The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
SportsWednesday
October 19, 2016 — 3C

Michigan earns scoreless draw

Sarah Jackson already had 

tied her career high in saves 
against Minnesota. But with 
the Golden Gophers threatening 
in the last minute of double 
overtime, 
Michigan 
needed her 
to make one more.

As the crowd began counting 

down the seconds until the 
final whistle blew, the redshirt 
sophomore 
goalkeeper 
rose 

over a Gopher player, cleanly 
catching a header for her 11th 
save of the day.

Jackson’s career performance 

preserved a scoreless tie for the 
Michigan women’s soccer team 
(5-2-2 Big Ten, 9-3-3 overall), as 
well as her sixth shutout of the 
season.

“I didn’t even know (about the 

career high),” Jackson said. “I’ve 
just been enjoying what I’ve 
been doing this whole season.”

It 
wasn’t 
just 
Jackson, 

though. Senior defender Anna 
Soccorsi returned from injury 
to anchor the defense, making 
key 
clearances 
and 
timely 

interceptions all game. Senior 
defender 
Madisson 
Lewis 

and sophomore forward Abby 
Kastroll 
put 
in 
tough 
and 

energetic performances as well.

While the defense would 

solidify as the game went on, 
No. 15 Minnesota (6-1-2, 12-3-
2) could have easily broken the 
game open in the beginning. 
Utilizing a fluid sequence of 
short passes around the edge 
of the box, the Golden Gophers 
recorded five shots in the first 
15 minutes, forcing Jackson to 
make three saves.

“They’re a fast-starting team, 

they’re a high-pressure team 
— that’s what they do,” said 
Michigan coach Greg Ryan. 
“But part of it is they can only 

maintain it for so long.”

After weathering the early 

storm from the Golden Gophers, 
the 
Wolverines 
began 
to 

look for opportunities on the 
counterattack, trying to get 
behind the defense with long 
balls aimed at senior forward 
Nicky 
Waldeck. 
Sophomore 

forward Reilly Martin also made 
an impact, providing several 
dangerous crosses into the box 
and sharp delivery on corner 
kicks. 

“Abby and Reilly pinched into 

the midfield a little bit more, so we 
were able to keep the ball instead 
of being way out wide,” Ryan said. 
“As soon as we started keeping 
the ball, we started creating some 
good chances and having more 
opportunities to attack.”

Despite 
an 
opening 
45 

minutes that could have seen 
either team break the deadlock, 

the match began to take a 
more smashmouth tone after 
intermission. 
Chances 
for 

both teams were met on either 
end with quality, hard-nosed 
defending.

“Just coming into it, we knew 

it was going to be a gritty match 
for both teams, and that we 
would both have to fight hard to 
find goals,” Soccorsi said.

While 
the 
intensity 
level 

held up, neither team seriously 
threatened 
until 
the 
85th 

minute. Waldeck finally was 
able to control a long ball off of 
a swift breakaway, but her chip 
shot flew over the bar.

The two overtime periods saw 

more of the same defensive play, 
with both teams seemingly just 
trying to claw their way to the 
finish, resulting in the scoreless 
final. While the tie extended the 
Wolverines’ winless stretch to 

four games, a draw against the 
15th-ranked team in the nation 
was still an encouraging result.

After surviving the Golden 

Gophers’ 
final 
flurry, 
the 

Wolverines will now shift their 
focus to their next game against 
Ohio State on Saturday, their 
final home game of the season. 

“We definitely want to win at 

home for the seniors, so we’re 
just going to keep the focus of 
team defending and go from 
there,” Jackson said.

While Michigan knows that it 

has to take every game at a time, 
it has bigger goals in mind. The 
Wolverines have barely missed 
qualifying 
from 
the 
NCAA 

Tournament in each of the last 
two years and are looking to 
avoid a similar result this time 
around. In this regard, Sunday’s 
performance likely keeps them 
on track do so.

Jackson, Soccorsi 
team up on defense

Facing No. 15 Minnesota 

and the Big Ten’s leader in 
points and goals per game, 
Simone Kolander, the Michigan 
women’s soccer team needed a 
strong performance out of its 
defense and starting goaltender 
Sarah Jackson.

Fortunately 
for 
the 

Wolverines, 
that’s 
exactly 

what they received, drawing 
the 
Golden 
Gophers 
in 
a 

scoreless tie. Up against the 
aggressiveness of the opposition 
and a slippery ball on a rain-
soaked pitch, Jackson tied her 
career high in saves with 11.

“Sarah 
continues 
to 
just 

be rock-solid in goal,” said 
Michigan coach Greg Ryan. 
“She did everything right today; 
she dealt with some hard shots, 
crosses — she took care of 
everything. She’s had a great, 
great year.”

The 
sophomore 
goalie 

recorded her sixth clean sheet 
of the season, as her half-maize, 
half-mud-colored 
uniform 

spoke to her effort in diving 
saves on shots blasted to both 
corners of net by the Minnesota 
offense.

“At the beginning of the 

game when the field was so 
wet, we thought it was going to 
be a multiple-goal game, so it 
was actually surprising when it 
finished 0-0,” Jackson said. “As 
always, team-defending was our 
number one goal, and we’re just 
happy that we got the shutout.”

Michigan’s 
shutout 
was 

aided by the return of senior 
Anna Soccorsi, whose absence 
due 
to 
a 
concussion 
was 

notable in Thursday’s draw 
against Wisconsin, when the 
Wolverines were forced to play 
with an extra defender. Her 
presence Sunday enabled the 

Wolverines to play in more of an 
attacking 4-3-3 shape.

In the defender’s return to 

the lineup, Soccorsi was vital 
in 
containing 
Minnesota’s 

star attackers, blocking shots, 
intercepting 
passes 
and 

controlling 
the 
Wolverine 

defense across the pitch. 

“It was a good effort by 

everyone to stay inside of their 
player and work hard to get back 
in and mark the box,” Soccorsi 
said. “They were coming at us 
in the beginning, but I think we 
did well to keep them at bay.”

Added Ryan: “I can’t even 

imagine 
playing 
against 

Minnesota without her. Anna 
was everywhere — defending 
and shutting down one-on-one 
situations, giving cover to her 
teammates when they got beat. 
She’s just a fantastic defender, 
and we’re fortunate to have her 
in the middle of our defense.”

Though 
Michigan 
was 

pleased with the shutout, the 
team failed to move up in the 
conference 
standings 
with 

Sunday’s result, clinging to 
fourth place in the Big Ten 
after its fourth straight match 
without a win.

Despite the recent slump 

with two consecutive ties after 
back-to-back losses, Ryan sees 
the draw against Minnesota as 
a successful result for his team.

“Our focus is to get back 

in the NCAA Tournament, 
and getting a tie against a 
Minnesota team with a very 
high RPI is going to be one 
more result that really helps us 
do that,” Ryan said. “If we take 
care of the next two games like 
we’re capable of, I think it’ll 
pay off for our girls.”

Michigan will have its first 

opportunity to do just that 
Saturday against Ohio State 
in the Wolverines’ final home 
match of the season.

Wolverines winless for fourth straight match but hold off No. 15 Minnesota

ZOEY HOLMSTROM/Daily

Greg Ryan’s team managed to shut out Minnesota and earn a tie against the 15th-ranked Golden Gophers.

JACOB SHAMES

For the Daily

WOMEN’S SOCCER

MARK CALCAGNO

For the Daily

Wolverines lose heartbreaker

In front of a sell-out crowd 

Saturday night, the Michigan 
volleyball team (5-3 Big Ten, 16-4 
overall) 
clinged 
to 

a 
24-20 

lead in the 
fourth set of its match against 
No. 1 Wisconsin. The Wolverines 
had stormed back from a two-
set 
deficit 
to 
recapture 
the 

momentum of the match when 
freshman setter Mackenzi Welsh 
set up senior blocker Abby Cole, 
who hammered home a powerful 
kill to send the match to a fifth 
tiebreaker set.

But Michigan was unable to 

complete the comeback, falling 
13-15 to the Badgers in the final set, 
just missing out on a major upset.

“All week, we talked about how 

we want to respect every opponent 
… (but) the person we want to 
respect the most is ourselves,” 
said Michigan coach Mark Rosen. 
“We want to go in there and know 
that…we’re as good as anybody 
out there. I’m just really proud of 
how we battled tonight.”

Michigan took an early 6-3 lead 

in the first set on a kill by junior 
middle blocker Claire Kieffer-
Wright. But Michigan was unable 
to keep the advantage, and the 
two teams went back and in an 
opening frame that featured eight 
lead changes. A kill by Wisconsin 
standout Tionna Williams and 
a block error by Welsh gave the 
Badgers the first set.

In the second set, Wisconsin 

(7-1, 15-2) was outplaying the 
Wolverines with a .484 kill 
percentage. With the momentum 
not in their favor, Michigan let up 
to the Badgers, 18-25.

Down two games at that point, 

Michigan seemed unfazed to start 
the third set.

“I think it’s hard when you’re 

down 2-0,” Rosen said. “That can 
be a time when maybe you start to 
get a little passive, and we knew 

that wasn’t going to be a recipe for 
success.”

Junior outside hitter Adeja 

Lambert set the tone for a 
comeback with a kill to begin the 
third set. In a six-point stretch, 
kills from Welsh and senior 
outside hitter Ally Davis, blocks 
by Welsh and Kieffer-Wright, and 
a service ace from freshman libero 
Tiffany Clark gave Michigan a 
10-3 lead, and Wisconsin never 
fully recovered. The Badgers 
called their first timeout to stem 
the tide, but it wasn’t enough, as 
they lost the set, 25-17.

“I think it was just a turning 

point,” Cole said, 
“I was actually 
laughing 
with 

my 
teammates 

in the moment 
because one of our 
assistant coaches, 
Lisa, (had) turned 
to me and said, 
‘You need to find 
your hitter.’ ”

Michigan 

continued 
its 

strong play to start the fourth set, 
hitting a four-point stride. Kieffer-
Wright and Cole led with hitting 
percentages of .857 and .667, 
respectively, and Welsh recorded 
14 assists in the fourth set alone. 
Despite the loss of Lambert to a 
leg injury, the Wolverines never 
lost momentum. A .359 Michigan 
kill percentage led to a final score 
of 20-25, and it gave way to the 
deciding fifth set. 

“I think that’s something that’s 

making this team really compete 
well and grow well,” Rosen said. 
“…They’re 
focusing 
on 
what 

they can control. That’s a great 
example of something you can’t 
do anything about, so you just got 
to play through it.”

Then tied with the top-ranked 

Badgers, Michigan huddled up 
on the court as the energy of the 
crowd pulsed from all corners of 
Cliff Keen Arena.

Cole 
asserted 
Michigan’s 

confidence on the court on a first-

point kill. Following a kill from 
junior right-side hitter Katherine 
Mahlke and a service ace from 
Welsh, the Wolverines took a 
three-point lead. However, a 
service run by Wisconsin tied up 
the match, and the score danced 
back and fourth before Michigan 
tied it up again at 13-13 on a three-
point serving run by Welsh. 
Wisconsin, though, took the final 
two points to claim victory.

Rosen 
highlighted 
the 

performance of Welsh, who had 
49 overall assists and a career-
high 6 kills. He acknowledged that 
Welsh was up against the number 

one senior setter, 
Wisconsin’s 
Lauren 
Carlini, 

a first team All-
American 
who 

played 
on 
the 

national team.

“She’s 

just 
getting 

better 
every 

game,” 
Rosen 

said.“(She’s) 
a 

freshman 
(who 

is) learning really quickly. We’re 
seeing her grow up right before 
our eyes.

“They also came from the same 

club,” Rosen said, “… so you know 
that’s a big challenge for a player… 
Mackenzi was looking at that going, 
‘Hey, I want to go one-on-one with 
her’. … Watching her be in that 
moment and be as good as she was 
tonight, I’m really proud of her.”

Two of the three Big Ten 

matches the Wolverines have 
played 
have 
been 
against 

number 
one 
ranked 
teams, 

which illustrates the high level 
of competition Michigan is up 
against and promises a season 
devoid of dull moments.

“We’re playing in the best 

volleyball 
conference 
in 
the 

country,” Cole said. “You can’t 
overlook any team. You’re not 
guaranteed any wins … that in 
itself is motivating. We need to 
be very well prepared coming to 
every single match.”

MINNESOTA
MICHIGAN 

0
0

WISCONSIN
MICHIGAN 

3
2

VOLLEYBALL
Welsh serves as conductor for ‘M’

Though the term conductor 

is normally used in a musical 
context, there is no better 
role 
to 
describe 
freshman 

setter Mackenzi Welsh after 
her performance in a five-set 
loss to No. 1 Wisconsin. No. 18 
Michigan dropped the last set 
15-13, falling just short of an 
upset against the Badgers.

All night in front of a sold-

out crowd at Cliff Keen Arena, 
the cheers were deafening. But 
when Welsh came out of the 
huddle for the fifth and final 
set and tossed the ball up, the 
only thing deafening was the 
silence as Mackenzi Welsh 
connected the serve. Hitting 
the 
back-left 
corner, 
the 

serve sailed past an unaware 
defender for an ace.

Consistently, Welsh assisted 

her teammates to control the 
volume and momentum of the 
game — a performance that 
eventually garnered Big Ten 
Freshman of the Week honors. 
Returning to the court after 
intermission down two sets 
against the top-ranked team 
in the nation was not easy, but 
Welsh stayed aggressive.

“That might be a time when 

you get a little passive, and that 
wasn’t going to be the recipe for 
success.” said Michigan coach 
Mark Rosen.

With that in mind, Welsh 

helped set up her teammates to 
score, helping the Wolverines 
earn a 10-3 lead in the third set 
and maintain the upper hand 
throughout the set.

Welsh conducted the crowd 

with her performance as the 
Wolverines 
took 
set 
three 

and four. A kill by Welsh gave 
Michigan a 22-17 lead. Claps. 
A set from Welsh for a kill by 
Mahlke made it 23-17. Shouts. 
A serve from Welsh led to 
blocks from Katherine Mahlke 
and Abby Cole for a 24-17 lead. 
Cheers. Again, a serve from 
Welsh leading to a block for Cole 
on the top right corner of the 
court, 25-17. Screams.

In a game where momentum 

means everything, the tempo 
and pace of an offense can 
be 
the 
difference-maker. 

When 
Welsh 
conducted 

the 
offense, 
she 
avoided 

making 
it 
one-dimensional 

with her wide court vision 
in order to spot holes in the 
opposing 
formations 
and 

better 
matchups 
between 

her teammates and opposing 
blockers, such as placing Abby 
Cole on Wisconsin’s Haleigh 
Nelson and Kriskova, both 
shorter 
players. 
Her 
court 

awareness allowed her to make 
the smartest plays, from quick 
backsets to isolation plays for 
easy scores.

“We have a really balanced 

offense, so it’s easy to set any of 
them,” Welsh said.

In addition to oscillating 

between her types of assists, she 
also added herself to Michigan’s 
offensive threat. Notching a 
career-high six kills, she tallied 
two in a row to expand the lead 
in the third set to 22-17.

In addition to a career high in 

kills with an attack percentage 
of .750, Welsh also gained her 
fifth career assist-dig double-
double. She achieved 49 assists 
and 11 digs in five sets as well as 
a service ace.

One of the most important 

aspects of the match, though, 
was 
Welsh’s 
performance 

compared to the opposing 
setter. 
Wisconsin’s 
Lauren 

Carlini was a first-team All-
American, Big Ten Setter of 
the Year in 2015, and arguably 
the No. 1 setter in the nation. 
But on Saturday, all eyes were 
on Welsh.

“I know (Welsh) was looking 

at that going, ‘Hey, I wanna go 
one on one against her’,” Rosen 
said. “They came from the 
same club.”

Welsh viewed this as an 

opportunity to grow. She played 
her best against the No. 1 setter 
and ended up earning her second 
Big Ten Freshman of Week 
award. Young, talented and 
improving, Welsh continues to 
conduct the court as she steadily 
grows into a star player.

TIEN LE

For the Daily

SOPHIE CLOHERTY

For the Daily

VOLLEYBALL

Michigan rallies from two-set deficit to tie the match, but 
Wolverines drop fifth set, 15-13, to top-ranked Badgers

“We’re playing 

in the best 
volleyball 

conference.”

