The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1404875
SEPTEMBER 2021 THE WOLVERINE 57 OLYMPIC SPORTS is primed for a breakout season after earning a spot on the Big Ten All- Freshman Team in 2020. He played in all 11 matches with seven starts, and slotted fourth on the team in scoring with three goals. He came up huge in the clutch, netting the overtime win- ner at Rutgers and both goals in a 2-0 win over Ohio State. Don't Miss: At Indiana (Blooming- ton, Ind.) Oct. 1. WOMEN'S SOCCER First Event: At Butler (Indianapo- lis, Ind.) Aug. 19 — W, 5-0. Season Outlook: U-M was a mid- dle-of-the-pack team during 2020's delayed spring season, going 5-3-3 in conference play and 5-4-3 overall. The Wolverines, who return every starter and 100 percent of all points scored from a season ago, will look to break through into the upper echelon in the conference. U-M was third in the Big Ten in goals (21) last campaign. The Maize and Blue were picked to finish fourth in the league in the pre- season coaches poll, behind only Penn State, Rutgers and Ohio State, and received votes in the United States Soccer Coaches Poll but didn't make the national top 25 ahead of the year. Top Three Athletes: • Fifth-year senior midfielder Nicki Hernandez — Not just the big- gest offensive threat on U-M's squad a year ago, the Naperville, Ill., prod- uct was one of the league's top stand- outs, earning first-team All-Big Ten recognition. She started all 11 games and posted a team-best 14 points, with two assists and a team-leading six goals — including two game-win- ners. Her .667 shots on goal percent- age (24 of her 36 shots reached the net) also topped the Wolverines. • Fifth-year senior defender Alia Martin — The Carmel, Ind., native anchored U-M's backline and earned first-team All-Big Ten honors for the second time in her career. She helped the Wolverines' defense notch four shutout victories and logged a team- high 1,061 minutes on the pitch. • Senior midfielder Meredith Haakenson — A second-team All-Big Ten selection in 2019, Haakenson was one of six players to start all 11 games during the 2020 campaign. She had five points on the season — two goals and one helper — all of which came against Michigan State in a performance that saw her subsequently tabbed as the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week. Named a team captain this fall, she's expected to stand out for the entire sea- son, with her name appearing on the Big Ten Players to Watch list. Don't Miss: Vs. Penn State (Ann Arbor, Mich.) Oct. 21. VOLLEYBALL First Event: At LSU (Baton Rouge, La.) Aug. 27. Season Outlook: U-M is looking to bounce back after posting a 4-9 record during last season's confer- ence-only slate. This year should be a return to normal. For starters, the Wolverines will play in the fall in- stead of the winter and spring, and there will likely be significantly less interruption, with the team having had 10 postponements last year. Out of 14 Big Ten teams, U-M fin- ished seventh or lower in nine of the 12 major statistical categories — hit- ting percentage (eighth), opponent hitting percentage (11th), kills (sev- enth), opponent kills (seventh), blocks (14th), opponent blocks (14th), ser- vices aces (eighth), opponent service aces (13th) and opponent digs (13th). The Wolverines have experience on their side, however, with all 12 of their players who played in games last season set to return. In turn, U-M received votes in the American Vol- leyball Coaches Association (AVCA) preseason poll — they are just on the outside looking in at the top 25 and expected to be much improved. Top Three Athletes: • Senior outside hitter Paige Jones — The Ohioan started all 13 matches and played in 50 sets last season, leading the Wolverines in kills with 179, kills per set with 3.58 and points with 191.5. She totaled nine matches of double-digit terminations and set the U-M record for kills in a match with 37 against Indiana. • Sophomore outside hitter Jess Mruzik — The Livonia, Mich., native started all 12 matches she played in and was featured in 46 sets during her freshman campaign. She ranked second on the team in kills (163) and kills per set (3.54), with the latter mark also checking in at No. 7 in the Big Ten. She was named to the All-Big Ten Freshman Team and will look to build off her stellar first year in Ann Arbor. • Redshirt sophomore libero/ defensive specialist Hannah Grant — A Michigan State transfer who redshirted in East Lansing in 2019, Grant enjoyed a breakout campaign last season, starting every game for the Wolverines and playing in 51 sets (tied for the most on the team). Her 214 digs led the team, while she also totaled 62 assists. Don't Miss: Vs. Wisconsin (Ann Arbor, Mich.) Oct. 16. ❏ Fifth-year senior Marc Ybarra — the returning Big Ten Midfielder of the Year — was a first- team All-Big Ten honoree last season after tying for the team lead in scoring with 10 points, including a team-high six assists and two goals. PHOTO COURTESY U-M ATHLETICS