Page 10-The Michigan Daily-Wednesday, October 17, 1990 Blue golf reaches early midpoint by Andy De Korte Daily Sports Writer The Michigan women's golf team got a head start on their winter break, as its tournament at Ferris State was cancelled due to lack of interest among competing schools. At the midway break in the sea- son, it is a good time to evaluate the team's play. "I was pleased with the fall sea- son. I think they did well," Wolver- ine coach Sue LeClair said. "Our season highlight was probably our comeback win at home. The strong last round at Wisconsin may be more important because it will boost our confidence in the Big Ten Championships because we play it on the same course. Sophomore Wendy Bigler led in the under-80 category with seven rounds. However, much of the credit for the team's play goes to Becky Hayes and Erica Zonder. "Most of our team improved, but the way Hayes and Zonder improved really gave us a boost," LeClair said. Neither Hayes' nor Zonder's con- tributions went unnoticed, as they shared the Michigan Athletic De- partment's September Female Ath- lete of the Month award. Zonder's improvement, 83.4 strokes per round to 80.6, did not surprise her. "I really worked hard this summer," she said. "I switched coaches for the first time in about six years. And my dad really helped me too." LeClair has some goals in mind for the spring. She wants the team's high round to be 325, and then work down from there. The key to reduc- ing the score is the first round. The whole season, aside from the Spartan Invitational, the team fell deep into the hole on the first day of the tournament. If the team conquers the inconsis- tency problem, they will be able to achieve their main goal -- winning the Big Ten Championship and qual- ifying for nationals. SENIOR A LEADER ON AND OFF COURT Sturm a student first Michigan middle blocker Julia Sturm, the sole senior on the squad, displays her hitting prowess in a home game earlier this season. Women's spikers playing for pride by Matthew Dodge by Albert Lin Daily Sports Writer STUDENT-athlete. In this day and age of college ath- letics, many people forget school is supposed to come first at a university. But not senior volleyball player Julia Sturm. If you ask this mechanical engi- neering senior why she chose to at- tend Michigan, she'll tell you bluntly, "Academic reasons. That was my main priority." How did she decide on engineer- ing? A mechanically inclined father, and a lifelong preference for science over English helped. Besides, "I like to work with things rather than with people," she said. As an all-state volleyball player from Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port (Mich.) High, you would expect that she would have placed a premium on a school's athletic program. But judging by the lack of suc- cess the Michigan women's volley- ball team has enjoyed, and the fact that Sturm is still a Wolverine, vic- tories are obviously not a factor. "I am here for academic reasons, and I feel Michigan is one of the finest schools in the country," she said. "And then volleyball comes second. So I would never transfer just because of volleyball." In addition to volleyball, Sturm was all-conference in track and all- state in basketball while in high school. Why isn't she playing bas- ketball in college? "I wasn't inter- ested in it at all. All I wanted to do was play volleyball," she said. As the only senior on Michigan's squad, Sturm is counted on for big plays and leadership. And she has de- livered, leading the team in kills and digs, two statistics which do not even involve her greatest strength. "She's a tremendous blocker," head coach Peggy Bradley-Doppes said. "She's been playing the right side (hitter) for years, and although she's done well, I think middle- blocking better suits her playing level. She's doing a good job and running a quick attack as well." For a middle-blocker (whose first responsibility is blocking) to lead her team in kills, she is either an outstanding performer or her team is lacking. Both apply in Sturm's case. Bradley-Doppes explained that Sturm is a good hitter, but she also has more opportunities because of her overall play. "We may have a good game by somebody, but very seldom are we getting a good match out of a player," Bradley-Doppes said. "Julia's one of the few players that we are getting a good match out of, so she's playing a lot more than anyone else. "(Sturm) certainly has been through the Big Ten competitive season more often than any other player," Bradley-Doppes said. "Her experience and her performance on the court have certainly been benefi- cial to us." Although not always vocal, Sturm, who acts as floor captain, does her best to set a good example. "I don't feel it's entirely my re- sponsibility (to be a leader)," Sturm contends. "I feel like if I do see somebody down, I'll try to get them fired up a little bit more, but I also would hope that if I may not notice it, and somebody does, that they would do the same thing." Unfortunately for Sturm, her ca- reer has been marked with more lows than highs. The highlights have been the Wolverines' upsets of the first-place team in the Big Ten the last two years. "But that was only one game a season," Sturm said. "We haven't had anything outstand ing come about from our seasons." With a current record of 1-15, this year has been no different. "We don't have to win the rest of the games for me to be happy, I just want us to become better with every match that we play," she said. "If we had three more Julia Sturms, I think it would be a con9 pletely different program," Bradley- Doppes said. "I think we'd show a lot more stability, a lot more matu- rity. She's doing all she can, we just have to get the other players to complement her." Ivaiy sports writer~ Tonight's women's volleyball match between Michigan and Michi- gan State in East Lansing appears to be meaningless. It's meaningless to the Big Ten standings - except to determine which team will end up in the con- ference basement. But that famous 'r' word always permeates this game. Whenever Michigan takes on MSU, the catchphrase is rivalry. Neither squad is happy with its season, and with good reason. The Wolverines are 1-15 overall, 0-7 in the Big Ten; the Spartans are 6-12 overall, and 2-6 in the conference. Michigan is looking to break two long losing streaks tonight. It has lost nine straight matches this sea- son, and has not beaten Michigan State in over two years. "If we don't beat Michigan, then it's not a good season," Spartan coach Ginger Mayson said. "It doesn't matter what the records are." Said Michigan assistant coach Jim Smoot: "This rivalry is built-in at Michigan. As far as the past cou- ple years, we haven't discussed it. We just want to win tomorrow." The Spartans' strength lies with Becky Ballinger, an All-Big Ten candidate at offensive hitter. "We feel our hitting is our strength," Mayson said. "We've heard that she likes to hit in certain areas," Smoot said, "and we've been adjusting our defense accordingly." This game appears to be a good opportunity for the Wolverines to finally win a conference game. "There are other teams we could have beaten, but we didn't," Wolver- ine middle blocker Julia Sturm said. "MSU is definitely one of those teams that we can beat." and your host Dana Nessel and student comedians S Big Hair Mike Kamlet and Mark Gedman T H E 7eWvntu t UN rYvERTsTy l'!Ifaculty, gf, almLand "" ** 9'- 0 for more information dial 763-1 107 i Apple Announces a New Line of Computers! U-M Announces Immediate Delivery of Selected - Configurations to KickOff '90 Purchasers 0 Macintosh Classic 2/40 $1,257 Apple's replacement for the Macintosh SE Macintosh Hsi 2/40 $2,898 or Macintosh lsi5/80 $3,381 Entry level Ilci, high petformance, Ye! The University of Michigan has made special arrangements with Apple to allow KickOff '90 purchasers to change their orders to either the Macintosh Classic or the IIsi. All Macintosh SE 2/40 orders have automatically been changed to the new Macintosh Classic 2/40. If you prefer to keep your original Macintosh SE order, you MUST submit a Change Order Form by the deadline below. The new Apple systems are also available to SE/30 and IIci purchasers just by changing your order. Change Order Form packets were mailed to all KickOff '90 Macintosh purchasers on October 12th. Watch your mailbox! Additional forms are also available at the Computer Showcase in the Michigan Union. o u \II Act now! 16 " See the new systems at the Computer Showcase in the Michigan Union. Reopening Monday, October 15th through Thursday, October 18th, 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. * You must fill out a Change Order Form and drop it off at the Computer Showcase E I m