10 - The Michigan Daily - Friday, October 31, 1997
Special-teams play upsets coach;,
Berenson hopes trip is remedy
By Pranay Reddy
Daily Sports Nriter
The perfect game - it's a coach's dream and an opponent's nightmare.
Yet thus far, such an outing has been nothing more than a figment of the
Michigan hockey team's imagination.
Not that coach Red Berenson can ever hope for a perfect game, but at
this point, his team is far from one.
"We still haven't played a real good game, and that's all we're working
on," Berenson said.
So what has Berenson worked on with his team in practice?
"A little bit of everything."
Ambiguous, yes - but not completely unreasonable.
To hear Berenson tell it, there isn't one facet of Michigan's game that is
perfect. A 4-2 defeat at the hands of intrastate rival Michigan State this past
weekend only reinforced Berenson's point.
The game brought to light the ineffectiveness of Michigan's special
teams, which struggled for most of the game.
The Wolverines' penalty kill provided the Spartans with their two-goal
margin of victory, while Michigan's power play was an unsuccessful 0-for-
8.
"We have to improve our penalty killing," Berenson said. "Both of
Michigan State's power play goals were poor plays on our part, not great
plays on their part."
As much as Berenson may drill his special-team squads in practice, he
still needs to see results on the ice.
While the cliche tends to be "you play like you practice," it isn't always
the case with the delicate art of playing special teams.
"You can learn from games, but you can definitely work on (special
teams) in practice," Berenson said. "But then as you get within the pres-
sure of the games, you have to react and read what's going on."
Regardless, Berenson's headache doesn't end with Michigan's special
teams. The Wolverines have also had some difficulties this sea son playiy
at even-strength, especially at the defensive end of the ice --- vwhere rnct
of Michigan's freshmen line up.
"We gave up a few goals (against Michigan State) that typcai
(Michigan netminder) Marty Turco would stop' Berenson said. 'W
don't have the firepower to get those goals back.
"We can't give up breakaways and two-on-one breaks like we didIast
week."
So with all the work ahead of the Wolverines, a long road trip is the lat
thing they need.
Nevertheless, it's tough luck for Michigan (0-1-0 CCI HA, 3-2-0 overall),
which travels to face Alaska-Fairbanks (0-2-0, 1-3-1) tonight at 1I p.n.
local time, with another game tomorrow night at the same time.
While the Nanooks have been habitual CCHA cellar-dwellars in the
past, they battled Michigan to 5-3 and 6-4 losses a year ago in Fairbanks.
With that in mind, Berenson only expects increased intensity this we
end.
"They're a pretty good team, and I think they'll be better than they were
last year - they should be tough at home," Berenson said. "We had two
close games with them up there last year early in the season and I expect
these games to be the same kind of games."
Looking to make things difficult for Michigan will be Fairbanks' for-
wards Jim Lawrence and Jeff Trembecky. Lawrence, a freshman right
wing, is riding a four-game goal streak, while center Trembecky returns as
last season's leading scorer for the Nanooks.
Besides facing off against Fairbanks, Berenson is anticipating some dif-
ficulties this weekend due to the necessities of travel. Therefore, he t
his team up to Alaska on Wednesday, even though Michigan's first game
is tonight.
JOHN KRAFT/Daily
After their disappointing loss to Michigan State last weekend, Greg Crozier and the Wolverines worked
on "a little bit of everything" in practice, coach Red Berenson said.
High goals, quest for flag drive
'M' volleyball against Spartans
By Tracy Sandier
Daily Sports Writer
The Michigan volleyball team will be
in East Lansing on Sunday, looking to
beat the Michigan State volleyball team
and return to Ann Arbor with the pride
of Michigan.
Sunday's match marks the season's
State Pride II match. The first State
Pride match - in which the Wolverines
(7-3 Big Ten, 14-7 overall) beat the
Spartans (6-4 Big Ten, 16-7 overall), 3-
I - took place earlier this season at
Cliff Keen Arena. This weekend, more
is at stake than a win, though.
Each season the two teams compete
for a State of Michigan flag that says
"Tuebor," meaning "I will defend."
Whichever team wins the season series
takes the flag home for a year. If neither
team wins both matches, then number
of games won determines the winner. If
a tie still exists, then points are tallied.
"It means a lot," Michigan coach
Greg Giovanazzi said. "We're going in
with the primary concern being to win
another match, but we lost the flag back
in '93. It would mean a lot to the team,
especially the seniors, to get it back."
The flag has remained in East
Lansing for the past four years, so the
Wolverines are ready to bring it to Ann
Arbor.
"It's one of our goals," senior setter
Linnea Mendoza said. "It's part of fin-
ishing 16-4 in the Big Ten. We haven't
had it since I've been here, maybe my
first year. It's something special. It's an
incentive and a good symbol:"
Aside from the flag or the title of
State Pride champions, the match pits
third-place Michigan against the
fourth-place Spartans.
Only one game separates the two in
the Big Ten standings, while the
Spartans are No. 25 in the USA
Today/AVCA poll. The Wolverines are
not nationally ranked.
"It's going to be a great match,"
junior middle blocker Linsey Ebert
said. "They're going to be fired up, so
that gives us a little incentive to beat
them in front of their own crowd.
They're going to bring in a lot of fans
and hype up the match."
The Wolverines may have dominated
the first match between the schools, but
they know that this weekend is hardly
going to be a cakewalk.
"They're only one game behind us in
the standings," Giovanazzi said. "We're
going in with the same mental frame-
work as we did in the first match. We're
going to have to play a great match to
beat them, because they're a good
team."
This match marks the first outing of
the second half of the season. As well as
they have done in the first portion of the
season, the Wolverines understand just
how difficult it will be to continue their
success.
"We know the second half is harder
than the first half, because we have to
beat people again," Mendoza said. "We
have confidence in our play, but we are
not overconfident in overlooking any
teams - especially Michigan State."
Michigan has goals for the season,
and does not intend to let up until those
goals are reached.
"We weren't expected to do this well,
but we knew we could do this well,"
Ebert said. "We're going into the sec-
ond half with a good first half behind
us. We want to finish at the top of the
Big Ten, and want to go to the NCAA
tournament, because we've never gone
before."
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Unnea Mendoza said the Wolverines "know the second half (of the season) is harder than the first half. We have confidence
In our play, but we are not overconfident in overlooking any teams - especially Michigan State." The Wolverines will face the
Spartans on Sunday in the season's State Pride II match at Cliff Keen Arena.
Rolex beckons 'M' tennis tonigh
THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
The William W. Cook Lectures on American Institutions
By Mark Francescutti
Daily Sports Writer
While the ghosts and goblins are
haunting the houses of America
tonight, the Michigan men's tennis
team will have its own haunted house
to get through in Champaign, at the
Rolex Region IV Championships.
The individual-based tournament
brings together the best tennis players
in the midwestern region. It also
determines bragging rights and ITA
rankings for the spring season.
The tournament, which begins
tonight, will last throughout the
weekend, concluding Sunday with
the championship rounds.
The Wolverines hope to scare the
competition away, because this will
be Michigan's toughest test yet.
Thirty-two squads will try to halt
Michigan's past success,_includjn
every Big Ten team except Penn
State.
The Wolverines, ranked No. 51 in
the nation, are behind six teams in
the Big Ten, including last year's Big
Ten champion Illinois (17th) and sec-
ond-place Northwestern (24th).
No. 16 Notre Dame, which has
been a power in the region for many
years, will also be prowling the
courts of Champaign.
Revenge will be on the minds of
the Irish. The Wolverines shut out
Notre Dame in four straight matches
last month in North Carolina.
The Irish will try to regroup behind
their top doubles duo of Brian
Patterson and Jakub Pletrowski.
Illinois, the defending Big Ten
champion, also won last year's Rolex
Regionals, held at Michigan State.
The Fighting Illini are led by top-
Thirty-eighth
Series
50 national singles player Ca
Franklin.
Purdue, ranked 50th, will be ready
to monster mash the Wolverines with
the No. 13 doubles duo and top-140
national singles player, junior Jamie
Gordon.
Michigan will try to counter tle
army of excellent players with its
own top seeds - sophomore Mat
Wright,who is seeded 10th in singl
and the senior duo Arvid Swan aici
Brook Blain, seeded seventh in do -
bles.
Swan and Blain are the onty
Wolverine duo that won a doubles
match at Rolex last year.
History is also on the Wolverineg'
side. Last season at this tournament
the Wolverines had a 13-1l singles
record.
Senior Dave Paradsik led t
charge with a 6-3 record.
After competing at the Rolex
regionals, the ride doesn't get any
smoother as Michigan will travel to
the frozen tundra at Minnesota for
the first-ever Ice Volleys on Nov. 7,
WHO OWNS HISTORY
JOSEPH L. SAX
James H. House & Hiram H. Hurd Professor of Law
University of California, Boalt Hall
4:00 P.M.
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