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school basketball team to second place
in the state tournament. Then he was
ted for two alcohol-related offenses,
including drunken driving, and was told
is high school sports career was over.
Now he's filed a lawsuit in federal
ourt, claiming to be a recovering alco-
olie and arguing that his suburban high
chool's disciplinary action amounts to
iscrjmination under the Americans with
isahilities Act.
"I think I deserve a second chance,
h 17-year-old high school senior said
sdav. "Most people who are alco-
holics think no one will help them, and
I'm getting that feeling."
Legal experts say Higgins is testing a
murky area of the law, which courts con-
tinue, to decipher almost a decade after it
was passed. Bennett Rodick, the attor-
ney for Warren Township High School,
said the lawsuit is "clearly an attempt to
broaden the ADA."
"The ADA cannot be used as a shield
E nst the consequences of illegal con-
t," he said. "I think the school has a
righwo expect of its athletes or anyone
involved in extracurricular activities that
they don't engage in illegal conduct."
Higgins, a 5-foot-I1 guard, missed
much of last season with a back injury
but returned to compile the team's sec-
ond-highest scoring average. With his
help, the school, located about 30 miles
north of Chicago, had its best finish ever
irtostate basketball tournament last
Higgins was cited in April when he
was the passenger in a car that contained
open alcohol, and was convicted of dri-
ving under the influence of alcohol after
he ran into a tree in May.
School officials ruled in June that
Friday, September 10, 1999 - The Michigan Daily - 15
Volleyball's confidence high
heading into All-Sport tourney
Newest member of top 25 play host this weekend at Cliff Keen
By Jon Zemke
Daily Sports Writer
Confidence is the first step to suc-
cess. At least that's what Michigan vol-
leyball coach Mark Rosen is hoping.
home-court advantag is up in the air. Of
the three teams visiting Cliff Keen
Arena two of them are top-20 teams
(No. II Pepperdine and No. 16
Arkansas) and the other (Syracuse) is a
young developing team similar to the
Rosen believes his
Wolverines can become
Big Ten this year as
long as they have con-
fidence in their long-
term success.
"As long as they
don't get down on
themselves early on,
they can do well,"
Rosen said.
Michigan's confi-
dence is doing well
after its initial tourna-
ment. After upsetting
No. 7 Brigham Young
in three games, the
Wolverines beat
Toledo and host
Georgia to win the
Outback Steakhouse
Invitational.
Michigan has yet to
lose a game and the
impressive showing
has lifted the
Wolverines into the
25th-ranked
a factor in the
THIS
WEEKEND
What:
The All-Sport Challenge.
Where:
Cliff Keen Arena
'M° matchups:
today:
vs. Syracuse, 2 pm
vs. Pepperdine, 7:30 p.m.
tomorrow:
vs Arkansas, 8 p.m.
The Latest: No. 25
Michigan will try for its
second straight tourna-
ment title, after last week-
ends Outback Invitational
championship.
Wolverines.
"Both of them
(Pepperdine and
Arkansas) are fairly
young teams,' Rosen
said. "They have a few
senior players with
some underclassmen
making an impact."
One of those players
is Pepperdine freshman
Stacy Rouwenhorst.
She led her team in
kills in Pepperdine's
last match with 33 and
a .466 kill percentage.
She also had a 24 digs
to help boost the team's
record to 2-0.
Rouwenhorst is one of
a trio of highly sought-
after recruits in
Pepperdine's freshman
class.
But Rosen's primary
his upcoming opponents
solid corps of young players to depend
on. That includes sophomore Shannon
Melka, who has established herself as
the Wolverines' setter, a position that
had been up for grabs until late.
The Wolverines' attacking is another
area in need of work. With the gradua-
tion of all-time Michigan kill leader
Karen Chase and her heir apparent,
junior Sarah Behnke, recovering from
illness, Michigan will turn to sopho-
more Nicole Kacor as its primary
attacker
Kacor saw limited action her fresh-
man season, but had notched career-
highs in kills last weekend with 15 andI
18.
But the Wolverines have a more'
important area to improve in before
they can compete with the top-25 teams
on a consistent basis -- focus.
"We need to approach every match
with a more focused mentality," Rosen
said.
Michigan's lack of focus has plagued
the program since early last season. The
Wolverines consistently failed to start
matches strongly last season, and it
seems to have carried over a little into "
this season, Rosen said.
Resilience will be Michigan's great-
est asset this early in the season. The
Wolverines have already battled back
from a 7-1 deficit against the seventh-
ranked Cougars to win the third and
final game.
Despite his team's recent success,
Rosen still has reasonable expectations
for team heading into his first home
weekend.
"We'd like to go 3-0, and 2-1 would
be good, but we wouldn't want to go
any lower than that," Rosen said.
top 25 for the first time in the program's
history.
But the Wolverines are far from out
of the woods yet. Their schedule only
gets tougher. With the Big Ten sched-
ule, where the nation's best volleyball is
played, looming on the horizon, the
opponents in this year's All-Sport
Challenge will provide a good warm-
up.
Host Michigan can count on home-
court advantage, but exacty how much
concern isn't
- it's the development of his own
squad. Rosen said he didn't have a thor-
ough knowledge of his team's next
opponents, but he does know that his
team needs to improve.
Fundamentally, service reception is
the aspect of Michigan's game that "has
to improve", Rosen said.
With co-Big Ten player of the week
Joanna Fielder leading the team in over-
all performance, Michigan will have a
FILE PHOTO
ly three wins in his first three matches to lift Michigan into the top 25. The Wolverines
k against two top 25 teams this weekend while hosting the All-Sport Challenge.
[l world fears mighty Pacific
in nation for first time since 1987; players hail recognition
U I
"HILARKOUSI
Ii's a gay 'American Pie!'"
---al. J96%ll, mu ARAH T
I
Championships.
The poll announcement was paired
with senior outside hitter Elsa
Steggman's recognition as the AVCA
National player of the week and her
fourth successive Big West player of
the week honor.
Steggman is the first women's vol-
leyball player in conference history
to have received the honor in four
consecutive weeks.
She is one of only four volleyball
players in the conference to have
received the honor six or more times
in their career.
"It feels pretty good," Steggman
told The Record. "I feel like we're
getting the recognition that a lot of
skeptical people weren't willing to
give us. We earned it and we have to
prove we're worthy of it."
Steggman was also named the
tournament MVP after Pacific
claimed the
Shamrock invitational title hosted
by Notre Dame last weekend,
improving their record to 5-0.
In the Tigers' first weekend of
play, they claimed the State
Farm/NACWAA Tournament Title
with victories over Nebraska and
Florida.
In the five-year history of the tour-
nament, every champion has either
won the NCAA title or claimed sec-
ond place in the nation.
"I think people can expect to see a
good, solid team," Steggman told
The Record. "That's what we've been
working on and I believe that's our
foundation."
The Tigers opened their home
schedule last night at the Spanos
Center in the opening match of the
Pacific Nike Invitational.
i . p
p 3 ,
L1.U
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ster suing school
I
involved in two alcohol-related cases
loses a year of eligibility. The school
released a statement saying it "has not
discriminated against any student on the
basis of disability," but refused further
comment.
Higgins' alcoholism was diagnosed
by the teen's personal physician and also
a psychologist and social worker he has
been working with, according to his
attorney, Steven Glink. Higgins' father
and grandfather also are alcoholics,
Glink said.
"This kid could not control his use of
REC
SPORTS
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The University of Michigan
Department of Recreational Sports
INTRAMURAL SPORTS PROGRAM
WHAT'S
alcohol (and) because he could not con-
trol it, it's a disability and he should not
be punished for it," Glink said.
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District
Court in Chicago, seeks Higgins' rein-
statement to the team and S100,000 in
compensatory damages.
Higgins said he has received recruit-
ing letters from colleges and hoped to
impress some bigger schools this season.
He said his family was disappointed with
the district's decision because he report-
ed the cases to the school, then took
steps to correct his problem.
Intramural Softball
Officials Needed'!
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