The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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JANUARY 2020 THE WOLVERINE 55 OLYMPIC SPORTS one else would have been celebrat- ing and she instead wanted to know what was the deduction so she could go back and fix it. "We're excited to have her back and very excited about the addition of our freshman class this year. I had to do a thing for the Big Ten just today where I had to pick two 'athletes to watch.' I couldn't pick just two. [Freshmen] Gabby Wilson and Sierra Brooks are going to be rock stars, but then you'd leave Natalie out. "There actually are a lot of similari- ties between Sierra Brooks and Gabby Wilson. Both are powerful. Both are very dynamic athletes, good vault- ers, good tumblers. They both bring a good deal of competitive experience, and they're both really good on all four events. The challenge for them is going to be the challenge of com- peting every single weekend. Natalie handled that beautifully last year, but not everybody does." Performer to Watch: "I really feel like [sophomore] Abby Heiskell, last year as a freshman, had all the regu- lar transitions that a freshman goes through, but she was also coming off a ruptured Achilles [tendon] as a se- nior in high school," Plocki said. "She did okay [last year] but not near what I think she is capable of. I've seen a lot more out of her this fall. I look for big things from her as well." Men's Tennis First Event: Jan. 15 vs. North Caro- lina State at the Varsity Tennis Center in Ann Arbor (4:30 p.m.). Coach's Expectations: "We're here to win championships," head coach Adam Steinberg said. "That's why I came to Michigan. I was fortunate enough to win a national champion- ship at the school [Pepperdine] I was at before Michigan. I know that we can do that here. Our expectations and goals are always that. "The Big Ten Conference in tennis, since I've been here, has improved a lot. There's great depth now. Every match, especially on the road, is not easy. Illinois and Ohio State are defi- nitely the top two teams, but there are a lot of good players in the conference and teams are creeping up on them and improving, which is great. Our goal is obviously to win that [the Big Ten] tournament." Top Players: "[Sophomore] Andrew Fenty, [junior] Mattias Siimar and [freshman] Ondrej Styler are there," Steinberg said of the top of his singles lineup. "I think [sophomore] Patrick Maloney is knocking on the door to be one of those guys for sure. We're pretty strong at the top, that's for sure, probably the best we've been since I've been here. "Ondrej is a great player; he's got a big game. It fits well for him play- ing high. Andrew had an incredible year last year, but it's a new year. He's been there. He understands the level and what he has to do. I think we can compete with anyone at the top [of the lineup], which is a great feeling." Player to Watch: "[Sophomore] Ryan Fu has probably improved more than anyone on the team this fall," Steinberg noted. "He finally got a chance to play consistently and was healthy. He's had a lot of inju- ries. Overcoming shoulder surgery, he had to change his serve motion completely. "He had a great fall. He's a guy who will be competing for our start- ing lineup this year. He's a gamer. We saw it this fall. He surprised not just our guys — they see it every day — but the other teams too. I had other coaches coming up and saying, 'Wow, Ryan's really improved a lot.' He will compete for a starting spot this year." Women's Tennis First Team Event: Jan. 7-9 at the Michigan Invitational at the Varsity Tennis Center in Ann Arbor. Coach's Expectations: "I don't re- ally know [what to expect]," head coach Ronni Bernstein confessed. "Last year, obviously, we won the [Big Ten] tournament and we won the regular season [with an 11-0 re- cord]. I thought that was one of the best teams we've probably ever had here. "We've also won with teams that, coming into the season, I wasn't all that sure about. And then we haven't won when I thought that maybe we were one of the best teams. We've typically done well. It may be the kind of year where we don't have that target on our back. "These guys are going to have to step up because the Big Ten is im- proving, top to bottom. We have a lot of parity. I feel that there are a lot of teams could win it this year. I think Ohio State's really good this year. Sophomore Andrew Fenty earned ITA and Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors last season after going 27-7 in singles and 21-7 in doubles. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN PHOTOGRAPHY