1 k Wednesday, September 6, 2006 - The Michigan Daily -17 _ .. ...o .. ..., t Class of'08 coming into its own By H. Jose Bosch Daily Sports Editor I V Junior Lyndsay Miller is not an e-mail person. But no one told that to Michigan coach Mark Rosen when he recruited her two years ago. "(The coaches) would get nervous at first because I wouldn't e-mail back right away," Miller said. "But then Lisa (Rosen's wife and assistant coach) figured out, 'She doesn't like the e-mail, so it's OK, it's not a big deal.' " Still, Miller hesitated slightly when Rosen finally offered her a scholarship to play for the Wolverines. And even though she even- tually signed, the entire experience put the coach - not typically a symbol of anxiety, even during a match - on edge. "She made us sweat a little bit, which I respect," Rosen said. Miller was just one of four recruits lead- ing up to the 2004 season, bringing Rosen the most talented recruiting class Michigan had seen to that point. Along with Miller, the Wolverines welcomed Sarah Draves, Stesha Selsky and Katie Bruzdzinski. Together, the class was considered one of the best in the nation. They were highly regarded, but the fresh- men still felt like freshmen. And whether you're a walk-on or your state's high school player of the year, life isn't easy when you have to adjust from being the best player on the court to being just one of many good players. "When you come into college, it's a dif- ferent game," Bruzdzinski said. "It's a lot faster, and one of the biggest things is that people just come at you harder. With serv- ing, they hit a lot harder, and you have to get used to it fast. So I think my freshman year than was the big thing, getting used to the level of play." Now juniors, the group held their own in their first full collegiate season and provided a glimpse into a promising future for the vol- leyball program. "Katie started as a freshman, Stesha started as a freshman, Lyndsay started as a freshman, so you have three of them starting as freshmen and that's always good to have three freshmen starting in one year," Rosen said. "And we had a pretty good year, going to the second round of the NCAA Tourna- ment. I wouldn't say they exceeded expecta- tions, but we were certainly pleased with that initial year with them." But last season didn't go as well for the Wolverines. The team finished the year 13- 16, dropped its final four games and failed to make the NCAA Tournament. Statistically, the group improved from the year before, but it was a far cry from its collegiate debut. This year, the four juniors - upperclassman for the first time - are confident this will be the season they can push Michigan volleyballbeyond a middle-of-the pack finish in the Big Ten. "I think we have a lot of experience, and we've played with a lot of great players," Miller said. "So I think that we have the tools to push Michigan to better places - to get it to where we all want to be. We have the abil- ity to get that done." In addition to improving on the court since their inaugural season, several of the players believe their maturation off the court will also help the team. "Your emotions and personality are a little bit more reserved (freshman year)," Selsky said. "But this year it's almost like we're veterans, and we know how it feels, and we know how everything works. I feel like I'm less shy, and I feel that when you're a junior you're definitely less shy, and you're definite- ly more comfortable playing." Draves also grew from being a reserved first-year player to being a gregarious vet- eran. The Ypsilanti native said her newfound passion for the things she loves (people and God) has allowed her to be more outgoing, which helped foster a more welcoming atmo- sphere for the incoming freshman and elimi- nated class divisions. "This team and the upperclassmen have done a great job of taking the freshmen," freshman Megan Bower said. "We do not actually feel like freshmen (because) they made us feel like we're supposed to be here. They never made me or the other freshmen feel like we had to sit back and watch." The four juniors know what it was like to be freshman and now laugh to themselves about what it was like when they first came to Ann Arbor. Selsky described her expe- rience as "awkward" meeting everyone for the first time. But they all agree that they were welcomed by their teammates and will make sure to do the same for this season's rookies. Much has changed in the two short years since the class of 2008 first donned the block 'M.' Each player has gone from supporting the team in the shadows to stepping into the forefront. "I feel you have to work extremely hard to represent the 'M' that you wear," said Sel- sky her freshman season. "You work hard, and you will strive to make sure that Michi- gan gets recognized as a great academic and athletic school." "We've figured it out," Selsky says, two years wiser. "We just have to go execute it." Lyndsay Miller and the rest of the class of 2008 are poised to carry Michigan to new heights. Icers' Hunwick calls on students to buy tickets for '06-'07 season By H. Jose Bosch Daily Sports Editor Longing for the months of par- kas and sweaters? Earmuffs and mittens? Rocky and Bullwinkle? Even though the leaves have yet to fall, Michigan hockey season tickets will go on sale beginning Thursday, Sept. 7. The tickets can only be pur- chased at www.mgoblue.com/tickets and will remain on sale until Sept. 15 for priority seating. Tickets will cost $247 ($10 service charge included). This season's captain, Matt Hunwick, took it upon himself, to hype the upcoming hockey season in an e-mail sent to the entire student body. "Hockey's student season ticket holders are different from any other student group here on cam- pus," the e-mail said. "You are a group of individuals who come together as one every Friday and Saturday night to create the great- est home-ice advantage at any rink across the country. You are what makes hockey games so much fun to attend and for us to play in. "Many of us players decided to become Wolverines during our recruiting visits because of the tra- dition of the program, the academ- ics, the arena, the fans, and most of all, you, our biggest supporters. You were awesome then, and I know you will keep that great tra- dition going," it went on. The Wolverines are coming off of one of their least productive years during coach Red Berenson's 26- year tenure. Breaking in a freshman class of 11, Michigan struggled to a third-place finish in the CCHA and performed poorly in the postseason. This season, Hunwick returns to lead a team that will be more mature and should contend for the CCHA crown. Despite losing Trev- or Lewis to the professional ranks, Michigan's other big recruits, Chris Summers and Steve Jakiel, could snake an immediate impact on the team this season. Summers will help bolstera defense that, at times, played lackadaisically last year, and Jakiel is expected to compete with sophomore Billy Sauer for the starting goalkeeper position. The hockey team will begin its exhibition season on Sat- urday, Sept. 30 with the Blue/ White Intrasquad scrimmage at Yost Ice Arena. The start of the regular season is on Friday, Oct. 13, when the Wolverines face off against Alabama-Hunts- ville. The CCHA home opener is on Thursday, Oct. 19 against Miami (OH). Senior captain Matt Hunwick wants to play before a rowdy crowd this season.