Michigan's volleyball squad is perhaps the most underestimated team in all of Michigan. And the Wolverines are probably not getting the attention they deserve.
But the lack of exposure will not get inside the heads of the players. They are still playing hard, still going strong and still anxious to defeat those who are deemed better.
In nine matches, Michigan has ignored notions that it is mediocre, and has shown vigor, potential, and merit as not only a team, but an establishment at Michigan.
With an 8-1 record, the Wolverines have moved their way up the rankings. The Wolverines started at 25th, moved up to 21st, and now, after taking first place in the Carolina Classic this past weekend, have just cracked the top 20 -they're currently No. 20.
But wait. Last year, Michigan started off strong with a preseason record of 8-2 but went on to a rocky, 4-16 Big Ten season, and ended the year with a 12-18 record.
That was then. This is now.
The Wolverines have a new coaching staff and new players.
"It's hard to compare last year's team to this year's," said junior middle blocker Annie Maxwell, who was named to the All-Carolina Classic team.
"Last year's team wasn't bad. We just lost five seniors and took on an entirely new coaching staff. It's just an entirely different group."
In the next three matches, Michigan will face teams that are expected to hold the top three spots in the Big Ten: Ohio State and Penn State this Friday and Saturday night at Cliff Keen Arena (7 p.m.), and then Wisconsin on the road next week.
"We need to be fired up," said junior middle blocker and tournament MVP Joanna Fielder. "If we play like we know we can, I honestly think that we can win. It's to our advantage that we play Ohio State first so that we can see where we stand."
The Wolverines, expected to finish 10th in the Big Ten, said they don't care about preseason critics and won't let it hold them back.
"It's easier to prove someone wrong than it is to prove them right," said Fielder. "We're in a good position to do that. We have absolutely nothing to lose this weekend. If we focus on our side of the net, the rest will take care of itself."
Winning this weekend could move the team up in the polls, possibly to the top 15.
"We try not to pay a lot of attention to the critics," said Maxwell. "It's nice to be ranked and all, but the rankings mean nothing when we're competing on Friday and Saturday nights. We're just focusing on our side of the court and using what we've done in preseason to get us through the rest. What the other teams do doesn't matter. It's what we do on our side that counts."
The Big Ten is acknowledged as the hardest, most competitive conference in the NCAA.
Yet with that in mind, the Wolverines remain fearless. They are not concerned with what the other teams have in store for them, but what they have to prove to the other teams.
"There's no team that we're focusing on in particular," said Maxwell. "That's the beauty of the Big Ten. Anyone can beat anyone on any given night."
Big Ten volleyball is a dog-eat-dog world. These underdogs hope to take it all. And they do not want to go it alone.
"We could use all of the support we can get," Fielder said. "The big crowds will benefit us. Last year we didn't do so well, and we didn't have anything to give to the fans." But this year, they do.
09-22-99
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