Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Tuesday, November 29, 2016 — 7

Kieffer-Wright keys 
Senior Night sweep

Cliff Keen Arena was abuzz 

from start to finish as the No. 
18 
Michigan 
volleyball 
team 

celebrated its Senior Night with 
a win against No. 14 Michigan 
State. On this emotional night, 
it wasn’t a senior who may have 
made the biggest impact in a 3-0 
sweep — it was sophomore middle 
blocker Claire Kieffer-Wright.

Coming off of a road game in 

which she posted a career-high 
16 kills, Kieffer-Wright aimed 
to use her momentum from the 
previous match to start off strong 
in Wednesday’s game.

“Claire has such a great 

attitude, and whenever she gets 
going, she pulls someone else 
with her,” said senior middle 
blocker Abby Cole. “She gives the 
momentum to someone else. She 
shares that.”

Her success indeed carried 

over to the team as the Wolverines 
gained an early lead in the first 
set and finished it, 25-16, without 
trailing 
once. 
Kieffer-Wright 

helped close the set, scoring four 
of the last five points and leading 
the team with six kills and an 
attack average of .455.

Kieffer-Wright’s 
finishing 

performance during the set was 
met with roaring approval by 
the sold-out crowd in the arena. 
While emotions ran high in the 
last home game of the season, 
Kieffer-Wright held a strong 
mental fortitude that she had 
worked on throughout the season.

Carrying her sharp focus into 

the second set, Kieffer-Wright 
scored the first point to spark a 
17-4 run. She recorded two blocks 
and two block assists during the 
stretch. She ended the set — which 
Michigan won, 25-11 — with a 
spike down the right of the court. 

As the team headed into the 

locker room after the second set, 
Kieffer-Wright’s impact loomed 
large over the game, especially 
thanks to her effect on her 
teammates.

“She’s so much more connected 

to her teammates because she’s 
not in her own mind, and I think 
you just see her maturing as an 
athlete,” said Michigan coach 
Mark Rosen. “Physically, she’s a 
great athlete, but mentally, she’s 
sharp. She is very in tune with the 
game.”

Looking to make the third 

set the final one, Kieffer-Wright 
entered the court again with the 
same mindset she had at the start.

And in similar fashion as 

the second set, Kieffer-Wright 
opened the third with a kill that 
led to a Michigan run. Her kills set 
the pace for the aggressive style of 
play the Wolverines adopted.

Unlike the first two sets, 

however, Michigan struggled to 
maintain its lead as the Spartans 
tied the set late after a four-
point run. However, Kieffer-
Wright had key plays that kept 
the Wolverines in the game and 
stopped the momentum from 
going the Spartans’ way. Scoring 
the advantage point twice as both 
teams battled for the two-point 
advantage, she relieved a large 
amount of pressure from the 
Wolverines so they could continue 
to be aggressive and ultimately 
win the set, 32-30.

Kieffer-Wright 
recorded 

her seventh consecutive match 
with double-digit kills (12) and 
recorded an attack average of .476. 

“This has been a really big 

season for her,” Cole said. “She’s 
made more of an impact than I 
can even explain. Not only is she 
a team player, but emotionally 
I think she gets big plays when 
they’re needed.”

T

hough many members of 
the Michigan women’s 
basketball team shared 

their 
excitement 
to play in 
the Virgin 
Islands at the 
aptly named 
Paradise 
Jam, it wasn’t just beaches and 
sunshine.

The Wolverines were to be 

tested on the hardwood against 
two ranked opponents, No. 25 
Gonzaga and No. 10 Florida 
State, and Winthrop.

It was a daunting task for 

unranked Michigan. And while 
it’s still too early to tell what the 
NCAA Tournament implications 
will be for the Wolverines, if 
there are any at all, they knew 
going in that they would have 
to at least make the games 
competitive to earn respect.

And they did just that, going 

2-1 for the weekend with an 
upset over Gonzaga, throttling 
of Winthrop and a tight contest 
against Florida State.

Unlike the past three seasons, 

it wasn’t about earning the 
respect of being a worthy 
adversary. It was the respect 
of being a top-tier team in the 
country, and putting a number 
before its name opponents’ 
schedules.

Michigan saw its last top-25 

ranking in the 2012-13 season, 
when it peaked at No. 23 in the 
Associated Press poll during 
week 12 — the last season it made 
the NCAA Tournament. Monday, 
the AP Poll again left them out of 
the rankings with just 22 votes, 
good for 33rd.

But if the Wolverines’ 

performance in the Virgin 
Islands is any indication, it is 
time that their unranked streak 
comes to an end.

Prior to facing Gonzaga for 

its first game on Thursday, 

Michigan hadn’t even received 
a vote in the AP Poll this season. 
So when it met a lengthier 
Bulldogs team that had trounced 
No. 11 Stanford on the road in its 
previous game, it seemed like it 
would be a long night.

But it wasn’t. The Wolverines 

not only upset Gonzaga, 78-66, 
but also outplayed them wire-
to-wire without giving up their 
lead.

Michigan’s three-headed 

monster of Katelynn Flaherty, 
Siera Thompson, and Hallie 
Thome combined to shoot 23-for-
38 from the field and dished out 
14 assists — proving yet again 
they make up one of the most 
dynamic trios in the country.

The Wolverines were 

impressive against the Bulldogs, 
but it was their matchup against 
Florida State that shed the most 
light on Michigan’s potential. 
The final score was lopsided 
in favor of the Seminoles, 
76-62, but for three quarters, 
the Wolverines held their own 
against a top-10 team.

Michigan’s deficit came as 

close as five points in the fourth 
quarter. It topped Florida State in 
nearly every category on the stat 
sheet, but was ultimately plagued 
by foul trouble, getting outshot at 
the free-throw line 34 attempts 
to 11. Notwithstanding the loss, 
Michigan coach Kim Barnes 
Arico sees her team’s confidence 
growing.

“(There were) definitely a lot 

of positives and hopefully this 
continues to motivate us moving 
forward,” Barnes Arico said. “I 
think our team is really excited 
about what we have and what we 
can be.”

We’ll never know what 

the score would have been if 
Michigan committed fewer 
fouls, but one thing is abundantly 
clear: The Wolverines look legit 
through their first seven games.

Playing against all calibers 

of competition, Michigan holds 
the fourth-best scoring margin 
in the country (34.1 points per 
game), the amalgam of the 
11th-best scoring defense and 
12th-best scoring offense.

“If teams don’t see us,” 

Barnes Arico said, “they don’t 
understand how fast we really 
like to go, how much we share 
the basketball in transition, make 
extra passes and how we can 
knock down shots.”

Even with a three-guard 

offense reliant on mid-range and 
3-point shooting, the Wolverines 
still have the nation’s second-
best field goal percentage (51.8).

Michigan, of course, 

isn’t perfect. It has battled 
inconsistent ball handling and 
foul troubles — both byproducts 
of a more up-tempo, aggressive 
gameplan. And 14-point losses 

aren’t flukes.

But all of the pieces are there: 

an All-American shooting guard, 
a floor general, a plethora of 
rebounders and a bench that can 
run five players deep. Even the 
coaching staff has stuck together, 
now in its third season.

Thus far, these pieces have put 

together a stat sheet that tells 
the story of a top-25 team. And if 
that isn’t enough, the Wolverines 
have looked pretty damn good on 
the eye test, too.

With powerhouses like 

Maryland and Ohio State in 
the Big Ten, Michigan still may 
be a ways away from being 
conference title contenders. But 
the Wolverines aren’t a walk in 
the park, either, and they should 
garner the respect of being a true 
threat. A spot on a national poll 
would do just that.

AMELIA CACCHIONE/Daily

Kim Barnes Arico and her team made a case to be ranked last week.

VOLLEYBALL

TIEN LE

For the Daily

From Paradise to the polls

‘M’ fined for Harbaugh’s rant

As a punishment for Jim 

Harbaugh’s postgame comments 
about the officiating in his 
team’s 
loss 

at Ohio State 
on 
Saturday, 

the Big Ten office fined the 
University $10,000 and issued a 
public reprimand to Harbaugh.

The penalty is a minor one for 

Harbaugh, who makes more than 
$9 million per year, according to 
USA TODAY. It’s also the Big 
Ten’s standard response to an 
offense like Harbaugh’s. Most 
recently, former Nebraska coach 
Bo Pelini faced 
the same penalty 
for criticizing a 
pass interference 
penalty after a 
game 
against 

Iowa.

Harbaugh 

spent most of his 
postgame press 
conference 
Saturday 
lamenting 
the 

officiating, 
saying 
he 
was 

“bitterly disappointed.” The Big 
Ten ruled that the comments 
violated 
its 
sportsmanship 

policy, 
which 
requires 
“all 

contests involving a member 
institution to be conducted 
without compromise to any 
fundamental 
element 
of 

sportsmanship.”

On the second-to-last play 

of double overtime Saturday, 
on 4th-and-1 from Michigan’s 
16-yard 
line, 
Ohio 
State 

quarterback J.T. Barrett took 
a hit and dove forward toward 
the first-down marker. The 
officials ruled that Barrett 
made the first down, prolonging 
the game, and the Buckeyes 
won on the next play.

“There wasn’t a first down,” 

Harbaugh said, holding his 
hands out and adding, “by that 
much.”

He 
continued: 
“I 
am 

bitterly disappointed with the 
officiating today. That spot, the 
graphic displays, the interference 
penalties. The one not called 

on us on Grant Perry, clearly 
was being hooked before the 
ball got there. And the previous 
penalty they called on Delano 
Hill, the ball’s uncatchable and 
by the receiver. So I’m bitterly 
disappointed in the officiating. 
Can’t make that any more clear.”

Harbaugh also believed that 

the officials missed multiple 
holding and false-start penalties 
against Ohio State. Near the end 
of the third quarter, Harbaugh 
drew 
an 
unsportsmanlike 

conduct penalty of his own 
by arguing and breaking his 
headset in frustration.

An 
Athletic 
Department 

spokesman had “no additional 

statement 
following 
tonight’s 
news 

from 
the 
Big 

Ten.”

PLAYOFF 

PRIMER: 
The 
chances 

of 
Michigan 

making 
the 

College Football 
Playoff 
after 

losing to Ohio State on Saturday 
are very small. We’ll start to 
find out how small on Tuesday 
night.

The playoff committee will 

release its weekly rankings 
to set the stakes for the final 
weekend of the season. The 
Wolverines came in at No. 3 in 
last week’s poll and should fall 
from there after the loss, but 
how far they’ll fall is unclear. 
The slim margin and the fact 
that the game was on the road 
should help Michigan’s cause.

Alabama has been No. 1 in 

every edition of the rankings 
and should be again after 
beating No. 13 Auburn on 
Saturday, 30-12. The Buckeyes 
should stay at No. 2 after 
winning Saturday, making them 
a near-lock for the playoff since 
they don’t play this weekend.

After that, Michigan needs 

some help. No. 4 Clemson 
appears poised to move into 
the Wolverines’ old spot after 
trouncing South Carolina, 56-7. 
The Tigers are heavy favorites 

in 
the 
ACC 
Championship 

Game against Virginia Tech 
this weekend.

No. 
5 
Washington 
also 

scored a convincing victory 
against Washington State on 
Friday. If the Huskies can take 
care of business in the Pac-12 
Championship Game against 
Colorado, they should snag the 
final spot in the playoff and 
leave Michigan on the outside 
looking in.

If they can’t, the door is open 

for another Big Ten team — 
either Michigan, Wisconsin or 
Penn State. The sixth-ranked 
Badgers 
and 
seventh-ranked 

Nittany Lions, both 10-2 like 
the Wolverines, play in the Big 
Ten Championship Game on 
Saturday night, earning another 
chance to prove themselves. 
Wisconsin 
can 
likely 
move 

past Michigan with a win in 
that game, while the Nittany 
Lions will have a harder time 
considering the Wolverines beat 
them in September, 49-10.

All of this, of course, is subject 

to the decision of the committee, 
which is what makes Tuesday so 
important. If Michigan can hold 
firm in the top four or five, the 
Wolverines can hope chaos this 
weekend vaults them into the 
playoff, as unlikely as the odds 
are.

AN EARLY AWARD LOOK: 

Michigan defensive coordinator 
Don Brown is one of five finalists 
for the Broyles Award, given to 
the nation’s best assistant coach, 
as recognition for his unit’s 
terrific season.

In Brown’s first season, the 

defense ranks second in total 
defense, first in passing defense, 
14th in rushing defense and 
second in scoring defense. The 
Wolverines are also the best in 
the country at stopping third-
down opportunities.

The other four finalists are 

also coordinators: Alabama’s 
Jeremy 
Pruitt 
(defense), 

Clemson’s 
Brent 
Venables 

(defense), Colorado’s Jim Leavitt 
(defense) and Pittsburgh’s Matt 
Canada (offense). The Broyles 
Foundation will present the 
award on Dec. 6

JAKE LOURIM

Managing Sports Editor

NOTEBOOK

“I am bitterly 
disappointed in 
the officiating 

today.”

Calderone reaps benefits of effort

Tony Calderone found himself 

with the puck and a clear view 
of the net halfway through the 
second period of No. 20 Michigan’s 
game against Lake Superior State.

Sandwiched 
between 
two 

defenders, the junior forward had 
merely a split second to get his shot 
off — something he might not have 
been able to do last year.

But this season’s version of 

Tony Calderone spent all summer 
working on his timing, shooting an 
endless number of pucks to speed 
his shot up. He had noticed while 
watching his former teammates 
Tyler Motte and Kyle Connor last 
year that while the duo didn’t 
necessarily 
have 
the 
hardest 

shots, they were able to get it off 
quickly when under duress, and he 
wanted to add that to his offensive 
repertoire.

So on Friday, armed with a 

quicker shot, Calderone took the 
touch pass from linemate Dexter 
Dancs during a power play, spent 
just the briefest of moments 
controlling the puck with his stick 
and threw it on net as quickly as he 
could to beat the Laker goaltender 
five-hole.

It was his fifth goal of the 

year — he would score his sixth 
the following night — and while 
he is now tied for the team lead 
in goals as Michigan begins 
conference play, it hasn’t been 
easy for Calderone to transfer his 
work from the offseason to scoring 
goals. After all, shooting pucks on 
an empty rink is a bit different 
from the real thing.

In order to see the results he 

wanted on the ice, Calderone first 
had to fix his mindset.

“I was worried about making 

mistakes 
too 
much 
at 
the 

beginning of the year,” Calderone 
said Monday. “And (now) I’m 
kinda just starting to relax and 
making some confident plays, and 
it’s worked out.”

Added Michigan coach Red 

Berenson: “We’ve seen a little bit 
of (his new shot). That comes and 
goes with his confidence. Some 
players get the shot away quick and 
they don’t know where it’s going. 
When Tony is dialed in, he gets 

his shot away quick and he knows 
where it’s going. He can place the 
shot, he can beat the goalie with 
a good shot, top shelf or stick side 
or wherever he wants to shoot in. 
When he’s not dialed in, he gets his 
shot away and it might not hit the 
net. So that’s a part of it, too.”

Berenson and his staff had a 

preseason meeting with every 
player, and in Calderone’s case, 
the plan — a vision — was clearly 
laid out: Michigan needed him to 
produce.

Scoring 
goals 
is 
familiar 

territory for Calderone. After 
all, he had arrived in Ann Arbor 
with a reputation for lighting 
up the lamp. In 2012, he was the 
United States Hockey League’s 
first overall draft pick, and in 124 
games between two seasons, he 
scored 53 goals.

That output failed to follow 

him to his first two seasons at 
Michigan, but it seemed only a 
matter of time before Calderone 
broke out. After the departures of 
players such as Motte and Connor, 
Calderone was in line for more 
playing time and more chances to 
display his new shot.

But goal-scoring wasn’t the 

only 
thing 
Berenson 
wanted 

from 
Calderone. 
He 
needed 

Calderone, one of the older and 
most 
experienced 
players 
on 

the team, to show the younger 
players the ropes. So Calderone 
sought to emulate the style of last 
year’s captain JT Compher, who 
Calderone says was “one of the 
best captains ever.”

“(Calderone’s) an older junior, 

he’s probably the same age as our 
seniors, and so I think he’s got 
respect on the team,” Berenson 
said. “... If you’re going to say 
something, you’ve gotta do it. 
You can’t just be a talker, and 
Tony knows that. It’s important, 
if you’re talking to another player 
about, ‘We gotta do this, we gotta 
do that,’ it starts with me.”

It may have taken some time for 

that transformation to take place, 
but it appears Calderone has got 
the hang of it now — and he just so 
happens to be seeing an uptick in 
production as well.

“When he scores, he gets more 

confidence, and then he plays 
better,” Berenson said. “Saturday, 
I thought, was his best game of the 
year. And he could’ve had four or 
five goals, the way that he worked 
hard, he was in the right place 
and the line was playing well. So I 
think it rubs off from what he does 
in the summer. And he’s a honest 
kid. He’s a kid that tries hard every 
day to be a good player, and when 
it all comes together, it shows up in 
his goal-scoring.”

ZOEY HOLMSTROM/Daily

Tony Calderone has recently seen a surge in production this season.

ORION SANG

Daily Sports Writer

ETHAN
WOLFE

On Hoops

