The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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OLYMPIC SPORTS as the No. 59 player in the country by PrepVolleyball.com coming out of high school. Now a sophomore on the volley- ball team at Michigan, Knop, at just 5-8, was tied for the team lead in kills (112) and is second in blocks (18) be- hind only 6-5 Abby Cole. She is a key part of the No. 22-ranked, 10-1 Wolverine volleyball squad. "I am blessed with athletic genes," Knop said with a humble laugh. "My dad played three sports in high school, and my mom stands at 5-9 and has a very good frame. I started playing basketball, soccer and tee ball at the age of 4, and my competi- tive nature just developed from there. My dad taught me from an early age, and I developed a mindset that I will not be beat. That, coupled with my physical ability, has allowed me to be successful. I feel very lucky." Rosen is lucky, too, to have Knop on his roster. He gushed about her ath- leticism and her drive to be the best player she can be. Those two qualities together make her a coach's dream. "She's a ridiculously accomplished athlete," Rosen said. "To touch 10 feet, one inch at her height is unbe- lievable. At her position, in the Big Ten, kids are probably at a minimum 6-1 and probably closer to 6-4. The X- factor is her jump. Her ability to jump and play above the net is incredible. "She played on a really good na- tional volleyball club, so we knew she was a special player. We had re- ally high expectations for her." There have been some obstacles for Knop since she arrived at Michigan. Rosen explained that even though things haven't gone exactly to plan, Knop is likely better because of it. "We actually recruited her to be a back-row player, to be a libero, but last year we had some injuries and we approached her about becom- ing a front-row player," Rosen ex- plained. "She was really committed to being a great back-row player, and we had to talk her into trying some- thing else. "Once she was up there she really started liking the front row. When we made the final decision that she'd stay up front she really went after it. She worked really hard, improved her jump by a couple of inches, and improved her decision-making and shot selection. She's now one of our best options as a hitter in the best conference in the country." Knop's competitive drive has al- lowed her to succeed early in her ca- reer at Michigan, but she's nowhere near content. The feistiness that she's had since she was little is still there and driving her toward greatness. "There was no expectation to play right away at this level or any kind of entitlement," Knop said. "That being said, I was not okay with just sitting and waiting my turn. That's not why I came to Michigan. I didn't want to wait to play. I wanted to come in and earn a job, and make a difference right away. "I want to win one or multiple national championships. You don't come to Michigan to do anything less than extraordinary. You come here to