10- The Michigan Daily - SPORTSMonday - Monday, November 14, 1994 Blue volleyball continues losing ways {: By RODERICK BEARD Daily Sports Writer The Michigan volleyball team did almost nothing to defy its predictability this weekend, as it lost two more road matches. The Wolverines (1-14 Big Ten, 5-22 overall) extended their losing streak to 13 matches after falling to Iowa Friday and Minnesota Saturday. Rallying from a two-game deficit, the Wolverines managed to win the next two games and force a decisive game with the Hawkeyes. Iowa (9-6, 19-8) jumped out to early leads and easily won the first two games, 15-3 and 15-6. Then Michigan roared back with a 15-4 victory in game three and a 15-13 win in the fourth game. Game Five, which featured rally scoring, went quickly in the Hawkeyes' favor,15-10. The Wolverines were unable to stop the Hawkeyes' offense all night. Jill Oelschlager tallied 25 kills and 13 digs and setter Lisa Dockray boomed two serviceaces,l11 kills andasizzling.714 hitting percentage to help the attack. Saturday's match at Minnesota promised to end along losing streak for one team. The Golden Gophers (8-8, 16-12), who had lost five or their last six matches, prevailed over Michigan in three games, 15-8, 15-8, 15-9. The Wolverines struggled offen- sively, with a.016 hitting efficiency for the match. Luze and Jackson, playing in their home state, led the team in two categories: Luze pounded nine kills and Jackson stuffed three blocks. Action SportsWear Our Racket Is Your Racket MOLLY STEVENS/Daily Shannon Brownlee's play wasn't enough to stop Michigan's losing streak. RAWLS Continued from page 1 was needed to motivate Rawls, who comes from a family used to stepping up to challenges. Rawls comes from alineof Wolver- ine wrestlers, starting with his father Jesse Sr., an All-American and Big Ten Champion in 1969. His oldest son James came in 1989; Jesse Jr. followed in 1991. Growing up in the shadow of his father's legend in the wrestling heartland of Harrisburg, Penn., Rawls had a natural affinity for the sport. While the Rawls boys never wrestled for their father, who was a coach and teacher at a nearby high school, they were influenced just by his being near. "The first time he hit the wrestling mat was in the fourth grade, and I knew he was going to be a champ," Jesse Sr. says of his son, who also wants to become ahigh school teacher and coach. "I could see that aggressiveness and intensity already. "Jesse always had that fire in him. When he woke up in the morning you better have his breakfast ready for him because he was going to scream at the top of his voice until he got what he wanted." Being a wrestling champion, how- ever, was not the first thing Rawls wanted to be. He started out playing soccer before moving on to football, basketball and finally wrestling. It was choosing between the latter two, however, that proved to be across- roads in Rawls's life. After starring on the basketball courts in grammar school and excelling in wrestling, he faced the tough choice of playing one or the other once he got to high school. He could either forge his own path in a different sport or follow in the footsteps of his father. Rawls found help in making his decision from anon- wrestler. "I said 'Jesse, you're a very good wrestler,"' his mother Donna recalls. "'You can build yourself up and do it yourself in wrestling and not have to depend on other (teammates).'So that's when we decided that wrestling was the best for him. "My husband wasn't pushing wres- tling on him either. I just said 'You know your dad was a state wrestling champ so you can learn from the best and move forward. You certainly have the ability."' No one can argue with Rawls's choice. He compiled a 62-3 mark in his final two years in high school including a state title in his senior year. And it was his senior year that re- moved any doubts of what sort of wres- tler Rawls would become. In the state finals, in frontofacrowd of nearly 7,000, Rawls found himself behind 8-2 and on the brink of elimina- tion. What happened next can only be termed unbelievable. Rawls fought with every ounce he had left and came back to register a remarkable 14-13 overtime victory. The win capped off a 32-0 senior season: Playing in the wrestling mecca of the country against many other top na- tional prospects made the transition to college easy for Rawls, who went 22- 10 in his first season at Michigan. And for Rawls, becoming a Wol- verine was more a formality than a tough decision. "I bleed Maize and Blue," he says with a look of pride on his face. "I just love Michigan to death. This is where I've always wanted to come. Whether it be wrestling or any other sport I could excel at, I knewl was going toget here." Rawls was redshirted his second year in order to build up strength and better acclimate himself to Michigan's tough academic environment. 'When (Jesse) woke up in the morning, you better have his breakfast ready for him because he was going to scream at the top of his voice until he got what he wanted.' - Jesse Rawls, Sr. But after a year of working out and enjoying life as acollege student, Rawls was anything but refreshed and invigo- rated for the 1993-94 season. "I had great expectations for him last year and he really started slow," Michigan coach Dale Bahr says of Rawls' early-season funk. "Here we redshirted this guy thinking that we would give him a rest and give him a couple of years under his belt in school, and he'd just be chomping at the bit to get out there on the mat and really go gung ho." The injury provided a wake up call forRawls, who, with the help of trainer BrentJaco, setoutto getinshapein time for the Big Tens. Rawls practiced and worked to get back into wrestling shape, and a week before Big Tens pronounced himself ready for action. He went into the Big Tens amid low expectations and he came out with a third-place finish. This from a guy who had not wrestled competitively in over two months. Not only did Rawls surpass expectations at Big Tens, but he also qualified for atriptonationals in Chapel Hill, N.C. "I was still confident ofmy abilities, but it was my first time in the NCAA tournament," Rawls says. "Everybody kept saying how hard it is, and I didn't get seeded. I ended up having to wrestle theNo.1 seededguy inmy firstmatch." Rawls lost 3-2 (to Les Gutches of Oregon State) in his first match and admitted that he was almost ready to pack it in. He instead went out and finished 5-2 in the tournament and sev- enth overall to gamer All-American honors. "People call me an All-American, buti don't feel like one because I only took seventh," says Rawls. "That's good but that's not too good. I wantto achieve the highest goal: I want to be national champion." Rawls has two more seasons to reach his goal. After his most intense and focused summeroftraining in which he ran, lifted weights, and taught at wres- tling camps, he says he's ready. Rawls is also braced for the chal- lenges that go along with fatherhood. After the birth of a son, Khari, in July, he is a changed man. "He puts things in perspective now," Austin says of Rawls's change since the} birth of Khari. "Winning is important but it's not like before where it was a fanatical thing. He does have that atti- tude still, but there's an added dimen- sion. "Part of his push to do well, to win this year and to do well academically is for his son. To leave something for him and to do something that he would be proud of. "(The birth) definitely has changed him." What hasn't changed, though, is Rawls's' intensity and refusal to lose. And it seems only fitting that after a summer of such hard work and new challenges, that he has yet another hill to climb. In an early season practice, Rawls injured his knee when putting up an intense struggle with teammate Chad* Biggert. He once again has to rehabili- tate. While he may miss the first match and possibly the second, when he hits the mats he will be armed with new goals and heightened expectations for this season. He will be ready when the time comes to win the Big Tens. He will be ready to accept the chal-e lenge of national title expectations. And in the future, whether it be taking down an opponent or changing Khari's diapers, Rawls will be able to handle the situation with newfound maturity. GMAT, GRE, MiCAT, & LSAT.- If you're taking KAPLAN first. one of these tests, take We teach you exactly I what the test covers and show you the test taking strategies you'll need to score your best. Don't compete with a KAPLAN student -- be one! KAPLAN 1-800-KAP-TEST t admonn Squash Racquet 663-6771 419 E. Liberty 2 Blocks oot~f te E s s r r .. . . . UU INTRAMURAL SPORTS PROGRAM 0 GREAT: UPCOMING ACTIVITIES PRE-SEASON Entries Taken: Mon 11/14 - Mon 11/21 11am - 4:30pm BROOMBALL Entry Fee: $25 per team PRE-SEASON BASKETBALL Manager's Meeting (Mandatory): Mon 11121 Tourney Dates: Mon - Thurs 11/28 - 12/8 Entries Taken: Mon 11128 - Thurs 1211 1 Entry Fee: $35 per team Manager's Meeting (Mandatory): Thurs 1211 Tournament Dates: Sat & Sun 12/3 & 12/4 6pm IMSB lam - 4:30pm 1 6pm IMSB i . i ? i 9; f 00 R r ICE HOCKEY Due to renovations at Yost Ice Arena taking place in March and April, 1995 and due to Ice Hockey being offered during the Fall Term, a Winter Term Ice Hockey program will not be offered. Start thinking about WINTER TERM ACTIVITIES! 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