Page 12- The Michigan Daily - Friday, September 27, 1991 Blue athleti cs aree i1 the black by Josh Dubow Daily Sports Writer Spikers put streak on the line by Adam Miller Daily Sports Writer The Michigan volleyball team finished the pre-conference schedule 8-2, having won its last five matches including last weekend's Michigan Classic. This marks a complete turna- round from last year's 1-9 start; Coach Peggy Bradley-Doppes has an answer. "This is not the past. This is a brand new Michigan program," she said. And Bradley-Doppes hopes her team can back up her words when the Wolverines open the Big Ten season tonight at Iowa and Sunday at Minnesota. "The team is really excited about the Iowa match," Bradley- Doppes said. "It should give us a great indication of where we are." Iowa (4-8) has been a traditional thorn in Michigan's side. The Hawk- eyes swept both matches last year and dominate the all-time series,13- 3. The Wolverines could finally be ready to turn the tables tonight at 8:30. Iowa lost its starting six players to graduation last year and have a new head coach, Linda Schoen- stedt. Still, Bradley-Doppes does not overlook the Hawkeyes. "It's a mystery to prepare for," she said. "I haven't seen them, but we have a few highlight films. Be- cause of the coaching change and the graduation, you know everything will be different." The road trip concludes Sunday at 3 p.m. against the Golden Gophers (3-7). "We'll need a whale of an offen- sive effort in Minnesota," Bradley- Doppes said. "(Sophomore middle blockers) Fiona (Davidson) and Michelle (Horrigan) will have to come up really big. They're a scratching and clawing team thatV should be in the (conference) race." The Wolverines have worked ori their offensive technique this week;' with extra blocking and option-shote drills. Bradley-Doppes wants her', players, noted for their hard-hittingr'; style, to hit well-placed shots and not just rely on their power. "The point is not just to hit it hard and harder, but to put the bal on the floor," she said. One of the Wolverines' greatest', concerns is the road factor. There ai6 no guarantees playing away from home in the Big Ten conference. "Anybody can win on any given-, night," Bradley-Doppes said. Yesterday, the University Board in Control of Collegiate Athletics held its first meeting of the aca- demic year. Topics of discussion in- cluded the budget, academic reform, reaction to the Knight Commission report, and the new basketball ticket policy. Bob DeCarolis, the associate ath- letic director in charge of internal relations, presented the financial re- port from the fiscal year which ended June 30. DeCarolis reported the department had an operating ptofit of $870,000, and increased its total funds by $1.3 million. The financial success can be at- tributed to increased revenue from the NCAA Basketball Championships, and an increase in royalties from souvenir sales. This financial success pleased in- terim Athletic Director Jack Weidenbach. "We had very favorable invest- ment revenue," he said. "We had fa- vorable gifts and good income. "I think revenues are good, and we have held the line on expendi- tures, but we have also expanded our academic support." Stickers hit the road with optimism..,, MIELELGUYDaily Chris White (7) and the Wolverines travel to Iowa and Minnesota. Women netters open season from staff reports The Michigan women's tennis team will open its season today at the North Carolina State Univer- sity Wolfpack Classic. Competing in this three day, four-flight singles and doubles tournament are teams from the Big Ten and Atlantic Coast Conferences. Michigan will be competing without No. 1 singles player Christine Schmeidel, who will be out due to an illness. Playing in flight-one competition will be se- nior Kim Pratt and junior Kalei Beamon. Senior Amy Malik and rookie Simone Lacher will be com- peting in flight two. Jaimie Fielding and Liz Cygniak, two new- comers, will be playing in flight three. Flight-four competitors will be senior Freddy Adam and sopho- more Allison Schlonsky. by Chris Carr Daily Sports Writer The Michigan field hockey team enters its matches this weekend with one eye looking forward to a promising future and one eye look- ing back to a haunted past. The Wolverines will take on both Northwestern and Northern Illinois in DeKalb, Ill. The games mark the opening of the Midwest Collegiate Field Hockey Confer- ence (MCFHC) season, and the 16th-ranked Michigan squad (3-3) has the typical "opening day" opti- mism. "We want to look at this as the start of a new season," Wolverine coach Patti Smith said. "We took the time before practice on Tuesday to talk about our goal to win the conference championship, which will give us an automatic NCAA bid. The team has learned a lot from the preseason games and has re- sponded well in practice." Michigan will open the weekend by playing the defending conference champion, No. 10 Northwestern (4- 2), tomorrow. In the back of the Wolverines' minds is the fact that Michigan has never beaten the Wildcats. "Being 0-18 against Northwest- ern makes winning this game a big goal," senior forward Kristin Shaiper said. "No team is unbeat- able, but we cannot get down on ourselves if we fall behind, which is what we have been doing lately. We need to stay focused and keep men- tally tough." Northwestern opened its season with a pair of 1-0 losses to Mas- sachusetts and Maryland, but has rebounded to win four straight, in- cluding three shutouts. The Wild- cats also have an explosive offense, * with five of the league's top 10' scorers. Senior all-American mid- fielder Colleen Senich and junior' second-team all-American mid' fielder Kathy Halley power Northwestern's offense. "We cannot alter our game plan,, to stop Northwestern's offense" Smith said. "We have to stay fQ cused on our own game. "Northwestern is a very young team, and we can exploit that. If we come out shooting and attack those.: young players right away, they can be rattled." Youth will also be a key fact~f" when Michigan plays Northeh' Illinois Sunday. The Huskies (1-4y" lost 13 letter winners, including 8. starters from last year's team whic'h finished 6-12, but went 1-1 againgv Michigan. We Specialize in Spirit! Men's rugby alumni return to Ann Arbor for weekend games Purchase a T-shirt and receive another T-shirt at 1/2 price (Offer good thru Sept. 29, 1991) I Work up to 6 months in Britain, Ireland, France, Germany, Jamaica, New Zealand, and Costa Rica. Council's Work Abroad Program, the only one of its kind, cuts through all the red tape! Call. for FREE brochures on work programs, discount air fares, la ge courses, and more. ~I d 1220 S.Uniersity Ave, Ste. 208 Ann Arbor, Ml 48104 313-998-0200 MAYNARD PARTY STORE 326 Maynard OPEN 7 DAYS, 9 a.m.- 11 p.m. Fresh Salads & Subs Coldest Beer in Town by Yoav Irom Daily Sports Writer' For the Michigan men's rugby club, Homecoming is here. This weekend, Wolverine Rugby Club alumni from across the country will converge on Ann Arbor for three days of fun and games. The matches will feature current Michigan rugby members taking on their older counterparts tomorrow at Mitchell Field. The students will play three matches against the "Old Boys" whose roster includes alumni ranging in age from 22 to 42. The younger squad has been dom- inant the past few years, but the old timers hope that this will be the year to prove that with age comes experience. All players look at the matches y more as a fun contest, where they can evaluate their skills, than as i real competition. But there is incen- tive to win. "We want to show them what we've got," captain John Swis said. ' Besides the chance to play rugby ; again, the Homecoming Weekend also gives alumni an opportunity to reunite with old friends and meet new members. Beginning with a party tonight to kick off the weekend, the festivi- ties also include a lamb roast fol- lowing tomorrow's matches and a barbecue Sunday. a" 11d f 1 NIVERSITY SPmI R I T OLD STYLE+ 20 Pack 995-1888 (Light & Reg.) $7.59 + deposit The Largest Selection of Michigan Sportswear Anywhere. No Books! 1 1203 S. University " Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109' (313) 761-2100 Tue Bud Light Pitchers: $3.50 Wed Pint Night: 75g off pints Thu Long Island Iced Tea: $3.25 Fri Happy Hour 'til 9:00 in the Underground. $1.00 off all drinks, pints, wine. I 'OT 338 S. 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