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On Wednesday, the Michigan volleyball team put its foot on the gas and never let up.
Its 3-0 sweep of Eastern Michigan was the kind of win that would appear unremarkable for some teams. But it’s a positive sign of growth for a team that struggled mightily in similar situations throughout last season.
Exactly one year ago, the Wolverines were 1-4, swept in all but one of those four losses. This year, they’re 4-0 and hoping to use that as a springboard for a stronger season than last year’s 7-22 showing.
Throughout the spring, Michigan focused on building team culture. The Wolverines wanted to develop a new standard for what it meant to be “Michigan volleyball.” Those conversations called for players to take a hard look at themselves in the mirror.
“We talked a lot about this idea of going from good to great,” graduate outside hitter Allison Jacobs said. “It’s easy to be in a gym and think you’re working hard. … But we weren’t, and every individual decided that they can be great together and have hard conversations, and that means being vulnerable with each other and putting in the work when you don’t want to put in the work.”
Against the Eagles, that newfound grit was evident in a more disciplined, level-headed team. Last season, a few back-and-forth points in a match often seemed to shake up the Wolverines, leading to more miscues and unforced errors. On Wednesday, Jacobs led all players with 12 kills with only two errors, while senior middle blocker Jacque Boney recorded a .750 hit percentage with no errors. Sophomore setter Morgan Burke recorded 29 assists. Clearly, a more disciplined team mentality has bolstered the performance of Michigan’s returning starters.
With seven newcomers on a team of 17, the effects of the mental work the Wolverines put in during the offseason have also given the freshmen a clear path to working their way into the rotation. In her first start, freshman outside hitter Ella Demetrician was 7-for-13 on kills, good for a .538% kill rate.
“(The returning players) set the standard right away,” Demetrician said. “Michigan volleyball to us (newcomers) is this encapsulating culture where we’re working hard (and) being accountable.”
But as in life, consistency is the key to remaining competitive throughout the volleyball season. So far, this focus on accountability has allowed the Wolverines to overwhelm inferior opponents like the Eagles. But Michigan has yet to be tested by top-tier competition.
On Wednesday, the Wolverines got a brief taste of challenge in the third set, when EMU went on a three-point run to close the deficit to 22-18. Michigan kept its head, and sophomore outside hitter Valentina Vaulet calmly dealt a kill to end the threat.
“When we are in those really tough matches and are facing adversity, we stay connected,” Jacobs said. “We have really tight huddles, and that’s what’s going to bring us through and not get bogged down by those tougher point-for-point matches.”
Those tighter huddles were effective against the Eagles. But the true test of the Wolverines’ team culture will come when they are locked in a battle with a fellow Power Four opponent and every point is a challenge. With eight teams in the new-look Big Ten currently ranked in the top 25, there will certainly be no shortage of moments like those in conference play.
Until Michigan’s Big Ten opener, each win in non-conference play builds confidence and gives the Wolverines practice at relying on their culture as they did against EMU.
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