SOCCER t tinued from Page 11A Bi 'Ien record, took the field by storm, upsetting Penn State and top-seeded Wisconsin en route to the championship. T his year, the Wolverines are taking steps to make sure they are prepared, because they know they will be a marked team. Tiheir first-round opponent is seventh-seeded Ohio State, which the Wolverines beat, 4-1, early in the season. The Buckeyes come into the tournament with some momen- um. recently defeating third-seeded Penn State and taking innesota to two overtimes before losing, 2-1. Michigan actually owes its arch-rivals a favor, since the keyes' victory over Penn State allowed Michigan to sneak io second place in the Big Ten - a spot they never relin- squished. But for now, the Wolverines don't plan on returning the hos- fpitality. "We're going to look at the film (of the Ohio State game) and eto xploit what we did well," Belkin said. ith the success the Wolverines have had this season, Belkin doesn't plan on making any major changes in pre-tournament 'strategy. "Wc're going to prepare the same way we have all season," said. "We think we know what to expect from Ohio State, S e won't practice much differently." One thing Michigan can expect from Ohio State (3-5, 9-8-1) zis the presence of leading scorer Tiffany Tisdale. Totaling 21 ints on the season, Tisdale blasted the game-winning goal !gainst Penn State, and shoulders much of the scoring load for F1ELD HOCKEY Wg ha 'V ^ginst Ohio Si Continued from Page 11A ble. Michigan spl kratz said. "She is a smart, clutch with the Buckeye orimer and puts the team on her going into overtim shoulders." tory at home on Oc Because it is a co-conference cham- troversial goal by t ,pion, Michigan gained a bye in the first no doubt the Buck round of the tournament. The for revenge shop Wolverines' first game will be Wolverines. ,Saturday, against the winner of the Ohio But Pankratz do State-Northwestern match. "We don't know The Wolverines beat Northwestern be playing yet" sh twice this season, blanking the chance to watch be Wildcats, 2-0, in their second meeting. and hopefully that Netters get nei By Ryan DePietro For the Daily It's always hard when things don't go your way. last season was one of great success for the Michigan w>men's tennis team. The Wolverines' season included a match unbeaten streak, a perfect 10-0 in the Big Ten, a 7-0 record at Michigan's new Varsity Tennis center and a 21-5 overall record. The Wolverines also earned the title of Big Ten cham- piois for the first time, and went on to make an NCAA tournament appearance. At season's end, the Wolverines were ranked 16th in the nation. This year's team hoped to pick up right where last year's left off. Unfortunately, things haven't gone according to the plan so far. #1 ediocre performances at both the Eck Classic and the Women's All-American Tennis championship can be ;attributed to untimely injuries and rusty play. The team tries to rebound today in the ITA Midwest Regional Championships in Madison. > This tournament presents an opportunity not only to bpost team morale but to garner individual achievements as well. The Wolverines are excited about the upcoming tounament, because they know that success this week- end bodes well for the future. .,The girls see this tournament as a great opportunity," *stant coach Terry Ann Zawacki said. "The two final- Michig men's break before Ic By I~ark Francescutti three rounds of r Dly Sports Writer any other team. Wuesday was a day of celebration, '"1 couxldn't be t1 elaxation and question marks for the said. Michigan men's tennis team. "A few matches Michigan coach Brian Eisner gave but it is somethit 'the, Wolverines sonic much-needed these tournament rest. Michigan will make the long were the best tean trip to Minnesota for the Ice Volleys The only team The Michigan Daily - Thursday, November 6, 1997 - 13A the Buckeyes' otherwise unimpressive offense. Goaltender Amber Barnes, who registered 13 saves in the teams' first meeting, is allowing 1.92 goals per game and has three shutouts on the year. A first-round victory over Ohio State presents enticing pos- sibilities for the Wolverines. Assuming No. 3 Penn State defeats No. 6 Wisconsin, Michigan will meet the Nittany Lions for the first time following Oct. 5s double-overtime, scoreless tie. Again, Belkin does not plan to change her game plan to adjust to the Lions. "It was a very strange game" Belkin said, referring to the first meeting. "We didn't generate any offense in that game, but that will change. We're still going to play the same formation." Penn State is led by senior Rachel Hoffman, who is third in the conference in scoring. Surrounding Hoffman in the Big Ten standings are Michigan forwards Amber Berendowsky, Kacy Beitel and Ruth Poulin, at first, second and fourth, respectively. While a solid performance in the conference tournament would be a morale booster for the Wolverines, it will also great- ly influence their postseason future. Aside from the automatic NCAA berth given to the champion, there are also at-large bids given to a select number of teams. According to Belkin, if one of the top three seeds wins the tournament, it is likely that bids will be extended to all three. In the event of an upset, however, one of the top teams may find itself home early for the Thanksgiving holiday. Belkin sees one way around this dilemma. "I really don't know who's going to get the bids," she said. "That's why we want to win theconference tournament and get in for sure." tate, however, the ad a little more trou- it the season series s, with both games e. The Michigan vic- ct. 26 came on a con- Gannon, and there is eyes will be looking uld they face the wnplayed the rivalry. who we're going to c said. "We will get a oth teams on Friday, will help us." A win on Saturday would place the Wolverines in the finals against Iowa, Michigan State or Penn State - all teams that Michigan has beaten previ- ously this season. The Big Ten individual awards, for which Michigan has many candidates, will also be announced this weekend. Flachs has a good chance of wining Player of the Year, as does Pankratz for Coach of the Year. Cabrera is up for the conference's top defensive player hon- ors, and Gannon is vying for Freshman of the Year. The winners of the awards will be announced Thursday night. Volleyball digs in for statement By Josh Kleinbaum Iaily Sports Wrter The race is getting tighter. As the Michigan volleyball team enters the stretch run of the season, with home matches against Illinois on Friday and No. 5 Wisconsin on Saturday, the Wolverines (8-4 Big Ten, 15-8 overall) find themselves in a precarious position - on the cusp of the NCAA tournament. Michigan is in a three-way tie for third place - and only one game ahead of sixth-place Minnesota -in a conference expected to send five teams to the Big Dance. The Badgers and No. 2 Penn State have all but locked up spots in the tournament, courtesy of their first-place tie in the conference and top-five rank- ings in the country. No. 24 Michigan State should also go, with a little help from the exposure the Spartans' national ranking gives them. That leaves two spots for three schools - Michigan, Ohio State and Minnesota. And Michigan's overall record of 15-8 - the worst of the six teams battling for a tournament berth - could leave Michigan out when the selection com- mittee makes decisions on Nov. 30. Unless, of course, the Wolverines make a statement. And thanks to the Big Ten schedule-makers, they have an opportunity to do just that this weekend. In come the fifth-ranked Badgers (11- 1, 22-2), walking with a little more swag- ger in their steps just one week after upsetting then-No. I and undefeated Penn. State. A victory over Wisconsin could be enough to put the Wolverines into the tournament. It would keep them from falling anoth- er spot in the standings and Michigan would likely gain a game on the compe- tition - both Minnesota and Ohio State have one match left against Wisconsin and will be major underdogs. Beating the Badgers would also pro- vide a huge upset, raising some eyebrows on the NCAA tournament selection com- mittee. The only major upset by the Wolverines this season was over then- No. 15 Michigan State on Oct. 3. "I think upsetting Wisconsin would definitely open some eyes on the setec- tion committee," Michigan coach Greg Giovanazzi said. LOUIS BROWN/Daily Michigan outside hitter Jeanine Szczesniak and the rest of the volleyball team will have to buckle down if they want to get a bid to nationals. ists in both singles and doubles get to go to the national championships held in Dallas in February." Despite the preseason shortcomings, Michigan is still optimistic. "The girls haven't been down," Zawacki said. "Preseason jitters are gone, and the girls are playing well now." Players on the team reinforced Zawacki's sentiments. "Everyone is pumped," freshman Alison Sinclair said. "We've been working really hard the past week." Sinclair supported the idea that this tournament is more important than the previous two. "It's a regional tournament, so it's really big," Sinclair said. Last week only a portion of the team made the trip to Pacific Palisades. But for the ITA championships, the whole team will travel together. Originally, the team was also scheduled to travel to the Midwest championships this weekend, but decided they would all travel together to the ITA instead. All players will get a chance to see both singles and doubles action, except for sophomore Jennifer Boylan, who will play only doubles, and Sinclair, who will play only singles. Zawacki stressed that slow starts in the preseason are common and can be attributed to the summer layoff. She said that now Michigan is ready to go, and this weekend at the ITA will mark a new beginning. tennis takes e Volley tourney But the Wolverines will have their hands full with a smothering Wisconsin defense. Wisconsin has held opposing teams to an incredibly low .120 attack percentage., "They're a very balanced team defen- sively" Giovanazzi said. "And they've' turned into a very good side-out team. It's a concern whether or not we can score points against them." Michigan will have the home court advantage, a significant one in this series. The home team has won the last ten matches, and the Badgers haven't won at Cliff Keen Arena since 1991. While the Wolverines will be hoping for a Badger letdown, they also need to avoid looking past Illinois (4-8, 13-9). An upset over the Badgers would like- ly help Michigan get into the NCAA tournament, but losing toa lower-tier Big Ten team like the Illini could ruin those NCAA hopes. But Giovanazzi is not concerned about overlooking the Illini. In fact, all week, he has only been preparing for Illinois. "All year we only prepared for the Friday-night match," Giovanazzi said. "We have to beat Illinois to stay with the rest of the pack. I think,-that's the more important game." Michigan swept Illinois in their only prior meeting, 15-12, 15-13, 15-13, on Oct. 11, but that doesn't comfort Giovanazzi. "We beat Illinois 3-0," Giovanazzi said. "But, boy, they were all close games. " The Illini are led by setter Melissa Beitz, whose 13.96 sets per game are good enough for eighth in the nation. Mary Coleman and Tracey Marshall are the Illini's main attackers, combining for more than seven kills per game. C- di QUALITY DRY CLEANING & SHIRT SERVICE 332 Maynard (Across from Nickels Arcade) 668-6335 Schedule ennis at ITA Midwest Madison, all day EAT-IN i~i~wEW YORK P ZETAKE-OUT CATERING 605 E. William St. " Ann Arbor 669-6973 669-NYPD Free Delivery I (min. $7.00), play - more than nore happy," Eisner got away from us, ng that happens in ts. I felt that we m." that could pose a toornament this weekend. The first-ever Ice Volleys will pit Michigan against four teams ranked the top 50 -- Arizona State, innesota and Washington. The tournament will also feature a spe- cial round against the Bulgaria Davis Cup team. Why did the Wolverines indulge in alittle bit of relaxation? Michigan 'needed a break in the rigors of prac- tice after an impressive showing at the Rolex Regional championships Ltsi weekend. The tournament affected individ- rankings and will help determine the midwest representatives at the National Indoor championships next February. ' The regionals are "bigger than the Big Ten championships," Eisner said. A committee from the Intercollegiate Tennis Association will rank the players and choose the ,team based on the results of the ionals and preseason rankings. e associations' final decision should be in by the end of next ,week. Statistically speaking, the Wolverines were the most successful team at Rolex. They were the only team to go undefeated through Saturday, at 10-0. The Wolverines threat to Michigan's hopes of a bid at national championships is Illinois. The highest ranked team in the midwest, the Fighting Illini also won the Big Tens and last season's Rolex Regionals. They were second behind Michigan at the regionals last week- end. The ITA committee must now decide which is niore important - the regional results or preseason rankings. Eisner, however, isn't going to fret about something he can't control. "I feel that our results are better than any other team, but the most important thing is what we have proved to ourselves," Eisner said. "I was going into this tournament to see where we are among the teams in our region." "A few matches ,got away from us, but .. 1 felt that we were the best team."H - Brian Eisner Michigan men's tennis coach, on the Wolverines' performance at the Rolex Regionals The , Rolex may have given Michigan an initial feel for where it stands, but this weekend's Ice Volleys in Wisconsin will be the last test the Wolverines will face for a while. After the Ice Volleys, the Wolverines will take a one-and-a- half-month break before beginning the dual meet season in January. "This tournament doesn't have as many matches, but the quality is still high," Eisner said. "It's a good last tournament before the break." Tomorrow Volleyba vs. Illinois, Cliff Keen Arena, 7 p.m. id Hockey at Big Ten champi- onships, Iowa City, (see p. 11) Men's Golf at Stanford Invitational, ,Palo Alto, Calif., all day Hockey at Northern Michigan, Marquette, 7 p.m. Soccer at Big Ten championships, Minneapolis, (see p. 11) Women's Swimming at Minnesota Invitational, Minneapolis, TBA Men's Swimming at Texas, Austin, 8 p.m. Men's Tennis at Ice Volleys, Minneapolis, all day X-LARGE LARGE 141NCH I 18 INCH PIZZAPZ 1 + +224 ozwithitoppng 1 (exndudes chkkn sa , , & i(cheese) i cldk Ndwn, fems$1 & each*e) b o i ay otherofrbe comb " w yiother offer I L *" '*":it nyoir fer --*" - - - DISCOVER presents 100 REASONS YOU SHOULD BE LISTEN ING TO0 CLASSICAL. 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