Sport sMond
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
October 27, 2014- 3B
VOLLEYBALL
Hesitant Michigan
swept twice on road
No reason to panicfor Wolverines
By SAM LEMI
Daily Sports Wr
MEN
riter
Coming off four consecutive
conference sweeps, the Michigan
women's volleyball team sought
to continue its streak on the road
against two other Big Ten rivals,
No. 7 Penn State and No. 20 Ohio
State.
But the Wolverines found
themselves on the other side of
the result this weekend, as they
were swept by
both the Nittany -
Lions and the
Buckeyes. "ATe
"In some ways,
the success that very
we had over the
last two weeks
created this
expectation that we're where we
need to be - and we're not," said
Michigan coach Mark Rosen.
"We're still very young, and we
still have a lot of things that we
need to get better at in order for
us to be a really competitive, good
team in a conference as strong as
the Big Ten. '
Friday night at Penn State, the
Wolverines struggled to pass the
ball against the defending NCAA
national champions, resulting in
an off-balanced and predictable
offense.
"When you don't pass the
ball well in system, now, all
the sudden, you have only
one option as a setter, so now
everyone in the gym knows
where you're going," Rosen
said. "And a team as physical as
Penn State will put up a great
big block in front of it and set up
their defense around that."
After receiving back-to-back
Big Ten Player of the Week
awards, sophomore Abby Cole
was shut down against both
Penn State and Ohio State,
registering just six and eight
kills, respectively, as both teams
consistently blocked Michigan's
dominant middle hitter.
Freshman defensive
specialist Caroline Knop led the
team in kills in both matches,
registering seven against Penn
State and 13 against Ohio State.
"You want to go after it with
conviction and aggressiveness
and fearlessness, and I think
(Knop) did that really well,"
Rosen said.
But the rest of the Wolverines
were tentative against the high-
caliber,
highly
physical
're still teams they
faced.
young." "I think,
in some
ways, they
care so
much that they don't want to
make mistakes," Rosen said.
"As soon as you play that way -
when you play with that kind of
little hesitation - often that's
the result you end up getting,
is exactly what you're afraid of,
which is an error."
And the hesitation showed as
Michigan committed a costly 17
errors against Penn State and 21
against Ohio State.
"The tough thing with us
right now is that we're so thin,"
Rosen said. "We don't have a lot
of adjustments as far as depth in
each position."
But Michigan wasn't without
bright spots, as Lindsey Lerg
registered 13 digs against Ohio
State to add to Knop's 13 kills.
The remainder of Michigan's
schedule includes other high-
caliber opponents that will
continue to challenge Michigan.
"We've got to embrace the fact
that we're going to have to
come out and learn how to be
aggressive against those teams,
learn how to be fearless against
those teams and learn how to
execute at a higher level," Rosen
said. "And pretty quickly, too."
BOSTON - At the 11:43
mark in the third period
against No.11 Boston
University, Michigan huddled
alongthe boards around Dexter
Dancs. The forward had just
redirected a tie-breaking goal,
the score the Wolverines needed
to leave a Boston road trip with
two wins.
But the
celebration
was cut
short. The
referees
ruled that
Dancs
interfered
with TerrierJASON
netminder RUBINSTEIN
Matt
O'Connor,
disallowing the goal. More so,
Michigan never found twine
again, losing 3-2.
A frustrated Red Berenson
ensued. Michigan's head coach
wasn't upset with his team's
performance, but rather with
the officials. Four goals were
reviewed - three of Boston's
goals and one of Michigan's.
All three Terrier goals were
confirmed. The lone Wolverine
goal was overturned.
"It's disappointing when the
outcome of the game comes
down to the referees sitting in
the penalty box looking at a
monitor to decide whether the
goals were in," Berenson said.
"I don't know how we ever
played hockey without having
to review. We feel victimized by
the review system."
Well before anytype of
video review existed, Berenson
donned the block 'M' when
he played his senior year
at Michigan in 1962. His
experience with hockey since
then is where his frustration
stems from.
Perhaps 52 years ago, Dancs'
redirect is the go-ahead goal
Michigan needs to complete
a resume-building weekend,
complete with two dominant
wins over ranked opponents.
Instead, Michigan sits at 2-3
with a tricky road series against
Michigan Tech next weekend .
- a team that just swept Ferris
State on the road. For those with
a short memory, the Wolverines
opened their season at Ferris
State and came out on the short
end.
But Berenson has been
around hockey long enough to
know when a team should panic.
He knows that's not now. He ,
knows his team could've beaten
Boston and knows there were far
more positives than negatives on
Saturday, despite the loss.
The Wolverines entered
Saturday knowing the Terriers
boasted 17-year-old freshman
phenom Jack Eichel, a sure-fire,
top-five pick in the 2015 NHL
Draft that had five points in his
first two games.
The result: Michigan held
Eichel largely in check -
limitingthe forward to one
point - thanks to an impressive
backcheck.
"Jack Eichel, for all he is, and
he is a greatplayer, he didn't
really do much," said junior
forward Andrew Copp. "He
had that one tip-in goal from
the corner ... thatckind of weird
bounce goal."
He's right: Eichel's goal did
take a weird bounce. Eichel,
though, was far-and-away the
most electric player on the ice.
And after strugglingto block
shots against New Hampshire,
Berenson stressed all week the
importance of it. So the orange
balls, softer than pucks, were
brought out at practice.
The result: Berenson thought
his team may have blocked too
many shots and needs to take it
down a notch.
"I think we improved a ton
in shot blocking," Berenson
said. "You don'twanttoblock
too many. That means you're in
your own zone too much. We're
paying the price to get in front of
the puck now."
The coach voiced his concern
with his power play. The
Wolverines entered the weekend
0-for-9 with a man advantage
and allowed two shorthanded
goals. So they made special
teams an emphasis in practice
all week.
The result: Michigan flew
back to Ann Arbor after scoring
three power-play goals-and
allowing no shorthanded goals.
The Wolverines looked
drastically better compared to
the team that showed up to lose
5-1 to New Hampshire just more
than a week ago. Remember
that?
More so, Berenson has found a
pot of gold with his second line:
freshman center Dylan Larkin,
senior forward Zach Hyman and
sophomore forward Alex Kile.
The trio registered 15 points -
six goals and nine assists - this
weekend. And 12 of those came
against No.7 UMass-Lowell.
Good things happen when this
line touches the ice.
"We've been together for a
month and a half now," Kile said.
"I said this before, we're great
friends off the ice. We talk about
how we can contribute each and
every night. Right now, we're
clicking, and we're hoping that
continues."
So far, there are no signs
pointing to the line's success
slowing down. The second line
has been so dominant that it's
easy to forget about the other
talent on the team, primarily
Copp and sophomore forward JT
Compher.
Copp and Compher are
scoreless through five games, but
its reassuring knowing they don't
have to carry the offense solely
on their shoulders this season.
"We can beat any team in the
country and Ithink we showed
that tonight," Copp said. "We're
a better team."
Exactly. So what's worth
panicking about, even after a
loss that a questionable review
decided?
Nothing. And Michigan
knows that.
Rubinstein can be reached
at jasonbr@umich.edu and
on Twitter: @jrubinstein4.
'M' gets Senior Day victory
Michigan clinches
third in conference
By MITCH BECKMAN
Daily Sports Writer
As play transitioned back
toward the Michigan goal,
referee Suzi Sutton blew her
whistle and turned to address
Michigan field hockey coach
Marcia Pankratz.
"Close your mouth," said
Sutton,
audibly U N H 2
enough to MICHIGAN 3
carry to
the press box, while brandishing
a green card at the Michigan
sideline.
Pankratz stood tensely, arms
folded, and obliged, ending a
heated discussion. Even after
the final buzzer, Pankratz stayed
on the field in an animated
discussion with both officials.
While the green card didn't
endupimpactingthescoreboard,
the exchange was indicative of
the stress of the game. Despite
handily outshooting New
Hampshire, the Wolverines (5-2
Big Ten, 11-6 overall) could never
put the game away, hanging on to
win, 3-2, over the opportunistic
Wildcats on Senior Day.
Early in the second half, it
looked as if the Wolverines
were set to cruise to another
victory at Ocker Field. Leading
by two goals, a shot off a corner
from freshman midfielder Katie
Trombetta found the inside of
the far post and banked in, which
would give them a comfortable
4-1 lead.
However, the celebration
abruptly ended when a referee
blew his whistle and signaled a
Michigan foul before the shot,
denying the goal and keeping
the game within reach for New
Hampshire (6-11).
The disallowed goal was
one of many opportunities
missed by the Wolverines,
who uncharacteristically
struggled both offensively and
defensively on corners. The two
New Hampshire goals came off
corners, while Michigan failed
to score on its eight chances.
"On faster fields, our corners
are a little better," Pankratz
said. "(New Hampshire
By ISAIAH ZEAVIN-MOSS
Daily Sports Writer
As freshman forward Taylor
Timko was setting up to take
a free kick, the future of the
Michigan women's soccer team's
season was on the line.
With the game tied, the
Wolverines couldn't afford going
a fourth straight game without a
win.
Timko ILLINOIS 1
delivered MICHIGAN 2
a perfect
ball into the attacking area,
where freshman forward Nicky
Waldeck was there to head
it toward the net. Waldeck's
shot was saved, but sophomore
midfielder Jessica Heifetz was
there to finish the job with a
winning goal. And just like that,
Michigan was ahead of Illinois,
2-1- a lead it never relinquished.
With the win, the Wolverines
clinched third place in the Big
Ten regular-season standings
and boosted their NCAA
Tournament resume.
It was a competitive game for
all 90 minutes, but it was the
Fighting Illini (5-6-1 Big Ten,
10-7-1 overall) who dominated
the opening portion of the match
after scoring a quick goal.
But the Wolverines were
equally as quick to respond. Less
than two minutes later, freshman
Ani Sarkisian served a corner
kick to Timko, who knocked the
ball past the Illinois goalkeeper.
The pace and possession of the
match were even until Heifetz's
goal in the 60th minute. For the
final minutes of the game, Illinois
peppered Michigan's defense,
but the Wolverines held strong.
Although the Illini outshot
Michigan, they did not have
any chances
behind the -
Wolverines'
stingy "We s
defense.
All of their have
shots were been th
taken under
pressure.
The end of this
the game was
a big test for -
the Michigan
defense, one it passed with flying
colors.
Heifetz was impressed by
her team's strength in the final
minutes.
"Late in the season, when
everyone's really tired - it just
comes down to who is going to
work the hardest," Heifetz said.
"We outworked them."
Michigan coach Greg Ryan
was equally as excited by his
team's gritty effort.
"We just keep fighting the
same way every day," Ryan said.
"Finding ways to win - that's
what good teams do."
With just one game to go
before the Big Ten Tournament,
Ryan took the chance to reflect
on his team's season as a whole
and just how farthey have come.
"We should have never been
this good this year," Ryan said.
"I haven't seen
anything like
it, where you
hould change eight
starters and
never you just put a
lot of young
is good kids out there
on the field and
year. they end up
with this kind
of a season. It's
phenomenal.
I'm overjoyed."
It's wins like this one -
tough, gritty and hard-fought
- that define a team, and
Michigan looks primed for a
postseason run.
ALLISON FARRAND/Daily
Michigan coach Marcia Pankratz was relieved her team closed oat a close win.
goalkeeper Carlie Tarbell) is
outstanding, she made a lot
of great saves. On defense, we
had to throw someone in there
because (senior midfielder
Sammy Gray) was taken out at
the last minute, but we'll make
adjustments in the future."
Despite its struggles on
corners, Michigan largely
controlled the flow of the game,
particularly in the second half.
The senior class accounted for
all three Wolverine goals, with
midfielder Ainsley McCallister
netting two in a span of four
minutes and forward Emy
Guttman scoring one as well.
"(Our seniors) are a great
group," Pankratz said. "I've been
proud of them all four or five
years. Ainsley is an outstanding
player and sois (senior midfielder
Leslie Smith), and they carried
our team."
While they controlled
the second half, it took the
Wolverines most of the first half
to solidly establish their lead. As
the first-half clock ticked down,
McCallister showed why she
is Michigan's second-leading
scorer, picking up a loose ball
off the stick of junior forward
Shannon Scavelli and rifling a
shot into the back of the net.
Minutes later, during a flurry
just to the left of the Wildcat
net, McCallister managed to
get a stick on an airborne ball
and loft it just over both a New
Hampshire player and the
goaltender to give Michigan a
two-goal lead.
Despite McCallister's
efforts, New Hampshire added
some late drama to the game.
Down one, the Wildcats were
desperate to score in the closing
minutes, earning back-to-back
penalty corners with three
minutes remaining. But both
were cleared before reaching
freshman goaltender Sam
Swenson.
With 53 seconds left on the
clock, a yellow card was given
to McCallister, forcing the
dominant midfielder off the field
and drawing ire from Pankratz.
However, the Wildcats couldn't
get a shot on goal and Michigan
was able to breathe a sigh of
relief. Then, the Wolverines
could properly celebrate their
Senior Day.
HOKE'S FANS
From Page 1B
increased with each
Michigan mistake on the field.
"I see a coach out there who
tries really hard, but at the end
of the day he has absolutely
nothing to show for it. I mean,
at least he cares about his
players, right?" TeBos said
with a straight face before
erupting into a fit of laughter,
referencing Michigan's
mistreatment of Shane Morris'
concussion earlier this season.
It was a miserable day
for Hoke. He was angry
with himself for failing to
adequately prepare his team
for its rivals over a timespan
of two weeks. Hoke was upset
his team once again failed to
execute, even after saying all
week that he liked what he saw
in practice.
Hoke's team is 3-5 after
Saturday, and the rest of the
season will feel like a slow,
merciless march toward
irrelevance. Back in Ann
Arbor, people call for his head
increasingly with each loss.
Whenever he's asked about
his job status, Hoke says he
doesn't think about it. He just
cares about his 115 student-
athletes.
But in East Lansing, the
students care about Hoke.
Whenever he's despondent or
worried about his job status,
he can drive northwest, to the
place where he's love'i.
They'll have plenty of hugs
and cookies waiting for him.
Cohen can be reached at
maxac@umich.edu and on
Twitter: @MaxACohen.