The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
14 — Wednesday, Novemberm 2, 2022
Michigan volleyball takes down
Michigan State for 10th straight match
MALLORY MOORE
Daily Sports Writer
Rivalry week continued in
Ann Arbor into Sunday when
the Michigan volleyball team
(14-8 overall, 5-7 Big Ten) took
on Michigan State (10-13, 1-11) at
the Crisler Center. The Wolver-
ines’ win streak against the Spar-
tans extended to 10 straight wins
over the past five years. Michigan
relied on defensive plays both
at the net and in the back row to
extend this streak.
The Wolverines’ strong pres-
ence at the net made a statement
from the onset of the match. They
started the first set with numer-
ous attacks converted into kills,
catching Michigan State’s defense
off guard.
Junior
outside
hitter
Alli-
son Jacobs led Michigan in kills
with a total of nine for the game,
helping to generate point scor-
ing opportunities at the net. Her
success also played a role in the
Wolverines’ 0.371 attacking rate
in the first set, a stat that reflects
Michigan’s strong offensive per-
formance.
This translated into a quick
25-17 win for Michigan in the first
set, clearly outmatching the Spar-
tans’ abysmal attack rate of 0.129.
While the Wolverines’ offensive
strength didn’t falter throughout
the second set, which resulted
in another 25-17 win, the third
set saw defensive adjustments by
Michigan State that sunk Michi-
gan’s attack rate down to a shock-
ing 0.077.
“Our goal is to hit above 0.250
as a team,” Michigan coach Mark
Rosen said. “It came down a little
bit in that third set when we were
trying some different stuff, so it
got affected.”
Even with new tactics being
tested out in the third set and
more defensive pushback, the
Wolverines were still able to hold
on and complete the 3-0 sweep
against
the
Spartans.
While
offensive success was crucial to
this win, Michigan’s defense both
at the net and in the back row also
played an integral role in extend-
ing their winning streak.
The strong defense at the net
was reinforced by consistent
backcourt play. Redshirt junior
libero Hannah Grant ended the
game with 15 digs, the most on
Michigan. While not a season
best, her efforts against Michigan
State proved to be enough. But,
this success wouldn’t be possible
without, once again, work at the
net.
“Blocking really helps, in my
sense,” Grant said. “(The) blockers
have been doing a phenomenal job
of setting up a really good block so
I can read around them. Working
on us working together at practice
has been really beneficial.”
The combined efforts of the
blockers and Grant’s digs in the
back helped the team keep the
Spartans under a 0.155 attacking
rate in each set. The Wolverines
looked strong on both sides of the
net in their rivalry match, allow-
ing them to take their 10th win in
a row against Michigan State.
Jacobs, with her offensive
success, also noted the impact
of Michigan’s positions at the
net. Without her teammates
in prime position up front, she
wouldn’t have as many oppor-
tunities to drive the Wolverines’
attack. The offense proved rock
solid throughout each set in the
sweep.
“I’m front row with amazing
options and they hold blockers
for me,” Jacobs said. “When I do
get set, I’m in perfect position to
succeed and I attribute that to
my setters. We have been work-
ing on getting that first ball. So,
if we get a good passing system,
there are many options.”
The last time the Spartans
beat Michigan was Nov. 15,
2017. That streak speaks to
the strength of the Wolver-
ines and the program they’ve
created and maintained. An
aggressive attack strategy and
successful conversion to kills
allowed Michigan to extend
its lead in this year’s matchup,
while defensive prowess in the
back helped it hinder Michigan
State’s success.
“I think we’re playing good
volleyball,” Rosen said. “And
that’s our focus. The winning
and losing, you can’t always con-
trol. That depends a bit on who
you play and how things go.”
If the Wolverines continue to
play good volleyball and lean on
their play at the net, they might
see similar outcomes in their
upcoming Big Ten games.
VOLLEYBALL
SportsMonday: What we can learn from Donovan Edwards
JARED GREENSPAN
Managing Sports Editor
It happened late in the first
quarter, following an explosive
28-yard catch that set Michigan
up at Michigan State’s four-yard
line. The PA announcer bellowed
“Donovan Edwards,” the recipi-
ent of J.J. McCarthy’s pass, while
the majority of the 111,083 fans
on hand unleashed a raucous
applause. Thanks to Edwards,
Michigan was suddenly poised to
take an early lead.
As I sat inside the Michigan
Stadium press box, my mind
raced back to Wednesday. That’s
when I discovered that Edwards
had retweeted a post containing
disparaging, disgusting antise-
mitic rhetoric from Ye — formerly
Kanye West — the now infamous
face of a furious antisemitic move-
ment sweeping the nation.
I
didn’t
think
much
of
Edwards’s actions at the time.
Perhaps it was a result of a sub-
conscious desensitization to hate
speech, an unfortunate reality in
the world that we live in. At this
point, we have a formula that we
regurgitate to handle these situa-
tions.
Recently, that formula has
been leaned on. In September, an
extremist group known as GDL
placed antisemitic fliers on porch-
es and driveways of off-campus
residences throughout Ann Arbor.
They distributed these fliers on
the eve of Rosh Hashana, the Jew-
ish New Year.
In the aftermath, the Univer-
sity released a carefully-crafted
statement, apologizing for GDL’s
actions and reaffirming its com-
mitment to creating a secure,
diverse
environment
inclusive
of all subsets of the population —
Jewish people included.
In the wake of Edwards’s
actions, I presumed the Univer-
sity and the athletic department
would follow a similar course of
action.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t the
case. The closest it got to a satis-
factory response was a tweet from
Michigan President Santa Ono,
but Ono’s words felt hollow amid
the backdrop.
And so, while Edwards’ initial
retweet — and his amplification
of dangerous rhetoric — caused
a dull pain, his preceding actions
proved sharper.
“The retweet was a glitch,”
Edwards wrote Thursday morn-
ing, nearly 24 hours after the ini-
tial retweet.
Beyond the preposterous claim
— one has to press multiple but-
tons to retweet something, making
a “glitch” an unlikely occurrence
— the rest of Edwards’ reply only
hurt more. He failed to mention
the harm he caused to the Jewish
community, nor any notion of his
apparent antisemitic thought.
Thursday evening, Edwards
recognized his faults.
“This has been a learning expe-
rience for me,” Edwards wrote. “I
wish and hope that we are able as
a society to rise from oppression
and not discriminate off race, reli-
gion or ethnicity but look beyond
into each person’s heart and see
who they truly are as a human
being. One Love.”
When asked for comment,
a team spokesperson said that
Edwards’s tweets reflect what he
wishes to share at this time. Below
that second tweet, Edwards post-
ed an additional statement:
“I would like to make it clear: I
apologize for mistakenly retweet-
ing a message that was so hurtful
to so many especially those in the
Jewish Community. As I stated
earlier, I am unequivocally against
racism, exploitation and oppres-
sion in all forms, including ste-
reotyping and trafficking in hate.
I have nothing but love for others
and I never judge anyone based on
race or religion.”
It’s not my place to inform you
how to react to that response.
Maybe you brushed Edwards’s
comments aside at first glance.
Maybe you’ve stopped rooting for
him all together. Perhaps you’re
somewhere in the middle of that
spectrum.
For transparency purposes, I
am yet to forgive Edwards, believ-
ing that actions speak louder
than words — particularly words
that are delayed and contradict
themselves. I’ll wait for after the
season to even consider forgive-
ness. That’s when Edwards and
his teammates will venture to
the Holocaust Museum alongside
Michigan regent Jordan Acker,
who is Jewish, to learn “first hand
where hate speech leads.”
That’s when Edwards will
learn, and he has a lot to learn.
That much is clear.
But so do all of us.
We live in a world where
hate reigns supreme. Edwards’s
actions are the latest episode in a
disturbing increase of antisemitic
rhetoric, discourse that begins
with influential figures boasting
powerful platforms; while antise-
mitic rhetoric always exists, such
people bring it to the surface. Ye
has unleashed an endless spew
of antisemitic tropes. The Brook-
lyn Nets’ Kyrie Irving has estab-
lished his support for “New World
Order,” a disgusting antisemitic
film predicated on conspiracy
theories peddled by right-wing
podcast host Alex Jones.
“History is not supposed to
be hidden from anybody,” Irving
said Saturday night in a shambolic
press conference.
It’s not, and that’s a lesson we
can apply now — just not in the
context Irving envisions.
Artists and athletes, whether it
be Ye or Edwards, have platforms.
Their voices have an influence
that many of us will never have.
Take Ye, for instance. His actions
spurred a series of banners draped
over Los Angeles freeways declar-
ing “Kanye was right,” a direct
KATE HUA/Daily
consequence of his words.
But other artists and athletes
have influential platforms, too.
None of Edwards’s teammates
commented publicly on the matter
— not that they should admonish
Edwards, but to expose history, to
make everyone aware of the harm
that antisemitic rhetoric causes.
Because platforms work both
ways, and that’s something we all
need to understand.
Everyone can be extra con-
scious of their actions, too. Per-
formances — whether athletic or
artistic — too often cloak the dis-
turbing actions committed by the
performers, allowing them to con-
tinue relatively unscathed.
That’s what I thought about
Saturday
afternoon,
walking
down Packard Street. One tailgate
after the next blasted Ye’s music,
ranging from “Flashing Lights” to
“Monster,” popular pregame bal-
lads.
I thought back to that point
again in the press box, with
Edwards drawing his first career
start and notching 80 total yards,
helping the Wolverines beat their
in-state rivals. Each of his plays
elicited cheers.
Perhaps a more conscious
response would allow the story to
remain top of mind. Each stream
of a Ye song and each cheer for
Edwards reinforces an unspoken
notion: a notion that antisemi-
tism and hate is OK and that their
actions are acceptable.
Certainly, they are not any
of those things. It is not okay to
amplify antisemitic rhetoric at a
time where hateful discourse is
proliferating, or when it is not.
It’s time for us to learn that we
have to act in a way that shows
that.
After Donovan Edwards retweeted antisemitic rhetoric on Wednesday, he – and all of us – has plenty to learn.
Blake Corum is finally getting
his flowers
SPENCER RAINES
Daily Sports Editor
As Blake Corum sauntered up
to the podium after Saturday’s
game — a 29-7 win over in-state
rival Michigan State — he was
brimming with excitement. His
face beamed, his smile seemed
even wider than usual and he
sure felt like talking.
And, why wouldn’t he?
Just eight games into the sea-
son, Corum has over 1,000 rush-
ing yards. He’s tied for the most
rushing touchdowns in the coun-
try with 14, he’s top-10 in the
country in rushing yards and he
has legitimate Heisman Trophy
aspirations.
For the first time in his career
at Michigan, Corum is ‘the guy’ —
and he’s letting everyone know it.
“Y’all like that, huh?” Corum
said as he took his seat at the
podium. “I thought Tuck’ was
comin’? That’s what they said
this offseason, right? … I just saw
them running.”
He didn’t stop talking there,
either, and he certainly didn’t
stop smiling. When he was asked
whether or not there was a lot of
trash-talking during the game
given the rivalry, he kept the
same energy.
“We don’t talk we just do,”
Corum said.
But, what about from the other
side?
“You can only talk so much
when you’re getting punished.
(They) got quiet real quick.”
The Wolverines won on the
line of scrimmage early and
often. Behind Corum, they ran
through the Spartans’ defense ad
nauseam.
Corum had reason to talk, and
on Saturday night, he finally got
his vindication.
Through his first two seasons
as a Wolverine, Corum never got
to see the Paul Bunyan trophy,
he never had his chance to be the
No. 1 running back — he never got
to have his moment.
Look at this very game last
year. Corum had just 45 yards on
13 carries, but that wasn’t all. He
was part of the muffled exchange
with then-freshman J.J. McCar-
thy that led to the fumble that
gave Michigan State its game-
winning touchdown.
This year though? A bit bet-
ter: 33 carries, 177 yards and his
team’s only two touchdowns.
Suffice to say, Corum finally
got to see Paul Bunyan.
“You know, I’ve never seen
Paul before, this was my first
time,” Corum said. “So I wanted
to make sure I greeted him right.”
He was referencing the pose
he struck after his second touch-
down of the night: He planted his
legs, pressed his fists against his
waist and put his head to the side
— the Paul Bunyan pose.
Another moment for Corum.
This year, that list of moments
is getting long, but it’s been more
than just a singular game or
event. Two hundred and forty-
three yards against Maryland,
five touchdowns against Con-
necticut and 166 yards against
Penn
State.
His
domination
through every game is what has
earned him the amount of rec-
ognition he has garnered.
But for Corum, that’s still not
enough.
“I can handle more,” Corum
said. “… Last year, when I went
to the weight room… I was dis-
appointed, felt like I left some
things out there. This offsea-
son, I was just working for a
great year, not necessarily just
one game. But obviously, it
pays off, and I think it paid off
today.”
Much has been made all
season about the work Corum
put in this offseason, about the
muscle he added. But very rare-
ly does preseason talk come to
fruition as vividly as it has for
Corum. He is better this year
than he was last year in every
aspect of the game: speed,
power, blocking, catching.
That’s at the crux of his
ascension, that’s why Corum is
finally starting to get attention
at the national level and that’s
why he might just be the best
running back in the nation.
It goes beyond his perfor-
mance against Michigan State.
At this point in the year, after
the amount of continued suc-
cess that Corum has had, it
becomes
less
about
single
moments where he takes the
spotlight.
In reality, this whole year has
been Corum’s moment. And at
this point, Corum is starting to
realize that.
Maybe that’s why he can’t
stop smiling.
FOOTBALL
ALYSSA SHEA MULLIGAN/Daily
With strong defensive play, Michigan earned its tenth-straight victory against in-state foe, Michigan State.
Sports
FOOTBALL
ANNA FUDER/Daily
Blake Corum continued to thrive as the lead back against the Spartans.