The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com SportsMonday October 5, 2015 — 3B Wolverines sweep weekend matchups By ORION SANG For the Daily Led by senior forward Shannon Scavelli’s game- winning goal, the Michigan field hockey team pulled out a 2-1 victory against Indiana on Sunday afternoon. The close win capped off a weekend that also included a 5-0 win against Pacific. The Wolverines (3-1 Big Ten, 9-3 overall) were locked in a tight battle throughout Sunday’s game against the Hoosiers (2-1, 6-5). “Indiana is a good team,” said Michigan coach Marcia Pankratz. “We knew they were going to come in here really fired up.” The Wolverines were in danger of falling behind early if not for a save on an Indiana corner by sophomore goalie Sam Swenson, who only allowed one goal over two games this weekend. But while Swenson was reliable in goal, Michigan struggled to get its offense going, especially on corners; they were 0-for-8 on such opportunities. Eventually, the Wolverines got on the board when fifth- year senior back Mackenzie Ellis buried a penalty stroke with 10 minutes left in the first half. Michigan took its one- goal lead into halftime but lost it less than two minutes into the second half when the Hoosiers converted a penalty corner. Indiana’s Kate Barber slapped a shot past Swenson’s outstretched stick, and the game was tied once again. Both teams missed multiple opportunities to take a 2-1 advantage before Scavelli notched the game-winning goal with 13 minutes left. It was Scavelli’s sixth goal of the season, placing her well on track to pass her career- best total of seven from last year. Scavelli will have at least seven more games to notch her seventh goal. “It feels good,” Scavelli said. “No matter who scores, as long as we win, that’s the most important thing.” The Hoosiers pulled their goalie soon after Scavelli’s goal but were unable to find an equalizer. The hard-fought victory was crucial for the Wolverines, who jumped from fourth to third in the Big Ten standings. “We pulled out an important win,” Pankratz said. “I was proud of the team for that.” The Wolverines were sharper against Pacific two nights earlier, as five different players scored to lead Michigan to a 5-0 triumph. It was the most goals the Wolverines have scored this season, and they netted four in the second half alone. Swenson posted her fourth shutout of the season, and the defense held the Tigers to just four shots. With the two victories, Michigan has now won nine of its last 10 games, and looks to continue its momentum into next week’s matchup with Iowa. “We need to continue to work to get better on goal scoring, transferring the ball and prepare for Iowa’s tactics,” Pankratz said. “It’ll be a good week of preparation for us.” ‘M’ rallies past Michigan State Wolverines recover after dropping first two sets By ETHAN WOLFE For the Daily With state pride on the line, the sold-out crowd at Cliff Keen Arena witnessed a thriller Saturday night. Coming off a 3-0 loss to Michigan State in East Lansing in the previous meeting Sept. 30 and with its Big Ten reputation at stake, the Michigan volleyball team knew it could not fall to 1-3 in conference play. The Wolverines bounced back to beat the Spartans 3-2 in stunning fashion after falling into a 2-0 hole early on. The Spartans displayed excellent blocking from the first set, blocking seven shots throughout the set. The Spartans took the set, 25-18, with Michigan recording just 12 kills and a meager 15.6 attack percentage. The second set was competitive until Michigan State went on a 4-0 run to take a 20-16 lead, which led the Wolverines to take a timeout. The Spartans continued their surge, finishing the set with a victory 25-21. Despite a 2-0 deficit, the Wolverines responded strongly. “After getting down, 2-0, we just wanted to go after it,” said sophomore right-side hitter Katherine Mahlke, who ended the night with 14 kills. “We weren’t going to roll over and let Michigan State take a 3-0 win over us.” Down 2-0, sophomore defensive specialist Caroline Knop showcased aggressive hitting and unparalleled intensity in the third set. She finished the game with a double-double of 13 kills and 17 digs. After the set was tied, 12-12, Michigan pulled ahead with five straight points to lead, 17-12. The Wolverines closed the set with a 25-20 victory. Michigan was in the driver’s seat for the fourth set, as a dynamic offense pushed the Wolverines to a dominant 25-13 win to tie the match. The fifth and final set was highlighted by the performance of sophomore opposite hitter Adeja Lambert, who had four kills in the set. After falling behind, 9-10, the Wolverines rallied and scored six straight points to win the set 15-10. “When you have a team like Michigan State, you always have to give your best and go hard all the time,” Lambert said. “When we did that in the final set, things turned around really quickly.” Added Michigan coach Mark Rosen: “I’m really proud of Adeja. She’s such a hard worker — she’s just getting better every day. I’m really proud of how she’s developing. She’s still a young player, but she’s carrying a lot of the load right now.” Although Rosen showed enthusiasm over his team’s victory, he stressed the importance of the team’s growth. Despite a 12-3 start and being ranked No. 23 in the country, they remain seventh in the Big Ten standings. “Michigan State is very physical,” Rosen said. “They’re one of the more physical teams in the Big Ten. As soon as we spread them out, we started to create more space between their blockers so I thought that was the biggest difference our offense made.” Added Mahlke: “Every point is as important as the last so I think our mentality was that we didn’t want to give up even one. I think going after every point made the difference.” ‘M’ cruises past Toronto Wolverines break open home exhibition game in third period By JASON RUBINSTEIN Daily Sports Editor Michigan hockey coach Red Berenson said earlier this week he wanted to find out what kind of team he had after the Wolverines’ top three point scorers either graduated or signed with an NHL club. If Sunday’s exhibition against Toronto was any indication, the wily veteran coach found out in a manner of seconds. Just 10 ticks into the game, senior forward Justin Selman took a pass from senior forward Boo Nieves and found twine for what he called the fastest goal he has ever scored. “That’s one of those things that is a kiss of death,” Berenson said, “but tonight, it was good.” The 13th-ranked Wolverines cruised from there, beating Toronto 8-1. Michigan dominated the Varsity Blues from the opening puck drop, outshooting them 21-3 in the first frame and 54-12 for the game. “It’s a hard game to gauge,” Berenson said. Michigan’s attack was dormant for a while, but sophomore defenseman Zach Werenski doubled the score with five minutes left in second period when he found a loose puck outside of the dot and sniped it past Toronto netminder Michael Nishi. That’s when the Wolverines started to run away. Less than a minute after Werenski’s goal, junior defenseman Nolan De Jong blasted one from the blue line that Nishi never saw. And soon after that, freshman forward Brendan Warren lit the lamp with a rebound opportunity. Junior forward JT Compher had a memorable start to his season, after a slow start last year, scoring two goals in the third period. He first blasted in a one-timer and then sniped another in with seven minutes remaining in the game. “It’s nice for a lot of guys to get goals tonight,” Compher said. “Overall, we are happy with the amount of shots we had.” Last season, Michigan’s defense was its Achilles’ heel. But with a more experienced unit, and the addition of freshmen Nicholas Boka and Joeseph Cecconi, it looked liked a completely different group. The defense often immediately cleared the puck along the boards when it entered the zone, something the coaching staff heavily preached prior to the season. One of the bigger storylines heading into the season was how freshman forward Kyle Connor would adjust to the college game after dominating the United States Hockey League for three seasons. It didn’t take long to notice there wasn’t much of a transition. Connor was often in the right place at the right time, had a few point-blank chances and seemingly always made the smart play. “He showed flashes of his quickness, his fast release, and he could’ve had a couple of goals tonight as easy as not,” Berenson said. “I think he’ll do great.” Added Selman, Connor’s line mate: “I think he jumped in and made an impact. He’s living up to his name so far and set up Boo and I really well.” Junior goaltender Zach Nagelvoort got the start between the pipes after Berenson refused to name a starter earlier in the week. Berenson said Nagelvoort, senior Steve Racine and freshman Chad Catt would all see time. So after Nagelvoort stopped all three shots in the first period, Berenson opted to put senior Steve Racine in net for the second period and Catt for the third. After the game, Berenson didn’t say who he’d start for the regular-season opener in two weeks. Racine saw just five shots but let in a goal off a tricky redirection, while Catt made saves on each shot he faced. And with an offense that already looks like it has potential to be better than last year’s, Berenson has a reason to smile. SAM MOUSIGIAN/Daily Senior forward Justin Selman scored just 10 seconds into Michigan’s exhibition game against Toronto on Sunday. TORONTO MICHIGAN 1 8 “He’s living up to his name so far and set up Boo and I really well.” ‘M’ dominates in Louisville meet By SYLVANNA GROSS Daily Sports Writer Mason Ferlic knew that making his season debut in the fourth cross country meet of the year would be a test of how well he has trained so far. When the fifth-year senior came in first place in a field of 213 athletes, he passed that test. He was one of just six athletes to finish under 24 minutes with a time of 23:51.52. Saturday, the Michigan men’s and women’s cross country teams traveled to Louisville, Ky., to compete in the Greater Louisville Classic. The men’s 8,000-meter race started off the day, and Ferlic set the tone for the Wolverines. His performance helped lead the Wolverines to a second-place finish to complement the women’s first-place title. “The plan was to delay the start of the season because my track season went so long,” Ferlic said. “My focus is on the championship season, so I felt like I didn’t need the race experience but I just wanted to get in some intense training. So that’s what I did, and it paid off. “I feel like I’m the most fit I’ve ever been, and I feel like I’m at a point where I can sustain this level and keep it going. This race was an affirmation.” Ferlic led a tight pack with just 10 seconds between him and the seventh-place finisher, earning his first individual victory since the Notre Dame Blue & Gold Invitational in 2014. His absence has been noticeable in previous events this season, even though it gave several other athletes a chance to shine. Nine of the 12 Michigan athletes competing made it into the top 50. Fifth-year senior Nick Posada (20th), redshirt sophomore Micah Beller (38th) and redshirt junior Jarred Bratley (53rd) all ran personal bests. Not to be outdone, the women clinched not only first, but second place as well, with junior Erin Finn and senior Shannon Osika recording times of 16:48.23 and 16:50.09, respectively. The two led the Wolverines to a first-place finish on the 5,000-meter course, making this the eighth straight time Finn has led the team to victory. Finn only realized it was her teammate that was trailing her during the last moments of the race — something that made the last half-mile more enjoyable. “Racing against a different team’s athlete is much different than racing against your own,” Finn said. “During the race, it was harder than I thought — I went in with slightly dead legs from practicing too hard. It was definitely a grind, but I just looked ahead and told myself, ‘You’ve done this before, you can do it again.’ I knew it was going to hurt, but I did it.” On top of Finn’s resilience, five athletes claimed personal records, including Osika, junior Gina Sereno (eighth), redshirt sophomore Sophie Linn (16th), her classmate Jamie Phelan (18th) and senior Taylor Manett (25th). Michigan women’s head coach Mike McGuire has made the Wolverines’ depth a consistent factor on the team. According to him this weekend was “their best to date.” “Last year we had a lot of pressure ranked as No. 1, and it got to our heads so we didn’t race as well,” Osika said. “We’re learning to race together and feed off of each other. We are exactly where we need to be fitness-wise. We have been doing some really great workouts and I feel like our progression is escalating.” The course will be the site of the NCAA Championships on Nov. 21, so the runners felt it helped them prepare for championship season. Both Michigan coaches — Kevin Sullivan for the men’s and McGuire for the women’s — are focused on replicating this win. And for the men’s squad, they’re looking especially for that Big Ten win after finishing runner-up for the past two years. ALLISON FARRAND/Daily Erin Finn (#2) finished first in the women’s field at the Greater Louisville Classic. FIELD HOCKEY PACIFIC MICHIGAN 0 5 INDIANA MICHIGAN 1 2 “We knew they were going to come in here really fired up.” VOLLEYBALL MICH. STATE MICHIGAN 2 3