Michigan WolverinesSpring 2021 Overall Record: 4-9
Conference Record: 4-9 (8th)
NCAA Tournament Placement: N/A (Last Tournament Appearance: 2019 -- Second Round)
Final AVCA Ranking: NR
Head Coach: Mark Rosen (23nd season at Michigan)
Record at Michigan: 433-274
Returning Starters:
Kayla Bair - SR, 6'2 MB
Hannah Grant - R-SO, 5'8 L
Scottee Johnson - SO, 6'0 S
Paige Jones - SR, 6'1 OH
Jess Mruzik - SO, 6'1 OH
Kendall Murray - SO, 6'2 OH/RS
May Pertofsky - JR, 6'1 MB/RS
Jess Robinson - JR, 6'2 MB
Departures (* denotes starter):Kiara Shannon - 6'2 MB (opted out of Spring 2021 season)
Incoming Players:Jacque Boney - FR, 6'4 MB
Mira Chopra - FR, 6'3 MB
Madison Cuchran - FR, 5'5 DS/L
Haley Hallgren - GRAD, 6'1 X (Grad transfer from USC Beach)
Spring 2021 Recap:Pain.
Alright, I can't get away with just that. COVID-19 put the Wolverines on blast from the very beginning. Michigan's season opener against Penn State got cut, then the following week's series against Michigan State, then the series after that against Northwestern (though we'll pin that one on the Wildcats).
Finally, Michigan began its Spring 2021 season at home against Purdue. It was a debut that, unsurprisingly, featured a variety of technical difficulties and volleyball-related difficulties. A television appearance the following night resolved the technical difficulties, but the on-court results were the same on both days: a four-set loss for the Wolverines.
After the inconspicuous debut, Michigan managed to squeeze in a mid-week supplementary match with Michigan State. The trip to Jenison yielded a long-awaited victory for Blue. The following home series against winless Maryland seemed like an easy opportunity to pad the win column, but it was anything but simple. Maryland took its first victory of the year in the series opener before Michigan responded with a five-set victory of its own.
Then, more COVID. The Wolverines missed out on matchups with Minnesota and Rutgers. Big Blue was back at home for a series against Indiana, where, again, it was a battle. Thankfully, Big Blue came out on top to earn the third and fourth W's of the year.
After that, though, Michigan closed out the season with a stretch that Wolverine fans would probably like to forget. Six top-ten matchups against Ohio State, Nebraska, and Wisconsin only yielded two set victories. Michigan bowed out at 4-7.
The Lineup:There was no shortage of flux in Michigan's spring lineup. It's not on the same tier as Northwestern, but still.
May Pertofsky got hurt before the Nebraska series. There was some shuffling at setter between
Maddie Dowd and
Scottee Johnson. Sometimes Michigan used both.
The good news is that the Michigan gym is full of familiar faces this fall. That may not sound particularly encouraging for a team fresh off a 4-7 season, but I think it's reasonable to expect marked improvement by virtue of having consistent practices and matches. The talent is there, just let them play.
Of course, this discussion about improvement is my segue to senior outside hitter
Paige Jones. The spring season was full of struggles for Jones, both with hitting errors and in serve receive. It's no secret that Jones will have to return to form for Michigan to realize its full potential.
Jess Mruzik returns to occupy the other outside hitter spot. She's a good candidate to take a step forward with a more normal season. Look for Johnson to secure her spot at setter. Pertofsky, with a clean bill of health, returns at opposite.
Hannah Grant is still the libero.
You could a few different permutations at middle blocker because, well, we're all old enough to remember when the Rosens went with the freaky three middle thing. Here I submit my own lineup, free of frills:
Jess Robinson is at M1, and true freshman
Jacque Boney rises up the depth chart to take the M2 spot. Write it down, book it, and use it against me later.
It's a team that looks solid on paper. However, Big Ten volleyball is not a mere game of tic-tac-toe.
The Schedule:Michigan's worthiness test begins on opening day against an LSU team that--
checks Penn State preview--we're all praying is finally good this year. Florida State will be a similarly stingy opponent, and Northern Arizona usually doesn't let teams walk.
The Wolverines host Duke and North Carolina at the Crisler Center, so I can't guarantee that some drunk students won't show up expecting a basketball game. Dayton rounds out Michigan's most notable non-conference foes.
Here's the conference breakdown. Be wary of the annual Crisler/Cliff Keen split for the home matches. Refer to Michigan's website, linked above on the big "Michigan Wolverines" text.
The Verdict:Playing for Michigan comes with at least a modicum of expectations. The spring season was undoubtedly frustrating. Time to see if Big Blue can right the ship.
I could spend an entire offseason meditating over this one. It's the classic dilemma with Michigan: ceiling or floor? This is a program that, in the span of a couple of weeks, has pushed Wisconsin to the brink of defeat and gotten swept by Maryland at home. Michigan loves to do this year after year.
The sample we've been given from the spring season does not make prognostication any easier. How much can we really take from a season so derailed by COVID? But, at the same time, can we trust the Wolverines to be fully caught up to their peers this fall after a shortened offseason?
Let me give you some things that are a bit more declarative. First, Michigan's performance in non-conference is insanely important. If the Wolverines have big aspirations for the end of the year, those goals are incredibly dependent on the wins and losses they pick up before conference play.
Pad the win column early. Getting to .500 in Big Ten play is going to be very difficult. It would likely take a couple of upsets and absolutely no slip-ups against weaker foes.
The absolute best-case scenario for Michigan this fall is if they're fighting on the NCAA Tournament bubble at year's end. If I had to call my shot, though, the Wolverines will probably be on the outside looking in.
