8A - Thursday, September 9, 2010

The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

8A - Thursday, September 9, 2010 The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom

Rosen to 'reload'
with talented
freshman class
W ith last year's the start of her collegiate volley-
ball career. "Trying to be invisible
senior class gone, makes yousomuchmore visibleto
everyone on the court. If you are
five new Wolverines visible they'll start hitting it less
to you because you are actually
will play big part expectingit."
Erwin, like Cross, has merged
By ZAK PYZIK into the system quickly. She has
Daily Sports Writer played 20 sets, the most of any
freshman and has notched 35 kills
Michigan volleyball coach - second among the freshman
Mark Rosen started the season class. But Erwin must begin to
down four seniors from last year. expect the ball.
But speaking with the Daily last "Freshmen can sometimes be
month, he insisted that the team targets on the courts because
isn't rebuilding this season - he it may be easier to break them
prefers the term "reload." down," Erwin said. "The coaches
Six matches into the season, are really stressing to us toube con-
the Wolverines have lost only one fident and to always expect the
match. But as Michigan heads into ball.
Big Ten play, Rosen's incoming "By them telling us to expect it,
class will have huge shoes to fill. it makes it better because then you
The four seniors who graduated are more surprised when they are
in May - outside hitter Veronica not hitting balls to you."
Rood, right side/libero Megan Erwin and Cross said the
Bower, right side Cassie Petoskey coaching staff has emphasized the
and outside hitter Juliana Paz - importance of taking advantage of
accounted for more thandhalf of theopposition'stendencyto target
the Wolverines' kills and 43 of freshmen.
the team's 66 recorded blocks last "We have to play not like we're
season. All except Petoskey were a freshman," Erwin said. "We
in the starting lineup since their have to play like we're older. We
freshman year. have to play with an older mental-
"How can you equate how ity, so that we can blend in with
important or how valuable or how everybody."
good they were (when) all three of Joining Cross and Erwin in the
them started their entire career?" freshman class are defensive spe-
Rosen said of Rood, Bower and cialist Ally Sabol, outside hitter
Paz. Molly Toon and redshirt fresh-
Though their presence may man defensive specialist Brittany
have been priceless, it may not Lee. Sabol collected 12 digs in the
necessarily be irreplaceable. The Wolverines' 3-2 loss at Toledo on
freshman class has exceeded Aug. 28.
expectations so far and is on pace Toon started all four years at
to fill in the missing pieces. her high school in Middleton,
Just like the three aforemen- Wisc. She recorded her first kill in
tioned seniors before her, fresh- Michigan's 3-0 victory over Flori-
man middle blocker Jennifer da Gulf Coast on Saturday.
Cross has already claimed a start- And Lee helped lift Cathedral
ing position. In six matches, Cross High School to two city and state
recorded 43 kills in just 18 sets championships before going to
played. That puts her behind only Purdue and redshirting in 2009.
junior outside hitteAIxHunt for o$rTra'nserto Michigan makes
the team lead - Hunt has 90 kills her a redshirt freshman this sea-
in 21 sets. son, with four years of eligibility
Behind the net, the Canada remaining in Ann Arbor.
native Cross has tallied four Rosen's decision to reload
blocks and 24 assisted blocks - before pulling the trigger may
topping all Wolverines and plac- serve well this year and down the
ing her fourth in the Big Ten this road as these young Wolverines
season. begin to develop.
Cross, along with freshman "We are going to have a young-
outside hitter Lexi Erwin, will er lineup with less experience on
have to assist the Wolverines in the floor," Rosen said in August.
filling the big, empty shoes left by "There are a lot of unanswered
the senior class, a class that has questions, and that's something
arguably been the most successful that none of us know what this
in Rosen's 12-year coaching career team is going to look like nor are
at Michigan. we trying to figure that out quite
The first step for Cross, Erwin yet. But at the same time, I'm very
and the rest of the freshmen is to confident that we have the mak-
adjust to playing Division-I vol- ings of a really good team."
leyball. The Wolverines' first home
"In the first tournament things contest of the season will be
were iffy because I just wanted tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. against
to be invisible," Erwin said about Youngstown State.

'M' sophomore safety
Emilien to transfer
By TIM ROHAN Rodriguez."
Daily Sports Editor Emilien played in five games as
a true freshman in 2009. He was
Michigan coachRichRodriguez a backup in last Saturday's season
announced yesterday that sopho- opening win over UConn.
more safety Vlad Emilien had "Vladdyhas decided totransfer,
decided to (and) look for other opportuni-
transfer. ties," Rodriguez said. "He's a good
Scout. First seen on youngman and we wishhimwell."
com report- -the game The Wolverines lose yet anoth-
ed yesterday er defensive back. And even
morning though Emilien had not yet made
that Emilien "requested, and was a big impact on the program, he
granted, his release Tuesday in was a three-star recruit out of
a meeting with head coach Rich high school, according to Scout.
WANT TO WRITE FOR
DAILY SPORTS?
COME TO ONE OF OUR MASS
MEETINGS
SEPTEMBER 12,14,16, 20 & 30
7PM @ 420 MAYNARD ST.

0I

ARIEL BOND/Daly
Junior running back Mike Shaw got the start in the Michigan backfield in the Wolverines' win over Connecticut last weekend. He ran for 48 yards on15 carries.
After two years of t
wi Shaw ready t play big role

Veteranstill expected
to share carries with
two or more backs
By RYAN KARTJE
Daily SportsEditor
During his first two years as a
Wolverine, Mike Shaw spent a lot
of time waiting.
Despite some carries here and
there in his freshman and sopho-
more seasons, the junior running
back had never been featured in
Michigan's offense, garnering 400
total yards in that span behind
since-departed running backs
Brandon Minor and Carlos Brown.
Those 400 yards led all current
Michigan running backs before the
season, making him the veteran
back in a crowded backfield. But
that begs the question: Why hasn't
he been on the field more often
before now?
"I've seen a mature guy (in
Shaw) who's not guessing or think-
ing, just playing," running backs
coach Fred Jackson said before the
season. "Because a lot of times, you
get a guy with a lot of talent and
they're thinking. It's like Anthony
Thomas as a freshman. People
telling me, 'Oh, he's never going to
play. He doesn't have this, he don't

have that.' That was just because he Ten to be successful at 175. It's a
was thinking." long season and we've got a lot of
Expectations remained high for talented backs on the team, but I
Shaw, but eligibility issues all sum- don't want to be one-and-done. If I
mer caused him and the Michigan want to bea guy who gets my name
coaching staff to have to wait even called, I have to be ready when the
longer. time comes."
He missed a few practices in fall That time was last week against
camp to shore up his academics, Connecticut, when Shaw got his
but he watched film of the practices first start in the backfield for the
he missed to keep Wolverines, run-
himself on track ning for 48 yards
to becoming a fea- an 15 carries,
tured Big Ten back "Anybody can including a pow-
- his goal all along. erful touchdown
"I could see get a big run in run which Shaw
(sophomore run- described as "vio-
ning back) Vince this offense, it's lent and angry"
(Smith) run s o running.
the same play I so spreadout. Rodriguez said
would've run and alloffseasonthathe
maybe see what I pects four or five
would do differ- of the team's run-
ently and see what the o-line was ning backs to contribute on offense
doing, things like that." this year. But in Michigan's 30-10.
In the spring, Shaw realized that victory, it was Shaw and Smith who
he would have to bulk up to handle carried the full load, along with
a full load in the Big Ten confer- sophomore quarterback Denard
ence schedule, ridden with power- Robinson andhisrecord-setting,197-
ful defensive front seven's. So he yard rush performance.
added 20 pounds between then and With the way the Wolverine
week one, bringing his weight up to offense was working against the
a respectable 195. Huskies though, Shaw said he
"Brandon Minor was a big back would happily share carries the
at 215," Shaw said. "Carlos Brown rest of the season, even if it's with
was a big guy at 205. There's never two or three other backs.
been a running back in the Big "That's one thing we weren't

expecting, to rotate like we did,"
Shaw said. "But when we did, there
was no drop off. One back is good,
but when you have two backs that
can do equal damage, both being
productive and both with fresh
legs, it's gonna help (our) defense in
the long run."
That rotation is something Shaw
and the rest of the crowded back-
field will have to get used to all sea-
son. Even though Shaw and Smith
were the only two to receive carries
last Saturday, Rodriguez remained
adamant that he expects to use
more than two.
Shaw also acknowledged that
Robinson is like a third running
back in the Michigan backfield.
According to Shaw, Robinson's
presence will only help the Wol-
verine ball carriers in the future'
as teams are forced to key on the
speedy signal caller.
'Anybody can get a big run in1
this offense, it's so spread out,"
Shaw said. "When teams start key-
inginto Denard, maybe it'll openup
things more for everybody else. As
of Sept. 4, it was the Denard show,
and I had no problem being a part
of the supporting cast."
He may be waiting to get the ball
at times this year, but the Michigan
coaching staff won't have to wait
any longer for Shaw to make an
impact on the field.

0


Learn more about the benefits of Peace Corps service.

"SO, C

Information Session
Thursday, Sept. 9th
6:30 p.m.
International Center, Rm 9

0.

Apply by Oct.1 for added programs leaving
in 2011 -- Peace Corps' 50th Anniversary Year!
800.424.85801 peacecorps.gov/application

i

35%-45% cheaper 50% cheaper
than online stores than bookstores
on average - on average
b RlfC8Ilt c hs~ipi 4 src~ti zirnlou t splne sare. BW8Z