10 - The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, December 13, 2005 Peretz battles his way to success By Kimberly Chou Daily Sports Writer If junior Steve Peretz is on your team, trust him to be "That Guy." He'll gut out tournament qualifiers with a shoulder injury and dive for base-liners, whether it's in the first or third hour of a three-set match. According to assis- tant coach Michael Kosta, the junior will do whatever it takes to break down an opponent. Just don't insult his mom while playing him in a game of Mario Tennis. "My group of guys in New York that I used to train with got a little out of hand, Peretz said. "We'd play a simple game of Mario Tennis and (get) into conversa- tion about each other's moms." The friendly competition between Peretz and his current teammates is less antagonistic than what he shared with his old tennis buddies. But still imbued with a fierce competitive streak, Peretz both works and plays hard on and off the court for the Michigan men's tennis team. Hailing from Brooklyn (the "New York toughness" comes out in his play, Kosta said, as well his pronuncia- tion of "Mah-rio Tennis"), Peretz is a three-year veteran and the oldest member of the men's tennis team. The 21-year-old is also one of its better competitors. "If it comes down to the very last match, the whole team feels very confident that ... he's going to get through it;' Kosta said. "That's a great feeling, and his own teammates feel that way and his coaches feel that way, too' Experience is a big part of winning close match- es, but so is understanding where the opponent is coming from. "I stay focused,knowing my opponent is going through the same thing that I am," Peretz said. "If we're in a three- set battle, he's also in a three-set battle with me" Kosta praises Peretz for his on-court resilience as well as his growth in the year-and-a-half since Kosta and Michigan coach Bruce Berque took over the men's tennis program. Kosta says Peretz has evolved into "a more professional college player," an oxymoron that remarks on the player's maturity and the development of his game. The aforementioned resilience and tough- ness have never changed, according to Peretz. "I take pride in a lot of things, but I think (my com- petitiveness) is my biggest weapon," Peretz said. "And that is really what I enjoy most about sports in general, no matter what it is." What's interesting about Peretz is how he refers to his all-out sense of competition in one sentence, even while acknowledging that he may not be the best all- around athlete. "I'm not great in all sports - or many really - but I'll compete all the time,' Peretz said. It's this compete-no-matter-what mentality that gives Peretz an edge over his opponents and often wins him the match. With that in mind, Peretz gives a modest assessment of the team's fall season. But even with freshmen com- prising half of the eight-man roster, the squad has ambi- tious goals. "I'd like to see if we have a good chance to win the Big Ten," Peretz said. Michigan made a leap from seventh to third place between the 2004 and 2005 season. "It's big talk, (but) why not?" Peretz said. "So if it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen. But we're aiming for it, and we're definitely working hard." Peretz will have to rebound from a pulled lower-back muscle and a 3-3 record in preseason. A month from the start of the winter season, Peretz's injury is near- ly healed. And with that strong sense of competition, Peretz believes improving his personal record - as well as the team's Big Ten record - looks likely. "It's what I enjoy the most, seeing if I can do the impossible," Peretz said. Individual goals or team goals, Nintendo games or Big Ten matches - trust Peretz to leave all his effort on the court, no matter the circumstance. JUSTIN BASS/Daily Junior Steve Peretz hopes his battling mentality will propel Michigan to a strong season. ROHLFS Continued from page 9 Unfortunately for Michigan, it will be without Rohlfs against Colorado College in the opening game of the Great Lakes Invitational. At the end of Saturday night's 7- 3 victory against Nebraska-Omaha, Rohlfs committed a fighting penalty that resulted in a disqualification from both that night's affair and the next game. Rohlfs's absence leaves the Wolver- ines with just three proven defense- men for their game against the Tigers. Mitera and freshman Jack Johnson were already planning on missing the contest because of the World Junior Hockey Championships. Michigan plays Colorado College in the opening round of the GLI on Dec. 29 at Joe Louis Arena. The Wolverines will play either Michigan State or Michigan Tech the following day. EDELSON Continued from page 9 Opposing defensive lines dominated the unity early in the season, but that was understandable. After all, mammoth tackle Jake Long, perhaps the team's best lineman, missed Michigan's first seven games after suffering a freak injury in fall camp. Tackle Adam Stenavich, guard Matt Lentz and center Adam Kraus also took turns sitting out with various injuries. What's more, Rueben Riley, Mark Bihl, Mike Kolodziej and Alex Mitchell performed admirably while filling in for their stricken teammates. Starting guard Leo Henige and Long will miss the Alamo Bowl after undergoing surgery, and Kraus may also sit out. Still, it would be fair to say that the Wol- verines' blockers overachieved, considering the circumstances. 5. You can't blame the coaching staff. Lloyd Carr has repeatedly called this year's squad the most "unlucky" team he's ever coached, largely because of the rash of injuries. Carr fought for extra time to be put on the clock against Penn State, allowing Henne to toss the game-winning touchdown pass to Mario Man- ningham with one second left. Moreover, the Wolverines' coach motivated his players every week and made sure his team never took oppo- nents lightly. Offensive coordinator Terry Malo- ne gave his unit a lift by moving down to the field from his customary position in the press box for the Michigan State game. Malone incorporated more successful trick plays into the offensive attack and wasn't afraid to call the deep pass. Defensive coordinator Jim Herrmann adapted to the spread offenses that torched his group a year ago by frequently using formations with five defensive backs. Herrmann's unit even shut out offensive powerhouse Northwestern for an entire half. Michigan State was the only team to score 30 points against the Wolverines, and Michigan won that game. That should exempt the coaches from criticism. They get bonus points because they didn't actually have to wear those cursed new uniforms. 6. You can't blame the defense. The play on the defensive line was solid for most of the year, and the secondary was surpris- ingly good, despite concerns heading into the season. Even when Michigan's projected fourth- and fifth-string safeties started against Penn State, the Wolverines held the Nittany Lions without a passing touchdown for the entire game. Quite a nice recovery after losing All-Americans Marlin Jackson and Ernest Shazor after last sea- son. Plus, LaMarr Woodley was dominant when healthy. And is it really the defense's responsibil- ity for allowing those late scores? Shouldn't the offense also be faulted for putting the defense in that position? Maybe the Wolverines should have scored more touchdowns. The defenders shouldn't bear the brunt of the critics' enmity. All this leaves us with one possible explana- tion: the team's new uniforms. Did removing the block 'M's from the shoulders of the road jerseys rip out the heart of each and every Michi- gan player? Could the new lightweight, stretchy material - which replaced the heavier tradi- tional mesh - have minimized the legacy of the Wolverines' storied history in the eyes of their opponents? Is it possible that the hideous yellow piping drew the ire - and laughter - of foes? And what about the stitched-on names and num- bers? Did they add a hint of authenticity in place of the older silk-screened characters, or did they make the players feel like a patchwork collection of athletes? We'll never know all the answers, but new duds can certainly affect on-field performance. Consider the Denver Broncos: After they lost their first four Super Bowls while wearing their famed bright orange jerseys, the team unveiled a sleek, new look to kick off the 1997 campaign. The result? The Broncos dethroned the Green Bay Packers to win their first-ever Super Bowl that same year. Coincidence? I think not. - Gabe Edelson can be reached at gedelson@umich.edu. THAT WAS LONG, GABE. HAPPY HouDAYs mom DALY SPOmRs. 9 9 9 I