The Michigan Daily - Friday, January 13, 1995 - 13 Blue women hope to silence Lions' roar in Happy Valley The Wolverines have had their troubles in the lower weight classes all season, including Brian Aparo (above), who wrestles in the 134-pound division. The freshman has posted a record of 9-12. Grapplers duel with Penn State Wrestlers carry momentum into Sunday's conference meet By JED ROSENTHAL Daily Sports Writer To put it simply, Penn State has been a-problem for the Michigan wres- tling team. The Nittany Lions have taken five in a row from the Wolver- ines, and six of the last seven meetings between the two. Yet when No. 4 Penn State rolls into Ann Arbor Sunday to face rejuve- nated No. 20 Michigan, it better be untamed. Michigan is coming off a thrilling win in East Lansing Wednes- day over No. 6 Michigan State. With the tough Big Ten schedule in full swing for the Wolverines, Michigan coach Dale Bahr is confident. "That win against Michigan State really bolstered our feeling toward our- selves," Bahr said. What might help the Wolverines more than anything is the possible fa- tigue affecting Penn State. The Lions will wrestle in three dual meets in two days. Penn State travels to Columbus Saturday to face Ohio State and then to East Lansing for a showdown with the Spartans before venturing to CliffKeen Arena. "I kind of like our position because we're the last (meet), and if they are going to be tired at all, it would be the last one," Bahr said. "After Michigan State, they're going to have to turn around and come down here and wrestle us, and we match up pretty good with them. There's definitely going to be some pressure on them." The Nittany Lions boast No. 1- rankedheavyweight,All-American and defending national champion, Kerry McCoy. The junior from Middle Is- land, N.Y. sports an overwhelming 66- match winning streak. With three of the last five dual matches for the Wolverines coming down to the final match and freshman heavyweight Airron Richardson, Bahr is wary. "He (McCoy) is an outstanding heavyweight so they have a good closer. I do not want this to come down to the last match. We don't want to have to put our redshirt freshman out there against McCoy and expect to win," Bahr said. Richardson stunned acrowd of over 2,300 in East Lansing with a pin over Brian Picklo in the deciding match. Brandon Howe will have his hands full with top-ranked junior Sanshiro Abe from Tokyo at 126 pounds. Abe holds a 16-2 record. "Brandon has a tough match. They have a solid team top to bottom,"Michi- gan 158-pounder Jeff Catrabone said. "Our team's chances are good. We're right up there with everyone in the country, but we need to get those lower weights to pull through." At 142 pounds, Wolverine senior Mike Ellsworth faces a crucial match against No. 2 John Hughes, who holds a 21-2 record. It is arematch of sorts for Ellsworth, as he lost a lead against Hughes last season, and then the match, in sudden death overtime. Having trouble keeping his weight down this season, Ellsworth came back after a brief hiatus to face the Spartans where he won his match. "Mikegave us ourfirstwin Wednes- day. He got the boat rocking for us," Catrabone said. What seems to be a recurring prob- lem for Michigan is its lower weight classes. They have continually failed to produce. In three of the last five dual meets, the first five weight classes wrestled for a combined 2-13 record. "They're definitely favored, but I think it's going to be a lot closer meet than that," Bahr said. "What we've got to do is get five or six matches on them and get them before our heavyweight, which I think we can do." By DAVID ROTHBART Daily Basketball Writer The Michigan women's basketball team invades No. 12 Penn State Sun- day missing one of its primary weap- ons - surprise. After the Wolverines knocked off Big Ten foes Michigan State and Northwestern last weekend to end a 21-game conference losing streak, they will no longer be taken lightly by opponents. Lady Lions' senior CarlaColeman, who has never lost to Michigan, said the Wolverines are a much stronger team this season. "Nothing will be easy (Sunday)," Coleman said. "They are a young, improving team," Penn State coach Rene Portland said. "Now that Michigan has broken their losing streak, they are even more dangerous. We have to protect our house." The Wolverines (2-2 Big Ten, 7-7 overall) will attempt to end another streak Sunday. If Penn State (1-2, 9-3) defeats Northwestern tonight, it will bring a 19-game home-winning streak into its match with Michigan. Coach Trish Roberts is optimistic about the Wolverines' chances. "In the Big Ten, any team can beat any other team on any given night," Roberts said. "Last year, teams looked at us as an automatic win." Last season, Michigan was an auto- matic win. The Wolverines were 0-18 in the conference. The Lions, however, bolted past their opponents, sharing the conference crown with Purdue, and reaching the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament. Penn State's road has been rockier this year. Opponents have knocked out theLions, literally. Guards KatinaMack and Tina Nicholson have both suffered severe concussions in recent contests. Mack, Penn State's Naismith Award candidate and leading scorer the last two years, may redshirt this season formedical reasons. Nicholson, averaging 8.5 assists, will start Sun- day. Sophomore forward Angie Potthoff has picked up some of the scoring slack, pouring in 18.5 points in addi- tion to her 10.9 rebounds a game, and 6-foot-2 center Missy Masley has also averaged a double-double. However, Potthoff is battling bronchitis, and su- per-swatter Kim Calhoun, who led the Big Ten in blocks last season, is nurs- ing a sprained foot. The Lions have been so depleted by injuries, they have recruited four male Penn State students to practice with them. The injuries have left the Lions scrambling to fill holes in its lineup, and their young backups have not come through. Penn State's road losses to Ohio State and Minnesota matched its Big Ten loss total for all of last season. The Wolverines want to add their names to the list of teams who have upset the Lions. Roberts' Michigan teams have never beaten a ranked op- See HOOPS, Page 14 The Michigan women's basketball team will have a tougher time Sunday against Penn State than it did with Michigan State last weekend. The Wolverines head to University Park to play the Lady Lions. * 'M' spikers must contend with big rivals, injuries in weekend contests By JAMES GOLDSTEIN Daily Sports writer "Be prepared to play Jan. 13," the Michigan State men's volleyball team said after its close defeat to Michigan on Dec. 3. Whether this was said to motivate the Spartans or to remind the Wolver- ines they had another match on Jan. 13,. Michigan has absorbed its state rival's comments without any palpitations. Tonight's rematch against the Spar- tans in East Lansing at 7 p.m is just the first of two conference matches this weekend. Tomorrow at 4 p.m, Michi- gan will face Ohio State, also in East Lansing. On a day where everything is sup- posed to go wrong (remember it is Friday the 13th), the Wolverines (2-0) will have to overcome any bit of rusti- ness from not playing in over a month in order to beat their conference oppo- nents. Michigan comes into these matches, however, with a little more than just a lack of game action. Injuries are also a factor this weekend. The first hit of the young season is a bum shoulder to Ernesto Rodriguez. the top outside hit- ter for the Wolverines. Rodriguez, who is one of the team leaders in kills, hurthis shoulderearlier in the week and is doubtful for both upcoming matches. Michigan will shift players around to replace the sopho- more. Outside hitter Kevin Urban, who regularly plays the swing hitter posi- tion, will rotate to Rodriguez's spot. That's just the beginning of the walking wounded for the Wolverines. Sophomore Brad Yeager is suffering from tendinitis in his knee. The good news for Michigan is that his injury is not serious, and he will test it out prior to game time to see if he can play. If Yeager does not participate this weekend, freshman SureshPotharij will fill the vacancy at the middle position. The Wolverines feel confident, even with the loss of Rodriguez and the possibility of Yeager's absence, but they know that everyone has to con- tribute to remain undefeated. "The pressure is on us to perform," senior captain Stan Lee said. "We proved in the preseason that we are the team to beat. "We thrive under pressure." While Michigan has had subtrac- tions recently, the Spartans have made a key addition. They have improved their lineup with a new outside hitter, who also passes very well. Michigan State, already an explosive team, will be even harder for the Wolverines to beat. With the first match between the two rivals resulting in an intense five- set victory for Michigan, the Wolver- ines realize that things will not get easier. "They have increased their depth a little more, and our depth was reduced a little bit," Urban said. "So it should just make it even a closer match." Though Michigan knows what to expect from Michigan State, it is not too sure how to prepare for Ohio State. As for the Buckeyes, the most signifi- cantfactoris that their bestsettergradu- ated last year. The Wolverines are just waiting to see how Ohio State has coped with its loss. 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