Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Tuesday, January 26, 2016 — 7

‘M’ goes 3-2 in California

No. 12 Michigan
plays three top-10
teams, knocks off

No. 8 San Jose State

By BILLY STAMPFL

Daily Sports Writer

Tough competition and hard-

fought matches highlighted an
overall successful weekend for
the Michigan women’s water
polo team, which won three of
its five games in Santa Barbara
to open the 2016 season. Three
of those matches pitted the
12th-ranked Wolverines against
teams in the top eight nationally.

“I feel like we got tested,” said

coach Marcelo Leonardi. “We
used it as a measurement to see
where we’re at as a team, and
overall I think we performed
pretty well.”

Though the weekend began

on a somewhat sour note with
an 11-10 loss to No. 7 Hawaii — a
game in which Rainbow Wahine
sophomore
Nikki-Marie
Bell

scored the game-winning goal
with just three seconds left —
Michigan rebounded in its next
match, defeating No. 19 Cal State
Northridge by a score of 12-4.

The Wolverines carried their

momentum forward, winning
two
more
games
Saturday

afternoon and Sunday morning
— which included a rout of No.
24 Cal Baptist and a stellar
offensive performance against
No. 8 San Jose State in which
Michigan won, 18-9. But the
Wolverines’ run was cut short,
as they fell to No. 2 UCLA,
11-7, in the final game of the
weekend.

Despite
the
loss
to
the

powerhouse
Bruins,
Leonardi

praised his team, especially senior
Ali Thomason, as they prepared to
head back to Ann Arbor.

“I have to give props —

(Thomason) had a fantastic
weekend,” Leonardi said. “She’s
not just a scorer. She’s doing it on
both sides of the pool.”

Though
Leonardi
always

appreciates
the
efforts
of

Thomason and the rest of an
experienced
core, he also
acknowledged
the
contributions
his
younger

players made.
The
second-

year coach is
introducing
his
first

recruiting
class this season.

“Our freshmen all played

quality minutes almost every
single game,” Leonardi said. “I
expect the front string that I’ve

recruited to come in and make
an immediate impact, which
they did.”

In Friday’s opening contest,

four Wolverines made their
collegiate
debut,
including

freshman Kim Johnson, who
started all five games to begin

her Michigan
career.

“In my very

first
game,

there
were

some jitters,”
Johnson said.
“But
overall

I don’t really
get butterflies
— I just get
excited.
I

mostly get pumped up by the
close games and the excitement
of it all.”

If
any
anxiety
existed,

Johnson seemed to eradicate

it fairly quickly, scoring three
goals each in three of her first
four games and finishing with
a total of 12 goals in the five
matches combined.

Johnson’s
comfort
and

immediate impact are perhaps
a product of having her older
sister, Danielle, a junior, on the
team as well. The two last played
together in high school, and have
always had great chemistry.

“It’s so much fun having

her here,” Kim Johnson said.
“Danielle is my best friend, and
we have a great dynamic in the
water. I’m so happy we ended up
at Michigan together.”

Leonardi should be happy,

too, as the Wolverines are off to
a fast start in 2016. Chemistry,
not just between the Johnson
sisters but throughout the team
as a whole, certainly has had
something to do with it.

FILE PHOTO/Daily

Senior Ali Thomason drew praise from coach Marcelo Leonardi for her play in the team’s opening weekend.

“I don’t really
get butterflies

— I just get

excited.”

WRESTLING
Bruno, Pantaleo
stand out in wins

By NATHANIEL CLARK

Daily Sports Writer

Much has been made in recent

weeks about the No. 8 Michigan
wrestling
team’s
“Murderer’s

Row,” as sixth-year senior Max
Huntley called it.

The
term
refers
to
the

Wolverines’
184-pound,
197-

pound
and
heavyweight

wrestlers — junior Domenic
Abounader, Huntley and junior
Adam Coon, respectively. All
three are undefeated in dual
play and were as strong as ever
in Michigan’s 22-12 victory over
No. 19 Central Michigan on
Friday and its 33-6 win against
No. 21 Indiana on Sunday.

While
their
contributions

have been crucial to Michigan’s
success, they are not the only
ones propelling the Wolverines
to victory.

Some of the lighter-weight

wrestlers
have
shined
for

Michigan as of late. Senior Rossi
Bruno (6-2 in dual-meet play) at
133 pounds and sophomore Alec
Pantaleo (7-1) at 149 pounds
have stood out, especially over
the weekend.

“Our guys did a great job of

scoring points,” said Michigan
coach Joe McFarland. “(The fans)
come for a lot of action and guys
scoring points, and we did a great
job of that today.”

Bruno, who entered Friday’s

match ranked No. 17 in the
country, began the weekend
with a 4-2 overtime win over
the Chippewas’ Corey Keener.
Bruno scored an escape point
late in the third period to force
overtime
and
was
quickly

awarded
a
bout-winning

takedown in the extra period.

He continued his winning

ways Sunday with a 15-2 major-
decision
victory
over
the

Hoosiers’
Alonzo
Shepherd.

Bruno broke open his match
in the second period with a
takedown and a near fall to
go ahead 8-0. The triumph
proved momentum-shifting as it
followed a close loss by redshirt
junior Conor Youtsey, 5-4, at the
hands of Indiana’s Elijah Oliver
at 125-pounds.

“I thought I wrestled hard,

but there’s always places to
improve on,” Bruno said. “So I
don’t think I had two perfect
matches, but definitely two
steps in the right direction.”

Pantaleo, meanwhile, showed

why he entered the weekend
ranked sixth at 149 pounds. He
came out Friday with a 10-4 win
over Central Michigan’s Colin
Heffernan to put the Wolverines
in front, 9-3. Pantaleo buoyed
himself with a near fall and two
takedowns in the second period.

Sunday proved to be almost no

different for Pantaleo. He used
a three-point third period to
top Indiana’s Luke Blanton, 7-2.
Pantaleo’s victory gave Michigan
a 10-3 lead at the time.

“When I step on the mat, I

want to dominate everyone I
wrestle,” Pantaleo said.

With a matchup at No. 1 Penn

State looming on Jan. 31, the
Wolverines will be looking for
any matchup advantage they can
find, especially those outside
of their “Murderer’s Row.” But
Bruno said he feels Michigan can
draw off its experience from its
21-11 win at then-No. 6 Ohio State
on Jan. 9 and be up for the Nittany
Lions’ challenge.

“We’re just going to keep doing

the things we’ve been doing,”
Bruno said. “The big thing is not
letting the hype of Penn State
get to us. If we can model the
execution we had (against Ohio
State), we should be good.”

‘M’ uses home-court advantage

By ORION SANG

Daily Sports Writer

The tension in the air was

palpable as all eyes fixed upon
center court.

With a win from senior Ronit

Yurovsky, the No. 14 Michigan
women’s tennis team would
win its match against No. 24
Kentucky and guarantee a berth
in the ITA Indoor Championship.

As
the
match
reached
a

tiebreaker in the second set,
Yurovsky’s teammates gathered
on the courts around her and
began
to
cheer
louder
and

louder. The crowd at the Varsity
Tennis Center made its presence
heard as well, with shouts of
encouragement.

When Yurovsky ripped off five

straight points to win her match
and give the Wolverines the dual-
meet victory, the noise reached a
crescendo.

The crowd erupted, and her

teammates rushed onto to the
court.

For Michigan, this is as much a

part of the game as what actually
occurs on the court.

“When I’m the last one on the

court, it doesn’t feel like I’m alone
because (my teammates are) all
standing there,” Yurovsky said.
“It’s huge having them cheering
me on, and it makes the opponent
even more nervous.”

Michigan
coach
Ronni

Bernstein
recognizes
the

importance of staying together
as a team, and
encourages
her players to
make an effort
to cheer each
other on, even
while isolated
in tight singles
matches.

“I
don’t

want them to
be
on
their

own
court,”

Bernstein said. “I think it’s really
important that as people play
next to them that they show
support. That’s the beauty of
college tennis: It’s a team thing.

Even if you’re struggling or doing
well, you can still help the person
next to you.”

Freshman
Kate
Fahey
is

appreciative
of
the
support

and also knows lending it is
something she can work on.

“I’ve struggled with that a

little in the beginning of the
season because I’m not used to
it,” Fahey said. “You’re not used
to cheering on other people, but

it really helps
the
team.

When I get in
a rut and I’m
not winning a
lot of points,
cheering
on

my teammates
helps me and
takes my mind
off my match.”

And though

tennis is not

as much of a spectator sport as
football or basketball, Michigan
has
a
distinct
home-court

advantage whenever it plays at
the Varsity Tennis Center.

The Wolverines consistently

draw fans at their competitions,
and a certain group of fans attend
almost every match.

“I’m not used to playing in

front of that many people,”
Fahey said. “The fans have
been awesome. You see the
same people here every time
and familiar faces when you
look up, and it’s just such a good
feeling when you win a point
because it’s not just you cheering
for yourself, but also your
teammates and fans.”

With three of its next four

competitions at home, Michigan
hopes to start its season strong in
front of its fans.

“We’ve
been
pretty

successful at home,” Bernstein
said. “I think we get great
crowds, and they definitely
helped us through today. We’ve
got another big match coming
up next Sunday, so hopefully
we get another big crowd again.
The girls like playing at home
in front of the home crowd, and
today was no different.”

MEN’S GYMNASTICS
Mistakes ruin
home opener

Wolverines struggle
in several events vs.

No. 1 Oklahoma

By ETHAN WOLFE

Daily Sports Writer

Going into Saturday’s meet

against No. 1 Oklahoma, the
Michigan
men’s
gymnastics

team knew it would be up
against elite competition. And
the
10th-ranked
Wolverines

(0-4 Big Ten, 1-5 overall) didn’t
help themselves either, as they
seemed to be their own enemies.

In a meet where the Sooners

(2-0 Big 12, 5-0) were able to
pull away quickly, Michigan’s
16.550-point defeat was the
result of a number of critical
mistakes.

A bevy of the Wolverines’

mistakes came on the pommel
horse — the only event in
which Oklahoma does not lead
the nation. It was crucial for
Michigan to capitalize, but
three Wolverines fell off and
had to restart their routines. It
was Michigan’s lowest-scoring
event on the day and the only
one in which they failed to
amass 70 points.

Freshman
Anthony

McCallum, who shined for the
Wolverines in his first collegiate
meet last week, struggled for the
entire meet. He had the lowest
score for two events, including
the pommel horse, in which
he didn’t complete his routine,
scoring a 10.000.

Michigan’s woes continued

on
the
parallel
bars.

Despite
showing
significant

improvement from the Windy
City Invitational the previous
week, scoring 15 more points,
the Wolverines were unable to
stick a number of dismounts.

Michigan coach Kurt Golder

was not pleased with the team’s
performance, but he saw a lot of
potential.

“If we can eliminate the

big mistakes and get our hit
percentage from 70-75 percent
up to 80-85 percent, that’s
approaching
championship

form,” Golder said. “We have
to increase our difficulty, too.
The routines that these guys are
doing may not look easy, but by
our championship standards,
some of them are easy.

“We expect to get better, and

if you see the same, you’re not
pleased with that.”

Sophomore Dmitri Belanovski

had the best performance on
the night for the Wolverines, but
even he could not avoid mistakes
against Oklahoma. Though the
meet was out of reach by the final
event, the high bar, Belanovski
held a slight lead to be the all-
around champion. But Belanovski
lost his grip in the middle of his
routine, finishing with a 13.800
and an 86.950 overall, good for
third place all-around.

“I was a little nervous on

high bar,” Belanovski said. “I
think high bar is my best event,
so I get a little nervous for it.
That release is new for me, so
I’ve got to keep being more
confident in it.”

For a team that consists mostly

of freshmen, confidence is a
necessity. Golder believes that
will develop over time, and that
the main concern is being too
careful. His advice was simple.

“Just attack it,” Golder said.

“I think they might be a little
consumed with making sure
everything is perfect and they’re
swinging a little bit cautiously,
and they don’t practice that way.
If you fall, then you fall. But
you’ve got to compete the way
you practice.”

Though
the
Wolverines

suffered another hit in the
loss column, both Belanovski
and
Golder
shared
the

same
sentiment:
a
15-point

improvement against the No.
1 team in the country isn’t
something to worry about.

AMANDA ALLEN/Daily

Senior Ronit Yurovsky clinched Sunday’s match against Kentucky with a win at No. 1 singles, the last match on the court at the Varsity Tennis Center.

“That’s the

beauty of college

tennis: It’s a
team thing.”