Down 2-1 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament against then-No. 20 Kentucky on Dec. 4, the Michigan volleyball team could have easily given up, called it a season and returned home.

But the Wolverines rallied to win a five-set thriller and advance to the next round of the NCAA Tournament.

The second-round match the next day was nearly déjà vu for the then-19th-ranked Wolverines.

Michigan coach Mark Rosen found his team down 2-1 again, this time against 13th-seeded St. Louis. The Wolverines won in five sets and advanced to the Sweet 16 before they were swept in three sets by Nebraska on Dec. 12.

Michigan (26-9 overall) consistently showed its resiliency throughout the year. Midway through the season, the Wolverines traveled to Illinois and Purdue, where they lost two heartbreaking, five-set matches. Wins at both schools could have propelled Michigan to a third- or fourth-place finish in the Big Ten instead of its eventual fifth-place finish.

But the Wolverines didn't let the losses shake their confidence. After the two road defeats, Michigan finished Big Ten play with a 6-2 record, led by sophomore setter Lexi Zimmerman. The Barrington, Ill., native was the main architect of the highly potent Michigan offensive attack.

She helped the Wolverines finish ranked No. 17 in the season's final poll, their highest ranking of the season.

With the team losing seniors Beth Karpiak and Kerry Hance, Rosen will look to now-freshman libero Sloane Donhoff and now-junior hitters Megan Bower and Juliana Paz next season. The trio will need to elevate its play if the Wolverines want to contend with Big Ten powerhouses Penn State, Illinois and Purdue.

Michigan will need to continue to improve the blocking aspect of its game if it wants to contend for next season's conference title. The Wolverines finished dead last in the Big Ten in the category, and the inability to team block severely plagued the Wolverines all season.