8A - Friday, November 6, 2009
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Top lines key
as No. 1 Miami
visits Michigan
With Beilein's past in mind,
'M' takes Warriors seriously
Forwards will need
to play solid defense
to keep Camper,
Wingels in check
By MICHAEL FLOREK
Daily Sports Writer
When No. 4 Michigan (4-2-0,
2-0-0) takes on No. 1 Miami this
weekend, they won't be as con-
cerned with the number in front of
the Red Hawks
name as they are M.m.O
with the nun Miami(OH)-
bers on the back at Michigan
of the jerseys. Matchup
When the Miami 6-1-1;
puck drops, Michigan
eleven and nine 4-2-0
in red will be When:
the focus of Friday 7:35
the Wolver- P.M.
ines defensive Where: Yost
efforts. Juniors Ice Arena
Carter Camper T a
and Tommy TV/Radio:
Wingels lead the Comcast
potent Miami Live Blog:
offensive attack michigandaily.
this season, with com/blogs/
both averaging a the game
point per game.
Michigan
coach Red Berenson said that
shutting them down, along with
their linemate Curtis McKenzie
could make the difference in the
game. It changed the outcome last
year.
In the two games the Wolver-
ines lost last year the duo com-
bined for four points. But when
Miami came to Yost in early Janu-
ary, Camper and Wingels didn't
score a point in two blowout wins
for Michigan.
"They have to worry about Rust
and Hagelin and Caporusso and
Wohlberg and Brown and so on,
just like we have to worry about
their best players," Berenson said.
"I think you'll see them matched
up. Head-to-head our top lines
will play against their top lines."
Shutting down the Red Hawks'
first line, along with the rest of
the 19th ranked scoring offense is
nothing new for the Wolverines.
They gave up just 5 goals to Miami
in just four games last season.
Michigan worked on defensive
zone coverage in practice all week
hoping to recreate the results from
last season.
The defensive zone was the one
area it struggled with last week-
end against Lake Superior State,
allowing 63 shots in two games.
The forwards especially will have
to work harder in their own end
tonight if they want to stop the
Red Hawks.
"We have to make sure the
defensive zone is number one on
our priority list," junior forward
Louie Caporusso said. "Until we
actually get down to business and
bear down in the defensive zone,
not get mesmerized by the puck
and make sure we have our man
and we compete just as hard in our
defensive zone than in the offen-
sive zone, then I think we'll be ok."
The only sure thing heading
into the series is that the intensity
will be at its highest level so far
this season. The Wolverines are
used to physicality after playing
a variety of hard checking teams
like Boston University and Lake
Superior State.
But aggressive play has a side
effect: penalties and the power
play is where Miami's dynamic
duo may have the most success.
If the Wolverines continue to
take almost 17 penalty minutes per
ganme, the Red Hswks' extra-man
attack will havesa chsnce to repeat
their performance last weekend,
in which they scored four out of
the team's six goals.
"There's going to be players try-
ing to win races and win battles
and so there is going to be penal-
ties that are going to be acciden-
tal," Berenson said. "But if you get
into a penalty filled game, I don't
know who's got the advantage.
Their power play could be better
than ours and it will be a real test
for our goal keeping and our pen-
alty killing if their power play gets
to be a factor."
By JOE STAPLETON
Daily Sp"rt" Writer
When Division II Le Moyne
College beat No. 25 Syracuse on
Tuesday, Michigan men's basket-
ball coach John Beilein estimates
he received 10-15
text messages the Wayne State
next day.
"Finally, Le at Michigan
Moyne has a good Matchup:
coach," one of Wayne St0-0;
them read. Michigan 0-0
The reason When:
for the influx of Friday 7 P.M.
texts is the same Where:
reason Michigan Crisler Arena
fans don't need to
shu VRadio:
worry about the BTN
Wolverines over-
looking Wayne Live Tweets:
State, their own @amichdaily
Division II oppo- sports
nent, for tonight's
exhibition game.
Beilein coached at Le Moyne for
nine years, and he knows exactly
how good Division II teams can be.
"These guys can play, too," he said.
Michigan knows it can't take any
opponent lightly, especially when
the Wolverines' leading scorer is
not at full strength. Junior Manny
Harris is still limited in practice by
a nagging hamstring injury.
Beilein is looking to see who steps
up tonight with Harris not at full
strength.
"Manny can't go 100 percent, so
who's the guy who gives us some
of what Manny does?" Beilein said.
"We need to have a backup plan."
Regardless of the injury, Beilein
plans on shuffling the lineup, which
is still far from set. The most obvi-
ous battle will be for the point guard
position.
The leadingcontenders right now
are sophomore Stu Douglass, red-
shirt sophomore Laval Lucas-Perry
and freshman Darius Morris.
Morris is perceived to be the pur-
est point guard of the three, since
it's the position he played through
high school. And despite having
never before played at this level, he
has impressed his teammates.
"He works hard and he picks up on
things real quick," Harris said. "He's
a good passer, and he can score."
In the paint, the Wolverines plan
on sticking with redshirt junior
Anthony Wright, redshirt senior
Zack Gibson and DeShawn Sims.
However, Beilein wants to try
to work in redshirt freshman Ben
Cronin, who is coming off a hip
injury from last season.
"We think he might be a gamer,"
Beilein said. "A guy who's good in
practice but just seems to have a
feel in games and knows how to get
things done."
Not only will fans get to see Mor-
ris and a healthy Cronin for the first
time, they will also get their first
look at freshman shooting guard
Matt Vogrich, last year's Illinois
Gatorade Player of the Year.
The main purpose of tomorrow's
game is to see how much the fresh-
men have developed.
"It's a game, you're going to go out
there and compete to win," Novak
said. "But it's also good to just go out
and get your feet wet, especially for
the freshmen."
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By MARK BURNS in the back row.
Daily Sports Writer Itwasn't the position shehad been
recruited to play, but it didn't mat-
ughout Megan Bower's ter. Still a teenager, Bower matured
nd-a-half year tenure in Ann very quickly in her newfound role at
multiples aspects of her vol- Michigan, leading the team in digs
game have changed, accord- her freshman season.
Michigan coach Mark Rosen: Within a year of donning the
sition on the floor, jumping maize-and-blue, Bower's unique
and leadership role. personality, as Rosen described,
Rosen says there's one con- began to slowly emerge on the
hich places Bower in another court and in the weight room. She'd
sm compared to other play- soon become a household name as
-authenticity. a player who'd bring 'it' day-in and
n Bower first arrivedon cam- day-out.
he fall of 2006, the Indianap- "Sometimes you see a lot people
d. native thought she'd play trying to figure out who they are at
of a hitter on the hardwood this age," Rosen said. "And I think
s the reason Rosen recruited Megan has a very good understand-
m Cathedral Prep. ing of who she is and what her
's very, very opportunistic," values are. When I see a kid like'
said. "I think when she was that, the best way describe them is
at joining our team, she was authentic."
'I think I can compete with ROLE WITH IT
ht side. I can maybe com- Call Bower "Gumby."
th the left side. But if I don't After her freshman year in which
e with them, I'm going to she placed loth in the Big Ten with
e with the libero.' She was 3.74 digs per game, Rosen switched
o find somie way to get on the Bower to the defensive specialist
position. Usually, the defensive spe-
risingly, that's exactly where cialist plays fewer rotations than a
played her freshman season. libero, but is still regarded as one of
switch to the defensive posi- the better passers on the floor.
s nothing too out of the ordi- Towards the end of her sopho-
or the now-senior captain. more year, Rosen then saw fit to
lowerwasstill in high school, place Bower on the outside, and so
yed for the Muciana Volley- she started the final 15 matches as
b in Muncie, Ind. Rosen said the Wolverines' right side hitter, a
m, coached by Mike Lingen- role she quickly grew comfortable
0
6
I
0
. The Marriage of
F arofdgn-
Music, Thcatre & Dance
By Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Lorenzo da Ponte
Sung in Italian with projected English translations
University Opera Theatre directed by Robert Swedberg
University Symphony Orch. conducted by Kenneth Kiesler
Nov. 12 at 7:30 PM - Nov. 13 & 14 at 8 PM Nov. 15 at 2 PM
Power Center - Tickets $24 and $18 - Students $9 with ID
League Ticket Office - 734-764-2538
SAID ALSALAH/Daily
Senior Megan Bower has 147 kills and 257 digs so far on the season.
,as especially geared toward
sive style of volleyball.
n said that Lingenfelter's
enerated a lot of its offense
s defensive work on the floor
ing balls - or at the net get-
aan solid blocks and by plac-
and or two on potential kills.
ehen Bower stepped onto the
her first season as the Wol-
in.
"Her actual physical play has
evolved over her career," Rosen
said. "She came in as a back row
player (from her club team), worked
into the libero role, but she had her
sights set on playing the front row."
And following the summer
between her sophomore and junior
year, during which she increased
her jump from 9-feet 9-inches to a
clean 10-feet, Bower saw herself on
the right side permanently - where
she always knew she belonged.
"My role on the team has changed
every year, and that keeps things
fresh," Bower said.
WEARING THE'C'
There comes a certain level of
responsibility, expectation and com-
mitment to wear the 'C' on any col-
legiate, junior or professional team.
Bower welcomed that role fol-
lowing her junior season.
With the departure of seniors
Beth Karpiak and Kerry Hance,
there was a leadership void on the
team, and an ample opportunity for
Bower to step-in.
"This year she has evolved a lotas
a leader," Rosen said. "She's more of
a vocal and lead by example player
within the program. Her personal-
ity is very unique, and she's some-
body who is very competitive and
isn't afraid to speak her mind. She's
not afraid tobe a vocal leader, which
is the hardest type of leadership."
And the well-spoken Bower has
definitely needed to voice herself
this season. After the Wolverines
jumped out to a 12-1 mark, the team
endured a tough 2-4 stretch in the
Big Ten. It needed someone to reas-
sure them of where it was headed
and where it wanted to finish at the
end of the season: in Tampa Bay at
the Final Four.
"I try to take onthe role that when
the going gets tough, who's going to
stop it and getthis team back on the
same page," Bower said.
PASSION
There's the old adage: A picture is
worth a thousand words.
But according to Bower's room-
mate, senior Veronica Rood, a
candid picture in the Michigan vol-
leyball squad's team room says only
one: passion.
It's a portrait of Bower pumping
both fists and screaming at the top
of her lungs after the Wolverines'
come-from-behind five-set thriller
over Kentucky in last year's first
round of the NCAA Tournament.
"Megan is a really easy person
to feed off of with her energy and
her enthusiasm on the court," Rood
said.
The two players have been prac-
tically inseparable since they first
stepped on campus three years
ago. They've lived together in vari-
ous apartments and houses, shared
countless hours of study time at the
Stephen M. Ross Academic Center
and been on road trips across the
Midwest.
But through the wins and losses,
Bower's passion for Michigan and
the sport of volleyball has never
dwindled.
At the end of the season, Bower
plans to start coaching Mark and
Leisa Rosen's new club volleyball
program, A2 - more specifically,
the Under-16 team. With the new
coaching gig, she'll have the perfect
opportunity to pass her passion and
love for the game onto a younger
group of girls.
But for now, hopefully some of
Bower's fervor can rub off on her
teammates as the conference slate
winds down and the Wolverines
look to make some noise in the
NCAA Tournament.
And next year, there might be a
new picture of an already-graduated
Bower hanging in the Wolverine
teamroom,withatwo-word descrip-
tion instead of one: TampaBay.
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