing their season free of the pressure that comes with these possibilities. Although such a modest goal may be a far cry from the potential shown at the season's outset, Michigan still has pride to play for.

In its final homestand of the season, Michigan will attempt to halt its five-match losing streak when Illinois and Indiana visit Cliff Keen Arena this weekend. And the Wolverine's get their chance for retribution.

The Wolverines' most recent outing -a sweep at the hands of Ohio State - spurred Michigan coach Mark Rosen to make some negative comments about his team's performance, a rarity for him.

JEREMY MENCHIK/Daily Annie Maxwell and the rest of the Michigan volleyball team will try to kill their five-match losing streak when they host Illinois and Indiana this weekend.

"Ohio State was a set back," Rosen said. "We didn't play well or execute at all, we didn't play very hard, and our effort was low."

Rosen has praised his team's penchant for fighting back when it's down, and coming off of the disappointment in Columbus, the Wolverines have an ideal opportunity to showcase this skill. But across the net, the Illini provide a formidable obstacle to resiliency.

Sitting in fourth place in the conference standings, Illinois (10-6 Big Ten, 14-8 overall) already has a home victory over Michigan in its pocket, dispensing of the Wolverines in four games.

Illinois was carried by its attackers in game one, establishing a trend that would be maintained throughout the match. Michigan was able to capture game two behind a .324 hitting percentage, but dropped games three and four, as Illinois returned the favor, registering a sizzling .457 over the two-game stretch.

"We won the second game, came out and played well, then we just didn't execute well at all," Rosen said of the team's first matchup. "We have to be more steady and consistent in execution, because they will."

Rosen feels that Michigan's chances of victory against Illinois and Indiana are dependent on similar factors.

"The most important thing we need to do is work hard, and that's the bottom line," he said.

In keeping with this theme, Michigan's previous meeting with the Hoosiers played out a little like the one with Illinois. In Bloomington, the Wolverines were swept to drop out of a fifth-place tie with Indiana in the conference. Again, Indiana got off to a strong start in game one and withstood a Michigan comeback to preserve the win.

"We were right with Indiana, ahead of them most of the first game, but we let them break through," Rosen said.

Despite the earlier results, he remains confident in Michigan's prospects for the rematches.

"I think that both are very beatable teams. We're pretty even with them if we execute well," Rosen said. "The key is being able to execute for a longer period of time- they're good at that."

According to Rosen, the Wolverines are aiming for different objectives in the later part of the season. Because of its mediocre record, Michigan's outlook has changed by necessity.

"At this point, a lot of your long-term goals really go out the door. This is a team that wanted to get in the NCAA Tournament and finish in the top half of the Big Ten, and those aren't possible goals right now," Rosen said.

But, it isn't as if the Wolverines are lacking aims or motivation. It is just a matter of resetting those goals.

"What we're trying to do right now is to finish strong, give ourselves a good note to go out on," Rosen said. "All four of our remaining matches are winnable.

Earning redemption against Illinois and Indiana would be an excellent start.

11-18-99