The Michigan Daily - Sports Monday - November 25, 1991 - Page 7
Women divers impress
n double-dual meet
by Kimberly DeSempelaere
Daily Sports Writer
The Michigan women's diving
team dominated the boards for its
third meet in a row, defeating Iowa
and Penn State in a double-dual meet
Friday afternoon.
All six Michigan divers per-
formed well, but senior Lisa Cribari
was in top form, capturing first
place in both the one- and three-me-
ter competitions. Cribari was one of
five swimming team members to
win more than one event.
The competition was fierce in the
one-meter platform dive, as Cribari
defeated Iowa's Katie Ketoff by
only 3.4 points. Cribari had previ-
ously competed against Ketoff at
last year's NCAA Championship
meet.
The rest of the Michigan squad
was led by sophomore Martha
Wenzel (249.6), who snatched third
place, followed by seniors Margie
Stoll (238.4) who ranked fourth,
and Karen Sinclair, (213.9) who
rounded out the top eight.
The three-meter dive was a
Michigan monopoly, aq the Wolver-
ines collected four of the top eight
spots. Cribari took first, (278.30)
followed by a distant Stoll (259.9)
in third. Tri-captain senior Julie
Greyer (241.4) snagged fifth place,
in front of eighth place sophomore
Cinnamon Woods (210.75).
"Overall, we did all right,"
Woods said. "There were things we
'Overall, we did all
right....We were
pretty happy with the
results'
- Cinnamon Woods
Michigan diver
could have done better, but I guess
we were pretty happy with the re-
sults."
The Wolverine diving team's
main concern this year is to place
among the top-five teams at the Big
Ten meet.
"All the divers would also like
to make it to the NCAA Champi-
onships," Woods said.
But right now the team is fo-
cused on its next meet - the
Michigan Invitational.
Margie Stoll, one of the top-ranked Michigan divers, placed third on the
three-meter platform at Friday's meet.
r FU L L COOU R T
PRESS-
Romar baffles Blue
with 45-point effort
by David Schechter
Daily Basketball Writer
Romar who?
Michigan coach Steve Fisher wondered, "Why isn't this guy in the
NBA?"
And Wolverine guard Michael Talley felt the same, "That Romar
should be in the NBA."
The Wolverines narrowly escaped defeat at the hands of one Lorenzo
"Long Range" Romar. He plays for Michigan's last opponent, Athletes
in Action. Romar electrified a Palace crowd that came to see the
Wolverines, but got something extra. Throwing in 45 points, including
three-pointers from NBA range, he had a truly magical game. He even
completed a four-point play against Jimmy King, as he scraped the bottom
of his bag of tricks and hurled a no-look bomb over King's head.
But you've got to wonder if this wasn't the best possible thing that
could have happened to a young Michigan team. When your picture shows
up in every existing sports publication, including this week's Sports
Illustrated, your vision can get slightly blurred.
So when a creampuff team on your preseason schedule takes you to the
brink of defeat, it's time to get back to work. Many Michigan fans only
see the game side of Coach Fisher. He seems calm and subdued, sort of like
your dad at a picnic.
Don't be fooled by the facade. He is one of the best in the game. He is
about as tough as coaches come in practice situations. He is not happy right
now, and don't think he won't put his team to work thissweek.Hard work.
"We're not a good basketball team right now. It was obvious (against
Athletes in Action). We've got lots of work to do. But I'm convinced
that we'll be a good team. And I'm hoping quickly," Fisher said.
This team is going to be great, and the talent is unbelievable. But the
players need time. Time to gel. Time to understand each other. Time to get
a feeling for the game of college basketball. This near-loss, as Fisher said,
"was the best thing for us." It's much better that Michigan take its
lumps now.
WHEN IN ROMAR: When a basketball player drifts into what's
known as a zone of altered conciousness, things can get real exciting, real
fast. In a sense, the basketball becomes an extension of the body. Hearing
nothing, feeling nothing, and seeing only the rim, it's the kind of game
that comes once, maybe twice, in an athlete's career.
For Lorenzo Romar it came last Thursday night.
Two superhuman games from Isiah Thomas come to mind as prime
examples. In the 1984 playoffs against Bernard King and the New York
Knicks, Thomas played with the inspiration of Einstein on the brink of
relativity, scoring 16 points in the final 94 seconds of the fourth quarter.
Four years later in the 1988 NBA Finals against the Los Angeles
Lakers, Thomas set a Finals record for most points in a quarter when he
poured in a lethal combination of jump shots and daring drives for 25
points in the third. In his frenzied quest for the title, Zeke did all this on a
nearly-immobile, swollen ankle.
Of course, Lorenzo Romar is no Isiah Thomas. At his best, the 33-year-
old was a journeyman player in the NBA. But that can't take away from
the fact that for one night in Auburn Hills there was no one better.
-rianHarpe :::::: 6th-Ph i .:T.. ........:.
SeanBorme~t 58 .:.::.3::d
Spikers continue slide, fall twice on road
by Ryan Herrington
Daily Sports Writer
During a Cinderella season in
which the Michigan women's vol-
leyball team has risen high above
everyone's expectations, the clock
might have struck midnight for the
Wolverines this weekend.
Michigan dropped both of its
matches, losing to Purdue in five
games Friday and getting swept by
Illinois the following night. The
losses extended the Wolverines'
losing streak to three straight, and
six of its last seven contests.
Michigan (8-10 in the Big Ten,
17-12 overall) entered its final road
weekend of the season hoping to at
least come away with a split in or-
der to maintain its .500 conference
record.
Playing in front of a crowd of
2,509 in Champaign Saturday was
not easy for Michigan. Illinois (13-
5, 18-7) had something to prove to
the Wolverines following its four-
game loss earlier in the year at Keen
Arena. Michigan was met by a de-
termined Illini squad, which took
the first game, 15-13, and never
looked back, finishing the match
with scores of 15-8 and 15-13 in the
final two games.
"It was a tough weekend at Illi-
nois," first-year middle blocker
Aimee Smith said. "The crowd was
very loud and close to the court.
They were saying things and were
causing some distractions. We just
weren't focused on the match."
Illinois was led by outside hitter
Lorna Henderson. Henderson, who
is second in Big Ten hitting effi-
ciency behind Michigan's Michelle
Horrigan, had 18 kills for the Illini.
Against Purdue (8-9, 11-15) Fri-
day, the Wolverines played game
one as if in a trance. They were
quickly defeated, 15-5, thanks in
part to the net play of Boilermaker
Carey Burvis - who led the Boil-
ermakers with 20 kills on the night
- and in part to their own sloppy
performance. The Wolverines hit
.026 in the first game.
"We started slow against Pur-
due," Smith said. "We weren't able
to get any momentum until games
three, four and five, and that hurt
us,"
Indeed, Michigan did start to get
into the flow of the match, but it
proved to be too little, too late. Ju-
nior setter Tarnisha Thompson, who
paced the Wolverines with 56 as-
sists - a career high - could not
help lead Michigan back. After tak-
ing games two and four, Michigan
ran out of steam, losing a tough
fifth game by the score of 19-17.
While Michigan did finish with 85
kills to Purdue's 76, the Wolverines
hitting efficiency was only .186.
Men spikers tire at MSU tourney
by Dan Linna
Daily Sports Writer
After more than 14 hours of
competition, the Michigan men's
volleyball club had to settle for
second place in the MSU Comeback
Classic Saturday. It was 10:30 p.m.
when the Wolverines, who began
playing at 8 a.m., fell to Notre
Dame. '
"We were exhausted," coach
Tom Johengen said. "There was def-
initely a fatigue factor. Notre Dame
is a much improved team from last
year, but we didn't underestimate
them."
The Wolverines started the day
by going 6-0 in their four-team pool
to advance to the next round of the
24-team tournament. The Wolver-
ines then disposed of Purdue, two
games to none, to advance to the
semifinals, where they met Wiscon-
sin.
The Badgers proved a more stub-
born opponent, as the Wolverines
dropped their first game of the day,
but still advanced with a 2-1 vic-
tory.
Michigan came storming out to
take the first game of the champi-
onship match against Notre Dame.
However, the Irish came back to win
the final two games and the title.
"In the first game against Notre
Dame, we served well and they
didn't pass well," junior Steve
Arellano said. "Then in the next
two games, they started passing
well, and that's the key. It killed us
not to win. It wasn't so much that
they out-talented us, but that we
were emotionally down. We were
fatigued. It is tough to get up for
every game on a long day like that."
"When you play all day people
are bound to get tired," senior Jack
Behar said. "I think there is no ques-
tion that we are better than Notre
Dame."
The preseason tournament al-
lowed the Wolverines to begin the
day with a 4-2 lineup, which in-
cludes two setters. This lineup
worked well in pool play, but the
team changed to a standard 5-1 set,
featuring Arellano as the setter, for
the rest of the tournament.
LSA Student Government Presents:
The Sports and Academics Forum:
"Pros and Cons"
An evening to ask prominent
personalities anything and everything
about the world of sports and academics.
Columnist Mitch Albom
Channel 4 Sports Anchor Bernie Smilovitz
Hockey Coach Red Berenson
Academic Affairs V.P. Dr. Mary Swain
NIVERSITY
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Michigan Basketball Star Sam Mitchell
DECEMBER 4, 1991
RACKHAM AUDITORIUM