It is well known that the Michigan volleyball team features a hard-hitting pair of offensive talents in Lexi Zimmerman and Alex Hunt. But this season, the Wolverines' defense has been turning heads, as they aid in the strength of the front row.

Leading the defense is libero Sloane Donhoff, who recorded her ninth match of double-digit digs with 22 against No. 6 Illinois on Saturday. Following Donhoff, defensive specialist Maggie Busch had 12 digs and freshman Ally Sabol had 14.

An aggressive defense was a necessity in order to block the opponent's strong outside hitters. Donhoff, however, stresses adjustments to Michigan's coverage as the key to its successful defense.

“We adapted, we had a game plan going into it and they did too,” Donhoff said. “And when they stopped that and started using their middles, we had to change too.”

The defense’s strength has also been connected to the success of the offense. In order for Hunt to have 19 kills against the Fighting Illini, Donhoff, Busch and Sabol had to initially set up the pass for Lexi Zimmerman.

“First contact is the pass, which dictates how well our hitters can hit the ball,” Donhoff said. “So we’re extremely important and we set the pace of the game.”

In the service aspect of the match, the focus is significantly different, especially when the defense has no help from the block in order to control the ball – patience is the key.

“It’s all a matter of being patient and trusting yourself,” Donhoff said. “Regardless if you shake a pass right before it, you come back knowing you’re a good passer.”

With this mixture of confidence, patience and aggression, Michigan’s back row has flourished. Even as the anchor of the offense, the back row is able to perform better depending on the front row defense. Blocks by 6-foot-4-inch middle blocker Jennifer Cross, in particular, help to force the outside hitter to direct the ball into the hands of the defensive specialists, like Donhoff in the backrow, providing for a more solid passing game.

“Blocking is very much tied to backcourt defense,” Michigan coach Mark Rosen said. “If we’re touching balls and making them hit to certain spots then our defense is going to be a lot better.”