Friday, October 15, 1999 - The Michigan Daily - 13 tate gets second chance at 'M' By Michael Kern Daily Sports Writer hlalfway through the Big Ten season, the Michigan field hockey team finds itself in a very familiar place, tied with Penn State for first place in the conference. 0 With two victories last weekend over Northwestern and prev iously undefeated Iowa, the seventh-ranked Wolverines (4-1 Big Ten, 11-4 overall), who have won eight of their last nine, moved into a three-way tie with the Hawkeves and Nittany Lions for first place with five games left to play. "It's been a goal of the team (to win the Big Ten title)' Michigan coach Marcia Pankratz said. "The last three years we have been first or second in the Big Ten. The season's only halfway over, though. There's still a ton of hockey left." Michigan's strength this season has been its defense, not just in its half of the field but in the other team's as well. A S.pcus on team defense and pressure by the Wolverines has >rced play into the other team's half for the majoity of games, creating chances for the offense. But an inability to finish has left the games closer on the scoreboard than play on the field. "I. think our defense is solid. It is very experienced," Pankratz said. "We're still struggling a little bit on executing our corners and on finishing in the goal-scoring department. But so far we've been getting enough to win the game, and that's what's most important." With a 5-I victory Wednesday at Central Michigan, 1ichigan improved on some of its inconsistency around the t tscorng its first two goals on corners, But now the Wolverines must focus on a rematch with No. 15 Michigan State (1-4, 8-6) this Sunday at Ocker Field. Last time the two teams met, Michigan struggled with its corners, dominating the game but only converting on a corner once in nine tries. "I hope that we've worked out a couple of kinks, and we're getting into a groove" Pankratz said. "I think that our corners Blue goes for sweet victory over Wildcats to stop slide MAR~H MASHALL/i~ad The Michigan field hockey team gets a chance to keep its first-place ranking in the Big Ten this weekend. look really good in practicc and then for some reason they haven't been falling in the game." Against the Spartans, the Wolverines must focus on two defending sophomorc Marlen Tuip and Sanne van Nouhuys. The two have combined for 19 goals and 49 points in 14 games for Michigan State Last week. Tuip was named the Bi Ten offensivc pI-tvc of the week after recording a hat trick coupled with an assist against Northwesern. "We just have to pay attention to %hN th y do well and try to counter that." Pankratz said. "We try to ratch-up well with the players who we think will play well against them, and when you keep the ball away from them, that's important." Although Michigan State has only one win in conference play, the Wolverines know that everv teamn in the Big Ten has the potential to win on a given day and won't he looking past the Spartans to a rematch with lowa next wkeekend. By Dena Krischer Daly Sports Writer The Michigan volleyball team hopes. for more than a Hallmark holiday this Saturday as it searches for its sweetest victory of the season against Northwestern (0-6 Big Ten, 2-14 over- all). The Wolverines (2-5, 10-6) are in search of something new, something dif- ferent, sorething a little more credible than what's given them their dubious 13ig Ten record. Michigan's number one concern this season has been to focus on its side of the net - which worked during the non- conference season as they recorded eight wins and only one loss. Then, as Michigan hit the Big Ten schedule, it has proven once again that what happens during non-conference play is meaningless -the teams in the other conferences are mere puppy dogs in comparison to the "big dogs" in the Big Ten. And if you can't play with the big dogs, you'd better sit in the stands. "Every team that we've seen (in the Big Ten) so far has been the same caliber as the teams that we saw during (non- conference)," Michigan assistant coach Leisa Rosen said."That says a lot for the Big Ten. We were expecting it to be a lit- tle rocky the first way through the first half of the Big Ten because we haven't seen the teams before from a new coach- ing standpoint. The team really hasn't either because they're new players." The Wolverines are doing their best to refrain from a repeat of last season, where they were only able to muster two wins in the Big Ten despite their suc- cessfutl 8-2 non-conference record. And although the Big Ten has consis- tently left Michigan spinning in circles, it's not over vet. "It's not like we're throwing our hands up in the air and saying we're done," Leisa Rosen said. "We just need to get better. The biggest thing is we need to get more consistent." Michigan coach Mark Rosen said there aren't any clear-cut answers as to where the inconsistency came about. "It's intangible," Mark Rosen said. "When you're trying to put something together so it runs well - like a watch or a machine - every piece needs to fit together. There has to be some experi- mentation." Michigan has been relying on experi- mentation since, well ... practically all season long. It just can't seem to find its groove, its niche - its winning lineup. "We're trying to find stability," Mark 1. SIt Rosen said. "We're trying different line- ups so that we can get better continuity, a better personality, a better dynamiec withim the teat We need to find the group of people that fit the best, and it's not always gomng to be the most physical players.'" So the Wokerines took a chance on an unknown kid and low and behold, they' te found something, or someone that fits the mold they've been so des- peratelv trying hi create. The 5-toot- I10 redshirt freshman mid- dle blocker that goes by the name of Katrina Lehman Before the utipredictable loss to Michigan State on Wednesday night, Lehman led the team in attacks with a .365 average. Then, in East Lansing during game two alone, she averaged .833 - better than anybody on either team. "We gave (Katrina) an opportunity to play"' Mark Rosen said. "She fits well, she's adding aggression, and she's rest fearless when she plays. She's worked hard to put herself in the position to piny as well as she is playing." Michigan cannot afford to take Northwestern with a grain of salt. The players and the coaches know that, regardless of the team's record, that any- one in the Big Ten can win on any given night. STAFF PICKS All picks made against the spread, Home teams in CAPS. TJ. Berka PENN STATE (-11.5) vs. Ohio State Ohio State Michigan State (-2) vs. PURDUE Michigan Stat( WISCONSIN (-15) vs. Indiana Indiana Minnesota (-2.5) vs. ILLINOIS Minnesota NORTHWESTERN (-4.5) vs. Iowa . < Northwestern NOTRE DAME (-7.5) vs. Southern Cal Southern Cal RICE (-7.5) vs. San Jose State Rice VIRGINIA TECH (-11.5) vs. Syracuse Virginia Tech Alabama (-3.5) vs. MISSISSIPPI . ; Alabama FLORIDA STATE (-33) vs. Wake Forest Wake Forest Florida (-17) vs. AUBURN Florida Georgia Tech (-17) vs DUKE Georgra Tech TEXAS A&M (-31.5)vs. Kansas Texas A&M ARIZONA (-22) vs. Texas-El Paso Arizona Best Bet Georgia Tech e Rick Freeman Penn State Michigan State Indiana Illinois Northwestern Notre Dame Rice Virginia Tech Mississippi Wake Forest Florida Georgia Tech Texas A&M Arizona Florida 9-4-1 (1-0) Josh Kleinbaum Penn State Michigan State Wisconsin Minnesota Iowa Notre Dame San Jose State Virginia tech Mississippi Florida State Auburn Georgia Tech Kansas Texas-El Paso Michigan sate 6-7-1 (0-1) Andy Latack Ohio State Michigan State Wisconsin Minnesota Northwestern Notre Dame Rice Syracuse Alabama Florida State Florida Georgia Tech Texas A&M Arizona Minnesota 94-1 (-0) Last week 8-5-1 (0-1) Overall (Best Bet) 37-30-3 (1-4) 36-31-3 (2-3) 30-37-3 (1-4) 37-30-3 (1-4) m m m