14A - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, April 10, 1997 Wolverines put Big Ten streak onthe line 4Nita Srivastava Daiy Sports Writer The Michigan women's tennis team hasabig weekend ahead of it with dual meets against Minnesota and Iowa at the Varsity Tennis Center. The matches ,re two of the Wolverines' final three this season. So far Michigan is undefeated in the big Ten, having lost only four match- es overall. As of last week, the Wolverines were ranked 19th in the nation, but they should move up after Their victory over No. 7 William & Mary last week. 'Tis is the first time in Michigan history that the Weekend Wolverines have held such a high ranking .Saturday: in the Big Ten an vs. and the nation- als at the same , ntime. "We are , having a really p. 1 am. great season," Michigan Where:VarMity sophomore Tenisa Center Tumeka Harris said. "So far, everyone has been playing consistently well." The matches this weekend are against teams ranked below Michigan in the Big Ten, so victories are a defi- nite possibility. Minnesota (4-2 Big Ten, 9-3 overall) will try to put a stop to its three-match losing streak Saturday. "We know Minnesota is very capa- ble of playing," Michigan coach Bitsy Ritt said. "Our goal is to just win every match in singles and doubles." The Golden Gophers have been per- forming very well in the singles posi- tions, compiling a 50-16 record for the dual-meet season. The No. I position should be com- petitive between Michigan senior Sarah Cyganiak, No. 44 in the nation, and Minnesota freshman Nora Sauska, No. 48 in the nation. Sauska is undefeated during the dual-meet season and holds a 21-1 record. Cyganiak has a 7-0 record in dual matches this season and has had two wins over players ranked in the top five. "Sarah has had a really good sea- son," Ritt said. "As our senior, she is the leader of the team on the court." Sunday, the Wolverines will take on Iowa (2-4, 7-10). Although Iowa's record is below .500, the Hawkeyes remain a threat for Michigan, accord- ing to Ritt. "In the Big Ten you have to be ready for every match," she said. Inconsistency has plagued the Hawkeyes. They just beat Penn State, 4-3, last weekend shortly after Minnesota lost to the Nittany Lions, 4- 3, earlier in the week. The last thing the Wolverines want to do is get too over confident and lose the match, Harris said. "Any team will be pumped to play us, because we're No. 1 in the Big Ten,"she said. "So we have to be ready because anything can happen.' The Wolverines have been practic- ing and preparing for the upcoming matches by ensuring plenty of rest and making sure that they are healthy. "We took two days off of practice this week," Ritt said. "And when we came back, the players seemed really refreshed and upbeat." Ritt has been focusing this season on enhancing the team's depth and, in her estimation, has been successful. "We can compete at every position," she said. "If one person is having a bad day, others can pick it up." Ritt said the key to Michigan's suc- cess this year is its competitive nation- a -schedule. The Wolverines have had the opportunity to play Notre Dame, Pepperdine and William & Mary, all teams ranked in the top 25 in the nation. "Even a loss against a team in the top 10 allows you to gain experience," Ritt said. "But when we win, we gain confidence and really look forward to playing." Swan puts Michigan over the edge against Spartans. By Andy Latack Daily Sports Writer It was a 3 1/2 hour war, a battle that came down to the last possible moment. As always, Michigan vs. Michigan State did not disap- point. The Michigan men's tennis team won in spectacular fashion last night, 4-3, over arch- rival Michigan State. The victory propelled the Wolverines (4-3 Big Ten, 6-10 overall) above .500 in the confer- ence for just the sec- aturday S ond time this year. Junior co-captain match Arvid Swan deliv- W ered the decisive vic- Who: Micngan vs. tory, pulling out a 6- Penn a 7(5), 6-4, 7-6(4) Where: State come-from-behind College e win over Michigan When: 4 p.m. State's Chris Struck. The Wolverines 1 began the meet in typical fashion, los- ing the doubles point. The Spartans took two of the three matches, all of which were decided by a score of 8-6. Michigan's No. 2 team of freshman Matt Wright and sophomore Jake Raiton recorded Michigan's only win. After easy singles wins by Wright and fellow freshman Brad McFarlane, Michigan sopho- more William Farah lost for just the third time in conference play, 6-4, 7-5, to Ben Hetzler. Then junior co-captain David Paradzik lost a grueling three-set contest to Michigan State's Trey Eubanks, giving the Spartans a 3-2 lead in the match. Raiton managed to tie the score by winning a three-set match of his own, 7-5, 5-7, 6-4, over Michigan State freshman Ivica Primorac. That stalemate set the stage for Swan's hero- ics. After dropping a tiebreaker to lose the first set, Swan battled back in impressive form and forced a third set, winning in a tiebreaker and sealing the win for Michigan. The Wolverines will have little time to cele- brate their victory, though. They continue their conference road swing, traveling to Happy Valley to face Penn State on ~Saturday. The Nittany Lions (2-4, 8-6) do not have his- tory on their side. Since their debut in the Bi Ten two seasons ago, they have beat Michigan only once. The Wolverines hold an 8- 1 series advantage and have taken the past five contests, including last year's 5-2 victory in Ann Arbor. Penn State is improving on last year's eighth- place finish in the conference, however. Before dropping two matches last weekend at Illinois and Purdue, the Lions had won seven straight overall. They have defeated Minnesota, which handed Michigan a 6-1 loss last week, as well as conference doormat lo for their two Big Ten wins. Senior Michael Carter, an All-Big Ten selec- tion last season, leads the Nittany Lions at No. I singles. Coach Jan Bortner, in his seventh year at the helm, has yet to suffer a losing sea- son at Penn State on his way-to compiling an 83-55 overall record. HOME AWAY FROM HOME: While the Wolverines' contest against Michigan State was a nail-biter, it overshadowed Michigan's recent dominance of its cross-state rival, esT cially in the Spartans' own backyard. Michigan has won the last five meetings en route to a commanding 39-5 series advantage and has not dropped a match in East Lansing since 1967. RAITON TIME: Jake Raiton, who struggled through the early part of the season, has won his last three singles matches. Raiton won eas- ily at Iowa and took the Wolverines' lone sin- gles victory at Minnesota. Raiton's win at Michigan State raised his dual-meet record to 7-7. He is 4-2 in Big TM play. DROPPING IN THE POLLS: Michigan fell from No. 40 to No. 57 in the recent national collegiate rankings, released on April 1. The Wolverines are the fourth-highest ranked team in the Big Ten, after No. 15 Illinois, No. 22 Northwestern and No. 26 Indiana. Michigan State and Minnesota are ranked No. 60 and 61, respectively. JOSH BIGGS/Daily The Michigan men's tennis team struggled to overcome the Spartans yesterday. The Wolverines should- n't worry as much when they visit Penn State on Saturday. The Lions are just 2-4 In the Big Ten. Mi*chigaan's Cervenak productive in leadoff spot By Kevin Kasiborski Daily Sports Writer The month of April brought a change at the top of the Michigan baseball team's batting order, and thus far, the offense hasn't missed a beat. Last weekend, Michigan sophomore third baseman Mike Cervenak, who had been hitting in the sixth spot for most of the spring, became the Wolverines new leadoff man. And he responded immediately. In his debut last Friday, Cervenak went 3-for-4 with two RBI in a 7-5 loss to Minnesota. Saturday, he had two hits in five trips to the plate with an RBI in a 10-5 Michigan win over the Golden Gophers. Yesterday, Cervenak went 2-for-5 again, as Michigan defeated Wright State, 11-3. "I like hitting leadoff a lot," Cervenak said. "You always have the third baseman pulled in, because he thinks you might drop one by, and that opens up some holes." Cervenak is not a stranger to his new role. He batted leadoff in a few games last season, as well as his entire senior season in high school. Michigan coach Geoff Zahn says he made the switch last weekend for matchup reasons - Cervenak had two home runs in a game last year against Minnesota pitcher Mike Diebolt - and because he gives the Wolverines more power at the top of the lineup. Cervenak "gives us a little different look than if we lead Bobby Scales off," Zahn said. "Bobby can bunt a little better than him and move the ball a little better. Cerve's liable to hit the ball out or he's going to hit a double, where- as Bobby can run a little bit better. "So they give us a different looks, and they give the defense different problems. We'll switch them around according to what we see on the other team." Although Cervenak was moved up to bring a little more pop to the top of the Wolverines' order, he says that he needed to adjust his mind- set at the plate. "I think you have to make a little bit of adjustment from hitting down in lineup to lead- off," Cervenak said. "I don't think you can be MARK FRIEDMAN/Daily Wright State second baseman Matt Brunner couldn't come up with this line drive, but it probably wouldn't have mattered - Michigan beat the Raiders, 11-3. as aggressive. If that first pitch is there, you can swing at it, but it has to be right in your spot. "As the leadoff hitter you want your team to see what pitches the pitcher has." Cervenak's .361 batting average ranks fifth among the Wolverines. He has four doubles and two home runs this season and has started all 22 games during which he was healthy. He missed eight games earlier this spring after breaking his nose against Maine on March 4. The injury was ironic, because Cervenak could be considered a hard-nosed player, espe- cially the way he handles the hot corner for the Wolverines. In the top of the sixth inning of yesterday's game, Cervenak made two fine defensive plays in row. First he made a nice stop on a ground ball off the bat of Wright State's Chris Wallace. The next batter, Jason Cohill, sent a shot toward the hole, but Cervenak dove to his right to grab it and then got up and made a perfect throw to first, robbing Cohill of a base hit. After the game, Cervenak was all smiles when asked about his soiled uniform and Michigan's win. "I enjoy getting dirty and diving for balls," he said. "That's the fun part of the game, I think. "We needed a weekday win. I think this'was big. We came out a little more relaxed. We weren't as tense as we have been in the past." As the leadoff hitter, Cervenak is instrumen- tal to setting the tone for the Wolverines at the start of each game. But no matter where he h@ in the order this weekend, he expects a good performance out of the Wolverines against Northwestern. "We look for sweeps every weekend," Cervenak said. "I know we can play with any- one in the Big Ten." I -r SUMMER CAMP JOBS Co-ed childrens overnightcamp in Ontario's renowned ALGONQUIN PARK. Known for spirit, tradition, canoe tripping and all-round program of outdoor rec., sports & arts. JOBS STILL AVAILABLE: CANOE TRIPPERS, MALE COUNSELORS, & SPECIALISTS IN: Kayaking, Trail Biking, Pottery, Arts & Crafts, Outdoor Ed. FOR A BRIEF ORIENTATION AND INTERVIEW... COME MEET CAMP DIRECTOR JEFF WILSON DATE: Thursday, April 10,1997 TIME: 12:00 noon PLACE: Michigan League, Conference Rm 4 Orcontact: Camp Tamakwa, 6 Crescent Ind., Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4W ITtI 416-924-7433 RAIDERS Continued from Page 13A Third baseman Mike Cervenak hit _...-! leadoff, as opposed to his usual sixth spot. Left fielder Rob Bobeda has moved down one spot to third, while the regular No. 3 hitter, shortstop Brian I Kalczynski, is hitting sixth. "Last week, Minnesota's first pitcher was (Mike) Diebolt, and Cervenak had ,alAde 9 two home runs off him," Zahn said. Sg D O~~tCt' d "We wanted a guy at the top of the order that had given him trouble, and he gave him trouble again. He hit well off of him. Then (Justin) Pederson pitched, and he hit well off of him, so we want- ed him up at the top, because he's an 'aggressive hitter." The change helped Kalczynski work his way out of a minor slump: He smacked a homer and drove in the game-winning run. He also stole his sixth base of the season. He's been great for us all year," 491 fi o tg fl ail Zah said. "He's played well at short- stop. He'll play anywhere we ask him, batting order, but an addition to lias and he's been swinging the bat. I told well. him that I thought last week he was a Dan Sanborn took over the design- little bit tired, and he's had those days ed-hitting role from Bobby Scales, wW off with Sunday pinch-hit for sec- off and then ond baseman Monday and We wanted a Kirk Beerman in Tuesday. He the eighth and came back to duy at the top of stayed in to play swing the bat second in the pretty well the order that had ninth. today." "I wouldn'Lsay Tgiven (Diebolt) that he's replaced Wolverines' bats Bobby," Zahn did not end with troubles said. "I think their shortstop. that's just o First baseman - Geoff Z ahn more weapon that Bryan Besco hit Michigan baseball coach, we have. He's his team-leading on why he moved Mike been swinging 10th home run. Cervenak to the leadoff spot the bat pretty His twin broth- well, and Bobby's er, right fielder still swinging Derek Besco, had his 10th RBI of the well. So that's just one more guy that we season, while hitting a double and a could put in there, and we'll see what triple. happens. We want to try to keep as Not only were there changes in the many guys as sharp as we can."