WVB (Women's Volleyball): Affirmative-Action

The University of Michigan women's volleyball team wins the national championship and is compelled to revolutionize their program using Affirmative-Action policies the following season.

The University of Michigan's women's volleyball team had a stellar 2020 season, capturing the national title in great flair and toppling its greatest rivals, including Stanford, Penn State, and even BYU. The Michigan Wolverines were led by its talented volleyball captain Sheila Jackson and equally championed by its other talented stars, Sarah Jones, Mary Angus, and Tesla Brown. The Wolverines, coached by the wise Pat Summer, was able to sail through the season and topped its division in 2020 before coasting through the early rounds of the tournament before having to square-off against its tough rivals Stanford and BYU in the semi-finals and final. Summer wanted her Wolverines team to face Penn State in the tournament, but as luck would have it, the Penn State Nittany Lions were defeated by BYU in a tight quarterfinal match in the championship tournament.

In the semi-final match and final match of the tournament, the Wolverines had to overcome a 2-set deficit and rally and storm back to win a 5-set match. The Wolverines captain Sheila Jackson had to coordinate her team excellently in the semi-final match with the Stanford Cardinal, dealing with its overbearing striker Martha Washington. Then, in the final march, Wolverines captain Sheila Jackson had to rally her team, once again from behind, to overcome the BYU Cougars incredibly talented 1-2 punch of striker-defender Teresa Jones and Antha Wakefield! In this 5-set final, Wolverines coach Pat Summer saw her gritty and resilient team overcome many hurdles to overcome the BYU Cougars and capture the national title and cap off what was a storybook season for the University of Michigan women's volleyball. After capturing the exciting title in exciting fashion, the Wolverines coach Pat Summer was invited to all kinds of nation press conferences, hoping to elevate social appreciation and fanfare for women's collegiate volleyball!

Things were going to change, however, in the following 2021 season. Since Wolverines coach Pat Summer was required to give many press conferences and brought all kinds of national attention to women's collegiate volleyball, the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored Peoples) wanted to see more attention given to ethnic minorities, particularly African-Americans, having the chance to shine on the national collegiate level in women's volleyball. To this end, the NAACP petitioned the Trustees and Administrative Board of the University of Michigan to compel the Wolverines' women's volleyball team to enact an explicit Affirmative-Action policy for team recruitment and management for the 2021 season. Returning senior and captain Sheila Jackson, a German-American, would still be the 'figurehead' and marshal, but now, there would be more African-American women on the team!

In fact, because of the new Affirmative-Action policy, which Wolverines coach Pat Summer had to honor, the team's talented mid-positioned Mary Angus was conspicuously benched/replaced by African-American freshman Florence Thomas. While Thomas was a gifted volleyball player, she was not nearly as skilled or seasoned as the veteran Mary Angus. However, coach Pat Summer was helpless and had to go one step further and also include African-American recruit/sophomore/transfer Rita Blige (from rival Penn State!) into the starting-roster, replacing the talented Michigan recruit and Italian-American player Kay Manara! The parents of the Wolverines women's volleyball team were infuriated to see their favorite players being ceremoniously benched because of the university's new Affirmative-Action policies enforced by coach Pat Summer.

PAT SUMMER: "I know the Wolverines had an outstanding 2020 season, and we were blessed to bring home the national title. We were hoping to capitalize on the profound success with the national media spotlight and add to the social attention afforded to women's college volleyball. However, the new Affirmative-Action policy, enforced by the Trustees/Administration compelled us to recruit and insert ethnic minority women (African-Americans!) into our schedule for the 2021 season! While the 2021 season was disappointing, since we came in second in our division/league and lost in the semi-final in the tournament to the Penn State Nittany Lions, I'm confident that these new Affirmative-Action policies, designed to showcase to the nation the Wolverines' commitment to balance academic policies with student athletics in a way that highlights America's commitment to pluralism and democracy, will make the Wolverines women's volleyball team not only a 'diadem' but also a Constitutional portrait! That's the hope..."

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