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.