The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Friday, January 20, 2017 — 7

Wolverines drop first 
dual meet since 2010

The last time the Michigan 

men’s swimming and diving team 
lost a dual meet, Rich Rodriguez 
was still the coach of the Michigan 
football team, Tik Tok by Ke$ha 
was the No. 1 song in America, 
Snapchat had not been created yet 
and the unemployment rate was at 
9.8 percent.

But with their 167-133 loss at 

No. 4 Indiana on Friday, so too 
vanished the Wolverines’ streak 
of 55 straight dual meet victories, 
dating back to November of 2010.

“Obviously 
it’s 
very 

disappointing 
to lose a meet,” 
said 
junior 

PJ 
Ransford. 

“We’ve had a 
streak of wins 
going back to 
before 
I 
got 

to 
Michigan, 

and 
it’s 

disappointing to 
be the team that 
lets that streak 
end.”

No. 13 Michigan — now 

80-5-1 in dual meets since 2007 
— was nearly able to squeak 
out the victory on the road in 
Bloomington, 
with 
narrow 

margins at the top of the 
scoreboard determining many of 
the races. Ransford even called 
the meet the Wolverines’ “best 
performance of the year.” Eight 
of the 16 races were decided by 
less than half a second, three of 
which were determined by less 
than a tenth of a second. 

The Wolverines also placed 

2-3-4 in three events and 2-3-
4-5 in two events. It was that 
first-place finish, though, that 
proved elusive in too many races 
to overcome.

Despite 
victories 
from 

Ransford 
in 
the 
1,000-yard 

freestyle, junior Tristan Sanders 
in the 200-yard backstroke 

and freshman Felix Auböck 
in 
the 
500-yard 
freestyle, 

the Hoosiers won 13 of the 16 
races, enough to hold off the 
Wolverines’ depth.

But 
with 
the 
Big 
Ten 

Tournament 
looming, 
the 

team thinks this loss could be 
a blessing in disguise. For the 
first time in years, Michigan 
will not head into the conference 
tournament as the prohibitive 
favorite, and Ransford does not 
seem to mind. 

“While we always go into (the 

Big Ten Championship) wanting 
to win, I think losing to these 
guys once this year just adds a 

little 
bit 
more 

motivation,” 
he 

said. “We have 
never really been 
in an underdog 
role 
in 
recent 

years, 
and 
I 

think we have to 
embrace that as 
a team over the 
next two months. 
Big Tens is going 
to be a battle, and 

every extra bit of motivation we 
can get will help”

Added 
Bottom: 
“I 
think 

(motivation) depends on how 
much pain they feel and how 
much they don’t want to feel 
that pain again. They know what 
it’s like now to have a streak 
as glorious as the one we had 
broken. They feel the pain, and I 
hope they feel the loss. The word 
is ‘Hey, if you don’t want to have 
this happen again then we need 
to get better.’ ”

The Big Ten Tournament 

starts in just over a month, with 
dual meets against Ohio State 
and Michigan State in between. 
And if the Wolverines are able 
to take down Indiana — along 
with plenty of other formidable 
Big Ten opposition — to win the 
title, they might just look back 
on this meet as the wake-up call 
they needed.

MEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING 

MAX MARCOVITCH

Daily Sports Writer

We have never 
really been in 
an underdog 

role 

WOMEN’S TENNIS
Wolverines open with 
Michigan Invitational

As junior Mira Ruder-Hook 

watched her opponent’s ball land 
out, it was almost anticlimactic. 
She had battled through the match 
composed of highs and lows, 
which forced her to continuously 
make comebacks, and the final 
point seemed too easy.

As the ball landed out, Ruder-

Hook’s teammates cheered not 
only for her, but also in celebration 
of their successful weekend. 
The Michigan women’s tennis 
team competed in the Michigan 
Invitational 
against 
Arizona 

State, DePaul and Tennessee, and 
though there was no team scoring, 
it was a perfect warm-up for the 
impending spring 
season.

Ruder-Hook 

got off to a rough 
start, falling into 
a 0-4 hole. But 
once she switched 
to more offensive 
play, she won five 
straight 
games 

to gain the lead. 
Tennessee’s 
Gabby 
Schuck 

made her fight 
for it, though, and tied it at five 
games apiece. But it was Ruder-
Hook who took the first set after 
she drove a forehand deep into the 
corner of the court.

Schuck’s aggressive style of 

play appeared to be too much for 
Ruder-Hook, who was down 4-1 
in the second set. But after the line 
judge overturned one of Schuck’s 
calls, Ruder-Hook argued that 
it was Schuck’s third time being 
overturned. If it had been, Ruder-
Hook would be awarded a game. 
But after a dispute between 
Ruder-Hook, the umpire and the 
Volunteers’ coach, Ruder-Hook 
wasn’t awarded the game.

That game might have made 

a big difference in the match’s 
outcome, because while Ruder-
Hook battled back to tie the game 
at five, Schuck ended up taking the 
set, 7-5.

Both 
players 
were 
evenly 

matched in the third set, but it was 
Ruder-Hook’s mental toughness 
that secured her the match, a 
point of emphasis for the junior.

“I think mental toughness is 

something you always have to 
work on,” Ruder-Hook said. “For 
me, I just try to present myself 
like I’m really confident and so in 
the moment at least it looks that 
way. And then it transitions to me 
and I start to feel more confident. 
I just told myself, ‘One point at a 
time.’ ”

Sophomore Kate Fahey and 

junior Alex Najarian continued 
their momentum from the fall 
season. The pair won the doubles 
title, winning every match of the 
weekend. 
The 
fourth-ranked 

duo’s most notable win came 

on 
Monday 

against the team 
of 
Savannah 

Slaysman 
and 

Kelley Anderson 
– the top pair for 
the Sun Devils. 
Fahey closed out 
the match, 6-3, 
with an ace up 
the middle.

Former 

partners, 
sophomore 

Brienne Minor and Ruder-Hook 
both played with a freshman 
this weekend, and though there 
are signs of a bright future 
ahead, there is surely room for 
improvement.

“I think there are a lot of things 

we need to work on, especially the 
doubles,” said Michigan coach 
Ronni Bernstein. “The goal is to 
go match by match and peak in 
May.”

While this invitational was a 

good opportunity to get the team 
together again and to play real 
matches, it only makes the women 
even more excited for their real 
season to start.

“What’s 
so 
unique 
about 

college tennis and what makes it 
so much more fun is that you get to 
play with your team, so when the 
season starts we’re all so eager,” 
Ruder-Hook said. “I definitely 
prefer the (spring) season.”

PAIGE VOEFFRAY

Daily Sports Writer

‘M’ to face Spartans in home-and-home series

It’s his final year on the 

Michigan hockey team, and 
senior 
forward 
Evan 
Allen 

relishes 
his 

few remaining 
opportunities 
to play against 
rival Michigan 
State — with 
good 
reason.

Throughout 
Allen’s 
first 

three 
years, 

the Michigan 
hockey 
team 

has 
earned 

10 
wins 
in 

15 
games 

and 
notched 

another 
late 

victory 
last 

month.

“It’s 
the 

biggest weekend of the year for 
Michigan hockey,” Allen said 
on Wednesday. “We just gotta 
come together and take pride 
in our defense, because goals 
are precious. We just gotta bear 
down and get going against 
Michigan State.”

Defense will be crucial to the 

Wolverines’ success against the 
Spartans this weekend because 
goals are a luxury for them this 
season — Michigan averages just 
2.6 per game. The Wolverines 
also struggle to find shots, 
which Michigan coach Red 
Berenson attributes to a lack of 
opportunities with the puck in 
the opposition’s zone.

Last weekend in Minneapolis, 

the Wolverines showed some 
signs of offensive potential. They 
jumped out to an early lead Friday 
night and scored two late goals in 
the third period Saturday.

In practice this week, while 

showing his team game film 
from the weekend, Berenson 
pointed out certain defensive 
mistakes to his players.

“Our defense wasn’t gapping 

up on their forwards,” Berenson 
said. “They were giving their 
forwards too much room. We 

showed them a couple of clips 
where we did gap up on Saturday 
and then we had a good shift, we 
took over the play in their zone. 
When we didn’t gap up, we gave 
them our zone, and then we’re 
chasing them in our zone.”

It wasn’t solely defensive 

mistakes, however. Berenson 
explained that the Wolverines 
must improve their performance 
on special teams, an aspect 
of their game notably absent 
against No. 5 Minnesota. During 
that weekend’s series, Michigan 
earned just six power play 
chances — two on Friday and 
four on Saturday — and failed 
to score once. Defensively, the 
Wolverines’ penalty kill allowed 
two 
goals 
on 
11 
attempts, 

including a penalty shot.

Michigan 
State, 
though, 

contains significantly less star 
talent on its roster than the 
Gophers do. The Spartans sit 
last in the Big Ten standings, 
the only team behind Michigan. 
Michigan 
State 
nearly 
beat 

the Wolverines in the Great 
Lakes Invitational, overcoming 
a 
4-1 
third-period 
deficit, 

before ultimately losing 5-4 in 
overtime.

The 
Spartans 
have 
some 

impressive victories on their 
resume, 
defeating 
then-No. 

5 
North 
Dakota 
at 
Ralph 

Engelstad Arena on November 
25th. That series alone gives 
Berenson cause for concern, 
even if Michigan State has yet to 
defeat a conference opponent.

“(Michigan State) is capable 

of beating anyone on a given 
night,” Berenson said. “They get 
it going, and we saw it against 
us. We had them down and they 
came back in the third period, 
and they easily could’ve won the 
game.

“It’s 
not 
about 
Michigan 

State. I know it’s a rivalry and 
both teams are going to play 
hard, but records don’t mean 
anything. I think their team’s 
better than their record and I 
think our team can be better 
than our record, but we gotta 
prove it.”

Sophomore forward Mason 

Appleton leads the Spartans 
offensively with nine goals and 
19 points. His seven power play 
goals rank sixth nationally and 
second in the Big Ten. Appleton’s 
linemate, forward Joe Cox, will 
face off against the Wolverines 
for the fourth straight year. He 
is one of five players Allen has 
grown accustomed to seeing 
each time the two sides play.

“It’s our fourth year playing 

against 
them,” 
Allen 
said. 

“Right now, I’m on a line with 
(senior forward Alex) Kile and 
(senior forward Max) Shuart. 
Hopefully, we can take that 
into consideration against their 
young team. We can use us 
veterans, take it to them, because 
we know how Michigan State 
plays. We don’t like Michigan 
State and obviously, they don’t 
like us.”

Michigan has yet to win a 

conference game on the road 

this season, losing to then-No. 6 
Penn State and Minnesota twice. 
Saturday night provides another 
road test for the Wolverines as 
they will travel to Munn Arena 
for the series finale.

For now, though, Berenson is 

focused on the first game Friday 
night 
because 
those 
nights 

have proven to be a challenge 
for Michigan this season. The 
Wolverines’ last series-opening 
victory 
occurred 
back 
in 

November when the Wolverines 
shut out then-No. 4 Boston 
University.

“Let’s worry about Friday’s 

game,” Berenson said. “It’s on 
the schedule, and we’re playing 
it here. Let’s get excited about 
it. … We’ve gotta be better on 
Fridays.”

If Michigan can keep the 

puck out of its zone, gap up on 
defense and take advantage of 
its shooting chances, it certainly 
will.

SAM MOUSIGIAN/Daily

Michigan coach Red Berenson will lead his team into a tense rivalry matchup.

Michigan falters in fourth quarter, 
falls on the road to No. 3 Maryland

Before 
Thursday’s 
contest 

against No. 3 Maryland, Michigan 
women’s basketball coach Kim 
Barnes Arico told her team, “We 
need to win five minutes at a time.”

With 

38 
seconds 
left 
in 

the third quarter, it appeared 
that the strategy was paying off, 
as the Wolverines held a 61-60 
advantage.

But then junior guard Katelynn 

Flaherty was called for a foul, 
sending Terrapins guard Iesha 
Small to the free-throw line, 
where she made one of two 
shots to tie the game. Forward 
Kiah Gillespie then made a 
buzzer-beating 3-pointer to give 
Maryland the lead.

The 
Wolverines 
unraveled 

from there, as they were outscored 
19-9 in the fourth quarter en route 
to an 83-70 defeat. The Terrapins 
dominated on the glass as well as 

in the paint, winning the second-
chance points battle, 23-5, and the 
points-in-the-paint battle, 54-26.

“I thought it was a great 

basketball game,” Barnes Arico 
said. “The final score didn’t really 
indicate how close of a game it was. 
Maryland is an outstanding team, 
and we knew that we were going 
to have a tough contest tonight. I 
was really proud of how our team 
responded for three quarters. 
I think Maryland’s depth and 
ability to force turnovers really 
helped them down the stretch.”

Michigan (4-2 Big Ten, 15-5 

overall) came out hot in the first 
quarter, racing out to a 17-10 
lead with 1:57 left. Flaherty and 
sophomore center Hallie Thome 
combined for 12 points and two 
rebounds in the frame. At the 
same time, Michigan capitalized 
on 
five 
Maryland 
turnovers, 

turning them into six points.

But then Thome picked up two 

fouls in the next three minutes, 
forcing her to the bench. Her 
absence was felt, as the Terrapins 
(6-0, 18-1) were able to string 

together a 16-2 run into the early 
minutes of the second quarter. 

Although Thome still played 

for just over two minutes in the 
second frame, her mobility was 
limited due to her hesitance 
to pick up a third foul. But her 
cautious approach didn’t stop 
her from picking up an offensive 
foul with 3:08 remaining before 
halftime, and Maryland took 
advantage, acquiring a 39-26 edge 
with 2:08 left in the frame.

“I think for big kids, their 

biggest 
strength 
in 
their 

development is to figure out the 
referees,” Barnes Arico said.

But then Terrapins center 

Brionna Jones was called for her 
second personal foul, sending her 
to the sideline. Michigan seized 
the opportunity and went on a 9-0 
run to end the half.

“She’s tough,” Barnes Arico 

said about Jones. “She’s tough 
to double, she finishes, she’s got 
quick moves. But she’s really, 
really, really consistent.”

The Wolverines’ good fortune 

was spearheaded by Flaherty, who 

scored the five final points of the 
half. Junior guard Maria Backman 
contributed off the bench during 
the run with two free throws and 
six rebounds in the final stretch of 
the second quarter.

Flaherty continued to put her 

team on her back in the third 
quarter. She scored ten points 
and nabbed a steal in the first 
three minutes of the frame, 
which allowed Michigan to attain 
a 
47-46 
advantage. 
Flaherty 

finished Thursday’s contest with 
30 points.

“My teammates put me in great 

positions,” Flaherty said. “(Senior 
guard Siera Thompson) is a great 
point guard. The rest of the team, 
they played to our strengths. They 
kept hitting me, and I think that 
helps. A lot of my points were in 
transition, and I like playing open 
court.”

Michigan 
proceeded 
to 

commit three turnovers, setting 
up four Maryland points. Even 
though freshman guard Kysre 
Gondrezick made two 3-pointers 
and Flaherty sank three free 
throws, propelling the Wolverines 
to a 61-60 lead, it would be their 
last of the game.

“We feel like we have great 

pieces that can score, that can 
score in transition,” Barnes Arico 
said. “We just got to be able to 
go for longer stretches like a 
team like Maryland does. And 
hopefully as the season goes on, 
we will continue to improve on 
that, and our younger kids will 
continue to get better and be able 
to provide some more minutes.”

With the loss, Michigan has 

now lost all four games it has 
played against teams currently 
ranked in the Associated Press 
Top 25, though none were ranked 
below 16th. 

Luckily for the Wolverines, 

there are no contests against 
ranked opponents left on their 
regular-season 
schedule. 

Michigan’s toughest remaining 
adversary on paper is Michigan 
State, who is currently 47th in 
the Ratings Percentage Index, 
fourteen 
spots 
below 
the 

Wolverines.

JEREMY MITNICK/Daily

Junior guard Katelynn Flaherty finished Thursday’s contest with 30 points, but it wasn’t enough against the Terrapins.

NATHANIEL CLARK

Daily Sports Writer

MICHIGAN 
MARYLAND 

70
83

AVI SHOLKOFF
Daily Sports Writer

Michigan 
State at 
Michigan

Matchup: 
Michigan State 
0-6 Big Ten, 
4-15-1 overall; 
Michigan 
1-5, 8-11-1

When: Friday 
6:30 P.M.

Where: Yost 
Ice Arena

TV/Radio: 
BTN

The goal is to 
go match by 

match and peak 

in May

