IGA - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, October 2, 1997 Veteran a ien' s tennis begins , nd 40-year drought quest to e By Mark Francescutti For the Daily The Michigan men's tennis team has a new luxurious facility, a veter- an team and a full summer of prac- tice behind it. Now all that is left for the Wolverines is to go out and dom- inate. In their 101st season, the Wolverines will get their first chance when they compete at the North Carolina Tar Heel Invitational this weekend in Chapel Hill. Michigan, in its third visit to the tournament in as many years, will be facing some of the toughest competition in the nation. The Wolverines will face teams that are expected to be in the top 20 - including Notre Dame, Duke, North Carolina and up-and-coming teams William & Mary and Virginia Commonwealth. Even though the tournament has no bearing on the Wolverines' record for the 1997-98 season, it is vital, not only as preparation for the season, but as an indication of how success- ful the team will be. Michigan coach Brian Eisner is excited about his team's first tourna- ment. "I am eager to see how well we will do," Eisner said. "Things are dramatically different than last year. I am also excited about the quality of teams at the tournament. give us a good idea (abou ing season)." Eisner has many good be excited. Not only does his team 1 veteran lineup, with fours two juniors, but it is co after a summer of grea something the Wolverin have last fall due to inj nine members are returni ing senior Brook Blain,N back after missing the sec last season due to a backi The first preseason ran finally released Sept. Michigan at No. 51. This leaves the Wolver six teams in the Big Ten, in year's Big Ten champion Ill and second-place Northwes Eisner, however, is not about the low ranking. "The (preseason) ranki meaning," he said. "We cerned about playing righ Last season's Wolverin 54th in the polls, with record of 9-14. This seaso is their best chance to NCAA by storm. "We have the potential t 15 or top-20 team," Eisne The Wolverines are als their fall preparation a MARGARET MYERS/Daily Junior William Farah and the rest of the Michigan men's tennis team face a difficult challenge this weekend in North Carolina. ,The Wolverines will face some of the top teams in the nation at the Tar Heel Invitational. It should Tisch Tennis Center. it the com- Completed in early 1997, . tlie state-of-the-art facility located on reasons to State Street, north of the Michigan Golf Course, has eight new courts, have an all- modern equipment and plush spec seniors and tor seats, ming back The outdoor courts and spectator t practice, facilities should be completed.by es did not next summer. uries. All With a top-notch structure in ng, includ- which to play, the Wolverines will be who comes able to gain an extra step on their ond half of competition this season, but the injury, effects on the seasons beyond will be kings were much greater. 18, with The most important impact it* have on the tennis program ines behind recruiting. Eisner believes that. the cluding last structure should help draw a fine inois (17th) recruiting class to replace the four tern (24th). departing seniors next year. concerned "Recruiting will be heavy this year because we have four seniors," ing has no Eisner said. "It can only help us.", are con- Eisner, who is ninth among active t now." coaches in all-time wins with 496, es finished will be looking to achieve career. an overall tory No. 500 in the coming match n, however, He should be able to capture it take the when Michigan's season begin,.;t home against Virginia on Feb t. to be a top- The Wolverines will then try"to r added. bring back what came to Michigan o enjoying 40 long years ago - a natiUI t the new championship. ire for Eck weekend. Although the Wolverines are ranked 19th iie nation - tops in the Big Ten --Zawacki sai#Ie girls are not overconfident. "Every team works hard over the sumr:' Zawacki said. "Preseason rankings don't ri ab much." The Wolverines will have their complete lir_ in South Bend. Head coach Bitsy Ritt planne6 taking sophomores Brooke Hart and Danne Lund to Orlando, Fla. for the ITA Classic,-;Z they pulled out to join the rest of the team at Dame. Hart and Lund will join freshman Alt$% Sinclair, fellow sophomores Jennifer Boy if, Tenley Hardin and Erryn Weggenman, and upjgi classmen Tumeka Harris and Sora Moon in S412lh Bend. Although many teams experience a "sophoniofe slump" after a record-setting season,'* Wolverines seem prepared to avoid one. With the unfaltering determination Zawacki described, the Wolverines seem poised to repeae as Big Ten champions and make a run in the NCAA tournament. MONTANA Continued from Page 9A healthy Arizona team could mean trouble come November. As for Weber State, the Wolverines know little about the school from Utah, but the coaches' poll has them positioned in the eighth spot. With all of this talent, do the Wolverines still expect to win? They said it's not out of the ques- tion. "First place-is not out of our range if we run well," McLaughlin said. "The polls don't give us that great of a reading on the other schools. "We don't really know how good they are until we match up against them." Sophomore Jay Cantin believes that the Wolverines have a chance because of their top two runners. "We have probably the best one- two punch with Sullivan and Mortimer," Cantin said. The tandem of Sullivan and Mortimer finished first and second, respectively, last week, but it is the supporting cast that helps improve the team's final score. "Ouir No. 3 and 4 guys are like the one and two guys at a lot of other schools," senior Cory Brown said. Because the scoring system at a cross-country invitational counts the top five runners, it is advantageous to have a deep team. Each runner receives a point corresponding to the place he finishes. Then the points are added together and the lowest total wins. Another factor in the Wolverines' success this weekend is the course. The Montana course has not been run by very many of the current Wolverines. "I think the only one of us who has run at Montana is Sullivan," McLaughlin said. "We really don't know much about the course. We do know that there is a very big hill along with some obstacles, logs, near the end of the course." This weekend may help the Wolverines earn some respect, but the success of Michigan's season lies in the team's performance in the Big Ten and NCAA championships at the year's end. 'M' tennis, Zawacki prepa By Ryan DePietro For the Daily Last year the Michigan women's tennis team completed its most illustrious season in history. The Wolverines worked their way to a record of 21-5, including a 12-match unbeaten streak, a per- fect 10-0 in the Big Ten and a 7-0 record at Michigan's new Tisch Tennis Center. They also brought home their first Big Ten championship to go along with the NCAA Southeast Regional title and an NCAA tournament appearance. After the dust settled on the 1996-97 campaign, the Wolverines were ranked 16th in the nation. Will this year's team be able to generate the same spirit? New assistant coach Terry Ann Zawacki feels confident it can. Zawacki, a 1996 Wake Forest Graduate, was hired just more than a month ago. She has been impressed with the team's attitude so far. "The girls are pumped," Zawacki said. "They're working hard and are really serious about repeat- ing as Big Ten champions." In fact, Zawacki even went as far as to admit that she has never encountered such a strong work ethic anywhere else. "I go to the weight room at 7 in the morning, and to my surprise, there are players there," Zawacki said. She thinks such a strong work ethic will lead to good things for the Wolverines this season. Their first test comes this Friday when the Wolverines travel to Notre Dame for this weekend's Eck Classic. "This tournament will be a good measuring stick for the spring," Zawacki said. Because it is still the preseason, many teams are juggling their schedules and have not con- firmed their invitation to the Eck. At last check, Michigan was unsure of which teams would be competing. "No warm-weather teams will be attending," Zawacki said. "Only cold-climate teams like Michigan, and other members of the Big Ten." Michigan's attitude has also been positive this week. "The girls are excited about the tournament," Zawacki said, who added that the level of focus in practice has been stellar in preparation for this SUNDAY SPECIAL Wolverines Score- You Save! 5%o off for every touchdown u off on all University of Michigan items Soccer faces toughest conference battles BOOK & SUPPLY 317 S. ST ATE 6 65-4990 Home Game Hours: M-F 9-6 Sat 9-7 Sun 11-5 By Jacob R. Wheeler Daily Sports Uriter The Michigan women's soccer team has been grabbing constant headlines the past three weeks. The Wolverines are rid- ing a seven-match winning streak, pro- pelling Michigan to its best start in pro- gram history. But all that will mean very little if the Wolverines don't win at least one of two Big Ten matchups this weekend. Michigan (4-0 Big Ten, 9-1 overall) trav- els to Minnesota on Friday and Penn State on Sunday for a couple of key matches. The Wolverines, Golden Gophers and Nittany Lions are all unde- feated and share first place in the confer- ence. Travel forward through time to the first week of November and one might find a similar scene. Minnesota will host the Big Ten tournament the weekend of Nov. 9, and the Wolverines, Lions and the Gophers will probably be the favorites again. After finishing at or below the .500 mark in their first three seasons, the Wolverines are no longer worried about staying afloat. Now is Michigan's time to cruise to a Big Ten championship. That makes this weekend the biggest of the season for the Wolverines. "They're two very big games this weekend and we have to win them both," Michigan forward Amber Berendowsky said. "I think the pressure is on" every team. No. I1 Michigan enters this weekend favored to beat both No. 19 Minnesota and No. 23 Penn State, according to the polls. Northwestern coach Marcia McDermott - who watched her team join the ranks of Michigan's victims last Sunday - believes the Wolverines are definitely the Big Ten's most talented team. "They're big and they're fast," McDermott said after Michigan's 5-3 victory over the Wildcats. The Wolverines "had great talent last year, they were just very young. But now their talent has grown up." Still, Michigan owns a measly 1-7 all- time record against the two conference powers. The Wolverines have plenty of momentum on their side with the seven consecutive victories, but five of those wins occurred in the comfort of home. Michigan won't have that factor on its side when it battles for the driver's seat in the conference race. If a team's momentum is the biggest factor, then no one has a clear advantage in the Big Ten race. Minnesota carries a seven-match win- ning streak into the weekend, and the Gophers have been blowing out their conference opponents left and right. Minnesota most recently disposed of Iowa, 6-0, last Sunday. Michigan has never beaten the Gophers in four meet- ings. Corner of State and N. University I JOHN KRAFT/Daily Senior Ruth Poulin leads a young Michigan soccer team against Penn State and Minnesota - teams the Wolverines haven't had much success against in the past: ,dI You are invited to join withifeffow actuaria students and facutymembers for a speciaL presentation about post-gradiuition job opportutnities and summer internships at TRUSTMARK INSURANCE COMPANY Trustmark is a Leading mutual life and health insurer (ocated in a beautifu suburban setting 30 mites north of Chicago. Actuarial Careers at rstmark Presentation Monday, October 6, 1997 A .itfommi CnM 4tf uAff Ininn Coming off an exceptional Big Ten season last year, the Nittany Lions haven't lost their roar. Barring a surpris- ing upset against Michigan State this Friday, Penn State will have amassed a 9- 2 record and six consecutive victories by the time the Wolverines roll into town Sunday. If Michigan has a clear advantage this weekend, it is Berendowsky. The team's leading scorer is undoubtedly the hottest player in the conference. Berendowsky won Big Ten Player of the week honors after scoring three goals and assisting oil two others against Wisconsin and Northwestern. Michigan climbed the next rung week later, beating defending confere champion Wisconsin. But the big. rung of all is this weekend. With two wins, the Wolverines will no longer be looked at as a promising young program, on the rise. By the end of the weekend Michigan might already be on top. . ._ . 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