The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
SportsMonday
September 28, 2015 — 3B
‘M’ splits weekend games
By NATHANIEL CLARK
Daily Sports Writer
American
general
George
Patton once said, “Success is
how high you bounce after you
hit bottom.”
The
Michigan
women’s
volleyball team found out what
Patton meant this weekend.
Friday, the Wolverines fell to No.
20 Purdue, 3-0, and they were
outblocked, 9-2. On Saturday,
however, Michigan rebounded
to defeat Indiana, 3-1.
“We were going to see what
our team was made of coming off
a tough loss (Friday night),” said
Michigan coach Mark Rosen.
Against
the
Boilermakers,
the first set featured a back-
and-forth that left the score
tied at 23. But a kill by Purdue’s
Danielle Cuttino and an attack
error by Michigan sophomore
outside hitter Adeja Lambert
gave Purdue the final leg up in its
25-23 victory.
“The
first
set
was
an
unbelievable
volleyball
set,”
Rosen said. “Both teams were
just going back and forth. For us
to side out at 75 percent and lose,
that’s amazing. It just means the
game is playing so purely.”
The second set began much
like the first, as Michigan found
itself clinging to a 12-10 lead.
But Purdue proceeded to go on
a 5-0 run to give itself the upper
hand once again, which the
Boilermakers did not relinquish
in their 25-19 win.
Purdue continued its winning
ways in the third set when it
went on a 6-1 run en route to a
25-18 victory.
Despite the loss, there were
bright spots for the Wolverines.
Lambert ended the night with
14 kills, surpassing her previous
season high of 13. Freshman
setter Maddy Abbott notched
two service aces and 18 assists.
“I’ve been working on my
out-of-systems shot in practice
and just being an all around
better player,” Lambert said.
“Whatever I can do to help my
team out, that’s my goal.”
Saturday, it was clear that
Michigan wasn’t the same team
that had lost the night before.
In the first set against the
Hoosiers,
the
Wolverines
opened up a 14-8 advantage
before allowing Indiana three
unanswered points. Then junior
middle blocker Abby Cole came
up with a kill, which stunted
the Hoosiers’ momentum as
Michigan triumphed, 25-16.
“The
first
set
was
outstanding,” Rosen said. “We
jumped out and blocked really
well, and blocking is a big focus
point for us.”
At first, it appeared that the
Wolverines would continue their
success with a seven-point lead.
But Indiana stormed back with
an 8-0 run. Luckily for Michigan,
freshman Carly Skjodt stopped
the bleeding with a kill.
The damage had already been
done, though, as the set went
back and forth before a shot by
Skjodt landed just out of bounds
to give the Hoosiers a 25-23 win.
“We got complacent,” Rosen
said. “This team has in no
way earned the right to be
complacent, not that any team
has. We’re not far along (enough)
in our development for that.”
The heartbreak proved to
be an aberration, as Michigan
held Indiana to a -.032 hitting
percentage in set number three.
Led by Cole’s five kills, the
Wolverines topped the Hoosiers
25-14.
Cole and Michigan continued
to dominate in the final set, as
6-0 and 5-1 runs propelled the
Wolverines to a 25-16 set victory.
Cole ended the night with 14
kills and 10 blocks, her second
double-double this season.
“Our centers did a really good
job of connecting with the other
centers and me tonight,” Cole
said.
In Friday’s match, Michigan
was outblocked, 9-2, and could
only
muster
a
.193
hitting
percentage.
In
Saturday’s
contest, the Wolverines notched
13 blocks to the Hoosiers’ eight,
all while compiling a .336 hitting
percentage.
The differences between the
Purdue and Indiana went well
beyond those seen on a stat sheet.
Saturday’s victory proved that
Michigan was resilient enough
to bounce back from a tough loss.
“One of the adjustments our
coaches wanted us to make is
to learn as you go,” Cole said.
“As long as we’re consistent and
learning as we go, we’ll be fine.”
Michigan drops
rivalry matchup
in East Lansing
The Wolverines
struggled from the
outset against MSU
on Friday
By LELAND MITCHINSON
Daily Sports Writer
It took less than a minute for
the Michigan women’s soccer
team
to
fall behind
against
Michigan
State on Friday.
Spartans midfielder Michaela
Kovacs capitalized on a rebound
inside the 18-yard box to open
the scoring 46 seconds into the
game, putting the Wolverines in
a hole early.
It was a
quick
start
to a long day
for Michigan
as it fell to
Michigan
State,
3-0.
The
Wolverines
dropped
to
7-4 (2-1 Big
Ten) on the
season with the loss.
“Our team was flat the entire
day,” said Michigan coach Greg
Ryan. “They won’t make excuses
for themselves. I won’t make
excuses for them. They did not
put in effort representing the
kind of Michigan we want to
represent when we step on the
field, and this is what happens.”
One of the Wolverines’ best
chances of the game came in
the sixth minute, when senior
midfielder Corinne Harris took
a shot from inside the 18-yard
box that hit the crossbar.
“We got a little unlucky,
a couple shots off the post,”
Harris said. “Overall we were
just battling, they were battling,
and they knocked theirs in and
we didn’t. That’s something we
are going to keep working on
this week and for the rest of the
season.”
While Michigan had won
three straight over the Spartans
coming in, the Wolverines were
never really in Friday’s game.
They conceded more goals than
they had in any other game
so far this season, and did not
put any real pressure on the
opposing defense.
Michigan had twice as many
shots as Michigan State, but
the Wolverines forced Spartans
goaltender Gabrielle Gauruder
to make just two saves.
On the other side of the
ball, it was the opposite story.
Michigan State took just seven
shots but scored three goals.
If it weren’t for sophomore
goalkeeper Megan Hinz’s two
saves, the fixture may have been
even more lopsided.
Michigan
had
some
opportunities on set pieces,
drawing
12
fouls,
but
the
Wolverines were unable to take
advantage of any of the dead-
ball situations.
“Every
single
year
we
play them it’s a huge battle,”
Harris said. “Michigan State
is obviously one of our biggest
rivals, so I think
both
teams
anticipate
the
game for a long
time.
They
came
out
on
top today and
had the better
chances,
and
knocked them
in, so all credit
to them.”
One of the
Spartans’ fouls did turn into
an opportunity for Michigan in
the 58th minute, when senior
defender
Christina
Murillo
hit a free kick on frame.
But Gauruder was up to the
challenge, tipping it over the
crossbar for a Michigan corner.
Junior
defender
Anna
Soccorsi was the only player
to play every minute for the
Wolverines, as 10 substitutes
saw action for Michigan. The
bench also played a large role
for Michigan State, as its goals
in the 61st and 67th minutes
came from substitutes Kristelle
Yewah and Erica Goodenough,
respectively.
“I think they are going to get
a couple of days’ rest,” Ryan
said. “This is finally a little bit
of a break for us. Hopefully they
will get some energy back and
hopefully bring some fresh legs,
fresh minds and fresh hearts to
the next contest.”
Michigan, which has not won
on the road this year, will have
plenty of lessons to learn from
its contest against Michigan
State, with games at Maryland
and No. 2 Rutgers looming next
week.
DELANEY RYAN/Daily
The Michigan volleyball team experienced mixed results in its weekend games against Indiana and Purdue.
WOMEN’S SOCCER
MICHIGAN
MSU
0
3
“They came out
on top today
and had the
better chances.”
THE MICHIGAN
DAILY TOP-10 POLL
2. OLE MISS: The University of
Mississippi changed its name
to Ole Miss because 85% of its
football recruits couldn’t spell
“University” or “Mississippi”.
1. OHIO STATE: The Buckeyes
beat P.J. Fleck. The nerve of
some people. The nerve of many
people, actually.
9. NOTRE DAME: The Irish-
Michigan rivalry game could
be renewed. In the meantime,
Notre Dame has replaced it with
a tough test against UMass.
3. MICHIGAN STATE: What
do you get when you add a
compass direction and the
word “Michigan”? Half of the
Spartans’ grueling schedule so
far this season.
6. UCLA: The Bruins
embarrassed Rich Rodriguez’s
Arizona team in front of a
national audience on Saturday
night. Nice.
5. BAYLOR: Baylor? I barely
kn... Actually, we know her
pretty well now.
7. UTAH: Michigan’s loss to the
Utes’ looks better every week.
4. TCU: Who knew Fox was
re-airing the 2005 Alamo Bowl?
8. LSU: Trump-Fournette 2016.
They will Make America Great
Again.
10. GEORGIA: Chubb loves it
when he can get some action
down South. He came up big
this week in a pounding of
Southern.
Each week, Daily sports staffers fill out
ballots, with first place votes receiving 10
points, second-place votes receiving nine
and so on.
Wolverines blank
Nittany Lions, 2-0
Mellors-Blair,
Atahuene score as
Michigan moves to
2-0 in Big Ten
By AVI SHOLKOFF
For the Daily
When it comes to generating
scoring chances, the Michigan
men’s
soccer
team
prefers
quality
to
quantity.
That
much was clear Sunday, as the
Wolverines defeated Penn State
(1-1-1 Big Ten, 4-2-2, overall),
2-0,
despite
being
outshot,
15-6. Michigan claimed sole
possession of first place in the
Big Ten with the victory.
“There
were
only
two
shots that were dangerous to
(sophomore goalkeeper Evan
Louro) and both came in the
first half,” Daley said. “The
quality of shots, and quality of
chances is what we live on.”
The
Wolverines
(2-0-0,
5-2-1) scored the first goal of
the game in the 35th minute,
when senior forward William
Mellors-Blair took a pass from
redshirt sophomore midfielder
Michael Kapitula and buried a
shot in the bottom right corner.
Kapitula continues to impress
this season in his first year of
extended playing time.
“He’s fully recovered now,”
Daley said. “He came into the
season super fit and passionate.
He’s a great team player.”
Mellors-Blair continues to
excel, leading the team in shots
and scoring his third goal for
the season — good for second on
the team.
But after the opening goal,
neither team found the net until
after halftime.
At the half, Daley urged his
team to maintain possession
of the ball and create its own
offensive tempo. Michigan kept
its usual 4-3-3 formation despite
Penn State‘s switch to a 4-4-2.
“(After) halftime is when you
want to go for it, in the first 15
or 20 minutes,” Daley said. “The
last 30 minutes are always going
be challenging, especially in a
1-0 game.”
Louro continued to shine for
the Wolverines. The sophomore
had five saves in his third
clean sheet of the season and
anchored a defense that faced
the constant offensive threat of
Penn State midfielder Connor
Maloney and forward Dayonn
Harris. The two combined for
eight shots, including three on
goal.
Louro’s
best
goalkeeping
came in the 83rd minute, when
he came off the line to make a
save just outside the six-yard
box. The netminder realized
that certain saves can mean a
lot more than simply keeping a
team from scoring.
“If I make a save like that or
a defender blocks a shot, it gives
the team confidence that we’re
going to win the game,” Louro
said.
The block led to a final
offensive
counter
attack
for
Michigan
that
allowed
freshman
forward
Francis
Atuahene to finish off an
insurance goal.
Atuahene — the Big Ten
leader in goals — found the back
of the net in the 89th minute.
Atauahene took a break to
start the second half, but his
teammates made sure to not let
up in his absence.
“We’re a team,” Daley said.
“It’s not one player that is more
important than the other. Plenty
of players do a job in a variety
of areas. We wanted to look at
something different when were
giving (Atuahene) a break.”
With yet another impressive
performance against a ranked
opponent, the Wolverines have
made one thing clear: They may
not dominate the stat sheet,
but they will continue to make
good on the chances they get.
MEN’S SOCCER
PENN STATE
MICHIGAN
0
2