I 12 - The Michigan Daily - Friday, April 10, 1998 Men's tennis hopes to make Penn State next Big Ten victim By Mark Francescutti Daily Sports Writer When a team is on a hot streak, hasn't lost in its new home and a winless Big Ten visitor comes to town, it's hard not to put another 'W' on the schedule. Michigan (5-0 Big Ten, 10-3 over- all) could easily think "win" when Penn State (0-5, 7-8) comes to Ann Arbor to play the Wolverines Sunday at the Varsity Tennis Center. Yes, the Wolverines are off to their best Big Ten start in three years. Yes, they have clobbered the Nittany Lions 5-2 in each of the past seasons. And yes, the Wolverines are still undefeated at home. So what's not to take lightly? This past weekend, Penn State lost to Illinois, 5-2. Illinois is undefeated in the Big Ten and is one of the top five teams in the country. Nevertheless, the match was extremely close. At No. 2 doubles, the Lions nearly won the doubles point, which would have resulted in a tight 4-3 finish. Most of the Wolverines expect a win, but Michigan assistant coach Dan Goldberg says he is concerned that the team won't respect the Nittany Lions. "They're a good team," Goldberg said. "They played us pretty close last year and we're not taking them lightly." But for the Wolverines, everything seems to be falling into place. Senior Arvid Swan is playing the best tennis of his career. He has won 10 in a row, and at 26-9 is two wins away from surpassing his single sea- son victory record. "His con- fidence was low last year, but he's back n o w , " Goldberg said. "He's been work- ing hard and doing all the right things." Sunday's game Who: Michigan vs. Penn State Where:Varsity Tennis Center When. 1:00 Notables: Michigan is off to its best Big Ten start in three years, and Penn State is offto one of its worst. The Wolverines are undefeated at the Varsity Tennis Center, although its off-campus location doesn't help Michigan garner much student support, better than others, but always at a quality good enough in this part of the country to win," Michigan coach Brian Eisner said. j The Wolverines are also starting & reevaluate themselves. You try to not to "be so concerned with winning this match or that match," Eisner said. "That kind of thinking just really puts a lot of stress on people, so we are looking on individual develop- ment." Eisner has done just that. He has helped senior David Paradzik attack second serves in the recent weep with Paradzik's victory over Trey Eubanks Wednesday serving as a prime example. To make sure the team doesn't burn out in its current Big Ten run, Eisner has been giving the team more time off. This week the team took off yesterday and Monday to rest. "It is critical at this time that yo people feel rested so that when y4 come out to play, you give it your all," Eisner said. As for Penn State, Eisner sums it up mathematically. "By definition, if we play our best tennis, our record is better, we re playing at home - then we should win," he said. At No. 4 singles, Will Farah is also on a rampage. Coming from behind often, he has outlasted the competition and is in the middle of a five-game winning streak. And so far this Big Ten season, the Wolverines have not let up on singles or doubles in any match. "We've been able to sustain match after match of a certain quality, some DANA LINNANE/Daly The Michigan men's tennis team has been beating on many teams during the past few weeks, as it is off to a 5-0 Big Ten start and is undefeated at the Varsity Tennis Center. Coming and going: Eschmeyer returns as Bibby departs EVANSTON - Evan Eschmeyer, Northwestern's top scorer, has been granted a sixth year of basketball eligi- bility by the NCAA, the school announced Tuesday. The 6-foot-11 center did not play his first two seasons because of a recurring injury to his right foot. At the end of the 1997-98 season, Eschmeyer was sec- ond in Big Ten scoring with a 21.7 average and first in rebounding at 10.7 per game. He also set a school single- season scoring mark with 585 points. Eschmeyer, a native of New Knoxville, Ohio, is a two- time first-team all-Big Ten member. He is one of 25 finalists for the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) Player of the Year Award and has scored in double figures in his past 41 games. --The Associated Press contributed to this report. The Eschmeyer File * Height: 6-foot-1 X Hometown: New Knoxville,' Ohio 9 Injuries: Broken nose, knee, pneumonia, ear infection, and his team's 10-17 record this year. * Eligibility: sixth-year senior. Eschmeyer TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) -- All-America sophomore guard Mike Bibby moved toward millionaire status yes- terday, announcing he's leaving Arizona to make himself available for the NBA draft. "It's just been a dream of mine since I was a little boy, and now that that chance is here, I don't want to let it pass me up,"' Bibby said at a campus news conference. Some NBA officials believe the 19-year-old Bibby will be first point guard taken in the draft, and have few doubts he has the skills and talent to be a success in the league. "Mike is very ready to play in the NBA," said Wildcats coach Lute Olson, who was told by Bibby of his decision to turn pro last weekend. Bibby, the son of former NBA guard Henry Bibby, becomes the second Arizona player in the 1990s to leave early for the NBA. Center Brian Williams declared himself eligible for the draft in 1991 after his junior year. Bibby showed his leadership capabilities quickly in college, directing Arizona to the national championship as a freshman. As a sophomore, he was a consensus first-team All- America and took the Wildcats to the NCAA tourna- ment's regional finals before losing to Utah 86-61. Bibby was named the Pacific-10 player of the year this season and averaged 17.2 points and 5.7 assists - up from his freshman averages of 15.5 points and 5.2 assists. Aw eSitln' I p realmusic. g p IT!E!ER!EM phone: 663.5800 1140 south university (above goodtime chardeys), AA ®-mon.-thurs.: 9:00a-10:00P sundays ! fri. & sat.: 9:003-11:00P 11:00,-8:00P 1: &I APPHOTO After failing to win another NCAA championship, Arizona sophomore guard Mike Bibby has opted for the NBA. w psa~n~sLI1 C E i l 1'.'s store i deshry's chid niew SUn5 Aorta ) ENC mwt~ 1&'t.;+v LAS a Y -5 , vi ,,. 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