The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

September 22, 2014- 3B

The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom September 22, 2014 - 3B

'M' flashes big personality

Smith's late tally
continues streak

ByZACH SHAW
Daily Sports Writer
Michigan volleyball coach
Mark Rosen thinks something
clicked for his team after a
straight-set sweep of Eastern
Michigan on Saturday night.
If he's right, that could
have big implications for the
Wolverines and their opponents
in the Big Ten.
In the final non-conference
game before the daunting
conference season, Michigan
(5-5) showed improved ball
control and aggressiveness.
But most importantly, the
Wolverines showed personality
and energy in arguably their
best match of the season, just 24
hours after playing their worst.
"Tonight was the first time
I felt like I really saw the
personality of this team and the
style we're going to play," Rosen
said. "At times, I feel like we've
been throwing darts and trying
to figure out how things are
going to fit together. Tonight it
really flowed."
After taking the first set from
Kansas State (13-1) Friday night,
Michigan fell flat on offense
and defense, dropping the next
three sets by increasing scores,
which accumulated to 32 errors
in the match.
"(Kansas State) was a tough
match," Rosen said. "None of us
really felt good about it in any
9 way, and that's hard to come
back from when you only have
24 hours to refocus and turn
the page."
Following the loss, the
Wolverines had a long meeting
to identify what had to change.
For much of the season,
youth and development have
been common storylines for
Michigan, and growing pains
were expected in September.
With setter Lexi Dannemiller
-theloneseniorontheteam-on
the bench with mononucleosis,
the growing pains were all too

By CHLOE AUBUCHON
Daily Sports Writer
The Michigan field hockey
team kept its win streak alive
Sunday in Kent, Ohio., defeating
Kent State, 3-2.
The 18th-ranked Wolverines
(1-0 Big Ten, 6-2 overall) had the
advantage
in every KENT STATE 2
statistical MICHIGAN 3
category
but often struggled to capitalize.
Michigan converted on just 3
of 37 attempts, while Kent State
(2-5) scored on 2 of 6 shots. So,
while Michigan outshot and
outcornered the Golden Flashes,
it still found itself in need of
some late-game heroics to seal
the win.
The winner came from fifth-
year senior defender; Leslie
Smith. A dependable veteran
and the Wolverines' leading
scorer, Smith converted on the
team's 10th corner opportunity
when she one-timed a pass from
fifth-year senior midfielder
Sammy Gray past Kent State's
goalkeeper and into the lower
right corner of the cage.
"I don't think that was our
best game," Smith said. "But we
came out with a win, and that's
what's most important. They're
a very physical team, butI think
we stayed toe-to-toe with them."
Sophomore attacker
Courtney Enge netted the first
goal for the Wolverines midway
through the first half on an
unassisted effort after stealing
the ball from a Golden Flashes
defender and firing it into the
net. Michigan dominated play
in the half, outshooting Kent
State, 18-2, but went into the
locker room up just 1-0.
"Their goalkeeper was
outstanding," said Michigan
coach Marcia Pankratz. "Their

defense and their tackling skills
were very strong. We were
putting the ball on goal and we
had an awful lot of shots, but
that's just the way the hockey
game goes sometimes."
Just13 secondsinto the second
half,theWolverines doubled their
lead with a goal by senior attacker
Emy Guttman, who redirected a
pass from sophomore midfielder
Eliza Stein.
However, the Golden Flashes
didn't go down easily, evening
the score with two goals in the
next 13 minutes.
After Kent State got on the
board, Michigan upped the
tempo, drawing three corners
and tallying seven shots before
Smith's game-winner. That tally
sealed the Wolverines' sixth
consecutive victory.
For Pankratz, herteasofdrive
and will to win overshadowed
any technical shortcomings it
may have shown.
"It was a hard-fought game
today, and I was really proud
of how poised we stayed,"
Pankratz said. "We didn't get
rattled, stuck to the game plan
and worked hard to finish.,
We finished strong down the
stretch and put the final goal in
that we needed. That was a big
game for us."
The win capped off an
important weekend for
Michigan, which opened Big Ten
play on Friday with an overtime
win at Penn State.
Now that the team has proven
it can win on the road as well as
at home, Michigan is focusing
on playingthe game its own way
and continuing its success.
"We really try to take it game
by game," Smith said. "We're
being Michigan.
"We're playing Michigan
field hockey, and I think we're
doing a great job of it."

Michigan volleyball coach Mark Rosen hopes his team's panache amounts to more positive results on the

evident. As disappointed fans so clearly they were up to the
trickled out of Cliff Keen Friday challenge."
night, it was clear that the team In Saturday's recovery match
needed something more. against the Eagles (8-5), the
"One of the things we talked Wolverines showed exceptional
about last night, was what can ball control all night, cutting
we count on?" their error
Rosen said. total in half to
"What are It ' ,athlete's 16, including
we going to ItS an zero in the
do well every responsibilityt first set. It
night, even to showed in
when we're bring their game gameplay
not playing as too, as even
great as we everynih the most'
want to. every ." enthusiastic
"(During Michigan
the meeting) players could
we came up be seen high-
with ball control and passing. fiving, pumping fists and even
That's something we really do smiling a little brighter as the
well, and let's use that as our team cruised from start to the
foundation and today that was positive finish.
the best they've passed all year, With seven teams in the top

25, the Big Ten will test the
improved playof the Wolverines
early and often. The first test
from the nation's toughest
conference will come Friday in
West Lafayette, when Michigan
takes on No. 11 Purdue.
"(Maintaining success) is a
challenge for them," Rosen said.
"As coaches, we don't have as.
much control as we like to think
we do, they've got to be able to
come out with that inspiration,
that fight. We'll keep working.
at it in practice, but the bottom
line is that it's an athlete's
responsibility to bring their
game every night.
"Every good team has a style
of play that they know they can
count on every night."
For the Wolverines, finding
that style couldn't have come a
moment sooner.


Wolverines nearly pe-fect

m
S e

lichigan claims McGuire has;
his team's top
ven spots among within 50 second;
In Saturday's 6K
event's top 10 happened when t
finished within
each other.
By SAM LEMMEN The top three
For the Daily Michigan were
Shannon Osika

TERESA MATHEW/Daily
The Michigan women's soccer team lost to Rutgers by one, but it could have been worse if not for fortunate bounces.
Michigan held goalless

By SHAWN HEROOR
Daily Sports Writer
The Michigan women's soccer
team's grueling schedule finally
caught up with the "gassed"
Wolverines
on Sunday, MICHIGAN 0
as they fell RUTGERS 1
to Rutgers,
1-0 in Piscataway.
The loss snapped a five-
game winning streak for the
Wolverines (3-1 Big Ten, 7-3
overall). The Scarlet Knights
outshot Michigan, 14-7, with the
Wolverines failing to put a single
shot on net.
"We were just gassed," said
Michigan coach Greg Ryan.
"(Rutgers was) rested and fresher
than us from the first whistle.
They were just better today."
A scoreless deadlock was
finally broken in the 64th
minute, when the Michigan back
line couldn't deal with a low
cross, leaving substitute Jessica
Puchalski with a simple tap-in.
It was just the third goal
conceded by the Wolverines
during the past six games, but
they were lucky not to have
conceded more.
The Scarlet Knights were

on the attack from the
nearly opening the scori
seventh minute. An erra
from Rutgers forward.
DeVolk looped over N
keeper Megan Hinz, hit
inside of the post befoi
cleared away by the defe
The Wolverines' best
of the first half fell to so
left back Bailey Haydo
shot just over the bar
yards out.
"We couldn't
create much,"
Ryan said. "We
didn't attack with
any intensity at j
their goal. Oor
forwards just
didn't have any
jump in their step."
The second half start
like the first, with
peppering the Michig
with attempts. In t
minute, the woodwor
the Wolverines again
Scarlet Knight forwar
Pietrangelo's drive from
went off the crossbar.
then found the back of
through Brianne Reed,
goal was called back due
Puchalski finally puni

outset, Wolverines in the 64th minute,
ng in the netting her second goal of the
int cross season.
Amanda "Through the day, we were
uichigan very organized defensively," said
ting the senior midfielder Jen Pace. "I
re being think it was one mental slip-up,
nse. that's what lost us the game."
chance The Wolverines' best
phomore opportunity to equalize came
ck, who in the 78th minute. Sophomore
from 10 Madisson Lewis received the
ball in the
box, but the
winger's shot
"W e were was deflected
before it could
ust gassed." test the keeper.
The
Wolverines
will need to
recover quickly this week, as
ed much archrival Michigan State visits
Rutgers Ann Arbor on Saturday.
an goal "We're already focused on
he 47th recovering and getting ready for
k saved the Michigan State game," Pace
, when said. "With the way we played,
d Amy and how intense the games with
distance the Spartans are, we know we
Rutgers have to be readyto go."
F the net It all starts with getting
but the shots on goal, and Ryan and the
to a foul. Wolverines knowthey need to do
shed the a better job than Sunday.

The No. 1 Michigan women's
cross country team certainly
justified its position in the polls
on Saturday at the Big Ten
Preview.
The Wolverines kept the field
behind them as seven runners
finished in the top 10, four in'
the top five.
"We just missed a perfect
score," McGuire said.
Sophomore Erin Finn placed
first overall, registering a time
of 20:36.41 for the 6K race, 40
seconds ahead of the second-
place finisher. Finn missed the
course record by just three
seconds, not surprising for the
Big Ten Athlete of the Year and
individual Big Ten Conference
Final champion last year.
"Erin skews it a little bit
because she's good," McGuire
said. "I felt we had group
improvement."
MOSTLY UGLY
From Page lB
to catch up.
The ugly
The easy answer here is the
offense as a whole, considering
it never made it into the red
zone. But instead, we're looking
at the quarterback position.
Fifth-year senior Devin
Gardner struggled all afternoon.
He threw two interceptions,

Brook Handler,
also noted th
performances
of senior
Taylor Pogue,
freshman
Megan
Weschler and
junior Taylor
Manett, who
finished
fourth, sixth
and eighth,
respectively.
The
Ashton coursei
Iowa, was the W
time competing
schools this seaso
"We were e
different-color
Michigan coach I
"And then to getc
course."
The Wolverine

said he wants have no trouble with the course,
five finishers and the team gained insight on
s of each other. where it will be running at the
that almost Big Ten Championship. In just
he Wolverines six weeks, the Wolverines will
56 seconds of be returning to Iowa City in
hopes of claiming a Big Ten title.
finishers for "We definitely came out with
Finn, junior some post-race observations
and senior that the athletes didn't have
But McGuire going in," McGuire said. "And
he improved obviously it will be a different
scenario weeks
down the
road."
"We were The Big
Ten Preview
excited to see featured four
conference
different-color teams,
includingNo. 16
shirts." Wisconsin,who
finished second
in the event,
more than 50
in Iowa City, points behind the Wolverines.
olverines' first "There are definitely some
against other things about the course that
an. might (make people) think
xcited to see it's easier than it is," McGuire
shirts," said said. "Sometimes things that
Mike McGuire. might look subtle when you're
on the Big Ten warmingup on the course aren't
so subtle when you're actually
as appeared to racing."

and when he didn't turn the ball
over, he was overthrowing or
underthrowing the receivers.
From the first snap of
the game, Gardner looked
uncomfortable behind center.
While the offensive line
struggled, the unit sporadically
gave Gardner some time to
get rid of the ball. But the
quarterback was unable to
escape and either took the sack
or ran for little or no gain.
The most popular player on
a struggling football team is

usuallythe backup quarterback,
but that may no longer be the
case at Michigan. Sophomore
Shane Morris relieved Gardner
of his duties in the fourth
quarter, one series before the
rain delay. And while Morris
grabbed a couple of first downs
with his legs, he has yet to throw
a touchdown and ended his first
series with an interception.
Following the rain delay,
Morris fumbled the football and
upped the quarterback turn-
overs total to four.

RICH ROD ONLY LOST TO
UTAH BY TWO