SPORTS

VOLLEYBALL After learning and overcoming, Jess Mruzik readies to lead Michigan

LINDSAY BUDIN Summer Managing Sports Editor

CHICAGO — When Michigan junior outside hitter Jess Mruzik arrived at Michigan after graduating high school a semester early in January 2020, she finally got the opportunity to take her talents to the collegiate level. But when she contracted mono and spent weeks dealing with the illness, she faced her first road bump.

And when she finally returned to campus, she was met with an even bigger setback: a complete shutdown of the University due to the onset of COVID-19.

Now, heading into her third season, Mruzik will get to play in an environment that’s foreign to her — one without the heavy burden and impediment of the pandemic.

After leading the Wolverines with 446 points and 389 kills en route to collecting First Team All-Big Ten accolades last year, Mruzik enters the upcoming season with experience, drive and the desire to lead.

In the inaugural Big Ten Volleyball Media Days, Mruzik put aside discussing her formidable on-court skills to focus on what she can bring to the locker room.

“This year I definitely see myself as someone who is going to try and push my teammates to be better every single day,” Mruzik said. “But also, they’re pushing me to be better.”

Mruzik is used to being pushed, whether it comes from herself, her teammates or her opposition. When she joined the program, Mruzik received her first big push — this one, from the ruthless Big Ten. Quickly, other teams were able to figure her out, target her and come after her. But she learned to adapt, overcoming the challenge to stay one step ahead of

Jess Mruzik spoke at the inaugural Big Ten Volleyball Media Days. JULIANNE YOON/Daily her competition.

“A lot of people, they’ve done things to try to affect her game because they need to be able to try to slow her down,” Michigan coach Mark Rosen said. “She’s one of the best learners I’ve ever worked with, she picks things up very quickly.”

Despite finding ways to deal with conference challenges and earning an AVCA All-American Honorable Mention, Mruzik’s season ended on a sour note: a first-round NCAA Tournament exit to Ball State, leaving the Wolverines disappointed and dissatisfied.

This year, with only two incoming freshmen on the team, nearly every Michigan player is holding onto that loss as additional motivation for this season.

“You could just visually see on people’s faces that we were disappointed,” Mruzik said about last season’s tournament loss. “I definitely know we’ll play with a fire under us this year.”

And Mruzik is somebody who can help lead the Wolverines past the heights they reached one season ago.

With an increased understanding of the competition and a more advanced skill set, Mruzik — despite only being a junior — serves as a prominent leader for Michigan.

Mruzik recognizes that the Wolverines cannot rest on the success of making the tournament last year, and instead must take that learning experience — and the pain of that defeat — to reach a different outcome this year.

“She’s extremely competitive,” Rosen said. “… And I think that’s a true test of a champion, somebody who can take those battles and really kind of enjoy (them) as well as learn through them.”

The competitive nature that drives Mruzik is something Michigan needs in order to find success within the high-level Big Ten field. And it’s something that Mruzik aims to spread through her leadership.

“Like Mark mentioned, I’m pretty competitive,” Mruzik said. “That’s definitely what I like to bring into the gym every day and into our practices.”

With high aspirations this season, the Wolverines need somebody to lead the charge. And after facing — and overcoming — road bumps throughout her first two years at Michigan, Mruzik believes she can be the one to take the helm.

VOLLEYBALL Big Ten sets standard with inaugural Big Ten Volleyball Media Days

TAYLOR DANIELS Daily Sports Writer

CHICAGO — The Big Ten stands at the helm of collegiate women’s volleyball, with three of its member schools winning five out of the last nine national championships. This week, the conference broke ground with the inaugural Big Ten Volleyball Media Days, marking a new age in the sports’ media coverage.

“This is the first-ever (Big Ten Volleyball Media Day) and this is the coolest opportunity,” Ohio State senior libero Kylie Murr said. “And little girls are going to want to keep playing volleyball because it’s going to give them opportunities like this. And I think that’s what was missing and I think we’re heading in that direction, but it’s obviously still not perfect yet.”

Representation in the media opens the door to even more possibilities. Young girls reading sports articles or turning on Big Ten Network see volleyball players beginning to receive equitable treatment to football and men’s and women’s basketball players. And while the longstanding popularity of volleyball may suggest that the media days are overdue, the execution and success should be celebrated.

Two players and the head coach of every Big Ten volleyball program were in attendance and had opportunities to speak at a press conference and for outlets like Sirius XM, NCAA.com, ESPN and the Big Ten Network’s digital media and television. Recap shows aired live on Big Ten Network each day, including an interview with Big Ten Conference Commissioner Warren.

“I think our sport’s growing so fast right now,” Michigan coach Mark Rosen said. “We have 55 matches this year on the Big Ten Network or ESPN from our conference. That’s going to be huge for us. … (Volleyball is) a sport people are watching because it’s fun to watch, because it’s exciting, it’s drama, (it’s) great athleticism. They’re seeing this and they’re getting attracted to our sport.”

Out of the six Big Ten matches featured on ESPN2 or ESPNU in the fall, Michigan is slated in three of them — twice against Wisconsin, and once against Ohio State. And the Wolverines’ other matchup against the Buckeyes will be one of two matches featured on FS1.

Volleyball’s popularity is growing rapidly, and as it receives more television exposure, that growth becomes more sustainable. The 2021 National Championship between Nebraska and Wisconsin set a record with 1.19 million viewers as the highest viewership for women’s volleyball on any ESPN network.

And the sport’s popularity has also translated to name, image and likeness success. In the first year after NIL was passed, women’s volleyball ranked fourth in total NIL compensation on Opendorse’s platform, and fifth in total NIL activities.

Given the popularity of the sport, events like the Big Ten Volleyball Media Days are necessary to support growth. Exposure to the public is crucial to build upon teams’ successes season after season.

“(The media) keeps evolving,” Michigan junior outside hitter Jess Mruzik said. “And I think there’s always new ways to get content out there, but I just think the media has helped build this little community within volleyball itself. These kids that come to camp, they take pictures with us and they tag us on their Instagram and then they follow us on Instagram. It’s cool to have this network and community with people from all over the world.”

The changing media landscape, the introduction of NIL and the popularity of social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram make it possible to learn more about the person beyond the names on their backs. The engaging aspects of social media help studentathletes become more accessible to fans, and the increased news coverage and television time for volleyball players from the Media Days amplifies that.

“And I think especially with today, this is a huge step in the volleyball world. We’re definitely setting precedent for people to follow,” Mruzik said.

The Big Ten made history with its recent television contract and the inaugural media days. Now, eyes turn to other conferences to follow suit and allow coverage to grow alongside the sport.

NEW ERA

JULIA SCHACHINGER/Daily

ICE HOCKEY Brandon Naurato named interim hockey coach

CONNOR EAREGOOD Summer Managing Sports Editor

This article was updated to include statements from Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel and interim Michigan hockey coach Brandon Naurato. Mel Pearson’s firing left the Michigan hockey team without a head coach, and with its first exhibition game just under two months away, it desperately needs a leader behind the bench. But the hiring process takes time, and an interim must fill those duties for now. On Sunday, NHL Network’s

Jon Morosi broke news, confirmed by The Daily, that

Michigan Athletics will promote Brandon Naurato to the interim role. “We are fortunate to have someone of Brandon Naurato’s caliber to lead our ice hockey team for the upcoming year,”

Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel said in a statement. “I had conversations with many individuals who care greatly about this program and appreciate the insight they shared. Brandon will do a great job leading the program, and I look forward to our studentathletes and staff benefiting from his leadership.”

Naurato, the Wolverines’ assistant coach last season, will work as their head coach until a permanent coach can be selected. And Naurato has plenty of skills to merit the promotion.

As a development coach for five seasons before coming to Michigan last year, Naurato knows how to polish players’ skills. He spent parts of three seasons with the Detroit Red Wings, and he brought what he learned at the professional level to Ann Arbor last season.

Throughout his career, Naurato has shown a knack for finding key information that others overlook. He notably tracked and discussed every power play goal in the 2017-18 NHL season to compare how they were scored, and he also analyzed the offensive output of the Red Wings during that same season. His writing background shows that he not only understands what statistics mean, but he can also tell their story. That will be key to passing those lessons on to players.

That background could also help Michigan’s offense stay near the top of college hockey. With a roster full of scorers at his disposal, his ability to dig through the data could uncover different perspectives that lead to more goals.

The Wolverines averaged 4.02 goals per game last season — third best in the nation — and Naurato’s coaching played a heavy role in creating some of them. He especially worked with the power play, and multiple times players credited his coaching with their increased production.

Naurato played four seasons as a forward for Michigan from 2005 to 2009, scoring 32 goals and 32 assists in 130 games.

“I am honored to lead my alma mater and will give everything I have to what is the most storied program in college hockey,” Naurato said. “I want to thank Warde Manuel and our studentathletes for their trust and look forward to working positively with our talented coaching and support staff.”

Last season was Naurato’s only year behind the bench, far less experience than some other options for the interim job. But his rapport with players combined with his unique way of seeing the game unfold could be key to making the most out of a chaotic situation for the Wolverines — and clearly the Athletic Department agreed.

With the season fast approaching, Michigan’s goalscoring guru has taken charge. While it’s impossible to know how the promotion will work out, the Wolverines nevertheless found someone to guide them into the season.