The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
SportsMonday
September 14, 2015 — 3B

‘M’ finishes strong against Pitt

By DANIEL TACHNA-FRAM 

Daily Sports Writer

Michigan volleyball coach 

Mark Rosen’s message to his 
team Saturday night before its 
four-set victory over Pittsburgh 
was “learn as you go.” The 
undefeated 
Wolverines 
faced their 
toughest 
test of the season against an 
experienced Panthers team.

“We don’t have 30 matches 

we can watch on (Pittsburgh),” 
said junior middle blocker Abby 
Cole. “So we just learned as we 
went and we let up a little bit in 
set two, but we finished strong.”

After a hard-fought victory 

in the first set and a drubbing at 
the hands of the Panthers in the 
second, the Wolverines (9-0) 
came out in a new offensive 
system after the intermission.

Rosen switched from two 

setters to one, allowing him to 
add another player somewhere 
else on the court. The move gave 
Michigan either another attack 
option on offense or an extra 
back-row player to help shore 
up its defense and passing, both 
of which struggled in the first 
two sets.

The 
change 
became 
the 

difference in the game, as 
the Wolverines won the final 
two sets of the match in 
commanding fashion.

The first set quickly turned 

into an intense back-and-forth 
affair featuring 14 ties and seven 
lead changes. Trailing 18-17, 
Rosen took a timeout to try and 
slow Pittsburgh (7-2) down.

The break from the action 

worked, 
as 
the 
Wolverines 

captured 
the 
momentum 

immediately 
following 
the 

timeout and went on a 4-0 run 
to take a 21-18 lead. Pittsburgh 
battled back to tie the game at 
21, but Michigan answered with 
a 4-1 run to take the set, 25-22.

The 
Wolverines 
seemed 

primed to continue their surge 

straight through the second set, 
but the Panthers went on an 8-2 
run following a timeout to take 
a 9-7 lead.

They would never relinquish 

the lead, winning the second set 
by eight points, 25-17.

It was just the sixth set 

Michigan has lost all season, and 
the first in its last three games.

Though 

Michigan lost 
22 of the last 
32 
points 
in 

the second set, 
the Wolverines 
recovered 
in the third. 
Neither 
team 

could open up 
more than a 
two-point lead 
until Michigan 
went up 19-16 later in the set. 
The Wolverines continued to 
keep Pittsburgh at bay for the 
rest of the third set, taking it by 
a score of 25-22.

Sophomore 
opposite 
hitter 

Katherine Mahlke and senior 
setter Carly Warner both took 
full advantage of the increased 

roles they played under the new 
offensive system in the final 
two sets. Warner, who replaced 
freshman setter Maddy Abbott on 
the court to close out the match, 
provided assists on 19 of the 25 
points the Wolverines scored in 
the third set, accounting for all of 
Michigan’s kills.

“Nineteen kills is a lot of kills 

for one set,” 
Rosen 
said. 

“When you’re 
scoring 19 of 
your 25 points 
on 
flat-out 

kills, that’s a 
giant number. 
You’re 
normally 
going to get 
13-14 kills per 
set, so that 

means the offense was running 
really well.”

Warner served up seven of 

those 19 assists to Mahlke, who 
put on a dominant performance 
in the third set. At halftime, 
after deciding to switch to 
the 5-1 offense that featured 
Mahlke more heavily, Rosen 

challenged her to get more 
out of her spot. And she rose 
to the challenge. Mahlke led 
the Wolverines’ offense in the 
second half, recording eight 
kills while hitting .727.

Sophomore 
defensive 

specialist Caroline Knop put an 
exclamation point on the third 
set with her 13th kill of the 
night. Knop finished the match 
with a team-leading 17 kills.

This 
time 
Michigan 

successfully carried over its the 
momentum from its previous 
set victory. The Wolverines led 
nearly the entire fourth set, 
which was highlighted by an 
8-0 run. Cole finished the night 
and sealed the victory with her 
14th kill.

Despite its perfect start to 

the season, Michigan still feels 
it hasn’t peaked yet.

“What’s great is we could 

literally get so much better,” 
Knop said. “There’s so much 
room for improvement, and 
that’s why we’re so excited about 
this season and it’s fantastic. 
We have a legitimate chance to 
win a national championship.”

SAM MOUSIGIAN/Daily

Sophomore opposite hitter Katherine Mahlke totaled 12 kills in Michigan’s 3-1 win over Pittsburgh on Saturday night.

PITTSBURGH
MICHIGAN 

1
3

“That means 

the offense was 
really running 

well.”

Wolverines sweep weekend

By MITCH BECKMAN

Daily Sports Writer

The weekend didn’t start off 

ideally for the Michigan field 
hockey team.

Taking 
on 
Vermont, 
the 

Wolverines found themselves 
down a goal just five minutes into 
the match, as the Catamounts 
converted their first shot of the 
game.

The deficit didn’t last long, 

and Michigan never looked back, 
cruising to a 3-1 win and giving 
up only one more shot the rest of 
the game.

Just 
10 
minutes 
after 

Vermont’s early score, fifth year 
senior MacKenzie Ellis broke 
through 
for 
the 
Wolverines 

(4-2) on a penalty corner. The 
initial shot was blocked, but 
the rebound careened through 
the air to the left side of the net, 
where Ellis managed to out-reach 
several Vermont defenders and 
knock the ball into the net for her 
first career goal.

The offense held near-constant 

ball possession, tallying 26 shots 
on goal and keeping constant 
pressure on the Catamounts, 
pushing the ball to the net at 
every opportunit. Meanwhile, 
a suffocating defense rarely let 
Vermont see the Wolverines’ half 
of the field.

The 
Catamounts 
kept 

Michigan at bay for most of the 

first half, keeping balls away from 
Wolverine forwards and batting 
away any pass that threatened 
in the scoring circle, with the 
exception of Ellis’ goal.

“Vermont came out sharp,” 

said Michigan coach Marcia 
Pankratz. “We were on our heels 
and had to regroup after that first 
goal.”

In 
the 
second 
half, 
the 

Wolverines’ 
offense 
broke 

through. Michigan players were 
finding 
themselves 
open 
in 

the circle and getting sticks on 
loose balls. Courtney Enge and 
Shannon Scavelli added goals to 
take a 3-1 lead with 20 minutes 
left to play, and the final could 
have been far more lopsided 
if not for the acrobatics of the 
Catamount 
goalkeeper, 
who 

made 14 saves in the game.

“We needed more intensity in 

the second half,” Pankratz said. 

After two days of rest, the 

Wolverines faced off against 
Davidson on Sunday afternoon. 
The Wildcats clobbered Vermont 
8-1 on Saturday, and offered 
Michigan a stiffer test.

Michigan controlled the ball 

again from the get-go, keeping 
the ball in Davidson’s end for 
the first 20 minutes and taking 
a 1-0 lead on a penalty corner 
by sophomore midfielder Katie 
Trombetta.

Unlike the Vermont game on 

Friday, Davidson pushed back, 

using an opportunistic offense to 
create rushes and chances after 
Wolverine turnovers. However, 
the defense stayed strong and 
kept the Wildcats off the board 
until they converted a penalty 
corner as time expired.

At 
the 
64-minute 
mark, 

Scavelli struck for her second 
goal in as many games, finding a 
deflection from an outside shot 
right on her stick to the right 
of the Davidson goalie. Scavelli 
calmly slid the ball to the left side 
of the net, past the outstretched 
leg of the Wildcat goaltender.

Scavelli 
struck 
again 
30 

seconds later, this time launching 
a shot on the run from the top 
of the circle that soared over 
the outstretched glove of the 
Davidson goalie.

Michigan wasn’t done yet. 

Senior back Lauren Thomas 
pounded a penalty corner into the 
back of the net to give Michigan 
another goal just over a minute 
later, making it three goals in 
under two minutes. 

The sudden offensive outburst 

was a long time coming for the 
Wolverines, who tallied 48 shots 
in the two games but could only 
manage four goals before that 
stretch. With a major showdown 
against Penn State looming next 
Friday, the team did all it set out 
to do this weekend: get two wins, 
keep its momentum and build 
confidence.

FIELD HOCKEY

Michigan uses gritty 
performance in draw

Wolverines hold 
their own against 
No. 4 Maryland in 

College Park

By KEVIN SANTO 

Daily Sports Writer

When the Michigan men’s 

soccer team stepped into a 
boxing ring in College Park on 
Friday night, 6,294 fans wanted 
to see the 
Wolverines 
knocked 
out, 
like 

Rocky Balboa to Maryland’s 
Apollo Creed.

Michigan 
was 
ranked 

seventh in the Big Ten before 
the season. Maryland is the No. 
4 team in the nation.

Both teams went blow for 

blow with each other, going 
the distance in a 110-minute 
overtime battle. And both teams 
emerged battered and bruised 
with only one point to show for 
it.

“Very few teams in America 

are going to go to Maryland 
and get anything out of the 
game,” said Michigan coach 
Chaka Daley. “For us go there 
with their depth, their quality, 
their culture, their tradition, 
their fan base and to get a point 
… we’re not overly pleased 
and we’re not over the moon. 
But we’re satisfied with the 
work we put in tonight, so it’s 
a deserved point, and (we’re) 
slightly disappointed it wasn’t 
more.”

Michigan (0-0-1 Big Ten, 

2-1-1 overall) left the grudge 
match with a 0-0 tie against the 
Terrapins despite playing with a 
one-man advantage for the final 
35 minutes of play.

In 
the 
75th 
minute, 

sophomore 
defender 
Billy 

Stevens jumped to challenge 

Maryland 
midfielder 
Jorge 

Calix for a 50-50 head ball. As 
Calix landed, he flung his arm 
backwards at Stevens, making 
contact with his elbow.

Stevens left the field bloodied, 

while Calix was given a red card 
for the transgression.

Up 
to 
that 
point, 
the 

Wolverines were threatening 
with momentum in their favor. 
They had earned three corner 
kicks and fired four shots on 
net, and looked significantly 
more comfortable combining in 
their attacking third.

After the red card, Maryland 

(0-0-1, 2-1-2) caught Michigan 
on its heels. The Terrapins 
controlled possession for the 
final 15 minutes of regulation, 
pushing 
several 
passes 
out 

wide 
before 
serving 
them 

into the 18-yard-box for shot 
opportunities. 
In the final five 
minutes alone 
Maryland 
midfielder 
Mael 
Corboz 

had two shots, 
took 
two 

corner 
kicks 

and 
earned 

a 
dangerous 

free kick at the 
18.

But 
prior 

to the incident with Stevens, 
the Wolverines found a way 
to outplay the fourth-ranked 
team in the nation. Maryland 
tries to beat its opponents in 
the opening 20 minutes by 
applying immense pressure and 
scoring goals to give a defensive 
cushion.

In the first half, however, 

Michigan applied a pressure 
of its own rather than electing 
to sit back and absorb the 
Terrapins’ attack.

Though 
senior 
midfielder 

James Murphy left the game 
in 
the 
10th 
minute 
with 

a 
lower-body 
injury, 
the 

combination of freshman Ivo 
Cerda, junior Brett Nason and 
redshirt sophomore Michael 
Kapitula were disruptive in the 
midfield, preventing Maryland 
from dictating the pace and 
establishing 
any 
consistent 

possession.

Daley said he was trying to 

force Maryland to play the ball 
directly from its defenders to 
its forwards, because he felt 
his back line would have the 
advantage at winning long balls 
out of the air.

“We didn’t want them to 

dictate play through their best 
players, which were (Corboz) 
and (Tsubasa Endoh),” Daley 
said. 
“Maryland 
is 
a 
top 

team. You’re not going to get 
everything right. The guys did 
a great job of weathering the 
storm when they needed to.”

The 
two 

overtime 
periods 
seemed 
to 
favor 

Michigan, 
as 
the 

Wolverines 
outshot 
the 

Terrapins, 5-1. 
But 
neither 

team found a 
way to break 
the stalemate 

before the final whistle.

Still, Michigan finished the 

game with an advantage in 
corner kicks (7-3) and shots (15-
12). Both teams combined for 34 
fouls, three yellow cards and a 
red card — a stat line that leaves 
no doubt about the matchup’s 
phsyicality.

While neither team could 

deliver 
a 
knockout 
punch, 

each had its fair share of blows 
landed. By the time the fight 
was over, Michigan — a team 
that was written off as an 
afterthought in the Big Ten — 
proved it could stand toe to toe 
with the best in the nation.

MICHIGAN 
MARYLAND 

0
0

Fighting Irish 
stop Michigan

By SYED FAHD AHSAN

Daily Sports Writer

The Michigan women’s soccer 

team has had a tumultuous start 
to the season. Despite scoring 22 
goals and conceding just six, the 
Wolverines hold a mediocre 5-3 
record.

And 

when faced 
with their 
toughest challenge yet in No. 13 
Notre Dame (7-0-1), the obstacle 
proved too large to hurdle, as 
Michigan fell to the Fighting Irish 
on Sunday night, 2-0.

Michigan coach Greg Ryan 

paid tribute to the quality of the 
opposition following the loss.

“Let’s not forget Notre Dame 

are a great team,” Ryan said. 
“In all their games this season, 
they’ve only let in a total of 
15 
shots. 
(That’s) 
fantastic 

defending.”

The 
hallmark 
of 
the 

Wolverines’ season thus far has 
been their ability to set up shots 
and create scoring opportunities 
for themselves at any point in 
the game. But the Fighting Irish 
restricted them to just three 
shots in 90 minutes while testing 
Michigan with nine of their own.

Defense 
wasn’t 
the 
only 

problem.

“Our play in midfield was 

fantastic,” 
Ryan 
said. 
“The 

midfielders 
moved 
the 
ball 

around the field really well, and 
managed to get it to the forwards 
most of the time. But then we 
would lose possession. I need to 
work on our strikers holding the 
ball up the field.”

While 
Michigan 
struggled 

on offense, Notre Dame’s attack 
proved clinical. The Fighting 
Irish scored both goals in the 
opening 45 minutes.

The first goal came from a 

free kick. Though sophomore 

goalkeeper Megan Hinz kept 
defender Katie Naughton’s initial 
header out, she parried the ball 
into the path of forward Natalie 
Jacobs, who pounced on the 
rebound. The second goal rattled 
in off the near post, knocked in 
by forward Anna Gilbertson. The 
Wolverines’ best chance of the 
game didn’t come until the 40th 
minute, when senior midfielder 
Corinne Harris forced the Notre 
Dame goalkeeper into a diving 
save with a shot from outside the 
18-yard box.

The second half started with 

a Michigan substitution: Hinz 
was replaced with freshman 
goalkeeper Sarah Jackson, who 
had played just 24 minutes prior 
to Sunday. Jackson fared better 
than Hinz did, escaping the half 
without conceding a goal.

“After conceding two goals we 

needed a better performance in 
goal,” Ryan said. “Sarah did very 
well after coming on. It’s good to 
know we have someone who can 
come on against a top opponent 
and not give up a goal.”

Ryan acknowledged that Hinz 

had to deal with more pressure on 
her goal than Jackson did. Notre 
Dame played a brilliant first 
half and came into the second 
looking to hold on to its lead. The 
next 45 minutes featured the 
Fighting Irish defending deep 
and trying to catch Michigan on 
 

counterattacks. As a result, Notre 
Dame managed just three shots 
in the second half, compared to 
six in the first.

Given the way both Michigan 

keepers fared in the game, Ryan 
didn’t rule out the prospect of her 
earning the starting role later in 
the season.

“(Hinz) conceded one on her 

near post,” Ryan said. “I’ll have 
to go over the footage and review 
her performance, and then we’ll 
see from there.”

MEN’S SOCCER

“We’re satisfied 
with the work 

we put in 
tonight.”

WOMEN’S SOCCER

NOTRE DAME
MICHIGAN 

2
0

