The Wake

When asked what it would take for the University of Minnesota volleyball team to get back to where they were last year, Erin Martin doesn’t hesitate to say, “I think we’re already past it.”
This may seem like a bold statement by the team’s senior outside hitter, who helped lead the team to their first Final Four appearance last fall, but she and her teammates have done everything to back it up so far. They’ve roared to an 11-1 start and captured the No. 1 ranking in the national poll. Of their 11 victories, four have come against teams ranked in the top 25. Their only loss came in the second match of the season against University of Southern California, ranked No. 1 at the time.

The Gophers surged to the No. 1 ranking after disposing of Kansas State, University of Florida and Northern Iowa on consecutive nights in the Diet Coke Classic tournament held at the Sports Pavilion from September 9 through September 12. Most impressive were five-game victories against Kansas State and University of Florida, who were ranked No. 15 and No. 4 respectively.

To build on their early season success, Martin says they just need to continue to play “Gopher volleyball,” referring to the team’s high-energy style of play that’s gotten them to such a high level. Being one of the team’s emotional leaders, Martin tries to keep talking and stay enthusiastic throughout the game. She adds that if the team’s level of enthusiasm is noticeably low, it’s probably a sign that things aren’t going so well for them.

The emotional play that is a trademark of Martin’s game now has not always been positive. She admits that learning to control her emotions was a challenge, especially during her freshman season She got off to a hot start but fizzled later, and she found herself on the bench.

After adjusting to the jump to college life and to collegiate volleyball, Erin learned to harness her emotions and has been one of the team’s most valuable players during the last two and a half years. She set a school record for kills in a three-game match when she recorded 26 in a victory over Loyola-Marymount.

While she certainly looks back on the team’s Final Four appearance with fond memories, Erin considers another accomplishment to be her favorite. “Winning the Big Ten for the first time was probably a little better,” she says, referring to when the team won the conference during her sophomore season. “Just knowing we’d won the conference was pretty unbelievable.”

She also recognizes her final year with the team as a chance to make some new memories. “It’s hitting me as a senior,” Martin says. “I’m starting to appreciate the little things like the bus rides and meals together.” She says the rest of the team knows that this year could be special as well.

Volleyball hasn’t always been Martin’s passion. She didn’t start playing until she was 12. “I didn’t like it very much at first,” she says. “Once I started getting on teams with my friends and realized that I was pretty good, I liked it a lot better.” Martin also played basketball and ran track at Ames High School in Iowa.

When she’s not playing volleyball, Martin turns much of her attention toward the classroom. This comes as no surprise considering she is working toward a double major in genetics and African-American studies. She plans to take the MCAT this April and to graduate in December of 2005.

After she graduates, Martin has a variety of roads she may choose to travel. She would love to pursue a career playing professional volleyball but understands that may not always be an option. She is interested in becoming a genetic counselor and adds that she would love to take a half of a year off after graduation to travel and to spend time with her family.

While Michael Jordan is her favorite athlete, Martin’s family has always been vital to her personal and athletic success. Her mom, dad, stepmom and younger brother and sister attend at least every other home game.

With school and volleyball taking up massive amounts of her time, Martin says that her favorite leisure activity is a simple one: sleeping. When she gets the time, she enjoys spending more time hanging out with her teammates — four of them live on the same floor of her apartment building. Her favorite movie is “Love& Basketball,” and she loves to eat Oreo“ cookies with milk. Right now you can find Lil’ Wayne’s CD spending a lot of time in her changer.

As Martin and the Gophers enter Big Ten play this weekend with home games Friday vs. Michigan State and Saturday vs. Michigan, optimism runs high. The team is ahead of where they were at this point last season and with at least one team member believing that last season’s stellar finish can be improved upon, there’s reason to be excited about what lies ahead for Gophers volleyball.