Olson considers Ann Arbor tournament “toughest weekend” for volleyball

The Central Michigan volleyball team travels to Ann Arbor this weekend in hope of collecting three straight wins against Michigan, Arkansas and the University of Maryland — Baltimore County.

The Chippewas face off against No. 22 Michigan today to start the Adidas/Michigan Challenge.

“(It’s) a great opportunity,” head coach Erik Olson said. “Opportunity gives an option to grow the program.”

The Wolverines have one senior and five juniors this year – a very young team compared to past seasons.

One player who continues to impress is Wolverine junior Jennifer Cross, who leads the Michigan team with 260 blocks.

“(Cross) does a lot of cheap blocking. We’re focused on running our offense and being fast,” Olson said.  “When they start to get comfortable, we shift the gears and make them uncomfortable again.”

“Last night, Arkansas beat Tulsa, and Tulsa is a good team,” Olson said. “As a team, this is our toughest weekend.”

Finishing off the weekend line-up is UMBC.

Senior defensive specialist Jenna Coates said crowd noise will play an important factor in Ann Arbor this weekend.

“The atmosphere is going to be really loud, so our communication has been a huge talk this week –really crisp communication,” Coates said.

“We thrive off that kind of atmosphere and passion. We’ll take that into our advantage. We’re not going to be intimidated, because we’re used to playing like that,” sophomore middle blocker Hallie Enderle said.