Weekly Release #1
8/31/1999 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Fri-Sat., Sept. 3-4 -- at Georgia Invitational (Athens, Ga.)
Sept. 3 -- vs. Brigham Young University, 2 p.m.
Sept. 3 -- vs. University of Toledo, 5 p.m.
Sept. 4 -- at University of Georgia, 3 p.m.
Fri-Sat., Sept. 10-11 -- All Sport Challenge (Cliff Keen Arena)
Sept. 10 -- vs. Syracuse University, 2 p.m.
Sept. 10 -- vs. Pepperdine University, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 11 -- vs. University of Arkansas, 8 p.m.
New Era Dawns on Michigan Volleyball
The decade of the '90s ends with a new man in charge of Michigan volleyball as Mark Rosen takes over the reigns from Greg Giovanazzi following Giovanazzi's seven seasons as Wolverine head coach. Rosen comes to Ann Arbor following a successful one-year stint at Boise State, where he led the Broncos to an 18-9 record and a second-place conference finish. Prior to his appointment at Boise State, Rosen coached Cal-State Bakersfield (1993) and Northern Michigan (1994-97) to five consecutive NCAA Division II Final Fours, including a national title for Northern Michigan in 1994. Rosen's two assistants are his wife, former Big Ten player of the year Leisa (Wissler) Rosen; and former Division II National Player of the Year Jun Liu, who was the setter on Rosen's national championship Northern Michigan squad.
Wolverines Head South to Open 1999 Campaign
Michigan begins the Mark Rosen era on the road as the Wolverines travel to Athens, Ga., for the 1999 Outback Steakhouse Invitational on the campus of the University of Georgia. The Maize and Blue will face seventh-ranked Brigham Young University (2 p.m.) and the University of Toledo (5 p.m.) on Friday, Sept. 3. The Wolverines close out their weekend with a match vs. host University of Georgia at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 4.
Brigham Young -- This will mark the first-ever meeting between the schools ... BYU went 31-4 in 1998 and tied for first in the Western Athletic Conference (13-1) ... The Cougars made it to the Central Regional final in the NCAA Tournament before bowing out to Penn State (3-0) just one game shy of the Final Four.
Toledo -- Toledo finished 1998 3-27 overall and 1-15 in the Mid-American Conference ... Michigan owns a 10-0 series record vs. the Rockets ... The two teams last played in 1996, with Michigan winning 3-1 at Toledo.
Georgia -- Georgia went 14-14 in 1998, including an 8-6 mark in the Southeastern Conference ... The Bulldogs finished in third in the SEC East in 1998 ... Michigan has holds an all-time mark of 2-1 vs. Georgia ... Michigan won the last meeting between the schools (3-0) in 1996 at the All Sport Volleyball Challenge ... Michigan's only loss to Georgia came at the Georgia Bulldog Invitational (3-0) in 1995.
Non-Conference Slate Daunting
Playing quality institutions from around the country has long been a trademark of Michigan athletics, and the 1999 volleyball schedule is no different. Already competing in the premiere volleyball conference in the nation, Michigan also faces 10 non-conference opponents who had a combined record of 202-118 in 1998. Take out Toledo's 1998 record of 3-27 and Michigan's non-conference opponents become even more impressive. In fact, six of those 10 opponents were 1998 NCAA Tournament participants and all six at least received votes in the 1999 preseason top 25. Those six teams consist of No. 7 BYU, No. 12 Pepperdine, No. 20 Arkansas, Notre Dame, Virginia and South Carolina. Of the four non-conference opponents who did not make the tournament in 1998 (not including Toledo), Georgia went 14-14, Syracuse went 19-13 and Connecticut notched a 22-11 mark while tying for first in the Big East.
Wolverines Unheralded Heading into 1999
A disappointing 1998 season, in which Michigan was coming off its first-ever NCAA Tournament win, has left the Wolverines with their share of skeptics. A 10th-place finish in 1998 has left Michigan with something to prove in 1999 after being tabbed to repeat that finish in a preseason poll of Big Ten coaches. However, much of Michigan's preseason prediction is based on the power of the Big Ten Conference, which was rated the top conference in the nation by RPI in 1998. The top five teams in the Big Ten preseason poll are among the top 22 teams in nation in the preseason top 25, while Indiana and Minnesota also garnered votes for preseason top 25 recognition.
1999 Preseason Big Ten Volleyball Poll
| School (first-place votes) | Pts. | |
| 1. | Penn State (11) | 121 |
| 2. | Wisconsin | 107 |
| 3. | Illinois | 95 |
| 4. | Michigan State | 85 |
| | Ohio State | 85 |
| 6. | Minnesota | 61 |
| 7. | Indiana | 56 |
| 8. | Iowa | 38 |
| 9. | Purdue | 37 |
| 10. | Michigan | 28 |
| 11. | Northwestern | 13 |
USA Today/AVCA Coaches Top 25
| 1. | Penn State |
| 2. | Stanford |
| 3. | Nebraska |
| 4. | Hawaii |
| 5. | Long Beach State |
| 6. | Pacific |
| 7. | Brigham Young |
| 8. | Florida |
| 9. | Wisconsin |
| 10. | UCLA |
| 11. | UC-Santa Barbara |
| 12. | Pepperdine |
| 13. | Texas |
| 14. | Illinois |
| 15. | Arizona |
| 16. | Texas A&M |
| 17. | Ohio State |
| 18. | San Diego |
| 19. | Colorado |
| 20. | Arkansas |
| 21. | Southern Cal |
| 22. | Michigan State |
| 23. | Kansas State |
| 24. | Colorado State |
| 25. | Loyola Marymount |
Position by Position Breakdown (probable starters)
Middle Blocker -- Much of the Wolverines' offense will be built around 6-2 junior middle blocker Joanna Fielder (Costa Mesa, Calif./Newport Harbor HS), who led the Maize and Blue in attack percentage in 1998 with a mark of .300 (230-66-546). "Fielder was very impressive in the spring and there is no doubt she can be one of the top players in the Big Ten," noted coach Mark Rosen. "She is definitely the type of player we can build things around." Another frontcourt player looking to break into the rotation is third-year sophomore Annie Maxwell (Santa Barbara, Calif./Santa Barbara HS). "Annie is a very, very smart volleyball player and plays the game with a lot of savvy," according to Rosen. "That middle blocker position opposite of Fielder in the starting rotation will be very important to our success in 1999."
Setting -- In order for Fielder and Maxwell to have big years offensively, the setter position will have to be more stable than it was in 1998. Rosen feels it will be after sophomore Shannon Melka (Wheaton, Ill./St. Francis HS) took control of the setting position with a solid performance in the spring. "Melka rose to the top of our setting position and showed she is capable of running things well," noted Michigan's first-year coach.
Outside Hitter -- Michigan's other key offensive force will be junior Sarah Behnke (Baroda, Mich./Lakeshore HS), who came on strong late in 1998 and started 11 matches during the campaign. Behnke is one of Michigan's most experienced players -- she started both of Michigan's matches in the 1997 NCAA Tournament as a freshman -- and should be one of the leaders, according to Rosen. "I think Sarah Behnke works hard, is very vocal and is someone who always backs up what she says, which is why she will be a good leader for us," reasoned Rosen. One of the most pleasant surprises of the spring workouts was sophomore outside hitter Nicole Kacor (Chicago, Ill./Mother McAuley HS), who played in 23 of Michigan's 30 matches and started three in 1998. "Nicole is interesting in the sense that she is one of our best competitors and absolutely despises losing, which is a characteristic I love," noted Rosen. Alija Pittenger (Virginia Beach, Va./First Colonial HS) split time at setter with in 1998 with Melka, but after Melka won the job in the spring, Pittenger moved over to outside hitter, where Rosen is very excited about her potential. "Alija is probably our most dynamic player because she jumps out of the gym, is fast, has great hand-eye coordination and has exceptional balance," noted Rosen.
Veteran Leadership
Junior Sarah Behnke and senior defensive specialist Maggie Cooper (Portage, Mich./Portage Northern HS) were named 1999 captains for the Wolverines. Defensive specialist Cooper will provide defensive help in the back row off the bench as well as leadership to this young group of Wolverines. "Maggie did a really nice job in terms of leadership and was named co-captain along with Behnke," said Rosen.
Newcomers
Contributions from Michigan's 1999 freshman class may or may not be immediate, but they are expected to be important to the development of this program. Dana Chapman (Perrysburg, Ohio/Perrysburg HS) stands 6-3 and could evolve into either a middle blocker or outside hitter. Either way she has the talent to develop into a force in the Big Ten, according to Rosen. "She has a chance to be an excellent volleyball player in this conference down the road because she has good ball skills and finesse qualities for a 6-3 player." Nicole Poquette (Grand Haven, Mich./Grand Haven HS) is another player who is versatile enough to play both the outside hitter and middle blocker positions. "Nicole is a very good athlete for a kid who is 6-2 and she comes from a good athletic background, so we have high hopes for her." Finally, Sarah McGuire (Cranberry Township, Pa./Seneca Valley Senior HS) rounds out the class of 1999 with a defensive look. "Sarah is a really solid ball-control type of player," said Rosen, "In fact, she very much reminds me of Maggie Cooper in terms of her ball-control skills."
Michigan All-Time Series vs. Upcoming Opponents
vs. Brigham Young
All-Time Series: First meeting
vs. Toledo
All-Time Series: U-M leads, 10-0
In the 1990s: U-M leads, 3-0
Current "W" Streak: U-M, 10
Longest Series "W" Streak: U-M, 10 (1973-present)
vs. Georgia
All-Time Series: U-M leads, 2-1
In the 1990s: tied 1-1
Current "W" Streak: U-M, 1
Big Ten Conference Team Records (through Aug. 29)
BIG TEN ALL Penn State 0-0 .000 1-1 Illinois 0-0 .000 0-0 Indiana 0-0 .000 0-0 Iowa 0-0 .000 0-0 MICHIGAN 0-0 .000 0-0 Michigan State 0-0 .000 0-0 Minnesota 0-0 .000 0-0 Northwestern 0-0 .000 0-0 Ohio State 0-0 .000 0-0 Purdue 0-0 .000 0-0 Wisconsin 0-0 .000 0-0
WOLVERINE QUICK FACTS
1998 Records
Overall: 12-18 (.400)
Big Ten: 4-16 (.200)
Home: 6-8
Away: 3-9
Neutral: 3-1
Head Coach
Mark Rosen (Cal-State Northridge, 1985)
Overall Record (8th year): 209-37 (.850)
U-M (1st year): 0-0
Big Ten (1st year): 0-0
Assistants
Leisa Rosen (Ohio State, 1992)
June Liu (Northern Michigan, 1996)
1999 Captains
Maggie Cooper (Sr./DS/Portage, Mich.)
Sarah Behnke (Jr./OH/Baroda, Mich.)
U-M History
All-Time: 385-421-7, .478 (1973-present / 27 years)
Big Ten: 93-214, .303 (1973-present / 18 years)
Keen Arena: 63-66, .488 (1989-present / 11 years)
Big Ten Titles: 1981
Postseason Appearances: 1981 (AIAW), 1995 (NIVC), 1997 (NCAA)
Contact: Rich Marion (734) 763-4423
