The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Tuesday, January 28, 2020 — 7

‘M’ beats UCSB to go 3-1 on weekend

The final shot came barrelling 
in, but Heidi Ritner was never 
worried.
The senior goaltender had her 
defense in perfect position and 
the ball sailed harmlessly over 
the net. That strong defensive 
effort led the No. 7 Michigan 
water polo team (5-3) to a 7-6 
victory on Sunday against No. 9 
UC Santa Barbara (6-3) to close 
out the Michigan Invitational.
Playing 
their 
first 
games 
in front of home fans, the 
Wolverines opened up with an 
11-8 win against No. 21 Wagner 
(1-3), which they dominated from 
the start. The team struggled 
against No. 5 UCLA (8-1) and 
took a tough 12-4 loss before 
bouncing back with a 7-4 win 
against No. 11 Pacific (2-3). The 
final match of the day against 
the Gauchos, though, ended up 
being the most thrilling of the 
weekend. 
“That game had so many 
different things that symbolize 
what a championship match 
looks like,” Michigan coach Dr. 
Marcelo Leonardi said. 
The game kicked off with 
an influx of fouls and a lack of 
scoring. Each team took a power 
play but could not capitalize. It 
was not until halfway through 
the first quarter that junior 

attacker Maddie O’Reilly opened 
the scoring with her thirteenth 
goal of the year. She leads the 
team in points and has set the 
tone on offense. 
“We’ve tried to maximize her 
shot selection and she’s doing a 
great job,” Leonardi said. “She’s 
just naturally confident, which 
takes time, but I like her mindset 
when it comes to playing.”
Added O’Reilly: “I’m a junior 
now. I’m trying to be a leader as 
much as possible.”
Her confidence helped elevate 
the rest of the team in the 
second period. The Wolverines 
traded goals with UC Santa 
Barbara, but largely dominated 
the pace of play. Several players 
hit the crossbar and kept up 
the offensive pressure. Junior 
defender Emily Ritner buried a 
shot in the back of the net with a 
minute left to put the Wolverines 
up, 4-2, at the half.
Michigan was in control, but 
the game felt far from over. 
“I thought they were going 
to get opportunities to at least 
get back into it.” Leonardi said. 
“We had to be able to finish the 
game.” 
After Michigan made it 5-2 
with an early third quarter 
goal from Erin Neustrom, the 
Gauchos stormed back. They 
scored two goals within a minute 
to trim the deficit to 5-4 entering 
the fourth.

UC Santa Barbara tied it up 
just forty seconds into the final 
period. The Wolverines took 
back the lead with goals from 
junior defender Sophie Pontre 
and junior utility player Kathy 
Rogers. Michigan held a 7-5 
lead and looked on their way to 
an easy finish until a Gauchos 
goal with a minute remaining 
suddenly made it a one-goal 
game again. 
UC Santa Barbara loaded up 
for one final push to tie the game, 
but ultimately, the defense held. 
“(I was) just making sure 
everyone 
was 
calm 
and 
composed,” 
Ritner 
said. 
“Everyone knew we were going 
to walk out with the W.”
Ritner, who had eight saves on 
the day, led the strong defensive 
effort from her goal. She made 
some difficult saves early on to 
keep the game close and stood 
tall when it mattered most. 
“I have one of the best goalies 
in the country,” Leonardi said. 
“She makes this look easy.” 
In a game of ebbs and flows, 
the Wolverines were able to 
squeeze out a 7-6 victory. They 
now shift their focus to the 
Stanford 
Invitational 
next 
weekend. Having shaken off the 
early season rust, they are now 
beginning to find an identity. 
“(It starts with) our defense.” 
Leonardi said. “Our defense and 
our confidence.”

Big lineup helps unlock Varejão

It was almost too easy for 
Izabel Varejão.
The 
freshman 
center, 
defended by a Rutgers guard 
six 
inches 
shorter 
than 
her, received a pass from 
sophomore guard Amy Dilk in 
the post with her back to the 
basket. Without hesitating, she 
faked one direction, pivoted 
the other, and knocked down a 
turnaround jumper to put the 
Michigan women’s basketball 
team up 20 en route to a 71-57 
win on Sunday.
But this mismatch didn’t 
come because the Wolverines 
ran a play that forced a guard 
to 
switch 
onto 
Varejão. 
Instead, it was a choice the 
Scarlet Knights made due to 
the lineup that Michigan had 
on the floor, which featured 
Varejão, sophomore forward 
Naz 
Hillmon 
and 
junior 
forward Hailey Brown — all 
players who typically play in 
the post.
“There were times when 
Izabel was defended by (a 
shorter guard), and we were 
able to post her up,” Michigan 
coach 
Kim 
Barnes 
Arico 
said. “So really trying to take 
advantage of the mismatches 
that we’re gonna have if we go 
with that big lineup.”
When 
senior 
forward 
Kayla 
Robbins 
suffered 
a 
season-ending ACL injury last 
weekend 
against 
Nebraska, 
the Wolverines lost a key 
part of their most common 
lineup. Without a clear sixth 
player on the team who could 
step into Robbins’ spot on the 
wing, Barnes Arico looked 
to 
experiment 
with 
some 
different lineups. While the 
big lineup wasn’t used in the 
second half — Brown picked 
up her fourth foul just four 
minutes into the third quarter 
— it was arguably Michigan’s 
most effective group, giving 
Rutgers problems on both ends 
of the court.
While the Wolverines’ style 
of play changed significantly 
with this lineup, it was clear 
that they were comfortable in 

their new roles. Three-point 
shooting was more of a focus, 
as Brown moved from the post 
to the wing, giving Michigan 
the true deep threat that it had 
been lacking on the perimeter. 
The Scarlet Knights devoted 
much of their attention to 
Hillmon and Varejão in the 
paint, 
giving 
open 
3-point 
chances to Brown and senior 
guard Akienreh Johnson.
Defensively, the Wolverines 
switched to a zone, and their 
length down low allowed them 
to close out on shooters and 
prevent Rutgers from getting 
the ball to its bigs — often 
resulting in bad passes when 
it was attempted. Michigan 
forced five Scarlet Knights 
turnovers in the six minutes 
the three bigs were on the floor 
together.
Most 
importantly, 
this 
lineup 
allowed 
Varejão 
to 
get comfortable and stay on 
the floor. Varejão has shown 
flashes of high-quality play, 
but poor defense, foul trouble 
and 
decreased 
offensive 
production 
have 
kept 
her 
off the floor in Big Ten play. 
Sunday, she played 19 minutes 
— her most in almost a month.
The biggest change for her 
was the zone the Wolverines 
played for much of the game 
with her on the floor. Varejão 
has shown immense offensive 
talent at times, but recently, 
teams have gone after her on 
the defensive end, drawing 

fouls from her and forcing 
Barnes 
Arico 
to 
take 
her 
out before she can get into 
a rhythm. The zone took 
pressure off her defensively, 
limiting one-on-one matchups 
and keeping the ball on the 
perimeter.
“Most freshmen come in 
and don’t know how to defend, 
have never had to defend, don’t 
really know the toughness 
of what it takes to play in the 
Big Ten,” Barnes Arico said. 
“I think that’s what Izabel is 
learning now, how to be strong, 
how to be tough, how to be 
physical, and how to defend.”
Because she was able to 
stay on the court, Varejão had 
her best offensive game. She 
scored eight points — tied for 
her most since late November 
— and added two assists, both 
of which came on tough passes 
not typically seen from a 
center.
“She 
came 
in 
with 
a 
confident 
mindset, 
playing 
defense, 
getting 
her 
shots 
off,” Hillmon said. “(Varejão) 
is instant offense, honestly. 
She’s trying to work on the 
little things so she can stay 
on the court, like defense and 
rebounding, but she was really 
confident today.”
Barnes 
Arico 
identified 
Varejão as someone who would 
need to step up in Robbins’ 
absence. Sunday, she found a 
lineup that helped get the most 
out of her.

Michigan hockey’s summer of painting houses

By early April at the latest, 
the 
college 
hockey 
season 
wraps up for all teams. That 
leaves players with a break 
of around five months before 
starting up again.
Such a gap allows players 
to return home to visit their 
families. Plus, they can work 
to fine-tune individual aspects 
of their games to be better 
prepared come fall. 
But the summer break also 
gives the student athletes an 
opportunity to take up jobs 
they wouldn’t have time for 
during the strenuous season. 
Senior forward Nick Pastujov 
and his brother, junior forward 
Michael 
Pastujov, 
are 
two 
members 
of 
the 
Michigan 
hockey team who have taken 
advantage of that.
“They had a summer job and 
they were painting the houses,” 
Michigan coach Mel Pearson 
said. “I don’t know, I think that 
only lasted one summer. I don’t 
think they properly drew up the 
estimates very well, because 
they seemed to be getting a lot 
of work and I don’t know if they 
were making much money.”
It 
was 
the 
summer 
of 
2017, right after 
Nick’s freshman 
year and before 
his brother had 
suited 
up 
for 
the Wolverines. 
The 
two 
of 
them 
worked 
in 
Michigan 
for 
Student 
Painters. 
The 
company 
hires 
college 
students 
and 
gives 
them a chance to learn business 
management skills by letting 
them paint houses and handle 
related business logistics.
The 
Pastujovs’ 
youngest 
brother, Sasha, had already 
been playing hockey in the state 
at that time. So, sometimes, the 

older brothers painted things 
for Sasha’s teammates. Other 
times, they painted for some of 
their own friends.
The majority of their work 
was exterior, but the duo also 
painted the inside of Eric 
Nystrom’s 
house. 
Nystrom 
— a former NHL player and 
first-round pick — is similar 
to the brothers 
in that he, too, 
spent 
time 
with 
the 
U.S. 
National Team 
Development 
Program before 
four years with 
the Wolverines.
“That 
was 
cool 
spending 
time with him 
and painting his 
house,” 
Mike 
said. “It was fun.”
Nick 
employed 
other 
teammates for a few of the jobs. 
For instance, James Sanchez 
— who now plays for Arizona 
State after transferring from 
Michigan — joined the crew 
once. Another time, senior 
defenseman 
Griffin 
Luce 

helped Nick paint two decks in 
the scorching heat.
“Basically what I remember 
is that it was probably one of the 
hottest days of the summer,” 
Luce said. “And both Nick and I 
got pretty severely sunburned. 
I didn’t reapply sunscreen. But 
it was a fun time. He paid for 
my lunch. He gave me some 
benefits 
for 
working 
for 
him.”
Nick 
and 
Luce 
came 
across 
challenges that 
day. Normally, 
Nick 
would 
power 
wash 
a deck before 
repainting. 
But 
on 
this 
occasion, 
the prior paint had a sort of 
stickiness to it and wasn’t 
coming off with ease. So, the 
two had no choice but to roll 
up their sleeves, get down 
and scrape the old paint inch 
by inch under the sun. The 
struggles didn’t stop there. 
They also had to carefully tape 

multiple dowels near the deck’s 
railings before repainting. In 
short, it was an eventful day.
When it comes to hockey, 
there’s likely a dispute as to 
which of the Pastujov brothers 
is the better player. But when it 
comes to painting, there was no 
competition.
“I was probably quicker,” 
Nick said. “He 
got tired pretty 
fast.”
Added 
Mike: 
“Nick definitely 
takes 
more 
precision strokes 
and he uses a lot 
more tape than I 
do.”
A 
return 
to 
painting 
in 
the 
future 
is 
unlikely for the 
Wolverines. Mike mentioned 
that all the hours spent working 
outside made for a difficult 
summer, and Luce is on the 
same page.
“It was a pretty taxing job I 
would say for sure,” Luce said. 
“I don’t know if that’s in the 
future of my career.”

Offensive adjustments 
help Wolverines in win

After 
playing 
its 
first 
three games in the Michigan 
Invitational over the weekend, 
the No. 7 Michigan water polo 
team (5-3) thought it had made 
all the adjustments necessary 
for its offense to dominate in its 
final game against No. 9 UC Santa 
Barbara. 
The team went 2-1 in its earlier 
tournament contests, but its nail-
biting victory was fueled not by 
experience from earlier matches, 
but by mid-game adjustments and 
a stout defensive performance 
against the Gauchos. 
When the two teams played 
last weekend in California, the 
Wolverines were efficient in their 
power plays, but that efficiency 
fell flat in their second meeting. 
Michigan thought it could 
attack UC Santa Barbara with the 
same strategy. But it was wrong. 
“I’m sure that they went back, 
they watched film,” Michigan 
coach Dr. Marcelo Leonardi said. 
“They made their adjustments 
... we had to make in-game 
adjustments to counter their 
adjustments.”
In the first half, Leonardi 
opened up the lineup more — due 
to fatigue setting in after a long 
weekend invitational — rotating 
in more players at a time and going 
deeper into the roster. But as the 
game became closer and closer, 
Leonardi needed to tighten up the 
roster due to some mental lapses 
and personnel breakdowns. 
The 
adjustments, 
mainly 
offensive, 
allowed 
sophomore 
center Erin Neustrom to get 
better looks and draw more 
exclusions. 
“A lot of my game is how 
teammates get the ball into me,” 
Neustrom said. “We have been 
doing a great job of that this year 
and my position is just feeding off 
of them.”

The 
Wolverines 
needed 
offensive adjustments to beat a 
team for the second time in one 
week, but their overall defensive 
strategy remained the same.
“Our defense contained them,” 
Leonardi said. “You hold a team 
like that who I feel like is high 
octane. They play really fast. They 
are going to create a lot of scoring 
opportunities so kind of keep our 
defense in check.”
And a more productive offense 
allowed for the defense to shine 
and play one of their best games to 
date. Praised by her coach as “one 
of the best goalies in the country,” 
senior goaltender Heidi Ritner 
had eight saves and two steals. 
Once the defense locked in after a 
shaky start to the second half, the 
Gauchos’ offense fell flat, allowing 
the Wolverines to maintain their 
slim lead. 
“Ultimately you could look from 
the side of my bench,” Leonardi 
said. “The facial expressions of 
the athletes that we’re facing, you 
could tell that once we locked in 
defensively they really struggled 
to move the ball and create 
opportunities to score.”
Junior defenders Emily Ritner 
and Sofie Pontré also shined in the 
game. Ritner had the most difficult 
matchups of the game, guarding 
the team’s finisher. In addition 
to her strong defense, where she 
tallied one steal, she added two 
goals on offense. As the center 
defender, Pontré guards the best 
weapons and does all the team’s 
dirty work. Pontré scored one goal 
and added one steal defensively. 
“(Emily) really came out of her 
shell and really grew this game,” 
Heidi, her sister, said. “I’m super 
proud of her. She had some big 
blocks on defense and some big 
goals on offense so she really 
helped us with the W.”
Added Leonardi: “Those two 
positions, if you can lock people 
down and contain them, then 
that’s a win in itself.”

JOSH TAUBMAN
For The Daily

ALEC COHEN/Daily
Sophomore Erin Neustrom scored in the third quarter of Michigan’s win over UC Santa Barbara on Sunday.

JACK KINGSLEY
Daily Sports Writer

EMMA MATI/Daily
Freshman center Izabel Varejão found success playing in a big lineup.

ROHAN KUMAR
Daily Sports Writer

KELSEY PEASE/Daily
Senior forward Nick Pastujov spent a recent summer painting houses with his brother, Mike, for extra money.

I don’t know 
if they were 
making much 
money.

I don’t know 
if that’s in the 
future of my 
career.

WATER POLO

LILY ISRAEL
Daily Sports Writer