10 - The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, April 11, 1995

'M' water polo claims invitational

By Monica Polakov
Daily Sports Writer
This weekend, the Michigan
women's water polo team (7-0Big Ten,
13-8 overall) dominated the Spartan
Invitational in East Lansing. The Wol-
verines competed against Indiana,
Northwestern, Illinois and Michigan
State, outscoring them by a combined
61-6.
"(The invitational) was great because
the whole team got a chance to play,"
senior co-captain Justine Sarver said.
The Wolverines used the weekend
to work on their offense and to practice
certain plays that they plan to use at the
nationals in May.
"In about three of the games we
played, after the firstquarter we weren't
allowed to score unless we drew a
kickout," senior co-captain Candice
Russell said.
Michigan played its games excep-
tionally, with scoring from every player

on the team. Sarver had an especially
good game in goal, blocking 20 of 25
shots on goal in addition to scoring
from the goalpost at the buzzer.
The Wolverines also looked to jun-
ior Julie Chmielewski, who scored 14
points, and senior Meghan Kolassa to
lead the team on offense and defense.
"You can always rely on Meghan
for her defense," Sarver said. "And
Julie is a great offensive asset."
The highlight for Michigan was its
game against rival Michigan State. With a
large fan turnout, thegame was all that one
would expect from the two rival teams.
"The (Michigan) State game was
great because it's our rival school,"
Sarver said. "Both sides were excited
and got really into the game."
The Wolverines crushed the Spar-
tans by a score of 12-2. This gave
Michigan its 66th consecutive victory
against a Big Ten opponent.
Although the Wolverines were con-

fident that they would win the invita-
tional, the tournament still held great
importance for them. Michigan used
this weekend as a chance to practice
their plays against a below average
defense.
"The teams we were playing against
were weaker than us," Russell said.
"We got to practice our plays against a
defense that didn't know them."
In addition, the Wolverines were
exhausted after being on the road for
five straight weekends. A tournament
in nearby East Lansing was just what
they needed.
"It was important because we are
tired from traveling," sophomore Car-
rie Lilley said. "The games weren't as
rough or intense."
The top-seeded Wolverines are now
ready to travel to Northwestern for the
Big Ten Championships. Michigan has
won the conference title the last six
years.

Golfers succomb to weekend weather

The Michigan lacrosse team fell.this weekend in overtime to Wheaton,1-10,

By Jed Rosenthal
Daily Sports Writer
While most of America was watch-
ing Ben Crenshaw adeptly maneuver
around the infamous azaleas and man-
age the lightning-quick greens of Au-
gusta National Golf Club, the Michi-
gan women's golf team was playing
in a tournament of its own in West
Lafayette this weekend at the Boiler-
maker Invitational.
Though the tournament is not as
prestigious nor as dramatic as the
renowned Masters, the Wolverines
faced as difficult conditions as the
feisty Crenshaw in tying for fifth with
host Purdue out of a field of 15.
On a Sunday which was as cold and
blustery as aJanuary Chicago morning,
Michigan shined as it shot the third-
lowestroundof the day, four strokes off
thepace of eventual tournament winner
Ohio State. For the two-day, 54-hole
event, the Wolverines shotatotal of999
(327-332-340).
"Shooting a 340 (for the final
round) is not good at all," Michigan
coach Kathy Teichert said. "But it
was really tough out there to play."
The par-72 South Course played

almostasdifficultas AugustaNational's
Amen Corner, but for a different rea-
son. Instead of facingtreacherous greens
and making intricate shot selections,
the Wolverines encountered a golf
course in disarray to go along with the
winter-like weather.
"The course was not very good,"
Shannon McDonald said. "You can
say it was not well-manicured. It just
wasn't in near as good of shape as our
(home) course."
Pounded by early rains, the golf
course was saturated and therefore
played much longer than its dubbed
5,390 yards. Scores were inflated, ruin-
ing stellar early-round performances.
Michigan's collective scores increased
by an average of three strokes.
McDonald shot an opening round
79, and was tied for ninth individually,
before the inclement weather struck for
the final round. She fought through it,
however, and tied for the lowest score
of the day, shooting an 80.
"I felt like I shot a 70 when it was
an 80," McDonald said. "I felt like I
played so well, but the course just
played so differently than Saturday."
Laura Tzakis (81-82-86-249) was

able to handle the course as well, finish-
ing tied for 15th. The freshman began
the tournament with an 81 and her
consistent play resulted in the second-
best finish by a Wolverine.
"I always knew Laura could be a
player," Teichert said. "It was just a
matter of how long it was going to
take her to adjust to college and start
getting competitive. She really per-
forms well when the pressure is on."
Tzakis was tied for 12th entering
the final round before the weather
pushed her score to an 86.
"Laura played really well,"
McDonald saidofher teammate. "People
are beginning to step up so hopefully it
will just continue to improve."
The South Course was as familiar to
Michigan's Jenny Zimmerman as Au-
gusta National was to Arnold Palmer
this weekend. Raised in Indiana,
Zimmerman played the course several
times in junior tournaments, but her
experience didn't show at the invita-
tional as she shot a 258 (84-86-88).
"I was pretty disappointed in the
way I played," Zimmerman said. "I
have played well there in the past, and
I was a little upset about this weekend."

LACROSSE
Continued from page 9
the first period. A good portion of the
shots that the Wolverines did manage
didn't make it on net, hitting the body
of a Wheaton defenseman instead.
"They beat us to ground balls and
they beat us up and down the field,"
Wolverine coach Bob DiGiovanni
said. "When they shot at our goal they
backed up their shots, and when we
shot at their goal they got to the ball
first and got possession."
Michigan's defense, which had
been impressive in recent games, re-
verted back to its old ways.

The Wolverine midfielders were
slow getting back in transition, leav-
ing Wheaton with many odd-num-
bered situations to take advantage
of.
"Our close defense was running at
their players and they were just able
to face-dodge, go right by them, and
get a lot of easy shots on (goaltender)
Anil (Arora)," Kolakowski said.
Despite coming out flat, the Wol-
verines had the opportunity to win the
game. But in the end, Michigan
couldn't snap out of its sleepwalking
style of play.
"(Wheaton) just really wanted it,
and that can make up for a lot,"

DOUGLAS KANTER/Daily
y.a,
DiGiovanni said. "They deserved to
win - that was no fluke. We had our
chances."
After this weekend's loss, chances
are the Wolverines won't be caught
with their hands on the snooze button
in next weekend's Big Ten champi-
onships.
"If anything, I think it might have
helped us to lose like we did,"
Kolakowski said. "It will make ev-
eryone think twice about what they
did and how they're going to play
next weekend."
Sunday's scheduled game at West-@
ern Michigan was postponed because
of the weather conditions.

Griffin shining for Michigan softball

By Doug Stevens
Daily Softball Writer
Many athletes come to Michigan as
highly touted freshmen. They are often
placed in the spotlight and expected to
play major roles on their nationally-
ranked Wolverine squad. Some have
managed to excel on the playing field
while others have struggled.
One player who has shined thus far
for Michigan is softball pitcher/short-
stop Sara Griffin. After a high school
career in which she was named 1994
California high school player of the
year, Griffin didn't miss astep upon her


arrival in Ann Arbor.
She played very well in the early
season tournaments and excelled most
notably throughout the Wolverines'
dominance of the Florida State Lady
Seminole Invitational from March 17-
19. At this tournament, Griffin hit
.458 with two homers, threw three
complete-game shutouts and struck
out 17 batters. For her efforts, Griffin
was honored as the Louisville Slug-
ger Player of the Week on March 22.
Throughout the season, Griffin has
shown a remarkable ability to balance
her performance at the plate with that
on the mound. Heading into this past
weekend's four-game series at Iowa,
she was leading the Wolverines in
ERA (1.27) and batting average (.432).
"I always try to balance (my pitching
and hitting)," Griffin said. "You can't let
your offense affect your defense."
TRAYLOR
Continued from page 9
"Me and Kevin are best of friends and
if he comes to Michigan I'll love
playing with him,"
Traylor said.
Another friend
of his, White, is
definitely going to
4 : be a teammate next
season. While the
two know each
Traylor other well, and talk
often, Traylor said that their friend-
ship wasn'tafactor when hemade his
choice.
"I didn't let friendship get in the

Griffin has been a major reason that
Michigan has one of the top pitching
staffs in thenation.Griffin, Kelly Kovach,
and Kelly Holmes have combined for a
record of 27-7 and an ERA under two.
This past weekend, Griffin con-
tinued to show glimpses of what the
Wolverines could expect to see from
her in the next three-and-a-half sea-
sons. Although she went only 1-2
against Iowa, she only allowed four
earned runs and 15 hits in 22 2/3
innings of work. Her overall record
now stands at 10-4.
"You never know what freshman
are going to do," coach Carol Hutchins
said. "We knew she's the kind of athlete
to take us to the next level."
At this rate, the next level, which
includes a Big Ten title and a trip to the
NCAA World Series could be reached
in the very near future.
way of my decision, because friend-
ship won't help me achieve my goals,"
he said.
Some in attendance were hoping
for a different outcome.
"I'm happy for him because it's
his choice," said Murray-Wright Ath-
letic Director Robert Glenn. "I wanted
him to go to my alma mater, Olivet,
but he wasn't going there."
Traylor nowjoins a Michigan team
that has become increasingly stacked
in the front-court, but he isn't worried
about playing time.
"Coach Fisher told me he'll give
me a chance to play depending on
how hard I work," Traylor said.
"That's all I can ask."

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