The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Wednesday, October 30, 2019 — 7

June 19, 2016
June 1, 2017

Errors crucial in failed upset bid

The 
Michigan 
volleyball 
team followed the example of its 
kills leader, sophomore outside 
hitter Paige Jones, on Sunday. 
Against No. 5 Wisconsin, the 
Wolverines’ upset hopes were 
dashed by a slew of errors and 
dominant play by the Badgers’ 
All-American 
junior 
middle 
blocker Dana Rettke.
Jones 
had 
a 
game-high 
21 kills for the Wolverines, 
showing 
some 
impressive 
spurts of genius against the 
heavily-favored 
Badgers 
en 
route to her second straight 
match with 20-plus kills. But 
she also led the team with nine 
errors in what ended up being a 
sloppy loss for Michigan.
“I think we as a team were a 
little high-air,” said Michigan 
coach Mark Rosen. “... And 
that’s where I thought Paige 
could have been a little bit 
better.” 
“High-air” was a nice way 
of 
putting 
the 
Wolverines’ 
struggles. 
They 
totaled 
29 
attack errors to the Badgers’ 

nine. Michigan also had only 
one service ace and 12 service 
errors, giving away too many 
free points to a Wisconsin team 
that certainly didn’t need the 
help. The Wolverines were 
outhit by the Badgers, .372-.176, 
as well. 
And 
despite 
some 
solid 
runs throughout the game, 
Michigan’s passing was poor 
at times — a sin the Wolverines 
could 
ill-afford 
to 
commit 
against the sound and skilled 
Badgers.
“A lot of teams don’t always 
capitalize in those situations,” 
Rosen said. “... We’re in trouble 
and we can kind of bang out of 
it and be OK. (Wisconsin) is a 
team where it’s hard to bang 
out of trouble.”
But even in the desperation 
of a fourth loss in five games, 
the 
Wolverines 
were 
able 
to take solace in the bright 
spots that Jones and the rest 
of 
Michigan’s 
young 
stars 
exhibited. Even though Jones 
had difficulty with controlling 
the ball, she marked the fourth 
20-kill match of her young 
career. 

“She’s scoring a lot for us 
right now,” Rosen said. “She’s 
carrying a big load for us.” 
Two 
other 
youngsters, 
freshman outside hitter May 
Pertofsky and freshman middle 
blocker Jess Robinson also had 
solid performances. Pertofsky 
and Robinson had eight kills 
apiece, but they combined for 
nine errors of their own. Even 
so, this front-court trio for the 
Wolverines has been learning 
and progressing at a strong rate.
The 
difference 
in 
skill 
between the current iterations 
of 
both 
Michigan 
and 
Wisconsin 
is 
obvious; 
the 
Wolverines just aren’t on the 
Badgers’ level. But Jones and 
the other young players showed 
enough in the loss to give the 
Wolverines a positive outlook 
on the future, even if there are 
some growing pains along the 
way. 
“We’re very excited about 
what they’re doing,” Rosen 
said. “... I like how this team 
is progressing. I like how this 
team is approaching things, I 
like how they’re approaching 
losses.”

ARTHUR POTTER
For The Daily

Quick Hits

The Daily hockey beat used 
to run a video series during the 
2011-12 season called “Quick 
Hits.” 
It was a series of one-on-one 
interviews with players that 
covered everyday life and all of 
its funny moments. But now, for 
budget reasons, it’s in written 
format. 
And for the first season in 
three years — despite the pleas 
of the editors — Quick Hits are 
back. 
For the second edition, The 
Daily sat down with three 
members 
of 
the 
sophomore 
class, goaltender Strauss Mann, 
forward 
Nolan 
Moyle 
and 
defenseman Nick Blankenburg — 
based on the frequency of their 
photos together on Instagram — 
to talk about some pretty spooky 
stuff.
***
Tien was feeling really festive 
for Halloween and brought a 
cowboy hat and crown to interview 
the players. When they walked in, 
they noticed immediately.
Blankenburg: 
Ooooh, 
a 
crown. Is that for one of us to 
wear?
Mann: That crown is for you, 
Moyle. 
Moyle: No, that’s for you lad.
Feeling that these first-time 
Quick Hits victims didn’t know 
what was going on, Tien Le and 
Molly “Michigan” Shea offered up 
a quick explanation of Quick Hits 
before getting into it.
***
Molly: 
If 
the 
team 
was 
trapped in a horror movie who 
would be the first person to get 
killed/go missing?
Blankenburg: Jack Olmstead.
Moyle: Jack Leavy, for sure.
Mann: Yeah, either one of 
those guys. 
Blankenburg: 
I 
think 
Olmstead 
and 
Leavy 
are 
definitely the main two.

Moyle: Maybe Strauss.
Mann: I feel like they’d think 
they had a smart idea to get out of 
there or something, and it would 
just go completely wrong.
Tien: Okay, who on the team 
would be most likely to cry in a 
haunted house?
Moyle: Jack Leavy. Again.
Tien: Is he really easy to 
scare?
Mann: Uhhhh...
Moyle: He just wouldn’t know 
what to expect, and then he’d 
probably get terrified.
Blankenburg: I feel like any 
being scared questions, or crying 
questions relate to Jack Leavy 
and Jack Olmstead. 
Moyle: Oh yeah.
Tien: Molly had to get dragged 
out of a haunted house one time 
because she was so scared she 
was on the floor crying.
Blankenburg: Oh.
Mann: Nice, nice.
Molly: Hey! I was really 
young!
Molly: Do you guys believe 
in any conspiracy theories? Like 
is the moon landing fake? Is the 
Earth flat?
Blankenburg: Uhh, I don’t 
know. I try not to get into that 
stuff. It’s not my cup of tea.
Moyle: The Titanic was fake, 
I think. 
Molly: Woah.
Mann: Yeah, that’s not up my 
alley.
Blankenburg: 
I 
know 
Jake Gingell is a big, big, big 
conspiracy theory guy, so I think 
that’d be the guy you would ask. 
He watches alien documentaries 
and always talks about aliens and 
stuff like that.
Tien: 
What’s 
the 
worst 
Halloween candy?
Blankenburg: I don’t like 
candy corn.
Mann: Really? You don’t?
Blankenburg: Yeah, I’m just 
not a big fan of candy corn.
Mann: Black licorice.
A key fact left out is that Mann 
follows a very strict diet that 

doesn’t include any food otherwise 
touched by humans besides to cook 
it, so, in other words, no candy.
Molly: Well that’s just the 
worst candy in general.
Mann: Well, that’s any candy 
so… 
Moyle: I don’t know, those 
Rolo things are pretty heinous.
Blankenburg 
*clearly 
offended 
by 
Moyle’s 
suggestion*: 
Wait, 
fruit 
roll-ups?? 
Fruit 
roll-ups 
are 
unbelievable.
Mann: Tootsie Rolls??
Moyle: No, no, no.
Blankenburg: Tootsie Rolls 
are sooooo bad too, though.
Mann: They’re so good, sooo 
good.
Tien: They’re a classic.
Blankenburg: Tootsie Rolls 
are ... I don’t even know.
Molly: What are you guys 
going to be for Halloween this 
year?
Blankenburg: 
White 
Goodman. 
Molly: Who’s that?
Blankenburg: He’s on the 
Purple Cobras from the movie 
‘Dodgeball’.
Mann: I’m going to be the 
Love Guru. Mariska Hargitay….
Mariska Hargitay.
Blankenburg: I don’t know. 
We won’t really have the chance 
to go out here, I mean, Halloween 
is, Thursday? Yeah we’re going to 
leave for Ohio State. Oh! Maybe 
I’ll wear a nice costume on the 
bus or something. Maybe we 
should all do that.
Mann: For Halloween, you 
(Blankenburg) 
can 
just 
be 
yourself. That’d be pretty scary.
Head athletic trainer Brian 
Brewster walks into the room.
Blankenburg: Hey! Should 
we do that, wear Halloween 
costumes on the bus?
Brewster: I’d like to see you 
lead the charge on that.
Blankenburg: 
I 
might, 
I 
might.
Molly: Strauss, what did you 
honestly think of when Tien 

asked to race you at the meet the 
players skate?
Mann: Ummm, I was just like 
‘Uhh I really don’t wanna do this, 
but...’
Blankenburg: Actually, he 
got nervous. Afraid he was going 
to lose.
Mann: Well, I did lose. I was 
just like, ‘I don’t know, I can be 
a nice guy and do it.’ It’s tough 
with all the goalie gear on. After 
the game, you (Tien), had me at 
my worst moment.
Tien: In my story I said, ‘To be 
fair, you were in pads and stuff.’
Tien: What’s the scariest thing 
that’s ever happened to you?
Mann: Scariest moment….
Blankenburg: 
I 
think 
I 
thought someone was trying 
to break into my house. One 
time, when I was home alone, I 
was down in my basement, and 
someone rang the doorbell. And 
when you’re a kid, and you’re 
home alone, you automatically 
think someone’s trying to break 
into your house. But … it was just 
the mailman or something.
Tien: Someone actually broke 
into my house two years ago.
Blankenburg: Oh really? 
Tien: Two years ago in Ann 
Arbor, yeah.
Blankenburg: Other than that 

fake break-in, I haven’t really had 
too much scary stuff.
Moyle: 
I 
can’t 
think 
of 
anything like really scary. 
Mann: Uhhh ... I’m thinking. 
Maybe anytime my junior hockey 
coach talked to me. I was afraid 
I’d get traded or something. *long 
pause* But he was a good guy. 
Make sure you put that in there, 
please.
Molly: 
Blankenburg 
and 
Moyle, if you had to be goalie 
for the day, who would you least 

want to face a shot from?
Moyle: Johnny Beecher.
Mann: Oh, for sure.
Moyle: His shot split open 
Hayden’s head last week.
Tien: Oh right, he had to get 
six stitches by his eye.
Blankenburg: Slaker or Will.
Moyle: Oh, or Becker.
Molly: Alright, that’s all we 
have for you guys.
Mann *shakes his head*: 
Good luck writing this story. We 
didn’t give you anything good.

The hockey beat is back with Quick Hits, this time leaning into spooky season to unearth the team’s fears and frights

With legs, Patterson aids offense

As Tru Wilson took the 
handoff and cut through the 
teeth of Notre Dame’s defense, 
Shea 
Patterson 
sprinted 
downfield ahead of his running 
back. When Wilson approached 
the end zone, Patterson threw 
a block on the last remaining 
defender. Wilson coasted in for 
a touchdown.
Early 
in 
the 
season, 
Patterson 
seemed 
reluctant 
to put his body on the line. 
He was hesitant to keep the 
ball even on read-options that 
appeared to be open for a keep. 
He certainly didn’t block for 
touchdowns like he did on 
Saturday or risk an eye-gouging 
on a quarterback sneak, like 
last week at Penn State.
But now, Michigan’s senior 
quarterback is back to his fast 
and physical ways, and it’s been 
nothing but a boon to his team.
“I think (the quarterback 
run) was especially important 
in this game and something 
we’d talked about and Shea 
embraced, and he read the 
ball,” said Michigan coach Jim 
Harbaugh on Monday. “If both 
sides know that you’re running, 
having 
that 
quarterback 
as a potential 
threat 
for 
a 
runner is key. … 
I thought it was 
his fastest game 
he’s played as a 
runner and he’s 
moving around, 
scrambles. You 
could tell when 
he got the block 
that it was at least a distraction 
on Tru’s touchdown. He was 
really moving.”
Some of Patterson’s early 
hesitance may have been due 
to an oblique injury sustained 
in the season opener against 
Middle Tennessee. Last week, 
Patterson said that the game in 
State College was the first time 

all year he was at 100 percent.
Regardless 
of 
whether 
the 
early 
absence 
of 
the 
quarterback 
run 
was 
due 
to injury, missed reads or 
something else entirely, there’s 
no question that aspect of 
Patterson’s 
game 
is 
back. 
Against the Nittany Lions and 
Fighting Irish, he rushed for 
41 and 28 sack-adjusted yards, 
respectively. And on Saturday, 
in a throwback to last year, 
Patterson kept 
the ball on a 
read-option 
in the second 
quarter 
for 
a 
22-yard 
gain. 
The 
run 
set 
the Wolverines 
up with first-
and-goal at the 
2-yard 
line, 
eventually 
leading 
to 
a 
touchdown that put Michigan 
up, 17-0.
“The quarterback run game 
is a pretty big part of what we 
do,” said redshirt freshman 
offensive 
tackle 
Jalen 
Mayfield. “And we missed a 
couple 
opportunities 
early 

in the season, weren’t able to 
hold the ball, but (Patterson 

has) done an unbelievable 
job of watching that film and 
picking up on the things he did 
wrong early in the season. And 
for him being the big leader 
that he is in the locker room ... 
just asserting himself like that 
is gonna be a big part of our 
success.”
The presence of a dual-
threat 
signal-caller 
gives 
the defense another thing 
to 
worry 
about 
and 
can 
confuse opposing teams with 
looks they haven’t seen. The 
re-addition of that element of 
Patterson’s game has opened 
up the Wolverines’ rushing 
attack after a few lackluster 
early-season games. And it’s 
been beneficial for Patterson, 
too. As he’s increasingly made 
the right reads and found 
success, his confidence has 
only grown.
“I feel like he’s the best 
there is,” Wilson said. “He’s 
the 
man. 
But 
physically, 
mentally, his confidence is at a 
high, he’s throwing the ball as 
good as could be, I thought he 
threw the ball really well for 
being as rainy as it was. That’s 
really bad conditions. So yeah, 
I think he’s the man and he can 
do it all.”

ARIA GERSON
Daily Sports Editor

ALEXIS RANKIN/Daily
Senior quarterback Shea Patterson had double-digit carries on Saturday.

ALEC COHEN/Daily
Sophomore outside hitter Paige Jones had a game-high 21 kills Sunday, her second straight matchup with 20-plus kills.

ALLISON ENGKVIST/Daily
Sophomore defenseman Nick Blankenburg will be dressing up as White 
Goodman for Halloween this week.

MOLLY SHEA
Daily Sports Writer

...having that 
quarterback 
as a potential 
threat... is key.

