SPORTS 11
Thursday, July 18, 2019
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Wolverines’ newcomers have ability to make immediate impact
Out with the old, in with the
new.
This
fall,
the
Michigan
volleyball team will welcome a
highly-touted group of freshmen
to Ann Arbor. The class is
comprised of outside hitters Jess
Robinson and May Pertofsky,
setter Madison Dowd and libero
Amber Beals.
Robinson, an in-state product
from
Troy,
was
selected
to
Volleyball Magazine’s Fab 50 — a
prestigious list of the best high
school seniors in the country, as
voted on by a panel of Division I
coaches. She tallied 1,714 kills, 588
digs, 122 aces and 101 blocks in
her first three high school seasons
en route to Prep Volleyball All-
American honors.
Her 6-foot-2 front row presence
was felt across the nation on the
club circuit, earning her the No. 8
spot in Prep Volleyball’s national
recruiting rankings.
“We see (Robinson) as an elite
national recruit,” said Wolverines’
head coach Mark Rosen in a
release. “We’ve been tracking
(Robinson’s)
development
for
quite some time, and we truly
feel she’s one of the top players
nationally in the 2019 class. She’s
a local player and plays for a local
club team, so we’ve been able to
see her strong development and
believe her ceiling for development
is limitless. She’s a phenomenal
athlete, but she’s still very young
in her development and has a lot of
room to grow.
“… I think she’s somebody that
can impact us really early in her
career, but we definitely feel that
she’s an elite recruit with great
room to develop who has the
chance to be an elite collegiate
player.”
Rosen
was
attracted
to
Robinson’s
ceiling
throughout
the recruiting process, but he
also values her versatility. She has
experience as a middle blocker,
where Michigan struggled last
season following then-redshirt
junior Cori Crocker’s ankle injury.
Robinson could see playing time at
either the middle position or the
left pin this fall.
While acclimating to the college
level, Robinson’s most impactful
attribute could be her vertical
leap.
“Robinson doesn’t just jump
off the page, she nearly jumps
out the building,” wrote Drew
Ellis of Prep Dig, a volleyball
prospect evaluation website, last
September.
Pertofsky,
the
Wolverines’
other early signee, hails from Los
Angeles, Calif. The Max Preps
All-American racked up three All-
League Gold Coast MVP awards
during her high school career. At
6-foot-1, she brings formidable
size across the front row.
Like Robinson, her versatility
could lead to immediate playing
time.
“(Pertofsky’s) strength and what
she’s going to bring to us is that
she could play multiple positions,”
Rosen said. “She can play in the
middle, on the right or on the left.
She’s a good physical athlete that is
fast, explosive, jumps well and has
a good arm swing. She has all the
tools that will allow us to put her
in a position to create an impact
for us and allow her to be very
successful. We’re leaning (towards
using) her as a middle blocker, but
there’s a lot of options with her,
which makes it very exciting.
“(Pertofsky) is used to winning
at the highest level so she’s coming
in as someone who is ready to
compete at a high level, and I think
she’s going to be a great addition to
our program.”
As for Beals, she brings just
about everything to the table that
Robinson and Pertfosky lack.
She could see an opportunity to
make an impact this season as a
defensive substitution or serving
specialist following the graduation
of Maddy Abbott, who played that
role in 2018.
The Columbus native, who
earned
Junior
Volleyball
Association All-American honors
in high school, will compete with
rising senior Kyleigh Hamacher
for such duties.
A late signee, Dowd rounded out
the class in May after flipping her
commitment from Georgetown.
She was a finalist for Michigan’s
coveted Miss Volleyball Award
and, like Robinson, played for
Legacy Volleyball Club. Dowd
will battle it out with rising senior
Katerina Rocafort for primary
backup setter duties this fall.
Rosen has established a strong
pipeline from Legacy to Ann
Arbor. Crocker, rising sophomore
outside hitter Abbey Malinowski
and a handful of recent program
alumni all came from the club. On
the other hand, Pertofsky played
for Sunshine Volleyball Club, the
same program as rising redshirt
junior Ellie Brooks.
But,
regardless
of
where
they came from, the incoming
freshmen will be tasked with
helping Michigan succeed in the
Big Ten gauntlet immediately.
“We’re really excited about
this class,” Rosen said. “They’re
all very different in terms of
how they’ll impact our program,
but they’re all very athletic and
they’re all players that are used
to winning. They’ve all played
on great club and high school
teams that are used to winning
and competing at a high level, so
I think they all have a chance to
come in and make us better.”
DANIEL DASH
Daily Sports Writer
Howard announces new coaching staff hires for upcoming season
Michigan
men’s
basketball
coach Juwan Howard announced
new staff hires Monday. Most
notable among the additions is
the return of Jay Smith to Ann
Arbor. Smith will serve as the
director of player personnel and
development.
Howard
and
Smith
share
a relationship dating back to
Smith’s time as an assistant coach
for the Wolverines from 1989-
1996 and was part of the effort
that helped recruit the Fab Five.
“There are many people who
have helped me throughout my
career; however, Jay Smith is
someone special who I have a
deep connection with and the
utmost
respect
for,”
Howard
said in a press release. “He has
such an incredible passion for
the game and his ability to relate
with young men is going to be
something invaluable for us. We
are very fortunate to have him
return to Ann Arbor and join our
staff.”
After
his
first
stint
with
Michigan, Smith went on to earn
his first head coaching job at
Grand Valley State where he won
the Great Lakes Intercollegiate
Athletic
Conference
regular
season
and
tournament
championships,
leading
his
team to an NCAA Division II
Tournament appearance. He was
also the head coach of the Central
Michigan basketball team for
nine seasons which included an
appearance in the second round
of the NCAA Tournament. Most
recently, he spent the last three
seasons as the head coach at
Kalamazoo College.
“There are always interesting
twists in this game,” Smith
said. “That can be said for this
situation. I have been through
plenty over the last few years and
loved the opportunity Kalamazoo
trusted in me. However, the
chance to help out Juwan and
return to Michigan is something
my family and I are excited about
and thankful for.”
Howard also decided to retain
Chris Hunter as the Wolverines’
director of basketball operations.
Hunter has spent the last three
seasons in the director role and
will begin his sixth season overall
with Michigan.
In addition, Howard brought
back
former
guard
Jaaron
Simmons
as
the
graduate
manager. Simmons was a part of
the 2017-2018 team that appeared
in the national championship
game
and
will
be
working
towards his master’s degree in
social work.
The
final
hiring
Howard
announced was adding David
Metzendorf as the team’s video
analyst. Metzendorf is an Ann
Arbor native and spent the past
three seasons at Holy Cross as
director of basketball operations
and assistant coach.
JORGE CAZARES
Summer Managing Sports Editor
ALEC COHEN/Daily
Michigan coach Juwan Howard announced new staff hirings Monday.
DARBY STIPE/Daily
Michigan coach Mark Rosen is bringing in a freshman class that may contribute early.