Page 12-The Michigan Daily- Friday, November 6, 1992
Tankers
go south
to face
tough foes
by Seth King
Daily Sports Writer
Building on a successful debut
against Big Ten foes last week, the
Michigan women's swim team takes
its show to the road this weekend.
Though the Wolverines are
challenging two excellent non-
conference opponents, North
Carolina and Tennessee, they are
hoping for an encore performance.
First, the team will swim in a
dual meet in Knoxville, TN, versus
the Volunteers on Friday. Then the
team journeys to Chapel Hill, NC, to
compete against the Tar Heels on
Saturday. According to Michigan
coach Jim Richardson, this will be
an intense weekend of competition.
"It's going to be a real challenge
for us," Richardson said. "Both of
these teams have good swimmers
and a lot of tradition. You can usual-
ly find them in the NCAA top ten.
"Both of these schools have
outstanding freshman classes of
swimmers. For our developing
swimmers, this will be a good
experience for them to race against
Tennessee and North Carolina."
Adding to this challenge, the
Wolverines will not be competing in
the diving categories at this
weekend's duals. The divers are
currently conditioning for future
meets. This leaves them down 32
points before the competitions begin.
With the team already facing this
point deficit, Richardson has
established alternative goals for the
weekend.
"It's tough to go in down 32
points against these two teams,"
Richardson explained. "We're just
hoping to win some swimming
events and make progress in our
racing. We had a good week last
week, and we're hoping to build on
that."
Richardson believes this year's
team is strong in many different
events, especially distance races. He
concedes the Wolverines are weaker
in sprints.
"We are strong in the backstroke
and the breaststroke," he said. "We
should do well in the middle
distance and distance freestyle
events. Anything else will be icing.
After all, you have to make hay
where the sun shines."
Friday's meet against Tennessee
will be a homecoming of sorts for
senior swimmer Mindy Gehrs, who
lives in Oak Ridge, TN.
No. 6 Michigan faces
No. 2 Lakers at Soo
by Andy Stabile
Daily Hockey Writer
When we last saw our heroes in
Sault Ste. Marie...
Well. They were not looking very
heroic.
This weekend the Michigan
hockey team travels north to face the
defending national champion Lake
Superior State Lakers. When the
teams met in the Upper Peninsula for
last season's series, the Wolverines
lost Friday night's game in overtime,
3-2, before getting pummeled, 10-0,
on Saturday.
In fact, the Wolverines have
struggled at the Norris Center since
sweeping Lake Superior in 1988, the
Lakers' first national championship
season. That series may have put the
Wolverines on the CCHA map to
stay, but the Lakers held a grudge.
Michigan's current crop of se-
niors won only a single game in
Sault Ste. Marie during their stay at
Michigan, that coming on an over-
time goal by Pat Neaton during the
'90-'91 season.
As if that was not enough for
Michigan coach Red Berenson, the
Wolverines are coming off of a dis-
appointing series against Western
Michigan and cannot afford a four-
game winless streak.
"We know it's a big test."
Berenson said. "We've got to re-
bound from last week and even re-
bound from last season when we
played Lake Superior. We've had
some good games against them, but
then we've probably had our worst
game ever against them as well. So
we're going up there to get back on
track and hopefully we'll have a
good weekend."
The worst game ever. Last sea-
son's 10-0 drubbing was more than a
loss, it was an embarrassment. But it
is also motivation to play well this
weekend.
"(Berenson) doesn't need to re-
mind us," captain David Harlock
said. "Everybody pretty much re-
members that. It's something that
pretty much sticks out in your mind.
We certainly don't need any motiva-
tion.
"I really haven't enjoyed an aw-
ful lot of success up at Lake Supe-
rior, and it's our last hurrah, so to
speak. We definitely want to go out
on a good note."
This season Michigan will face a
younger Laker squad. The Lakers
lost goalie Darrin Madeley, de-
fenseman Mark Astley, and forward
Sandy Moger to graduation; all were
All-CCHA selections, while Made-
ley was a Hobey Baker finalist.
Sophomore Blaine Lacher replaces
Madeley, and the Wolverines are de-
termined to test him early.
"They have some pretty big shoes
to fill," Harlock said. "They lost
Madeley last year, and their goalies
are definitely unproven. So that's
something we're definitely going to
look toward exploiting. We're going
to have to take advantage of their in-
experience."
After playing without the services
of defensemen Chris Tamer and Pat
Neaton in last Saturday's game, the
Wolverines will miss defenseman
Aaron Ward this weekend. Ward
fractured his kneecap and is
expected to miss two weeks. Dan
Stiver, who was injured in a game
against Ferris State, will also miss
this weekend's series.
"We've had trouble getting our
entire team together, it seems, for
more than a game," Berenson said.
"We're not one hundred percent, but
I think we're in better shape than we
were last week. Hopefully Stiver
will be ready for Miami."
6
Patrick Neaton puts a shot on goal last year against Lake Superior State. The Wolverines are looking to avenge
last years 10-0 loss at the hands of the Lakers as they travel to Sault Ste. Marie for a two-game series.
Men's
by Vivek Jayarama
tennis to play for Rolex
in
The Michigan men's tennis team
hopes to end their fall season with a
bang. The team finishes the season
this weekend as six members of the
squad travel to Madison to compete
in the Rolex Sectional Champi-
onships. Play starts today and con-
tinues through Monday.
The tournament, held at the
campus of the University of Wiscon-
sin, is a qualifier for the Rolex In-
door Championships, held Feb. 4-7
at the University of Minnesota. This
tournament constitutes the third leg
of the prestigious ITA Collegiate
Grand Slam.
However, the Wolverines must
make it through some stiff competi-
tion in Madison if they hold any
hopes of advancing to the Twin
Cities.
The tournament in Madison fea-
tures both a singles and doubles
draw. In all, 96 players from 27
schools will take part in the singles
bracket. On the doubles side, 32
teams are slated for action.
The tournament is single elim-
ination with the two finalists in the
singles draw advancing to the
championships in Minnesota. For
doubles, only the champion will
advance.
Michigan will field five players
in singles - senior Dan Brakus,
sophomores Adam Wager and Chris
Wyatt and freshmen John Costanzo
and Peter Pustzai. Of these five,
Brakus has the best shot of advanc-
ing; he is seeded fourth among the
96 players. He has played and won
some tough matches over the fall
season.
"Brakus has been playing well,"
said sophomore Grady Burnett. "He
has a legitimate shot to win the
flight, and make an impact at the
tournament in Minnesota."
In doubles, the Wolverines will
send the duo of Burnett and
Costanzo. This will mark the first
time that the two will be playing to-
gether in match competition.
"Our doubles has been a point of
emphasis," said Burnett. "We've
been working hard at it, we're mix-
ing up players trying to see which
combinations work best."
Michigan fields one of the
youngest teams in the Big Ten, with
their active roster being dominated
by sophomores and freshmen.
Therefore, the fall season has had
mixed results. Despite the ups and
downs, the netters have shown
promise, and the experience of
match play is especially helpful for
the younger players.
Stickers hope to hold streak in final games-
by Sharon Lundy
Daily Sports Writer
Going into the final weekend, the
Michigan field hockey team is ready
to shoot for a season-ending five-
game win streak. Already on a 3-0
run, the Wolverines' confidence is
high as they get ready to meet Mich-
igan State tonight, and Iowa Sunday,
on the familiar turf of Oosterbaan
Field House.
Michigan (9-7 overall, 2-6 Big
Ten) met the Spartans very early in
the season, and emerged with a 5-0
victory. The consensus with both
teams is that the game this weekend
will be more evenly matched.
"Their team has really improved
over the course of the season,"
Michigan coach Patti Smith said.
"They have beaten Northwestern
twice, and played Penn State to a 2-1
loss.
"Overall, (the Spartans) are very
hungry. We have to be aware that
they play hard as a team and keep our
intensity level up."
Michigan State coach Martha
Ludwig explained why the outcome
of this game could be different than
the first one.
"We were a very young team and
we were making a lot of inexperi-
enced mistakes," Ludwig said.
"There were many open spaces
throughout the game, and we
weren't filling the gaps.
"Now, we've beaten three ranked
teams and Northwestern twice. The
(Michigan - Michigan State) ri-
valry also gives our players more
incentive to do well, and since we're
not playing at hone they have a
'Let's go out and show them how
it's done' attitude, just like they did
at Northwestern."
But the Wolverines have come a
long way in the last few games, and
are confident that with home crowd
support they can pull off the vic-
tory.
"Our confidence is built back
up," goalkeeper Rachael Geisthardt
said. "We've been having clean shots
on goal and we've been strong both
offensively and defensively. I think
we're going to come out on top."
Forward Jen Lupinski agreed
with her teammate.
"We've been able to look to each
other for passes," Lupinski said.
"We also know how the ball trav-
els on our turf which will give us
the advantage."
For Sunday's matchup against
Iowa, the No. 2 team in the nation,
Michigan is hoping for a victory
that will balance out its 7-1 loss
earlier this season.
"Being at home and having the
opportunity to beat the No. 2 team
puts a lot of steam under our jets,"
Smith said. "We are at home, and
still on that high from beating
(Boston College, Kent State, and
University of the Pacific) last
weekend."
Iowa coach Beth Beglin recog-
nizes that this game will be more
difficult for her team than its last
meeting with the Wolverines.
"Anytime you play a team on its
home field it's much harder than on
your own field," Beglin said. "And
it is an adjustment for us to get used
to the lighting, noise and the nar-
rower field (at Oosterbaan). (Mich-
igan) had a tough week last week
and is going to come out ready to
play."
The Wolverine players are con-
vinced they can avenge the Iowa
loss.
"Everyone will come out very
fired up to give everything they have
left in them," Lupinski said. "Our
emotional level will be very high."
"Because it is our last game, our
seniors will be very psyched,"
4
Geisthardt
Geisthardt added. "It's also Parents
Weekend for us, so our parents will
be there to give us even more sup-
port. Our team really needed those
wins (last weekend) and now we'll
really be ready to play."
Coach Smith said she is happy
with the way things have been going
for Michigan during last weekend's
games and in practices.
"We have to play to our ability
and not let their aggressiveness take
us out of our game," Smith said.
"We know that we can do it."
wO
FAST FREE DELIVERY
663-3333"
Located next to Colonial Lanes Plaza on S. Industrial
Sun.- Wed. 11 AM - 2:30AM
Thurs.- Sat. 11AM - 3:30AM
~DINNER SPECIAL
$1.00 OFF 1
ANY COUPON1
5:00PM - 8:00AM MON - FRI 1
--- ----......-----...... -
THE SLAM
1 20" 1 ITEM PIZZA & 4 POPS 1
$10.82 + tax 1
1 .- .
FALL MADNESS
I 14" 1 ITEM PIZZA I
THE RESURRECTION
b yj O amO
The lifea thugs
I
$4.57 + tax
- -- - - -- -- -- -
I
a,
L
SPECIAL HOCKEY TICKET SALE
Tickets for the Friday, December 4
Michigan vs. Michigan State Game
Cn nn calf hPainnina Mnnrlav Nnvmhr Q
of JoZZ Feat
Lester Young
in thidraml
with music
Directed by
Kate Mendeloff
With:
MATCHUPS
Continued from page 10
SECONDARY: Injuries have been a
problem in the Michigan secondary.
Cornerback Alfie Burch is out for the
season, and Cole Wallace is out with
a pinched nervein his arm.
Ty Law and Dwayne Ware have
stepped up into starting roles.
Senior strong safety Greg Gill
leads Northwestern with three inter-
ceptions. He also has 97 tackles this
season.
Advantage: Michigan
SPECIAL TEAMS: Michigan sput-
tered in this area against Purdue. Two
muffed kickoff returns forced the of-
fense to start with poor field position.
Pete Elezovic and Chris
Stapleton still hold down the starting
kicking spots.
Gissendaner is the eonference's
r0"
1 I1
11 ®