12 - The Michigan Daily -- Friday, March 4, 1994 M' netters come home to take on Bearcats By JOSH KAPLAN DAILY SPORTS WRITER How nice are the comforts of home? The Michigan men's tennis team will rediscover the benefits of a home-court advantage tomorrow when it hosts the Cincinnati Bearcats at the Liberty Sports Complex. After a brutal Texas road trip, in- cluding two 6-1 drubbings at the hands of Texas A&M and Texas, the Wol- verines (0-1 Big Ten, 2-4 overall) will host their first dual meet since Jan. 29 against Northern Illinois. Michigan coach Brian Eisner said he feels this meet should give his team a chance to bounce back from its poor showing on the road. Cincinnati (4-4 overall) should provide quality competition for the Wolverines. Eisner is not as concerned with his opponents' level of play as with his own players' performances. "The other team, the other player doesn't matter if you're doing what you should be doing," Eisner said. "Our goal is to play great tennis on an individual basis." In addition to execution, Eisner stresses mental preparedness as a key. "We need to go out very relaxed and very focused," Eisner explained. "Cincinnati is a good team." One question mark for the Wol- verines is senior Dan Brakus. After dispatching the second-ranked player in the NCAA, Longhorn Chad Clark, the 18th-ranked Brakus fell two days later to Texas A&M's Mark Weaver in straight sets, capturing just a single game. Which Brakus shows up Satur- day will play a role in the outcome. Among the negatives on the road trip, several positives shone through. At the Big Ten Singles Championship in Champaign last weekend, Peter Pusztai, Grady Burnett and Chris Wyatt all turned in impressive performances. "(Those) three players really played some good tennis," Eisner said. "We want them to continue to play good tennis." With the sting of the Texas matches still lingering, a victory this weekend will go a long way to boosting the entire team's confidence, something the Wol- verines will need if they are to compete for the Big Ten title this spring. No. 4 gymnasts face rival OSU Wolverineslook to improve composite score, regionalrank " By MELANIE SCHUMAN DAILY SPORTS WRITER Traditionally, the rivalry between Michigan and Ohio State is one to be reckoned with, especially when the Wolverines have to compete in Buck- eye territory. However, going into Saturday's competition, Michigan's (3-0 Big Ten, 14-1 overall) biggest challenge is not this Big Ten rival. Rather, the focus remains on compiling a high enough score to raise its composite for the NCAA Championships in April. "I know it sounds like a cliche, but we have to go out and compete for, ourselves," assistant coach Melissa Kutcher said. "We're going out and doing the things we have control over." For the third week in a row, the Wolverines maintain a No. 4 national ranking, their highest standing in school history. But with a composite score of 193.644, Michigan is still chasing No. 3 Alabama (194.019) for the No. 1 seed at NCAA Central Regionals. "No matter what meet we go to, we're not competing against anyone else but our ownperformance,"coachBevPlocki said. "It's all a numbers game; the win/losses don't mean anything." In its last meet (Cal State-Fuller- ton), Michigan walked away with a 194.10, which was averaged into the latest composite. Plocki believes that if the squad has a good meet at No. 30 Ohio State (0-2, 6-6) and scores close enough to 195, it could overtake Ala- bama. "It would be great to be seeded (No. 1) in our regional champion- ship," Plocki said. "It would be ideal." But for now, the immediate future lies in Columbus. With a .500 record, Ohio State does not appear to be much of a chal- lenge for the potent Wolverines. Surprisingly, though, Ohio State dominates the all-time series with Michigan, 19-5. The Buckeyes did pose a threat in last season's meet, when Michigan edged them out by only .35. "OSU is going to be gunning for us on their home turf, on equipment they feel comfortable on," Plocki said. "It would be the highlight of their season if they beat us." Junior Beth Wymer admits there is an aura of rivalry following this weekend's matchup. However, she does not have too much to worry about on a personal level. "I try not to get too worked up for the meet because by the time the Big Tens come around, my nerves are shot," the All-American said. Heading into the competition, Wymer not only leads Michigan gym- nasts but also some individual NCAA rankings. Wymer is ranked No. 1 on the uneven bars (9.931), balance beam (9.912) and all-around (39.425), No. 3 on floor (9.900) and No. 13 on vault (9.800). As of this week, Ohio State as a team only ranks in the top 20 in one category - the balance beam. Dominating the Big Ten from 1983-87,and breaking into the NCAA top tens, Ohio State has recently fallen to fourth and fifth place finishes in the conference. Like Michiganthe Buck- eyes do not face many Big Ten oppo- nents throughout the season, which raises the intensity and rivalry this weekend. "(Our) team is ready for a change in our own competitive level and 'Michigan is every bit deserving of their No. 40 ranking. For us to beat them, they're going to have to open the door.' - Larry Cox Ohio State women's gymnastics coach should be ready for this weekend," Buckeye coach Larry Cox said. In each meet of the season, Ohio State's composite score has risen, as they gear up for Big Tens later this month. "Michigan is every bit deserving of their No. 4 ranking,"- Cox said. "For us to beat them, they're going to have to open the door." JUDITH PERKINS/Daily Junior Li Li Leung competes on the balance beam, her strongest event. Michigan attempts to remain atop the Big Ten this weekend. BAS KETBALL Continued from page 10 can stop them, we can beat Illinois." Those guards-Johnson and Kiefer - will have to show their home state more than just their offensive prowess for Michigan to handle Illinois, i.e. de- fense and ball protection. Johnson (15.5 ppg) has been a scoring guru of late, with four straight 20-plus point games in a row, but the pressure is on to step up her often spotty defense. Kiefer, the Big Ten's top gunner from three-point land (.459 shooting percentage), will be counted on for the improved Wolverine offen- sive swing. Roberts also expects herpost-play- ers to provide more of a punch than in games past. While Jennifer Brzezinski, Catherine DiGiacinto and especially Shimmy Gray have had their moments inside, they did not produce in the Illinois loss, even with Illini center Anita Clinton in foul trouble. "(We) have got to have a better game in the post," Roberts said. "We didn't take advantage of the fact that Anita Clinton was out of the game. She is their best post-player - she's basically their only post-player." Northwestern, a team that had been expecting to contend for one of the top- three spots in the Big Ten, is tied for sixth and on the borderline for an NCAA tournament berth. Like Michigan, the Wildcats have suffered from a lack of numbers - bottoming out with six players earlier in the year - and will carry only eight players Sunday. Northwestern guard Moira Kennelly leads the Big Ten in both assists per game (7.5) and three-point- ers per game (2.48), and center Patricia Babcock leads the conference in re- bounding (11.1 rebounds per game) and is sixth in scoring (17.2 ppg). HOCKEY Continued from page 10 Bowling Green presents problems for its opposition as well. Currently the Falcons are second to Michigan in CCHA overall team scoring with a 4.21 goals per game average. The offense is led by senior Sean Pronger, junior Brian Holzinger and freshman Curtis Fry. The team's top point-scorer is a defenseman, however. Jeff Wells, who tallied his 100th career point last weekend, has six goals and 25 assists on the year to pace the Falcons. As a whole, the defense has been solid as well, owning a 3.67 goals against average. "We have to play outstanding team defense to limit their explosive of- fense," York said. Ferris State played last night against Michigan State, losing, 2-1. Last Friday, the Bulldogs upset the Spartans, ignited by the second con- secutive hat trick by senior Doug Smith. He is the third Bulldog in history to accomplish this feat. Ferris' power play is strong, rank- ing third in CCHA league play. They have scored 37 times in 150 attempts with the man advantage. Goaltender Greg Lisko leads the league with 717 saves, but has given up 93 goals in the process. The Bulldogs are an improved team that will finish the CCHA sea- son respectably in seventh place. However, their lackluster defense and poor penalty killing may be just what the doctor ordered to get the Wolver- ines back on track before the 'real season' begins. "After losing three in a row we want to start playing well again, and this is a good weekend to do it,"junior Mike Knuble said. "We don't want to go in (to the playoffs) on a down note." Verbal Commitment: Michigan received word that goaltender Marty Turco of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. will join the Wolverines next season. Turco was the 21st-rated goalie in the Cen- tral Scouting Service's mid-season ranking of prospective NHL draft choices. Turco, 5-foot-11, 175-pounds, owns a 27-8-2 record and had a 3.48 goals against average after 32 games for the Cambridge Winterhawks of the Ontario Midwestern Junior B Hockey League. With the departure of seniors Shields and Chris Gordon, Turco will battle with junior Al Loges for the starting spot. Both Shields and Gordon got a good amount of playing time in their inaugural seasons. Shields played in 37 games, recording 26 victories, and Gordon managed 6 victories in 17 appearances. PAID ADVERTISEMENT An Open Letter to the University of Michigan Community We, the Jewish students at the University of Michigan, offer our sincerest condolences to the families of the victims of the Hebron massacre, .and the Palestinian people. We stand by Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in his condemnation of this "loathsome, criminal act of murder." We affirm President Ezer Weizman's state- ment that "there is no understanding, no'forgiveness, and no atonement for this horrible act." Finally, as spokespeople for the Jewish presence on campus, we unite with the Jewish people behind the statement of Israeli Chief Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau: "It is a desecration of God's name to connect faith to this incident." 0 0 The perpetrator of the Hebron massacre was a terrorist, who in no way 0 I represents the hopes, dreams and ideals of the Jewish people. The greatest possible I|