Conqu’ring Heroes: Rosen, Team 50 Preparing for Challenge of Conference Play

Conqu’ring Heroes: Rosen, Team 50 Preparing for Challenge of Conference Play

By Melissa Vozar

The University of Michigan volleyball program got off to a fast start over its first 10 non-conference matches, going 9-1 — including going 5-0 over the course of the Michigan Invitational and Michigan Challenge. On Friday (Sept. 23), the Wolverines will begin Big Ten play on the road at Rutgers and will follow that up with a test at No. 9-ranked Penn State.

Michigan head coach Mark Rosen said the early part of the season has been used not only to help get the Wolverines ready for the Big Ten slate, but also as a learning experience for a new style of play.

“It was a great preseason,” he said on the latest episode of the Conqu’ring Heroes podcast. “In the non-conference, we want to play some good teams, get better, but we also want to learn a lot of things about ourselves.”

The 2022 preseason allowed Michigan to do exactly that. During non-conference play, Team 50 challenged itself by using a new two-setter system. Rosen felt that the team was capable of learning and adjusting to this new structure on the court.

“I’ve seen a few teams do it, and we felt that it fit this group”, said Rosen.

He has placed senior setter Maddie Dowd and junior setter Scottee Johnson in the center of the action as they both bring different strengths to the lineup.

“They are very different, they bring different qualities, and we’ve kind of found a way to utilize their strengths and maybe hide a few of their weaknesses”, said Rosen. “Between the two of them, I kind of think we’re getting the best of both worlds”.

Additionally, the individual successes of players like redshirt junior Hannah Grant and senior Jess Robinson contribute to the competitive energy that Michigan brings this season. Robinson leads the country in attack efficiency and Grant leads the Big Ten in service aces.

Rosen also notes individuals such as junior Kendall Murray as he witnessed tremendous growth in her performance over the past few months, and he believes that her personal growth will be an asset to the team’s overall success.

“In the last month and a half, her progression has been huge and now her offensive numbers are right where we want them to be, maybe even a little higher than we expected,” said Rosen.

While much of Team 50 is comprised of returning players, Rosen touches on two valuable…