Volleyball 'rocks' Hawkeyes, 3-0

"Point Michigan!" was the common phrase on Saturday night as the volleyball team battled and came from behind to defeat Iowa 3-0 at the annual "Rock the House" event.

It has been a common theme for No. 23 Michigan all season - fall down, go boom, get right back up and shake it off, no matter how hard it hurt.

And these Wolverines (2-4 Big Ten, 10-5 overall) just keep on coming back.

Game one: Iowa up 5-3. Michigan battles for a10-8 lead. Iowa answers to go up15-14. Michigan wins 17-15.

Game two: Iowa jumps out 2-0. Michigan ties it 2-2. Michigan dominates 15-4.

Game three: Iowa up early 6-2. Michigan fights back and ties it 10-10. Michigan runs off five unanswered points to clinch the victory.

Point, game, match, Michigan.

"I thought that the intensity was out there big time tonight," redshirt freshman middle blocker Katrina Lehman said. "We were 1-4 (in the Big Ten), we didn't have anything to lose, and we just got in there and took care of them. We really just wanted to win."

Lehman, who averaged only 3.57 kills per game before Saturday, recorded six against Iowa.

"We just sided out very well tonight, which allows you to control the game and put pressure on the other team," Michigan coach Mark Rosen said. "We executed much, much better tonight."

It was a great victory following an embarrassing loss on Friday - and it might have been even sweeter had there been more than a meager 661 bodies at the heavily advertised event.

"This year, promotion is not my No. 1 focus," Rosen said. "My No. 1 focus is trying to get this team in the right direction. As we get better, we'll promote the heck out of it and would love to pack the place. But that can't be our focus."

The performance sold big on Saturday in comparison to the bad luck Michigan encountered against Minnesota on Friday when "Point Michigan!" was seldom heard.

Minnesota is currently undefeated in the Big Ten, staying head-to-head with No. 2 Penn State for first place in the conference.

"I think Minnesota is a lot like a lot of the rest of us," Rosen said. "I don't think they're a huge step ahead of us, I think they're really similar."

If only Michigan could have that same jump on the rest of the conference. The Wolverines are playing well, but not up to their potential. They're not as consistent as they would like to be.

"Most of our lack of consistency comes from being a young volleyball team," Rosen said. "And if we can continue to put forth the effort we put forward tonight and improve everyday, our day will come."

Another factor: the team pieced together an solid lineup last spring, but due to unfortunate circumstances, has not been able to use it just yet.

"We're still working to find our best combination," Rosen said.

The Wolverines lost junior co-captain Sarah Behnke early in the season to illness, moving junior outside hitter Alijah Pittenger to the left side of the net, leaving sophomore Nicole Kacor in the middle, and forcing junior middle blocker Annie Maxwell to the right.

Pittenger sprained her ankle and was forced to sit on the sidelines against Wisconsin and Purdue.

Behnke and Pittenger were welcomed back this weekend, as they both gave impressive performances, combining for 54 kills in both matches. Behnke led the team with 33.

On the plus side, their brief absence has opened up more opportunities for others, like Lehman, who has been alternating up front with Maxwell.

"It's nice to have options," Rosen said. "We haven't had options all year long. Right now we're getting healthier and we're gettting deeper, which is nice. And we still have Annie on the bench who can do a great job at any time."

Now that Pittenger and Behnke are back and the team has found more versatility, Michigan is right where it wants to be - healthy, strong, and in a position to win.

But being in that position isn't good enough. They have to win and then continue winning in order to have a shot at the NCAA Tournament.

"Of course we want to make the tournament," Lehman said. "But we're taking it one game at a time and trying to play our best. If we take each game by each game, we'll get our bid for sure - and I know we will."

A positive outlook, of course, only overlooking one thing: that the Big Ten is, by far, the toughest conference in all of collegiate volleyball.

"We know that the Big Ten is where it's at," Rosen said. "That's our ticket to the tournament. We've taken care of the (preconference), but the reality is that we have to take care of the Big Ten."

10-11-99