The Michigan Daily - Friday, October 22, 1993 - 11 'M' men spikers attack preseason By MELINDA ROCO FOR THE DAILY It's never too early to get a head start on things. For the Michigan men's volleyball team, this means getting a jump on the competition tomorrow at the Big Ten Invitational hosted by Ohio State. After last season's disappointing fin- ish, Michigan has added more experi- enced players and power hitters to its roster and expects to make a big im- pact on the volleyball scene this year. Coach Pam Griffin has dedicated weeks of practice to skill develop- ment and said she is confident with her team's capabilities. "We hope to do well, but it is pre- season," Griffin said. "We're not go- ing in with any set lineups, and we haven't spent a lot of time in game situations. But the players are excel- lent athletes, and each one is so good in any given rotation, we have a solid front line and two powerful back row hitters. This leaves me plenty of options.' . Stan Lee Michigan setter in his individual position that it should only take a few tournaments before everything clicks." The Wolverines will look to junior setter Stan Lee to lead the 5-1 offense. Lee, who begins his third year as a starter, said he plans to take advan- tage of Michigan's new talent. "In any given rotation, we have a solid front line and two powerful back row hitters," Lee said. "This leaves me plenty of options, and I'll be able to run more play combinations." Senior transfer Bill Seely should *be a major force behind the outside attack. Seely brings his experience from the coasts, having played two years of club volleyball at Berkeley and two years at Brown. "He'll be the go-to man on the outside," Lee said. "He's our smart- est hitter. His analytic ability and ex- plosive hitting style make him a valu- able asset on the strong side." Sophomore Gun Unluer and fresh- man Emesto Rodriguez, international phenoms from Turkey and Puerto Rico respectively, also possess killer arm swings that will put the defense on edge. On the serve receive, Michigan will be relying on junior Chad Engel for his passing ability. With senior middle hitter Chad Stielstra out of preseason play due to a sprained ankle, Lee will work with junior Todd Coffey, sophomore Andy Spitser and freshman Brad Yeager to connect in the middle for the quick hits on Michigan's "fast break" of- fense. "We're a little inconsistent in mak- ing the middle contact," Lee said. "Hopefully, we'll be able to work the middle attackers more into the of- fense as our passing and timing im- *prove." Griffin said Michigan expects to finish second in pool play where they will meet Illinois, Purdue and Ohio State. Overall, Griffin predicts a third place finish. "Ohio State and Penn State have the benefits of varsity status, with practices everyday and players on scholarship," Griffin said. "Club play- ers just aren't able to commit as much *time to the sport." However, she said the players' dedication works to counteract that. "They don't get down on each other," Griffin said. "They are a very positive group." Stickers hope to rock to victory over Bucks, 'Cats ELIZABETH UPPMAN/Da#!y Michigan senior forward Kalli Hose (12) and the rest of the Wolverines play Ohio State tonight and Northwesterm Saturday afternoon. Blue cross country preps for Big Tens Men rest top runners, attempt to solidify lineup at Eastern Michigan By RYAN WHITE FOR THE DAILY If the Michigan field hockey team were a song it would be "Finish What Ya Started" by the rock group Van Halen. Until earlier this week the Wolverines hadn't been finishing off their scoring chances. Last weekend Michigan scored just once over a span of two games against Ohio State and Iowa. How- ever, the Wolverines rebounded against Central Michigan on Tuesday night when they exploded for six goals against the Chippewas. It's that offensive momentum that the Wolverines (1-4 Big Ten, 9-4 overall) hope to take to Columbus this weekend where they play Ohio State tonight Northwestern tomorrow. "You kno, you know, you know you can do it (score goals), so when you finally do, you expect it to con- tinue," Michigan coach Patti Smith said. Forward Aaleya Koreishi, who led the Wolverines' offensive charge against the Chippewas, said that it is important for the team to pick up where it left off Tuesday night. "We are going to have to keep up the passing game and continue to fin- ish what we start (on the offensive end)," Koreishi said. The Ohio State game tonight at 7:30 p.m. is a rematch of a game exactly one week ago in which the Buckeyes (2-3, 7-8) beat the Wolver- ines, 2-1, in overtime. One might get the idea that Michi- gan may be out for a bit of revenge this weekend, but that's not the case, according to Smith. "We don't feel that we owe them one," Smith said. "There's not a re- venge factor. It's a great chance to play the team again and hopefully improve on the outcome." Saturday afternoon the Wolver- ines will face the No. 2 ranked North- western Wildcats (4-1, 9-2-1). This will be the fourth time this month that Michigan will face a top three team. The Wolverines haven't recorded a win in either of the three previous games - two against No. 3 Iowa and one against No. 1 Penn State. "I expect a tight and close game," Smith said. "They have a couple of key people on offense and their goalie hasn't been tested." The key players that Smith refers to are forwards Gretchen Scheuer- mann and Catherine Shin. Scheuermann leads the 'Cats with 26 points, Shin is second with 11, but she has only two goals.. "We have to just play hard," Smith said. "Play hard field hockey and leave the past behind us." By BARRY SOLLENBERGER DAILY SPORTS WRITER Today's meet at Eastern Michi- gan marks the final regular season tune-up for the No.17 Michigan men's cross country team in preparation for the Big Ten Championships held next Saturday in East Lansing. As was the case two weeks ago at the Michigan Intercollegiates, win- ning today's meet is not necessarily a top priority - the Wolverines top seven runners will not make the trip to Ypsilanti. Instead, Michigan will look to round out the team that will com- pete next weekend for the conference championship. Each conference team is allowed to race nine runners at the Big Ten Championships. Wolverine coach Ron Warhurst will use today to select the team's final two participants. "I still have some evaluating to do but, more or less, (today) gives us a chance to evaluate our No. 8 and 9 runners," Warhurst said. The Wolverines will try to rebound from their disappointing finish last Sunday at the Michigan Interregional. Running at home, the Wolverines fin- ished fifth in a meet that featured seven teams ranked in the NCAA top 25 poll. Even though the Wolverines' nucleus will not make the trip to Ypsilanti today, everyone Warhurst will run has seen action in at least one meet this season. Junior Ian Forsyth is a favorite to capture one of the team's two open spots for the Big Ten Championships. Forsyth struggled last weekend at the Michigan Interregional but has run well in the past, as proved by his fourth-place finish on the team at the NCAA Championships a year ago. Senior Jay Schemanske, hampered by a groin injury early this season, should be at full strength today. Like Forsyth, Schemanske struggled last Saturday. Four redshirt freshmen - David Barnett, Ryan Burt, Andrew Hayes and Chad Tibbetts - will run for Michigan today. "This meet gives us a chance to let some younger guys get some experi- ence and to see how they respond in competing with other team's top run- ners," Warhurst said. Looking ahead to next week, Warhurst said he is confident that the team can get back on track after last week's disappointment. "We started out the season ranked No. 5 or 6 and have dropped all the way to 17, which should take some pressure off us," Warhurst said. However, he was quick to point out that rankings don't mean much until the season's over. "Last year, we were ranked twelfth entering the NCAA Championships and finished fifth (in the meet)," Warhurst said. No. 3 women leave starting nine home, give rest of team valuable experience for future By DOUG STEVENS FOR THE DAILY While the marquee runners on the No. 3 Michigan women's cross coun- try team are getting geared up for next week's Big Ten Championships, some of the less-experienced racers will be participating in the Eastern Michigan Open today at 4 p.m. Since all nine women slated to run in the conference championships will not be travelling to EMU, this meet will give some other team members a chance to run. "This is an opportunity to put people in the lineup who have worked hard all year," Wolverine coach Mike McGuire said. The Wolverines have six runners slated to run today, including seniors Kristi Wink and Kristie Westerby, sophomores Jackie Concaugh and Christie Wilson, and rookies Mara Guillemette and Emily Shively. In- terestingly, Westerby qualified for the NCAA 1992 Track & Field Champi- onships in the 800 meters. "In this meet, you can see where you are in training from the past two months," Westerby said. Unlike last week's meet at the hilly University Golf Course, today's 'We are going to help each other out and just try to do our best. We'll try to make a bigger contribution next season.' - Mara Guillemette Michigan cross-country rookie race will be on a relatively flat course which makes for faster times. This meet will also give Wolver- ine fans a taste of what they have in store for them in the future. Four of today's runners are in their first sea- son for the Maize and Blue. "We are going to help each other out and just try to do our best," said Guillemette, who will be running her first race for Michigan today. "We'll try to make a bigger contribution next season." The Michigan men's cross-country team faces Easter Michigan today. DYING TO KNOW ABOUT ALL OF THE BIG HAPPENINGS * IN THE SPORTS WORLD? CHECK OUT THE SPORTS PAGE, DAILY! _ i L fir. Michigan Music Festival - uu:uU IWA m