For some Division I student-athletes, it takes an entire four-year career — if they are fortunate enough — to heavily influence a program. But for one particular former Michigan volleyball player, her impact was felt in half that time.

In fact, former outside hitter Juliana Paz sat in the crowd this past weekend during the Michigan/Adidas Invitational.

“It was the weirdest feeling walking in here and not being able to play,” Paz said after Michigan’s tournament-clinching three-set win over Miami (Ohio) on Saturday. She played under Michigan coach Mark Rosen during the 2008 and 2009 seasons.

After transferring from Iowa Western Community College following her sophomore season, Paz started in 34 of 35 matches her first year in Ann Arbor, tallying a team-best 411 kills while also registering 33 service aces. An unprecedented move from the junior college ranks to a Big Ten program, Paz — through her fiery Brazilian style of play and ability to hit from the outside at a high percentage — showed the entire conference she belonged.

In her final year at Michigan, Paz received All-Big Ten first team honors and played an integral role in the Wolverines’ run to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament, the program’s best finish ever.

And while Paz was saddened at the thought of watching inside Cliff Keen Arena instead of playing, she was also elated at the opportunities lying ahead for a very young and maturing Wolverine squad, with which she practices and mentors on a consistent basis.

Paz, who is still taking University classes to complete her communications degree, plans to walk at graduation in December. Despite the uncertainty of her future and whether professional volleyball will play into her overarching plan, the Porto Alegre, Brazil native says she isn’t too concerned about not having a clear-cut future path quite yet.

“I was never the girl who had something set. It always appeared to me kind of, so I’m just letting things settle down and to just go with the flow,” Paz said.

157: Linnea Mendoza's time is almost over as Michigan’s reigning all-time assists leader.

Senior setter Lexi Zimmerman is currently just 157 assists shy of knocking Mendoza out of the top position, one she has held for almost 13 years. With three matches next weekend at the ASU Sheraton Tournament followed by two matches to open Big Ten play in Ann Arbor, it looks as if Zimmerman could possibly eclipse the record in the friendly confines of Cliff Keen in two weeks.

But don’t expect the down-to-earth Zimmerman to acknowledge the approaching mark.

“No, not really,” she said when asked if she had thought about the record. “It’s kind of an off-the-court thing I guess, and it’s a really great accolade, and I’d be really proud if I did get it. But it’s definitely not something I think about when I step on the court.”

Slim pickings no more: Following a season in which Rosen didn’t have the luxury of resorting to his bench with much frequency, his fortunes might change with the addition of a few new freshmen in 2010, especially one in particular: Ally Sabol.

Sabol, a native of Los Angeles, is slowly making the transition from high school volleyball to the Division I level, an adjustment that “every back line player has to go through,” according to Rosen. One aspect of being a back row player that Sabol has come to grips with has been that defensive specialists and liberos don’t necessarily receive all the glory.

Their responsibility is to be as consistent as they can, in hopes of returning balls off services and grabbing digs at the most efficient rate possible.

And while some may argue that the learning curve is a bit steeper for a defensive specialist/libero than other positions in college volleyball, Sabol says she is beginning to feel less like a freshman after a few weeks of early preseason play.

“She just kind of gets the game,” Rosen said. “She reads really well, she reacts very well and she just plays the game kind of old school. I think she is going to be just fine.”