Volleyball remains the best kept secret in Ann Arbor and the team is always a ton of fun to watch.  We're replacing Lexi Zimmerman - all-time greatest Wolverine - with a freshman setter also named Lexi (Dannemiller), and with Nebraska making the B1G the strongest conference in the NCAA, it should be a fun year.

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Penn State is close to bringing a National Championship to the B1G Ten in women's volleyball.  (I know, I know, pretty sad sports night on TV). This would be their 4th straight NC. Congrat's to them, yea for the B1G Ten.

Texas and Penn State are in the 3rd. Penn State is up 2-0. Lots of spandex. Lots of VERY good volleyball. 

HATE RUSS ROSE. He has been Penn State's coach for 31 years. No, Joe Paterno isn't the only ageless wonder of a coach. 

Blair Brown, graduate already. 

Yes, it's been a long time but there's sufficient news to be shared to warrant another in this occasional series.

Let's begin with Men's Soccer where super-frosh Soony Saad is Michigan's first All-American since Michael Holody in 2008.  Saad was named a National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) 2nd Team All-American.  Saad was also named to the All-Great Lakes region 1st team while senior Justin Meram was named to its 2nd team.

Justin Meram (L) and Soony Saad (R)

Saad, who finished second in the nation in goals with 19, broke U-M's seven-year-old single-season goals record and has also set new single-season records in points with 43 and shots with 143. Saad's 19 goals also led all freshmen nationally, and he is the only freshman to be ranked in the top five nationally in points and goals. He was also named TopDrawerSoccer.com Rookie of Year as well as All-Big Ten first team, Big Ten Freshman of the Year and Offensive Player of the Big Ten Tournament.

Meram closed his senior season on a nine-game scoring streak, the longest in program history, and scored U-M's lone goal in the College Cup semifinals against eventual national champion Akron. Meram played and started in 23 games, tallying 42 points on 17 goals and a team-leading eight assists. [His] 42 points, 17 goals and 104 shots in 2010 each rank second best in a single season all-time.

Meram is a two-time All-Big Ten second team selection and has earned Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week this season to go along with TopDrawerSoccer.com National Team of the Week and College Soccer News Player of the Week honors. He will be competing at the 2011 adidas MLS Player Combine, held Jan. 8-12 at Central Broward Regional Park in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Meram becomes the seventh Michigan player to participate in the MLS pre-draft combine and is looking to become U-M's fifth MLSuperDraft selection.

Soony Saad was also selected by USA U-20 National Team head coach Thomas Rongen as one of 24 players for its Dec 12-19 training camp now ongoing in Sunrise, Florida.  This training camp will include friendlies against Canada on Dec 16 and Dec 18. Saad is one of nine players making his first appearance in a USMNT U-20 camp.

Senior setter Lexi Zimmerman (2nd team) and junior outside hitter Alex Hunt (third team) of the volleyball team were both named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) 2010 All-America team. This is Zimmerman's third straight All-American honor and Hunt's first.

 

Alex Hunt

Zimmerman completes her career as the only Wolverine to earn three All-America awards, grabbing a second team laurel in 2008 and a first team distinction in 2009 before this year's selection to the second team. She led the Wolverines in assists (10.86) for the fourth straight season, ending her career as Michigan's all-time leader with 5,903, the sixth-best mark in Big Ten history. Zimmerman, the program leader in appearances at 140, also picked up All-Big Ten honors this season for the third consecutive year.

Hunt nabbed a spot on the third team for her first All-America award as a Wolverine. She led U-M and the conference in points (5.04) and kills (4.41). She is the only Big Ten player to average more than five points per set, using 503 kills, 45 service aces and 46 total blocks for 574.5 points. Hunt recorded 12 matches with at least 20 kills, including a 28-kill performance in a 3-2 win over No. 14 Minnesota on Sept. 25.

The duo's selection to the All-America team marks the second consecutive season that two Wolverines have earned national recognition. In 2009, outside hitter Juliana Paz (2008-09) earned third team honors in addition to Zimmerman's first team selection.

Full list here at the AVCA's official release.

Both the Men's Gymantics and Women's Gymnastics teams have been voted number one in their respective Big Ten preseason coaches' polls. 

[The defending NCAA champion men's gymnastics team returns] the 2010 Big Ten and NCAA all-around champion, senior Chris Cameron, and a pair of 2010 All-Americans, seniors Thomas Kelley and Ian Makowske. Leading the 11 member freshman class, [is] Sam Mikulak, national champion at the 2010 USA Gymnastics Championships.

The four-time defending Big Ten champion [women's gymnastics team returns] nine letterwinners, five All-Americans and three Big Ten champions to a program with more Big Ten team titles (18) than any other conference women's program in any sport.  [Five-time All-America senior Kylee Botterman], fifth-year senior Sarah Curtis, fifth-year senior Jordan Sexton and senior Trish Wilson captain a roster of gymnasts that have never lost at a Big Ten Championships.  All-Big Ten first team honorees Botterman and Curtis join defending Big Ten vault champion [and All-America sophomore Natalie Beilstein] looking to make a run at a 19th Big Ten title.

Go Blue!

The Women's Volleyball team created this video while on their trip to Seattle for the first round of the NCAA tournament. Pretty impressive work by all, but especially producer/director Courtney Fletcher (MB/Jr).

Only issue:

• Product placement (Pizza Hut vs. Domino's)

Enjoy.

L, 0-3 (22-25, 17-25, 16,25)

The volleyball team was swept in the opening round of the NCAA tournament last night at the hands of #11 Washington. The #23 Wolverines were missing Alex Hunt due to an injury, and adding more youth to an already young lineup didn't help Michigan's cause.