8A — Wednesday, March 28, 2018
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Notebook: Yaklich familiar with Loyola-Chicago

If you had Loyola-Chicago 

in your Final Four, the rest of us 
would like to know about the 2018 
midterm elections, tomorrow’s 
lottery numbers and the date of 
the Game of Thrones season nine 
premiere.

The Ramblers have been the 

darlings of March Madness, as 
they enter San Antonio with all 
the support that comes with being 
an underdog. But the allure of 
Loyola-Chicago rests in that they 
were — and still are, to an extent 
— unknown.

Unless 
you’re 
Michigan 

assistant coach Luke Yaklich.

Prior to joining the Wolverines, 

the defensive maestro went 7-1 
against the Ramblers in his four 
seasons spent at Illinois State as 
an assistant coach and is familiar, 
at least fundamentally, with coach 
Porter Moser’s style of play.

“Coach 
Moser 
is 
an 

unbelievable coach ... you have 
to be locked in on both ends of 
the floor,” Yaklich said. “It’s 

gonna be a dog fight. His teams 
reflect his personality. They’re 
prepared, they get better, tough 
and they have a bunch of really 
great kids that have been through 
the Missouri Valley and non-
conference wars.

“Loyola is obviously gonna 

have 
our 
full 
attention 
all 

week, and we’re 
thrilled with the 
opportunity 
to 

play in the Final 
Four 
against 
a 

really good and 
well-coached 
team.”

Yaklich 
has 

been the architect 
of 
Michigan’s 

top-five 
defense 

that has propelled 
them to the Final Four. His 
expertise 
could 
help 
lead 

the 
Wolverines 
past 
Loyola-

Chicago and into the National 
Championship game.

C.J. Baird becomes a fan 

favorite

Besides 
the 
victories 

themselves, there was a clear-

cut, 
feel-good 
moment 
from 

Michigan’s 
second 
weekend 

matchups — C.J. Baird’s last-
minute 3-pointer in the blowout 
over Texas A&M.

The walk-on freshman had 

scored only once this season — a 
layup — against Alabama A&M on 
Dec. 21.

“It’s the best 

feeling 
of 
my 

life,” Baird said. 
“I told Ibi Watson 
when I got in 
there I’m gonna 
shoot it and he 
said, ‘Okay, do 
it then.’ I was 
kinda 
nervous 

when 
(Jaaron 

Simmons) called 
me because I’m 

like, ‘Oh, they actually want me 
to do this.’ I didn’t think they’d 
actually let me do it.”

The 
nearly 
30-foot 
shot 

catapulted Baird into Twitter 
fame. Besides a couple thousand 
mentions to his name, former 
Cleveland Browns quarterback 
and Texas A&M alum Johnny 

Manziel also tweeted at Baird, 
“Final 
four 
bound 
@baird_

cj#IfYouCantBeatEmJoinEm” 
and promised an appearance in 
San Antonio.

Baird also scored a video 

interview with The Ringer that 
racked up 146,000 views.

While the shot put the walk-on 

in the spotlight, it also brought 
attention to the rest of the scout 
team for their efforts in game 
preparation 
throughout 
the 

season.

Football coaches react to 

Michigan basketball success

There is one thing that the 

football and basketball teams 
clearly have in common: elite 
defense.

On 
Tuesday, 
defensive 

coordinator Don Brown spoke 
with the media and talked not only 
about his team’s improvements 
over the offseason, but he also 
marvelled at the basketball team’s 
hard-nosed play.

“They’re doing everything,” 

Brown said. “The point guard, 
(Zavier) 
Simpson? 
He’s 
an 

impressive guy. Boy, I remember 
watching him and l’m like, he’s a 
dude now.

“Let’s get him out there, I’m 

sure coach (Jim Harbaugh) would 
love that. I’m enjoying the ride 
like everybody else.”

Harbaugh also raved about 

how the basketball team and 
his coaching counterpart, John 
Beilein, have ascended to once-
unthinkable ranks.

Unlike 
Brown, 
Harbaugh 

wasn’t reserved about his praise 
for the team.

“They’re beasts,” he said. “I 

don’t think I’m going too far on a 
limb here, I think that the way the 
team played (against Texas A&M), 
they could’ve beat the Los Angeles 
Lakers. ... Guys were attacking 
on both ends of the floor on the 
offensive side and the defensive 
side. So much excitement for 
Coach Beilein and his staff and the 
team. And onward.”

SAM MOUSIGIAN/Daily

Assistant coach Luke Yaklich has some experience with Loyola-Chicago, as he coached against them at his last job.

After coaching in the same conference as the Ramblers, Yaklich has familiarity

ETHAN WOLFE
Daily Sports Editor

“Coach 

Moser is an 
unbelievable 

coach.”

Wolverines sweep their 
home, weekend series 

The 
homecoming 
was 

everything 
the 
Michigan 

women’s tennis team could have 
hoped for.

After 
11 
straight 
away 

matches — including a 5-2 
victory at Minnesota on Friday 
— 
the 
Wolverines 
returned 

to the Varsity Tennis Center 
and secured a 7-0 win against 
Purdue to remain undefeated in 
Big Ten play. 

“It’s been a tough stretch for 

the girls,” said Michigan coach 
Ronni Bernstein. “It’s definitely 
good to be home. We played 
really well today too, which was 
a bonus. We’re starting to put it 
together which is nice.”

Added 
sophomore 
Chiara 

Lommer: “It was really nice 
having a home crowd. Having 
everyone behind us was really 
great, 
especially 
after 
that 

doubles point. It was just a really 
good, positive atmosphere and 
we felt really confident being 
back home after the tough away 
conditions.”

Over 
the 
course 
of 
the 

weekend, 
the 
Wolverines 

dominated singles play, winning 
11 of 12 matches. 

No. 1 junior Kate Fahey 

continued 
her 
dominance 

with a 6-4, 6-2 win Friday, and 
rolled Purdue’s Silvio Ambrosio 
6-0, 6-2, on Sunday. Ambrosio 
fought off a match point, but in 
the end, Fahey took advantage 
of Ambrosio’s slice return and 
used the slow-moving ball to 
drill the shot down the line. The 
Boilermaker could barely muster 
a shot back as the return landed 
in the net.

Fahey was the first off the 

court, so all she could do was 
wait and watch her teammates 
pick off each Purdue player one 
by one.

No. 5 senior Mira Ruder-Hook 

followed closely behind with a 
6-2, 6-0 win of her own, and it 
became a race between No. 6 
sophomore Lera Patiuk and No. 3 
Lommer to see who could clinch 
the match for the Wolverines.

Within seconds of each other, 

Patiuk, then Lommer, won their 
matches 
off 
of 
Boilermaker 

errors.

No. 2 junior Brienne Minor 

was the final Michigan point. 
Her first set was a grind, and 
required a tiebreaker. Minor 
jumped out to a 6-1 lead, and 
while Alex Sabe threatened a 
comeback, Minor escaped with 
a 7-5 win in the tiebreaker. 
She took the second set easily, 
breezing to a 6-1 victory.

The Wolverines usually rely 

on singles play to make up for 
their lackluster doubles play. 
Michigan dropped the doubles 
point Friday but won it Sunday, 
leaving much to be desired.

Though shaky doubles play 

isn’t the end-all be-all for the 
Wolverines, but it’s just another 
facet they need to keep working 
on if they hope to stay undefeated 
in 
the 
Big 
Ten, 
especially 

with matches against No. 5 
Northwestern and No. 6 Illinois 
approaching in two weeks.

“We just gained a little bit 

of confidence,” Bernstein said. 
“You start believing in yourself 
and you figure out how to get the 
four points. I think as a group 
that’s what we’re starting to 
figure out and it’s good timing 
because we’re in the Big Ten 
season which is very important.”

Added Lommer: “Since we’ve 

been back in Big Ten season, 
we have a different demeanor. 
Coming in and knowing we’re 
the best and just that first win 
(against Iowa) was like, ‘Yeah, we 
are the best in this conference’ 
and we have just been rolling 
since then because our attitude 
is back and we’re back on top 
where we belong.”

Dwumfour has potential to fill in for Hurst

It doesn’t take much to get Don 

Brown talking about his defense.

On Tuesday, the defensive 

coordinator was asked who, 
of the younger guys on the 
Michigan football team’s roster, 
was competing for playing time 
at linebacker. It sent Brown into 
a four-minute answer, listing 20 
players from all over the defense 
who have impressed him in some 
way this spring.

He lingered longest while 

talking about the Wolverines’ 
defensive line, naming seven 
specific players who stood out 
before giving a caveat.

“I just hope I’m not missing 

anybody up front,” Brown said. 
“Because I really feel very 
strongly that we’ll have seven or 
eight guys there.”

It makes sense, as the defensive 

line was perhaps Michigan’s 
deepest position last season. 
Its only loss this offseason was 
defensive tackle Maurice Hurst, 

who graduated.

But the question does remain: 

Who will replace Hurst?

Junior defensive end Rashan 

Gary was much more brief when 
asked who’s stood out in Hurst’s 
absence.

“We’ve got this guy, you know, 

Jersey kid, (junior defensive 
tackle) Michael 
Dwumfour,” 
Gary said. “He’s 
fast off the ball, 
just like (Hurst). 
It’s 
ridiculous. 

But, you know, 
you’re gonna see 
it when the time 
comes.”

Maybe there’s 

some bias, as 
Gary, 
a 
New 

Jersey native himself, admitted 
he’s known Dwumfour since the 
second grade. Still, though, it’s 
high praise from the junior.

In 
fact, 
it’s 
somewhat 

surprising 
considering 
that 

Dwumfour has been a bit of a 
second fiddle in his time being 

recruited and playing for the 
Wolverines.

When he graduated from 

high school, Dwumfour was a 
three-star recruit, according to 
247Sports. In Michigan’s 2016 
recruiting class that had 13 four 
and five-star players, including 
three on the defensive line, 

Dwumfour 
was 

overshadowed. 
That 
isn’t 
an 

automatic 
disqualifier, 
but 
Wolverine 

faithful 
weren’t 

exactly clamoring 
for 
Dwumfour’s 

arrival.

The same could 

be said for his 
time on campus 

too. Dwumfour has played in just 
10 games in his career — nine last 
season — and amassed six career 
tackles. For the past two seasons, 
he’s been mostly an afterthought 
at a position that has yielded 
multiple NFL players in recent 
years.

Hurst’s departure leaves a 

question mark on a defense that 
otherwise has very few. But 
from all accounts, Dwumfour 
has returned this season with 
a new mindset. He’s made 
improvements that have his 
teammates taking notice, and he 
is smack-dab in the middle of the 
conversation for who will take 
Hurst’s spot on the interior of the 
defensive line.

“I’ve seen a guy, you know, 

grow 
up,” 
said 
sophomore 

linebacker Devin Bush. “I’ve seen 
a guy go through ups and downs. 
He was feeling one way, this 
way, and he’s down on himself, 
then he’s up in spirits. I’ve seen 
a guy go through a bunch of 
mixed emotions and, you know, 
when we’re on the field, he’s 
out there working. And you can 
see improvement from him and 
he has taken a huge jump from 
when he first got here.”

Added Brown: “The guy that 

was taking great steps a year ago 
during Bowl prep was (Michael) 
Dwumfour. He hasn’t slowed.”

‘M’ extends win streak, 
then falls to Ohio State

The No. 8 Michigan men’s 

tennis team split the weekend, 
beating Penn State on Saturday, 
5-2, before faltering, 6-1, against 
No. 2 Ohio State on Sunday.

Saturday’s 
match 
started 

with 
inconsistent 
doubles, 

which was nothing new for the 
Wolverines (2-1 Big Ten, 12-3 
overall). After winning the first 
doubles match, 6-2, Michigan 
couldn’t close out any of the 
other two matches, losing, 6-2 
and 7-6 (4), at second and third 
doubles, respectively.

“We served for (the doubles 

point) 
twice, 
and 
that’s 

happened a lot this year where 
we are just not finishing,” 
said Michigan coach Adam 
Steinberg. “It’s becoming a little 
bit of a habit where we have it 
in our sights and we’re letting 
it go.”

However, 
the 
Wolverines 

rebounded and hit the ground 
running during the singles 
matches, winning four of the 
six 
matches 
in 
convincing 

fashion while senior Runhao 
Hua grinded out a fifth point in 
three sets at No. 1 singles.

“You want to grab that 

momentum back as soon as you 
can,” Steinberg said. “Davis 
(Crocker) did a great job. Carter 
(Lin) has had a great year and 
finished his opponent pretty 
quickly, but that whole side 
with Alex (Knight), Davis and 
Carter were great yesterday and 
brought us to victory.”

Michigan 
experienced 

another win on Saturday — 
freshman 
Mattias 
Siimar’s 

return from injury. Siimar not 
only won at No. 1 doubles with 
Knight, but also harassed the 
Nittany Lions (1-2, 11-7) at No. 5 
singles, winning 6-1, 6-2.

“Keeping him off the court is 

really tough, but he feels good, 
and (he) needed that,” Steinberg 
said. “He loves to be on the 
court, so I know he was really 
dying to get back out there, and 

it obviously helps our team. We 
need him.”

His return was not enough 

to overcome the Buckeyes (3-0, 
16-2), though. Despite a lopsided 
6-1 defeat, the scoreboard did 
not reflect how close many 
individual matches were, as 
the Wolverines lost two of their 
singles matches in third-set 
tiebreakers on top of losing the 
doubles point, 6-4, 7-5.

“With our team, I think 

everyone feels like we have a 
chance to win at every position, 
which is really good because it 
doesn’t really put extra pressure 
on anybody,” Steinberg said. 
“When you go into Ohio State, 
you’re playing on those front 
courts against the best players.

“It’s a huge challenge, but it’s 

also fun. It’s the atmosphere 
you want to play in front of and 
I think they grow a lot from it.”

The one win on Sunday came 

at No. 4 singles from junior 
Myles Schalet, who was the 
only player to lose against Penn 
State. Playing the No. 42 player 
in the country, Schalet closed 
out a tight three-set match, 7-6 
(1), 4-6, 10-3.

“Today, he handled himself 

well when he was down and 
hung in there,” Steinberg said. 
“(He) was more positive and 
played with real good energy 
even when he was losing, and 
(it) helped him through the 
match. And then his best tennis 
comes out of that.”

With 
conference 
season 

just 
beginning, 
Steinberg 

continues to play with new 
doubles lineups in hopes to 
remedy Michigan’s deficiency 
in that area. But Steinberg also 
looks at the bigger picture. His 
takeaways from the weekend 
are straightforward.

“We just have to get four 

points,” he said. “We don’t have 
to get any more than that. So if 
we can win the doubles and find 
three spots against these top 
teams, then that’s all we need. 
And we are good enough to do 
that against anybody.”

EVAN AARON/Daily

Defensive coordinator Don Brown says that junior defensive tackle Michael Dwumfour has continued to make progress on his game in spring practices.

MIKE PERSAK

Managing Sports Editor

MEN’S TENNIS

AKUL VIJAYVARGIYA

Daily Sports Writer

“He has taken 
a huge jump 
from when he 
first got here.”

WOMEN’S TENNIS

PAIGE VOEFFRAY

Daily Sports Editor

