14 - The Michigan Daily -Thursday, November 17, 1994
Spikers take five for Pride
'M' volleyball goes the limit to topple Spartans
By RODERICK BEARD
Daily Spots Writer
If it's at all possible to win pride and
losepride in the same match, the Michi-
gan women's volleyball team did it last
night. The Wolverines won their big-
gest match of the season, a 15-11, 14-
16,4-15,15-13,15-9, five-game thriller
over intra-state rival Michigan State at
Cliff Keen Arena.
"Hard work's finally paid off,"
Shareen Luze said. "We knew if we
played hard, we could beat them."
Michigan started the match slowly,
as the Spartans darted out to an 11-4
lead in the first game. Michigan State
did not score another point, as the Wol-
verines won the final 11 points of the
match. Sophomore setter Erin
McGovern ignited the comeback, win-
ning five crucial points on her serve.
The Wolverines led 14-12 in game
two, but the Spartans came back and
won four points and the game. Michi-
gan looked to be out ofit after Michigan
State won the third game, 15-4.
Butthe Wolverines came back again.
Shannon Brownlee gave the team a
huge boost in a reserve role, vaulting
Michigan into a quick 4-2 lead with a
string of four kills. With the score tied
13-13, aLuze kill and another by Sarah
Jackson secured the fourth game for the
Wolverines.
Michigan jumped out to a 5-0 lead
in the fifth game and never looked back.
"I'm not pleased," Spartan coach
Chuck Erbe said. "We let ourselves
down and Michigan seized the oppor-
tunity. They were hungry for a win and
they got it."
Michigan was ready for Michigan
State last night, the third time the teams
have met this season.
"(Assistant coach) Maura (Kanim)
did a good job preparing the team,"
Michigan coach Greg Giovanazzi said.
With the victory, the Wolverines
snapped their 13-match losing streak
and gave themselves something to look
forward to for the rest of the season.
"We have a renewed sense of confi-
dence," senior Aimee Smith said. "For
us to have agood wingivesusincreased
confidence for the last three matches."
Though Michigan won the match,
the team lost the State Pride banner to
the Spartans for the second year in a
row. The two teams split the season
series, but Michigan State won, edging
the Wolverines in games, 5-4.
"We may not have won State Pride,
but we have our own pride," Luze said.
*NET RESULTS
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Junior Shannon Brownlee played an important role for Michigan last night.
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By RODERICK BEARD
Daily spots writer
In honor of the Michigan's victory
over Michigan State last night, I vow
not to use the words 'loss' or 'losing'
again in this column.
The women's volleyball team de
serves any accolades it gets after its
gutsy five-gameperformance last nght.
The Wolverines jumped and blocked;
they dove and hustled. They fought
back and won.
Let us have a moment of silence to
honor these fine women(lecturing pro-
fessors and TA's excluded).
For this State Pride match, Michi
gan donned its yellow jerseys - like
the men's basketball team does for im-
portant games - to tangle with the
Spartans.
Ialmostcouldn't tell who they were
when I arrived. The Wolverines looked
even more foreign when they came
back from a 10-4 deficit to win the first
game; they looked likecomplete strang-
ers when they led 14-12 in game two.
When they managed to squander
that game and drop the third game, 15-
4, they resembled the Michigan team
that was on a 13-match los... oops, I
mean vacation. The Wolverines con-
tinued the roller-coaster ride by win-
ning game four and leading the last
game.
Ahead 13-5, Michigan had the per-
feet opportunity to do what it had done
before-blow thelead. Thecrowdwas9
clapping and cheering and it was a
prime time for a letdown. Michiga
State won two more points beforea
Suzy O'Donnell kill left the Wolver-
ines one point from victory. Then tle
Spartans won two more points.
Ah, disappointment definitely
awaited the chance to rear its head. The
crowd gasped as the ball went over the
net and back. Everyone expected an
error.
Then it happened.
Erin McGovern ended 13 match,
of frustration with a single simple tip:;ft
bounced off two Spartan players and
caressed the floor, much like the slow-
motion replays ofchampionshipgames.
But this was no championship game.
It may have eliminated the Spartans
from the NCAA tournament, but it had
no postseason implications for the
Wolverines. They were only playing
for pride.
Coincidentally, I went to the match
with a friend of mine whoplayed onte
volleyball team a few years ago. By
chance, she decided to come to -see
Michigan play last night.
She laughed and gave me a look
each time the Wolverines came back as
if she knew what was going to happen
all along. During the match, she kept
reminding me how good Michigan vol-
leyball used to be and what things were
like when she played.
In the midst of the 13... uh, unsuc-
cessful endeavors, I guess it was like
imagining an oasis in the middle of a
desert - I could see it, but the mere
thoughtofitleft adry tastein my mouth.
Maybe the Wolverines will have a
13-match winning streak now, instead
of... obliging theiropponents like they
did for most of the season. Stranger
things have happened.
RECRUITS
Continued from page 13
"SeanRitchlin may becomeaMike
Knuble-type player; he's big, physical
and hard working and I think he'll
thrive in the CCHA and particularly for
Michigan,"Berensoncontinued."Greg
Crozier will add size, speed and skill to
our left side. We feel that these three
players are at an elite level and we're
excited about their prospects here at
Michigan."
All three players will bring out-
standing credentials to the Michigan,
team in 1995-96.
Berenzweig (6-feet 2, 195 lbs.),
currently the team captain at Loomis
Chaffee, provides size at the blue line
and has shown scoring potential with
17) ,vrvl',anA ) r ctc inTA 4 n m ifact