Page 6-The Michigan Daily- Sports Monday- November 23,1992

VOLLEYBALL
Continued from page 1
Horrigan said. "We were so focused
as a team that we could tell where
they were going to hit the ball."
In their home closer against
Northwestern,hthe Wolverines played
comparatively error-free volleyball
and benefited from a spectacular
showing both defensively and at the
net.
Each of the three games were
characterized by Wolverines diving
and sliding across the floor making
digs, as well as by Michigan front
line players stifling Northwestern
kill attempts.
"Tonight, our blocking was very
good, as well as our defense,"
Horrigan said. "When we set up the
block, our defensive players are able
to'get in around the block, and pick
up some of the balls."
-Indeed, the Wolverines benefited
defensively from their play up front.
Headed by juniors Fiona Davidson
and Horrigan, as well as by sopho-
more Aimee Smith and rookie Suzy
O'Donnell, Michigan blockers baf-
fled Wildcat attackers, recording 25
total blocks in the match, many of
which came at critical points in the
match.
,The Wolverines and 'Cats played
closely throughout the first two
games, and were tied, 10-10, in
both. In the first, service errors
squelched attempts by both teams
early, as the Wildcats failed to im-
prove upon an early 4-1 lead, and the
Wolverines could not close the gap.
Davidson ended the drought with
an emphatic kill, sending Michigan
on its way to a 15-11 victory.
Junior Joanna Collias became in-
creasingly active as the first game
drew to a close, recording three kills
to go along with three blocks at the
net, and stepping to service once. A
controversial O'Donnell kill attempt
secured the game and drew unwel-
comed jeers from vociferous
Northwestern supporters, as judges
called O'Donnell's seemingly un-
touched shot in bounds, ruling that
Wildcat players touched the ball.
in the second, Northwestern
couldn't hang on after evening the
score at 10. Michigan scored five of
the next six points, as Davidson and
sophomore Julie Scherer, who starts
at-setter in place of injured co-cap-
tain Tarnisha Thompson, dominated
the final exchange of points.
Davidson recorded three kills during
the stretch, while Scherer sparked the
roll with a service ace.
"Fiona ended up being the one
carrying the load offensively, and she
just has a great ability to adjust to
the attack," Michigan coach Greg
Giovanazzi said. "I thought we did a
good job of getting the ball to her
and adjusting."

As the Wolverines closed the
match with a 15-4 win in the third,
several improved features in Mi-
chigan's game emerged. Along with
stiff play at the net, the Wolverines
held errors to a minimum while
adjusting to a new lineup.
With Thompson lost for the
season and co-captain Hayley Loren-
zen recovering from mononucleosis,
Michigan enjoyed outstanding play
from its bench. Every dressed
Wolverine saw action against
Northwestern.
"I think we had a lot of depth on
the bench to begin with, and we
have really good team focus,"
Davidson said. "People are coming
in and being aggressive, and doing a
great job."
"Something we have been work-
ing on a lot, especially with our at-
tacking, is reducing errors,"
Giovanazzi said. "I thought Joanna
(Collias) did an outstanding job at-
tacking tonight, and our passing
didn't break down as it has some-
times in the past."
With the victory, Michigan re-
mained in the hunt for postseason
tournament play. However, winning
their final two conference games at
Indiana and Purdue becomes essential
'There simply won't be
a postseason if we
don't play well in
these last two games.'
- Greg Giovanazzi
for the Wolverines' chances to re-
main alive for the tournament.
"There simply won't be a post-
season if we don't play well in these
last two games," Giovanazzi said. "I
think that keeps our focus on the
two games coming up. I think we
are in a position where if we don't
play well next weekend, we don't de-
serve to play later, and if we do play
well, then we should continue."
The Northwestern game marked
the last home game for Wolverine
seniors Thompson, Lorenzen, Kathy
Richards and Chris White.
"We all got together right before
the third game and said, 'Let's do it
for the seniors,"' Collias said. "We
just wanted to play our hearts out for
them."
"I came in with all of them, and
it will be strange to see them leave,"
a teary-eyed Horrigan said. Horrigan,
who redshirted her rookie season,
holds junior eligibility while main-
taining senior academic status.
"I think that the four of them
have seen a lot of changes in the
program," she said, "and if they had
one wish, it might be that they
could stay around one more year."

Fisher searches
T 2 for answers in
final exhibition
by Ken Sugiura
Daily Basketball Writer

Just like an episode of your favorite soap opera,
the Michigan basketball team's exhibition contest
against the Russian national team answered some
questions, such as, could Jalen Rose talk smack in
Russian (nyet), but left others unanswered. To wit:
Will coach Steve Fisher work freshman Dugan
Fife into the playing rotation? Who will provide the
scoring punch off the bench? Can the Wolverines
take better care of the basketball? And, what in the
Dickens is Ragnon Attorney AAU?
The answer to at least the last question will be
provided tonight at 7:30 p.m. when Michigan hosts
the cryptically-named club at Crisler Arena. The
game will be Michigan's second and last exhibition
game following last Thursday's 103-83 clobbering
of the Russians at the Palace of Auburn Hills.
"We're right about where I thought we would
be," Fisher said Thursday night. "You always want
to be better, but we're better than we were a year ago
at this time."
As for the first two questions, perhaps tonight
will go some way in answering them. Fife con-
tributed eight solid minutes after checking into the
lineup towards the end of the first half. The 6-foot-2
guard provided the evening's excitement just before
intermission.
After canning a three-pointer from the left side,
Fife intercepted a pass at midcourt. With guard
Youri Kirilov closing in, he dribbled into the lane,
drew the foul, and with his back to the basket,
tossed the ball over his head into the hole.
"I thought Dugan did a nice job. Played hard,
played smart," Fisher said. "We had a 14-0 run at the
end of the first half, and he was a part of that."
While the first nine in Fisher's rotation have
been all but established, - the Fab Five and seniors
Rob Pelinka, Eric Riley, Michael Talley and James
Voskuil - whether there is time and space for Fife,
or fellow frosh Leon Derricks and junior Jason
Bossard, for that matter, remains to be seen.
Fife's perimeter game may help him. As a team,
the Wolverines shot nearly 44 percent from behind
the three-point stripe, but the bench shot a combined
2-for-6. Fife hit his only attempt, as did Voskuil.
Pelinka missed on two attempts, while Bossard and
Derricks both missed their shots.
One area Fisher hopes to improve on is
turnovers. Friday, his team had 23, many of them
unforced. While much of the fumbling can be at-
tributed to rust, it is a problem which haunted the
Maize and Blue last season.
Fisher, though, was unconcerned.
"I saw just about what I expected to see, to be
honest," he said.

A

('¢

Eric Riley slams against the Russian National Team in Thursday night's exhibition game at the
Palace. Riley had nine points, three rebounds, and one blocked shot in 17 minutes of action.

Stewart brings physical play to ice

0

STEWART
Continued from page 1

the corners and dig out the puck in
addition to his checking talent.
"He came from a team where
he was the big fish in the little
pond," Michigan assistant coach
Mel Pearson said. "He was a
playmaker. He has had to learn to
adapt his game to more all-around.
Once he found out that he wasn't
going to score as much, he had to
learn what he had to do to step up
as a player. For him, that was
being a physical player, making
big plays. He is still learning his
role."
Stewart does not mind the
"power forward" position.
"My role on the team now is to
get the team going by a big hit or
something like that. As far as
scoring goes, when I'm called
upon to get a goal or make an
assist, I am able to do that. I like
grinding it out and working hard.
I'm a rugged winger."
That physical presence makes
the other teams take notice. It is a
physical presence that makes the.
5-foot-11, 195-pound Stewart such
an integral part in the Wolverine
game plan.
"Cam is one of those who,
when he hits you, you go down,"
Pearson said. "He is so powerful.
He's built low to the ground. He's
like a fire hydrant."
"He is a really fiery type
player," Michigan captain David
Harlock said. "When he goes out
on the ice, he has the ability to
change the flow of a game. He
certainly makes the defense start
hearing footsteps when he is
bearing down on them and
forechecking. He definitely gives
bone-crushing checks but at the
same time, he is gifted in terms of
being a good two-way player."
With the small ice surface in

'I was just so shocked to go in the draft. It was
unreal. I was just sitting there with my eyes
open. My dad was like, "What's wrong?" and
then I got off the phone. He asked, "What
happened? Is something wrong?" I said, "No, I
just got drafted by the Bruins!"
- Cam Stewart

with the Wolverines, the team has
progressed further and further into
the NCAA tournament. His
freshman season, Michigan made
it to the quarterfinals before
falling to Boston University. Last
year, the Wolverines lost in the
semifinals to Wisconsin. Stewart
hopes the club will take the next
step and become the first
Michigan team since 1977 to play
in the championship game.
"To go backward, I think,
would be a disappointment to us
as a team and to us as individuals
that have been here through all
those steps," he said. "We just
have one more game to make that
final step up the ladder."

physical. He is the type of guy
who adds stability to a lineup and
some enthusiasm."
However, hockey was not
always the first sport in Stewart's
life. In high school, Stewart was a
two-time all-star linebacker for St.
Jerome's, and in 11th grade he
thought about quitting hockey to
play football. Some Canadian
universities were talking to
Stewart about the possibility of
playing football. One of these
schools was Western Ontario.
His sister currently attends
Western Ontario and his father
played football there. It was
always Stewart's first dream to
play football for Western Ontario,
but his dad convinced him to stay
with hockey. The decision proved
to be beneficial for Michigan.
"I started getting scholarship
offers from little schools looking
at me in grade 12. Then in grade
13 (Canadian schools go to grade
13), the schools kept coming, and
I kept on producing," Cam said.
"Then Michigan called. My whole
family came here and fell in love
with the place. I dropped football
right there."
That football experience gives
him an advantage when it comes
to checking. It allows Stewart to
check with his lower body a lot
more than some players do.

it so much more."
Stewart is looking towards
bringing that physical presence to
Milwaukee, the site of this
season's NCAA championship.
Each year Stewart has been


Michigan's JoAnna Collias and Fiona Davidson go for the block. The
Wolverines split two matches over the weekend.
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(5; d fk 0)1

DEPARTMENT OF
RECREATIONAL
SPORTS


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INTRAMURAL SPORTS PROGRAM
WRESTLING TOURNAMENT
(Team and Individual)
Entry Deadline: Tuesday 11/24


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