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April 05, 2016 - Image 7

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Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Tuesday, April 5, 2016 — 7

Young ‘M’ lineup stands out
in narrow loss to Terrapins

Wolverines can’t
overcome injuries,

but freshmen
flash potential

By JORDAN HERBSTMAN

Daily Sports Writer

The Michigan men’s lacrosse

team showed up to its Big Ten
season-opener determined to
pull off an upset against No.
5 Maryland. The Wolverines
put together an impressive
performance, but in the end
they came up just short and lost,
8-7.

Michigan
(0-1
Big
Ten,

3-6 overall) found itself in a
tough position with its two
leading offensive players out
with injuries, so it turned to
a younger starting lineup to
battle the Terrapins (1-0, 7-2).
The Wolverines started five
freshmen
and
two
seniors

Saturday, compared to zero and
four for Maryland, respectively

With a young squad on the

field,
Michigan
focused
its

effort on utilizing a combination
of freshman youth and senior
experience to combat the strong
Maryland team.

After falling behind 1-0 in the

first quarter, the Wolverines
turned to their seniors to get
things going. Just over five
minutes into the game, senior
attacker Peter Kraus continued
the
aggressive
play
shown

earlier by fellow senior Evan
Glaser, and netted his first goal
of the day to tie the game.

Senior faceoff specialist Brad

Lott won the following faceoff
to
give
Michigan
another

possession straight off the goal.
Once again, the Wolverines
turned to another senior in
midfielder Mike Hernandez,
who sniped in a shot to give
Michigan a 2-1 lead.

Lott played a key role in

the first quarter success for
Michigan by securing three of
the five faceoffs, two of which
came directly after goals.

“I thought Brad Lott was a

big part of our ability to be in
the game today,” said Michigan
coach John Paul. “Once we
started winning faceoffs early,
and
once

we
had
got

some stops on
defense, some
guys
started

believing.”

After

allowing
two

quick
goals

in the second
quarter,
the

Wolverines fell
back on their
seniors once again. Hernandez
and
Kraus
stepped
up
on

offense, and Kraus found the
back of the net for his second
goal of the day, regaining the
lead for Michigan early in the
second quarter.

Freshman
attacker
Rocco

Sutherland
also
gave
the

Wolverines
an
impressive

offensive
effort.
After
the

team went up, 4-3, Sutherland
was determined to maintain
possession by picking up ground
balls off faceoffs and collecting
missed shots behind the net,
allowing
Michigan
to
keep

offensive possessions alive.

The Wolverines fell behind,

6-4, in the third quarter, but
just as they did throughout

the first half, the shorthanded
Wolverines
turned
to
the

freshmen
and
seniors
to

stop
the
Terrapins
from

widening their lead. Kraus and
Sutherland fired shot after shot,
but it was freshman midfielder
Decker Curran who scored the
first goal of the quarter for
Michigan.

“It’s so awesome to see so

many guys step in like that,”
Kraus said. “If one guy goes
down, whoever it is, if it’s a
freshman or senior, he’s got to
step up and play his role. That’s

exactly what
they
did

today.”

In
the

fourth
quarter, Kraus
got
back
in

on the action
and netted his
third goal of
the day, tying
the game at
six.

“Luckily I was in the spot

to get the shot off,” Kraus
said. “(We) just kind of ran the
offense correctly and that’s
what happens.”

However, a late push by

Maryland was too much for the
Wolverines, and they fell short
by only one goal. Though it
was not the result they wanted,
Paul was still proud of his team
and the potential the freshmen
showed, as well as the poise the
seniors exhibited.

“We’ve been searching for the

right guys, the right chemistry
and the right execution, and it’s
really just the next man up until
we find the right group,” Paul
said. “This group did a pretty
commendable job.”

MEN’S LACROSSE

“It’s so awesome
to see so many

guys step in
like that.”

Michigan continues home
success in weekend sweep

By MIKE PERSAK

Daily Sports Writer

In a surprisingly strong season,

the No. 20 Michigan men’s
tennis team has been fueled in
its turnaround by consistently
strong performances at home.
The Wolverines have compiled
a perfect 12-0 record at the
Varsity Tennis Center, a record
paramount to their surge into the
ITA Top 25.

This weekend was more of

the same for Michigan (4-1 Big
Ten, 15-4 overall), as it hosted
Indiana (0-3 Big Ten, 4-12 overall)
on Friday and Purdue (1-2 Big
Ten, 12-5 overall) on Sunday.
The Wolverines came out of the
weekend undefeated, beating both
teams, 4-1.

“We’ve played well here,” said

Michigan coach Adam Steinberg.
“We’ve had a heavy home schedule
this year, not like last year, where
we were on the road a lot. I think
the guys have gotten into a rhythm
when playing here.”

The Wolverines, who have

dubbed their home courts “The
Slaughterhouse,” were in danger
of having their flawless home
record tarnished against Purdue.
Despite charging to an early 3-0
lead thanks to quick wins from the
No. 6 and No. 5 players, freshman
Myles Schalet and sophomore
Davis Crocker, the Boilermakers
showed some fight by winning in
the No. 1 singles match. Purdue
also prolonged other matches
before finally being defeated by a
No. 4 singles win from Michigan
sophomore Runhao Hua, 6-3, 4-6,
6-2.

After the match was done,

Michigan’s
focus
immediately

shifted. But the shift wasn’t to its
next opponent like it normally is.
Instead, the Wolverines geared up
to teach the fundamentals of tennis

to children in the community in a
post-match clinic.

“I think it’s important that

we get a nice home base,” said
sophomore Davis Crocker. “We
have had great fans this year. The
fans have been awesome. Club
tennis has been incredible as far as
influencing matches, and I think
it’s important, like with the kid’s
clinic today, to get the community
involved with the tennis.”

But while the fans are a bonus

for the team, it is ultimately
the improved play on the court
and comfort with their home
surroundings that have resulted in
Michigan’s success.

“I think we have more of a

comfort level here,” Crocker said.
“It’s easier for us to support each
other from these specific standing
points. We’re used to the courts,

and I think that all plays a factor.”

Though the home victories

for the Wolverines have driven
them to their current place in
the standings, they will now be
forced to get wins away from Ann
Arbor. They will play four straight
conference matches on the road
before returning home to finish
the regular season.

But if Michigan is able to

maintain its perfect home record,
it will have already improved
on its disappointing seasons of
the past. The Wolverines have
already
beaten
three
ranked

teams at home this season. They
beat Duke, Penn State and Tulsa,
who were ranked No. 25, 25 and
22 at the time, respectively. So
now, all that’s left to do is prove
that Michigan can get it done on
the road, too.

FILE PHOTO/Daily

Myles Schalet cruised to a 6-0, 6-1 victory against Purdue on Sunday.

Isaac impresses in Spring Game

Redshirt junior
makes case as
complementary
back for 2016

By JACOB GASE

Daily Sports Editor

When Ty Isaac broke free

for a 76-yard touchdown run
against UNLV last September, it
looked like he was announcing
his arrival as a force to be
reckoned with in the Michigan
football team’s backfield.

But
after
a
two-fumble

performance
at
Maryland

two weeks later, and later an
“internal
matter”
that
led

to
him
being
temporarily

left off the team’s dress list,
Isaac plummeted down the
depth
chart.
After
getting

just two carries each against
Northwestern on Oct. 10 and
Michigan State on Oct. 17, Isaac
didn’t touch the ball again for
the rest of the season, leaving
his future in the Wolverine
backfield in doubt.

Fast-forward
six
months

later, though, and the redshirt
junior has burst right back into
the picture.

As the featured back for

the Maize team in Michigan’s
Spring Game on Friday night
— last year’s top backs, senior
De’Veon Smith and fifth-year
senior Drake Johnson, both
found themselves on the Blue
team — Isaac picked up 10
carries and made the most of
them.

Early in the second quarter,

after netting zero yards on
his first two attempts, Isaac
took a handoff at midfield for
a 29-yard gain down the right
sideline, setting up a 13-yard
touchdown pass for the Maize
team’s first score of the game.
On a nearly identical play in
the third quarter, Isaac broke
outside again, threw a stiff arm
in the secondary and picked
up 30 yards to the Blue 21-yard
line. Five plays later, redshirt
sophomore quarterback Wilton

Speight found the end zone on
a bootleg scamper that ended
up being the game-winning
touchdown.

Isaac looked like a different

player under the lights Friday,
and he felt like one, too. So far
this offseason, Isaac has shed
14 pounds and five percent body
fat.

“I feel a lot better, just all

around, physically,” Isaac said.
“I dropped some weight, lost
some body fat and I just feel
really good physically. I can
play faster. ... The difference
between 10 pounds or 15 pounds
is huge — I could even tell
during conditioning stuff.”

It might be difficult to get

carries in a backfield that
already has a starter set in
stone — after Smith picked
up 753 rushing yards and six
touchdowns last season, the
coaching staff has made it clear
that it’s his job to lose.

Smith
didn’t
play
much

in the Spring Game, though,

saying he was trying to “get
(his) body all the way healthy
before the season.” With no
other back getting more than
five carries, it was Isaac’s time
to shine. Lighter and faster,
he showed signs of the skill
set that made him a five-star
Southern
California
recruit

before he ultimately transferred
to Michigan.

Smith
has
noticed
the

dramatic changes in Isaac’s
appearance and playing style,
too. Smith’s mindset hasn’t
wavered with Isaac’s resurgence
— he’s dead set on keeping his
job as the lead back — but he
understands the benefits of a
capable complementary option,
and he thinks Isaac could be
that player.

“Ty’s
6-(foot)-3,
230

(pounds). It’s gonna be trouble
for teams, with two power
backs,” Smith said. “We have
a stable of backs — everybody
could play right now. I’ll be
happy whoever’s backing me

up.”

As the only running back to

gain more than 11 yards on the
ground — he had 78 — Isaac
certainly took advantage of
his opportunity Friday night.
His
strong
performance
in

the Spring Game was just the
culmination of an improved
spring, one that had Michigan
coach Jim Harbaugh and fifth-
year senior offensive lineman
Kyle Kalis raving about his
improvements over the last few
weeks. Still, Isaac knows it’s
going to take more than that to
stay in the backfield mix in the
fall.

“It’s good to hear it getting

noticed,” Isaac said, “but it
definitely can’t be something
that you hear one time and
think, ‘I’m all right, I’m good, I
can lay back.’ I want to continue
to be like that.

“Every time I come out, I

want it to be noticed. I don’t
have to talk about it. I’m just
going to do it.”

AMELIA CACCHIONE/Daily

Ty Isaac broke off two long runs in Michigan’s Spring Game, totaling 78 yards, most of any running back.

Wolverines finish
11th at Bryan Park

By LOGAN T. HANSEN

For the Daily

Following
a
multi-week

reprieve from competition, the
Michigan women’s golf team teed
off over the weekend at Bryan
Park Golf Course in Greensboro,
N.C., participating in the Bryan
National Collegiate from Friday
through Sunday.

In the face of stiff competition

— including heavyweights in No.
20 Virginia, No. 21 Florida State
and No. 28 East Carolina — and
some unforgiving weather, the
Wolverines finished 11th as a team
with a total of 926 strokes over
three days and 54 holes of golf.

Sophomore Kathy Lim led the

way for the Wolverines, tying for
eighth place individually with a
career-best 224 (76-74-74) stroke
total. The tally resulted in her
second top-10 finish of the season.

“(Kathy) came off a tough week

in Arizona a couple weeks ago
and she came
into
practice

each day with
a
purpose,

had a plan and
stuck
to
it,”

said coach Jan
Dowling. “I’m
really proud of
her that it paid
off
and
that

she was able
to be resilient.
As a coaching staff, we believe
in her and I hope this gives her
confidence to continue believing
in herself.”

Lim carded the lowest totals in

each round for Michigan, but she
was quick to note that the course
was no cakewalk.

“Overall it was a tough course

to deal with,” Lim said. “We were
definitely disappointed with the
(11th-place) finish.”

Following Lim on the scorecard

for the Wolverines was junior
Grace Choi, who shot 232 (79-75-
78) and finished tied for 42nd.
Senior
Catherine
Peters
and

sophomore Megan Kim both

tallied 236 (81-78-77 and 80-77-79,
respectively) and finished tied for
51st, and sophomore Emily White
came in at 242 (79-81-82) strokes,
tying for 65th.

Conditions at Bryan Park Golf

Course were not ideal for the
15 squads participating in the
weekend’s event. Friday’s opening
18-hole round was delayed nearly
four hours due to heavy rains and
thunderstorms.

“We had some tough conditions

to deal with this week, and our
team did really well with that,
actually,” Dowling said. “It was
a course that’s already tough
to begin with, but the rainy
conditions and the 10- to 25-mile-
per-hour wind did not help at all.”

Dowling said the team was

not familiar with the Greensboro
course,
meaning
Thursday’s

practice round was extremely
important
for
them.
The

competition they saw over the
weekend was no stranger to them,

however.

“We’ve

seen many of
those
teams

throughout
the whole year,
which is great,”
Dowling said.
“You can’t get
better
unless

you
see
the

better teams. I
know our team

loves seeing that field; they’re
competitors and we know that we
were close to beating them if we
improve our putting and a little bit
of the short game.”

With
the
2016
Big
Ten

Championships
(Apr.
22-24)

waiting in the wings, Lim came
away from the chilly rain-soaked
outing with some positives as well.

“This course really showed us

our true weaknesses,” Lim said,
“Which is perfect because we
are heading to Big Tens now —
basically the most important event
of our season. We’re excited to
work hard on our weaknesses and
get better.”

WOMEN’S GOLF

“This course
really showed

us our true
weaknesses.”

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