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Thursday, September 4, 2008 -11A
Paz treks from Brazil to Iowa to Blue
By MARK BURNS
Daily Sports Writer
Juliana Paz wasn't supposed to
play for Michigan.
She wasn't even supposed to play
volleyball for Iowa Western Com-
munity College.
But that all changed, with the
help of a complete stranger.
One of the girls on Paz's club
team in her native Brazil wanted to
attend IWCC. She then sent a tape
to IWCC coach Terry Gamble high-
lighting her play in practice.
When Gamble saw the tape, he
didn't even pay attention to the
teammate who sent it. Instead, he
noticed Paz and gave her an offer
to play at IWCC. In fall 2006, Paz
made the trek from her bustling
hometown of Porto Alegre, Brazil
to the small town of Council Bluffs,
Iowa.
Paz played two seasons under
Gamble and then did something out
of the ordinary - she transferred to
the University of Michigan.
Gamble, a good friend of Michi-
gan coach Mark Rosen, told him a
few years ago he needed to take a
look at Paz. But Rosen said he didn't
expect to get.a junior college player
because they don't typically trans-
fer to big Division I schools.
"Number one, it is very hard to
get into school here," Rosen said.
"And number two, a player can only
play for two years, so you have that
also."
But after Paz's freshman grades
came back, IWCC coach Terry
Gamble told Rosen he should take a
look at this player. And then Rosen
person."
But the junior outside hitter is
still learning from Rosen and the
rest of the Michigan coaching staff
how to become an even better vol-
leyball player.
Rosen wants Paz to play her Bra-
zilian style of volleyball more con-
sistently, rather than in spurts.
"The American culture is very
different from the Brazilian culture
when it comes to volleyball," Ros-
en said. "In the American culture,
there is a lot of emphasis on sports-
manship, but the Brazilians play
with a lot of fire and personality."
Rosen saw some of that Brazil-
ian energy at times this past week-
end. Some of Paz's teammates have
noticed that same fire that Rosen
wants her to display on the court.
"At first, she was kind of quiet
and uncomfortable," senior middle
back Beth Karpiak said. "But now
she has become more enthusiastic
and more comfortable, and I think
that has transferred over into the
gym."
Paz needs to continue to elevate
her game and play her distinctive
style of volleyball if the Wolver-
ines hope to go deep into the NCAA
Tournament.
"She is definitely a huge hitter
on our team," junior libero Megan
Bower said. "She will be carrying
much of the offensive and defen-
sive load for us. She is completely
capable of that and plus, her role
on her junior college team was very
similar to her role here."
But she might not have been giv-
en that opportunity without a little
luck.
FILt PHOTO/Daily
Ron Warhurst will continue to coach distance and cross-country runners, but
Fred LaPlante will now take over duties as head track and field coach.
Warhurst steps
down as track and
field head coach
Michigan volleyball coach Mark Rosen is delighted with Juliana Paz's addition to his
team after she transferred to Michigan from Iowa Western Community College.
knew he had to take a serious look her to the United States.
at the girl from Brazil. In the fall of 2006, Paz started
While soccer is the coveted sport her collegiate career playing for
of many Brazilians, Paz inherited IWCC, where she earned NJCAA
a passion for volleyball from her First Team All-American hon-
mother, who played the sport in ors her freshman and sophomore
high school. years.
"I started gymnastics there when Two years later, Rosen came call-
I was eight years old," Paz said. ing and Paz accepted an offer to
"When my mom saw that I was get- play at Michigan.
ting taller than all of the other kids, "She's a hard worker and very in-
she told meI should try volleyball." telligent," Rosen said. "She is a good
So at the age of 10, Juliana picked volleyball player and a good team-
up the sport that eventually brought mate, but more importantly, a good
By JASON KOHLER
Daily Sports Writer
Michigan coach Ron Warhurst
led the men's track and field team
to a surprising Big Ten Champion-
ship last spring.
"I'm giddy," Warhurst said after
the meet. "I'm tired and exhaust-
ed.'
It was his first conference title as
head coach. It will also be his last.
Yesterday, Warhurst stepped
down as head coach and turned
over the job to associate head coach
Fred LaPlante. Warhurst will move
into the associate head coach role
vacated by LaPlante.
LaPlante was head coach at
Southern Cal, San Diego State and
Lehigh before coming to Michigan
11 years ago to coach the Wolverine
sprinters.
In recent years, under LaPlante's
tutelage, the program's top runners
have been sprinters. Last season,
he was named the Great Lakes Re-
gional Assistant Coach of the Year.
"I've known him for 30 years;'
Warhurst said. "He's a fantastic
communicator, a great organizer.
It's just a natural slide. I count on
him and Coach (David) Kaiser as
co-coaches anyway."
As associate head coach, War-
hurst will focus on training the
distance runners and continue to
coach men's cross country.
"I figured it was time" Warhurst
said. "Jeez, I'm 65 years old, I could
retire, practically. But I don't want
to, I want to keep coaching dis-
tances.'
The veteran coach said he also
wants to spend more time at home
with his six-year-old son.
Warhurst, who has coached at
Michigan for 35years, took over the
track program nine years ago. He is
one of a handful of coaches in the
nation who was a head coach for
both cross country and track and
field teams.
But that doesn't mean Warhurst
is anywhere close to retirement.
He hopes to continue for at least 10
more years.
"Oh God, I'll be 75," Warhurst
said. "I'll outlast everyone by that
point. I've been here 35 years. I'm
senior by 10 years to any coach or
administrator."
U.S. OPEN TENNIS
Serena nips Venus
in battle of Williams
sisters at U. S. Open
NEW YORK (AP) - Serena
Williams barely got the better of
older sister Venus Williams in a
U.S. Open quarterfinal that was
fit for a final, coming back in each
setto win 7-6 (6), 7-6 (7) lastnight
and break a tie in their head-to-
head series.
Serena trailed 5-3 in both sets.
She faced set points in both,
including eight in the second.
But she advanced to the
semifinals at Flushing Meadows
for the first time since 2002, the
year she beat Venus in the title
match for her second U.S. Open
championship.
Itwasthesiblings'17thmeeting
as professionals, and Serena leads
.9-s. That sinc des 11 matches at
Grand Slam tournaments, where
Serena leads 6-5.
She also has the edge in major
championships, 8-7, and only she
can add to that totalthis weekend.
The fourth-seeded Serena will
meet No. 6 Dinara Safina in the
semifinals.
"It's really just unfortunate it
had to be in the quarters," Serena
said.
Venus had all sorts of chances to
take control,but in the end, as both
women's play reached a very high
level, it was Serena who pulled
through. In the second tiebreaker,
Venus had four set points - and
Serena saved them all.
Then, when Serena earned
her first match point, nearly
2 hours into the match, she
converted it, when Venus ended
an 11-stroke exchange by missing
a forehand.
Back when they were ranked
Nos. 1 and 2, the siblings only
could meet in tournament finals.
But because of injuries, inactivity
and inconsistency, they dropped
in the rankings, and now it's the
luck of the draw that determines
at which stage they potentially
meet.
At Wimbledon in July, for
example, the wound up on
opposite halves of the field, and
Venus beat Serena in the final for
her fifth title at the All England
Club.
At the U.S. Open, they wound
up in the same section of the
bracket, so the women many
consider the two top players at
the moment were forced to meet
in the round of eight.
The start of the latest all-
Williams showdown was delayed
by more than an hour because
of two lengthy matches that
preceded it on the tournament's
main court, includinga women's
doubles match and No. 6 Andy
Murray's four-set victory over
No. 17 Juan Martin del Potro in
the men's quarterfinals.
Venus showed up at the locker
room about 20 minutes before
they finally headed out, carrying
a bunch of rackets in the crook of
her left arm.
Serena arrived about five
minutes later, a red purse-slung
over her left shoulder.
Neither face betrayed the
slightest hint of emotion, and
those same expressionless masks
were in place at the match's start.
Early on, there were the sorts
of nerves and erratic play - a
combined seven first-set double-
faults, for example - that have
marked many of the siblings'
encounters as they have adjusted
to playing one another.
"I try not to look at her,
because if I look at her, I might
start feeling sorry," Serena told
the crowd afterward. "I want the
best for her. I love her so much.
She's my best friend."
Neither of their parents, who
also serve as their coaches, were
sitting in the guest boxes at
Arthur Ashe Stadium.
One of their sisters was there,
sitting with her hands clasped in
front of her face, eyes shut, during
the first-set tiebreaker.
How could she possibly cheer
for one sister against another?
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