A buzz of uncertainty and skepticism swept across volleyball message boards, blog websites and media outlets on August 24, 2007. According to the national critics, the Michigan volleyball husband-wife coaching tandem of Mark and Leisa Rosen was making a mistake.

The subject of such hotly-contested debate: then-freshman setter Lexi Zimmerman.

“On the Internet, all the blogs were, like, ‘What are the Rosens thinking, starting a freshmen? They’re going to hurt her for life because she’s going to be so scared out there,’ ” Lori Zimmerman, Lexi’s mother, reminisced about her daughter’s first collegiate match in front of almost 7,500 fans.

Disregarding her freshman status, current senior Lexi catapulted the Wolverines to a five-set victory, in which she tallied 64 assists and 13 digs in her debut donning the maize and blue.

And the number of doubters and the negative attention the Rosens received for their unprecedented decision, well, that’s all history now, as Zimmerman is on pace to become Michigan’s all-time assist leader in the next two weeks. And according to Rosen, she will graduate “this year being the best all-time player in the history of Michigan.”

Coming to Michigan her freshmen year ranked as the top setter in the country, Zimmerman said she realized within 20 minutes of being in the gym her first preseason day that holding the number one position in a recruiting class meant absolutely nothing.

“I definitely came in knowing I was going to have to work really, really hard to step my game up because the level was so much higher,” Zimmerman said. “And I was still blown away.”

Zimmerman has dedicated a significant amount of her life to volleyball ever since Scott Harris, her club volleyball coach, can remember.

“She was what I call the gym rat,” said Harris, coach of the northern Illinois-based Sky High Volleyball club. “She was in the gym as much as you wanted her to be. She couldn’t get enough of it.”

Harris recognized Zimmerman at an early age as “one of the most athletic and dynamic setters” he had ever seen. From a young age, she proved herself as extremely talented and able to improve at a rate that surpassed most other players.

From the end of middle school to her final season as a Wolverine, Zimmerman has continued to set the precedent for what it means to be the best player in the gym. While it is certainly hard to quantify ‘the best,’ anyone who has been following the Wolverines over the last few seasons can identify the player who has been at the heart of all the success.

To the surprise of no one, the “little, skinny kid” — as Mark Rosen described Zimmerman — has remained among the country’s top setters, leading the nation last year with 1,516 assists.

“The majors for athleticism — speed, agility, hand-eye coordination, balance, explosion — all those things, she’s off the charts,” Rosen said. “She’s got the intangible qualities. She’s a great competitor, she plays great under pressure.
“When’s it’s crunch time, she just finds ways to win,” he continued. “That’s the recipe, that’s what you’re looking for in players.”

Upon arriving at Michigan, Zimmerman had a solid foundation for the art of setting, with a high attention-to-detail mindset but with very little latitude with which to play her position. After quickly identifying her as a “free spirit,” Rosen allowed Zimmerman a little latitude at first. Then, after realizing she could still perform well, allotted her more and more freedom with distributing the ball.

But even with a little latitude, Zimmerman is still learning on the fly to elevate her game. And that all starts with practice.

When it comes to being able to truly dedicate herself to volleyball for the two hours a day when the team practices — as the coaches tell the whole team to do — Lexi does a great job, according junior libero Sloane Donhoff.

“When’s she’s in here for two hours, she’ll go hard for two hours,” Donhoff said.