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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