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." I UNITED AUTO AND FLEET REPAIR 2321 Jackson Ave. Ann Arbor 48103 (313) 665-7130 STUDENT SPECIALS *Oil Changes $17.95 *Winterizations $39.95 *General Maintenance Inspection $22.50 *Foreign and Domestics Serviced . Please Call for Appointment FILE PHOTO/D6iIy 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. MCnI~l\AP R1Qq A R 1 QQ7