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Thursday, May 14, 2015

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com SPORTS

T
ennis topples 

Redhawks and Blue 
Demons, wins Region

By BEN KIM 

Daily Sports Writer

Tensions were high at the Varsity 

Tennis Center as the No. 11 Michigan 
women’s tennis team needed a victory 
in one of the remaining two matches 
in order to earn a spot in the Sweet 16.

Michigan was up 3-2, with junior 

Ronit Yurovsky down 3-1 in a tie-
breaking third set and freshman Mira 
Ruder-Hook’s set tied at 4-4. Hook 
was in danger of extending her match 
to a third set after winning the first.

With all eyes on her, the freshman 

was able to win the next two games 
and punch the Wolverines’ ticket to 
the Sweet 16.

Michigan (11-0 Big Ten, 26-3 over-

all) took the weekend, rolling through 
Miami (Ohio), 4-0, and grinding out a 
4-2 win against DePaul.

“We’re happy to get through,” said 

Michigan coach Ronni Bernstein. 
“We’re relieved and excited. The girls 
did a good job.”

In years past, the Wolverines had 

entered the NCAA Championships 
following a loss at the Big Ten Tourna-
ment. Things were different for Mich-
igan this time, having claimed its first 
Big Ten Tournament Championship 
in program history. The Wolverines 
fed off the success they found in the 
conference tournament.

“We have a lot of confidence com-

ing from the Big Ten Tournament,” 
said senior Emina Bektas. “We’ve had 
some really good practices. Not being 
able to come through (in past Big Ten 
Tournaments) has put our confidence 
lower than it usually is. Finally being 
able to come through has been really 
good for us.”

Michigan rode that confidence to 

a swift win over the Redhawks (8-0 
Mid-American, 17-6 overall).

The Wolverines quickly clinched the 

doubles point, never giving up a lead 
in either of the completed matches. 
Sophomore Sara Remynse and Ruder-
Hook took the first doubles match, 8-0. 
Yurovsky and senior Sarah Lee ended 
doubles competition with an 8-4 win of 
their own.

Michigan continued its dominance 

in the singles matches. Bektas was the 
first off the court with a 6-1, 6-1 victory.

“I just wanted to set a tone,” Bek-

tas said. “I wanted to get off the court 
quick, get a point up and not let things 

get away from me.”

Yurovsky and freshman Alex Najar-

ian would follow Bektas’s lead with tri-
umphs of their own. Yurovsky cruised 
to 6-1 and 6-3 victories, while Najarian 
took her match with 7-6 and 6-1 wins. 
The duo clinched the match for the 
Wolverines and earned them a sec-
ond round matchup against the 37th-
ranked Blue Demons (5-0 Big East, 
22-5 overall).

Michigan’s solid play continued into 

the doubles matches against DePaul. 
Lee and Yurovsky were conceded a 
lead, as they came off the floor with an 
8-4 victory. Remynse and Ruder-Hook 
ended the doubles competition for the 
weekend with an 8-4 win of their own.

The similarities between the first 

and second rounds ended after dou-
bles play. The Wolverines struggled 
in singles matches against the Blue 
Demons, though Lee gave Michigan 
the 2-0 lead with her 6-0, 6-3 victory.

DePaul roared back, winning the 

next two matches to even up the score. 
Remynse and Najarian couldn’t find 
their rhythm on their way to 3-6, 4-6 
and 2-6, 3-6 victories. The pair, along 
with Yurovsky, had a hard time on the 
floor as the Blue Demons gave them all 
they could handle.

“They just didn’t play that well and 

their energy wasn’t great,” Bernstein 
said. “They competed hard, but I don’t 
know if their body language and energy 
wasn’t as good as it needs to be. It was a 
bit of a struggle, but a lot of it was DePaul 
and how well they played them.”

Bektas gave the Wolverines the 

advantage with her 6-3, 6-4 win, giv-
ing them a 3-2 lead. In the end, Rud-
er-Hook won her match, 6-4, 6-4, 
and made a place for Michigan in the 
Sweet 16 for the fifth time in six years.

“I think those are the most fun 

moments,” Ruder-Hook said. “When 
everyone’s watching, you can just feel 
the energy. I’ve never had the oppor-
tunity to clinch a match and that’s 
exactly what I came here for.”

The Wolverines will face off against 

No. 6 Georgia in the next round of the 
tournament with a chance to advance 
to the Elite Eight for the first time in 
program history. After another strong 
weekend, it’s rinse and repeat for 
Michigan.

“There’s nothing to change, tennis-

wise,” Bernstein said. “I think we’re 
there now, we just got to relax.”

Countess, Norfleet leaving 
Michigan football program

By MAX COHEN 

Managing Sports Editor

The Michigan football team’s 

secondary will have a new 
look next season. Fans already 
received a glimpse of redshirt 
freshman Jabrill Peppers play-
ing safety in the Spring Game, 
but additional changes are on the 
way.

Fifth-year 

senior 
cor-

nerback 
Blake 

Countess 
announced 
on 

his 
Instagram 

on 
Wednesday 

afternoon 
that 

he will not be 
returning 
to 

Michigan for his 
final season of 
eligibility.

“My past four years here at the 

University of Michigan have been 
great!” Countess wrote. “Noth-
ing but love and appreciation 
for Ann Arbor, the faculty, the 
coaches, the support staff and the 
great fans but after many sleep-
less nights and much prayer I 
have decided to play my final year 
of eligibility elsewhere. I truly 
thank those that have been there 
for me and hope you would con-

tinue to do so. #ForeverGoBlue.”

Countess started 30 games for 

the Wolverines during his career. 
He recorded six interceptions in 
2013, a season in which he earned 
first team All-Big Ten honors 
from the media and second team 
All-Big Ten honors from the 
league’s coaches. Countess start-
ed 10 of Michigan’s 12 games last 

season.

One 
day 

before Count-
ess 
posted 

about 
his 

transfer, the 
Wolverines 
officially 
announced 
the 
transfer 

of 
fifth-year 

senior corner-
back 
Wayne 

Lyons from Stanford. Lyons will 
be immediately eligible because 
of his status as a graduate trans-
fer. His arrival had been rumored 
for months and was confirmed by 
Michigan secondary coach Mike 
Zordich during spring practice.

Lyons recorded 128 tackles, 

three interceptions and three 
forced fumbles for the Cardi-
nal, playing in 43 games. Lyons’ 
mother, 
Gwendolyn 
Bush, 

works for the football program 

as the director of player devel-
opment.

“He brings great experi-

ence and ability to our second-
ary and special teams unit,” 
Zordich said in a statement. “In 
addition, Wayne is a super indi-
vidual who will achieve great 
things both on the field and in 
his future career.”

***
As first reported by MLive.

com Tuesday afternoon, rising 
senior receiver and kick returner 
Dennis Norfleet has been dis-
missed from the Michigan foot-
ball team.

No formal announcement has 

been made by the program, but 
according to Dale Harvel, Nor-
fleet’s coach at Detroit’s Mar-
tin Luther King High School, 
the decision to remove Norfleet 
from the team was a disciplinary 
one.

“Evidently he was dismissed 

from the team, Dennis informed 
us he was no longer on the team,” 
Harvel told MLive Tuesday 
afternoon. “Something about a 
disciplinary thing between him 
and (Michigan coach Jim) Har-
baugh. Whether it was academ-
ics or something internal, I’m 
not sure. He just said they had a 
disagreement and he was let go.”

TERESA MATHEW/Daily

Seniors Blake Countess and Dennis Norfleet will leave the Michigan football team before its 2015 season begins

“I truly thank 
those that have 
been there for 

me.”

