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Women's Tennis
ITA Midwest Regionals
Nov. 3-6
East Lansing

S

Hockey
vs. Ohio State
Friday, 7 p.m.
Yost Ice Arena


Field hockey prepares for Big Tens
Blue hopes to avenge regular season defeats in first conference tourney

By JENNFER DUBERSTEIN
Daily Sports Writer
For the Michigan fieldhockey team,
the time is now. The first ever Big Ten
Field Hockey Tournamentcommences
this weekend at Ohio State. The winner
will go on to play at the NCAAs and
for the others, the season will end.
Aftera season of full of exciting and
sometimes disappointing matches, the
Wolverines prepare to take revenge on
their conference foes. With five of six
teams nationally ranked, the Big Ten
has been one of the toughest confer-
ences to play in this year. Northwestern
is No. I followed by No. 9 Penn State,
No. 10 Ohio State, No. 14 Iowa and the
No. 20 Wolverines.Michigan Statethe
only non-ranked team, has played all of
its conference foes closely.
Michigan (4-6 Big Ten, 9-10 over-
all) placed fifth in the Big Ten for the
regular season. The Wolverines lost to
top-ranked Northwestern both times
they met. In their first match, the Wild-
cats edged out Michigan, 1-0. The sec-
ond contest was the just the opposite, a
blowout by Northwestern, 6-0.
"I would want to rematch North-
western because of the painful loss, 6-
0," Michigan forward Gia Biagi said.
"It was a frustrating 70 minutes ... It

would be so delicious to play them
and really beat them."
Like Northwestern, Iowa defeated
Michigan in both matches. The first
win for the Hawkeyes was 3-1. The
second was a double-overtime win by
the narrow margin of a penalty stroke.
"I would rematch Iowa," Michigan
goalie Rachel Geisthardt said, "because
the last time we played Iowa, I thought
we deserved to win. I really want to
(beat Iowa) bad."
The Michigan-Penn State and
Michigan-Ohio State regular season
matchups were both splits. The Wol-
verines defeated the Lady Lions at
Oosterbaan Fieldhouse, 1-0. Then two
weeks later, the Wolverines lost at State
College, 5-1.
The Buckeyes blanked Michigan,
3-0, in September. In mid-October, the
Wolverines took their penalty cornerto
Columbus and won, 4-3, when junior
Sherene Smith scored a hat trick, all off
the corners.
The Wolverines defeated Michi-
gan State in both regular season games.
On Oct. 30, Michigan outshot the
Spartans, 3-2.
The tournament is the first ever for
Big Ten field hockey teams and it adds
an extra dimension to the season.

'We still have so much
to prove and we
definitely have a
legitimate chance to
get to the NCAAs.'
-Gia Biagi
Michigan forward
"The tournament is great because it
gives us a chance for a post-season,"
sophomore Michelle Smulders said,
"and it's exciting to play in a tourna-
ment at the collegiate level."
Biagi added, "I think (the tourna-
ment) is a lot better because it makes
the whole trip to the NCAAs a little
more tangible and little more clear."
On Friday afternoon, the fourth-
seeded Buckeyes, the team with the
home- field advantage, will take on
the fifth-seeded Wolverines. Iowa and
Michigan State, thethirdand sixth seeds
respectively, will also play Friday.
Northwestern and Penn State have byes.
The winner of the Michigan-Ohio
State game will play Penn State.
"Our toughest opponent is based on
whoever we play that day," Biagi said.

"It really doesn't matter who we play.
They are all tough."
"I don't see a difference between
Northwestern, Iowa, and Penn State,"
Smulders said. "Every game will be
equally challenging. Everyone is so
equal. That is why it is going to be a
dogfight."
The Wolverines had a weekof prac-
tice to prepare for the tournament and
to work out the kinks in their game.
"We've been focusing on ourselves
... solidifying what we do well and
doing what we do well consistently,"
Biagi said.
"This week we focused on pass-
ing," Smulders said. "Hard, firm, smart
passing."
Geisthardt added that she had been
focusing on "hard, quick reactions" to
her teammates' shots this week.
After a long season of ups and
downs, the Wolverines believe that
their chances of victory are equivalent
with any of the teams attending.
"The Big Ten is very close in terms
of talent," Biagi said. "The tournament
is definitely up for grabs.
"We still have so much to prove and
we definitely have a legitimate chance
to get to the NCAAs. We've got some-
thing to prove. Still."

"

DOUGLAS KANTER/Daily
The Wolverines are seeded fifth in this weekend's Big Ten tournament.

Men's hoops close to signing point guard

Drop off your picks at the Michigan Daily sports desk on the
second floor of the Student Publications Building at 420
Maynard by noon Friday. The most accurate prognosticator
will receive a $15 gift certificate to O'Sullivan's Eatery & Pub.
Contestants are restricted to five entries per week.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
1i.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
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20.

Michigan at Purdue
Penn State at Indiana
Michigan State at Northwestern
Wisconsin at Ohio State
Illinois at Minnesota
Kansas at Nebraska
Oklahoma State at Colorado
East Carolina at Auburn
Southern Mississippi at Florida
Miami at Syracuse
Texas A&M at Texas
Alabama at Louisiana
California at Arizona
Washington at Stanford
Virginia at Duke
Iowa State at Kansas State
Southern Cal at Washington State
Clemson at North Carolina
Arizona State at Oregon
Temple at Rutgers

By SCOTT BURTON
Daily Basketball Writer
Top high school basketball recruit
Louis Bullock will hold a press con-
ference Nov. 10, where he is expected
to announce his commitment to
Michigan.
Bullock, a highly touted guard
from Laurel (Maryland) Baptist Acad-
emy, narrowed his choices down to
Maryland and Michigan. But his high
school coach and several of his team-
mates indicated that he will probably
end up in a Wolverine uniform.
"He has not committed yet, but it
looks like he is headed to Michigan,"

Laurel Baptist Academy coach Chris
Chaney said.
"He's probably headed to Michi-
gan," junior teammate Calvin Stith
said. "He has told me that he likes it
and it is a good school."
Bullock declined to comment on
his collegiate plans Tuesday night.
Along with Maryland and Michigan,
he expressed interest in Georgia,
Florida, Syracuse, North Carolina and
James Madison.
Recruiters Handbook ranked Bul-
lock - a 6-foot-3 guard - as the
18th best high school senior in the
nation. He is regarded as a fine out-

side shooter with three point range
and a good defender.
Whether he can play point guard
in Division I is another question. Re-
cruiters Handbook writes that he can
make "clever passes, though he is not
a PG (point guard)." However,
Chaney insists that most of the schools
on Bullock's list -including Michi-
gan - are recruiting him as a point
guard.
"He's played point guard all his
life," Chaney said. "Michigan wants
him to play point guard. He definitely
has point-guard skills. He handles
the ball well, he doesn't make mis-

takes, and he has a great shot."
"He is one of the best players in
the nation," Stith said. "He can play
point guard if he wants to. He has a
great shot."
The Wolverines have already
recieved a verbal commitment from
Albert White. The 6-foot-6 forward
made the announcement Oct. 5. Last
year at Inkster High School, White
averaged 20 points, 15 rebounds and
3.7 blocked shots.
Michigan is still recruiting De-
troit Murray-Wright's Robert Traylor,
who is expected to make his announce-
ment after this season.

.

Women's tenis.looks t
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By SUSAN DANN,
For the Daily
The Michigan women's tennis
team competes in East Lansing this
weekend to bring its shortened fall
season to a close. The ITA Midwest
Regional tournament, held today
through Sunday, is comprised of the
best 64 players in the Big Ten and the
Midwest region. Eligibility for the
tournament is based on last year's
standings as well as the few indi-
vidual tournaments earlier this year.
The ITA Regional is the last of
the Wolverines' individual tourna-
ments this fall. No team scores will
be tabulated, rather the tournament
winner is determined through indi-
vidual performance. Michigan has
six players competing in the singles
flights and three doubles squads.
The Wolverines see this week-
end as an opportunity to assess their
individual strengths and weaknesses
before the regular season. The real
work begins in January.
"We aren't practicing as we would
if we were in season," sophomore
Bojana Jankovic said. "We have been
preparing for this tournament as much
as we could, but also looking for-
ward to the season.
"After we come back from
regionals, we have about a month off
just to condition. So far this season,
we've done the best we could with
the short amount of time we've had
to prepare for the tournaments and
the fall season."~
But Michigan isn't taking this tour-
nament or what it means lightly.
'This is a time to.really rack up

points for yourself so at the end of the
year and at the NCAAs you have
some wins behind you," sophomore
Sarah Cyganiak said. "These pre-sea-
son tournaments along with dual
match wins can really help you get
into the (NCAAs)."
Though the ITA tournament is
based on individual play, the Wolver-
ines are still thinking as a team.
"The team looks good," Jankovic
said. "I'm hoping we'can all do well.
We have the abilities and this is the
opportunity to use them."
"I think anyone on the team could
take it," Cyganiak said. "As long a~s
we're playing well, we'll all be com-
petitive with everyone else there."
This strong team confidence is due
in part to the experience of the Wolver-
ines and their success last season. After
finishing second in the Big Ten behind
Indiana, Michigan concluded the year
ranked 25th in the nation.
"The team has stayed almost the
same as last year," Jankovic said.
"We have some really strong and
confident experienced players."
The Wolverines return all but one
player, and add to their roster the
talents of a strong freshman class.
Michigan's leadership will come from
the senior class of Jaimie Fielding,
Liz Cyganiak and Simone Lacher.
All three have competed for the Wol-
verines since their freshmen years.
Juniors Angie Popek and Tara Graff
add experience and depth to the Michi-
gan lineup. Sarah Cyganiak and
Jankovic return after strong rookie
seasons, both being named to the All-
Big Ten Conference squad.

0

FLE PHOTO
The Michigan women's tennis team will travel to East Lansing this weekend
for its final tournament of the fall season.

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