When studying weather, the barometer is used to analyze atmospheric pressure. But the Minnesota volleyball team has its own kind of barometer. It is used to gauge the pressure in game situations. It is junior outside hitter Erin Martin. And the pressure readings can be gathered from her emotional way of playing on the court.

Coming in to a Golden Gopher match, there really isn't a need to look at the scoreboard to see how a game is going. Whether it is going well or a little rough, whether the Gophers are dominating their opponent or the match is going down to the wire, everything can be understood by glancing at the face and body language of Martin. Look to the scoreboard for numbers, look at Martin for a game recap.

Martin knows she is the spark plug for Minnesota and carries the responsibility of being an emotional leader. It is not something that she works at. In fact it was a role she unconsciously filled until her emotional way of playing was pointed out to her.

"I never even realized I was an emotional leader until my coach said something to me about it," Martin said. "I can see now at different points of the game where it can really either help or hinder our team. If I'm not being myself and not being as emotional as I normally am, then I can bring my team down. When I am really up and more into it, we're usually playing pretty well."

The sport of volleyball has always gotten Martin riled up. It's where she always gives 100 percent and encourages her teammates to do the same. Through her play and words, she encourages her teammates to continue to play hard and persevere, even when she herself may be feeling a little down.

"We have a phrase of `fake it `til you make it'. If you're not feeling the fire that night, then you've just got to fake it until something happens in the game that can turn it around or sparks something inside," Martin commented. "Earlier in the season, we weren't playing that well as a team, so it was harder to do it. But as soon as we started to play like a team again and jell again, it was really easy to spark the fire."

As one of the more experienced Golden Gophers, Martin feels more of an emphasis to provide emotional support and help fuel Minnesota's charge to repeat as Big Ten Champions. Martin has latched on to the responsibility of getting others excited and picking up the team when victories may look less than simple. "Our coaches put a lot of emphasis on the veterans, not necessarily playing well, but leading the team and other things, too. I feel like that's kind of my job as a veteran and leader of the team. I'm not a captain or anything, but I do what I can to help our team out," Martin remarked.

Now that Minnesota is rolling into their Big Ten schedule and is looking to defend its conference crown and advance to NCAA play, Martin's enthusiasm is more important than ever. The pressure can be read in her emotional play. She left with these words to spark the team's and fans' confidence and get both fired up: "We are a team that is here to play. We're not a team to be messed around with."

Written by Media Relations Student Assistant Courtney Walerius. She welcomes comments at gophers@umn.edu.

When studying weather, the barometer is used to analyze atmospheric pressure. But the Minnesota volleyball team has its own kind of barometer. It is used to gauge the pressure in game situations. It is junior outside hitter Erin Martin. And the pressure readings can be gathered from her emotional way of playing on the court.

Coming in to a Golden Gopher match, there really isn't a need to look at the scoreboard to see how a game is going. Whether it is going well or a little rough, whether the Gophers are dominating their opponent or the match is going down to the wire, everything can be understood by glancing at the face and body language of Martin. Look to the scoreboard for numbers, look at Martin for a game recap.

Martin knows she is the spark plug for Minnesota and carries the responsibility of being an emotional leader. It is not something that she works at. In fact it was a role she unconsciously filled until her emotional way of playing was pointed out to her.

"I never even realized I was an emotional leader until my coach said something to me about it," Martin said. "I can see now at different points of the game where it can really either help or hinder our team. If I'm not being myself and not being as emotional as I normally am, then I can bring my team down. When I am really up and more into it, we're usually playing pretty well."

The sport of volleyball has always gotten Martin riled up. It's where she always gives 100 percent and encourages her teammates to do the same. Through her play and words, she encourages her teammates to continue to play hard and persevere, even when she herself may be feeling a little down.

"We have a phrase of `fake it `til you make it'. If you're not feeling the fire that night, then you've just got to fake it until something happens in the game that can turn it around or sparks something inside," Martin commented. "Earlier in the season, we weren't playing that well as a team, so it was harder to do it. But as soon as we started to play like a team again and jell again, it was really easy to spark the fire."

As one of the more experienced Golden Gophers, Martin feels more of an emphasis to provide emotional support and help fuel Minnesota's charge to repeat as Big Ten Champions. Martin has latched on to the responsibility of getting others excited and picking up the team when victories may look less than simple. "Our coaches put a lot of emphasis on the veterans, not necessarily playing well, but leading the team and other things, too. I feel like that's kind of my job as a veteran and leader of the team. I'm not a captain or anything, but I do what I can to help our team out," Martin remarked.

Now that Minnesota is rolling into their Big Ten schedule and is looking to defend its conference crown and advance to NCAA play, Martin's enthusiasm is more important than ever. The pressure can be read in her emotional play. She left with these words to spark the team's and fans' confidence and get both fired up: "We are a team that is here to play. We're not a team to be messed around with."

Written by Media Relations Student Assistant Courtney Walerius. She welcomes comments at gophers@umn.edu.