10 - The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, September 22, 1999 FREEMAN Continued from Page 9 your feet. There's times you don't feel the ground, right?" "Well, yeah." "And then there's times it seems your shoes are full of sand. I've watched it happen. But you gotta show up for those big games, man. I did. Especially against Michigan. And I'll tell you how, if you're willing to learn." "Uhhhh," "Good enough. Now what you do is Ron listened to the man w hose name he did not know. He learned how to be hungry, how to want something so bad, his desire crowded out any doubts. He kept his. football cradled under his arm. "See, Ron," the man said as they said their goodbyes, "the thing to remember is, these yahoos put their pants on one leg at a time, just like you. Remember that." "Uh-huh," Ron couldn't wait to get to practice tomorrow. He felt a solid nugget of confidence inside hiem.Ile was ready to run through a wa i "On Wisconsin" throbbed in his head. Hdye could already smell autumn in the air. Didn't he used to love this time of year? Suddenly, Michigan's defense didn't look so intimidating. "And Ron, don't worry about the Heisman. You can have one of mine." - Archie Grbn has never persona1v appeared in Rick Freeman s dreams. but ifyou have any other questions, you can e-mail Rick at rickfreewin. umic h.ed . ton deficit for spikers Same results, but volleyball 'an entirely different group' this year By Dena Krischer ichigan's voleybal squad is per- haps the most underesimated team in all of Michiian. And the Wolverines are probably not etting the attention they But the lack of exposure will not get insi the heads of the players. They are still playing hard, still going strong and still anxious to defeat those who are deemed better. In nine matches, Michigan has ignored notions that it is mediocre, and has shown vigor, potential, and merit as not only a team, but an establishment at Michigtan. With an 8-1 record, the Wolverines have mo ved their way up the rankings. The Wolverines started at 25th, moved up to 21st, and now, after taking first place in the Carolina Classic this past w eck n, have just cracked the top 20 - they're currently No. 20. But vait. Last year Michigan started off with a preseason record of 8-2 but went on to a rocky, 4-16 Big Ten season, and ended the year with a 12-18 record. That was then. This is now. The Wolverines have a new coaching staff and new players. "It's hard to compare last year's team to this year's," said junior middle block- er Annie Maxwell, who was named to the All-Carolina Classic team. "Last year's team wasn't bad. We just lost five seniors and took on an entirely new coaching staff. It's just an entirely different group. In the next three matches, Michigan' will face teams that are expected to hold the top three spots in the Big Ten: Ohio State and Penn State this Friday and Saturday night at Cliff Keen Arena (7 p.m.), and then Wisconsin on the road next week. "We need to be fired up," said junior middle blocker and tournament MVP Joanna Fielder. "If we play like we know we can, I honestly think that we can win. It's to our advantage that we play Ohio State first so that we can see where we stand." The Wolverines, expected to finish 10th in the Big Ten, said they don't care about preseason critics and won't let it hold them back. "It's easier to prove someone wrong than it is to prove them right," said Fielder. "We're in a good position to do that. We have absolutely nothing to lose this weekend. If we focus on our side of the net, the rest will take care of itself." Winning this weekend could move the team up in the polls, possibly to the top I. "We try not to pay a lot of attention to the critics," said Maxwell. "It's nice to be ranked and all, but the rankings me nothing when we're competing ' Friday and Saturday nights. We're just focusing on our side of the court and using what we've done in preseason to get us through the rest. What the other teams do doesn't matter. It's what we do on our side that counts." The Big Ten is acknowledged as the hardest, most competitive conference in the NCAA. Yet with that in mind, the Wolverines remain fearless. They are not concern, with what the other teams have in sto for them, but what they have to prove to the other teams. "There's no team that we're focusing on in particular," said Maxwell. "That's the beauty of the Big Ten. Anyone can beat anyone on any given night.' Big Ten volleyball is a dog-eat-dog world. These underdogs hope to take it all. And they do not want to go it alone, "We could use all of the support 4 can get," Fielder said. "The big crowds will benefit us. Last year we didn't do so well, and we didn't have anything to give to the fans." But this year, they do. Freshman picks up scoring load in 'star' Berendowsky's absence Will Abby Crumpton By Dan Williams Daily Sports Writer When freshman Abby Crumpton fielded a cross on a half volley and put it past the Vanderbilt goalie, she didn't get excited because it was her first collegiate goal. And it wasn't until after the Michigan soccer team's 3-0 win over the Commodores that it dawned on Crumpton that she had achieved a major first in her career. "During the game I just saw the score, but after the game I got excit- ed that I got my first goal," Crumpton said. Six months ago, while in high school, Crumpton would have been surprised to hear that she would make an impact this year. She never expected to be the team's leading scorer seven games into the season. "I'd hoped to start, but I wasn't sure I was going to," Crumpton said, chase Amber's Michigan soccer records? I'm just glad I could make the transi- tion from club ball to college." Michigan coach Debbie Belkin wasn't quite as surprised. "She was a pretty accomplished high school player," Belkin said, "we had a feeling she was going to come in here and score some goals for us." So now Crumpton has tallied four goals on the season, including two in a 2-1 win over Ohio State. She has quickly escaped the title of freshman with potential and has grown into a scorer. Crumpton's speed and goal-finish- ing ability, as well as her ability to get past defenders, has made her an instant success at forward. So far, most of Crumpton's goals have come off of crosses and rebounds. But in a summer scrim- mage against Clemson, in which Crumpton had three goals, she scored on a breakaway down the sidelines that showed off her best tal- ents. "It was a long run, and then I fooled the goalie by going near post with the outside of my foot," Crumpton said. Belkin was most impressed by one of Crumpton's goals against Ohio State. "She read the play real well," Belkin said. "She made an 18-yard run into the box and finished it wi'th a one-touch." Crumpton feels the team has real- ly helped her be successful by pro- viding a supportive environment. "No one acts jealous," Crumptc' said, "I really love my teammates." Despite the instant success, Belkin feels that Crumpton is maintaining a good attitude. "She's pretty humble," Belkin said. "She knows she can still get better, and she wants to work on putting more goals away." For now, Crumpton's main focus continues to be on Michigan's cur- rent season, which seems to have large upside after Sunday's 0-0 dra with No. 4 Penn State. Crurpton took three shots, including a last sec- ond chance which Penn State goalie Emily Oleksiuk saved. For the future, Crumpton hopes in her four years she will win a Big Ten regular-season title, win a Big Ten Tournament, and go far into the NCAA Tournament. But she isn't setting long term str goals for herself. "I'm not going to put extra pres- sure on myself for stats," Crumpton said, "That stuff will just happen on its own." 0. Live with British students in the center of Oxford as an Associate Student of an Oxford college at an affordable cost $8,600 a semester Tuition, Housing, Tours, Meals Summer term option Oxford Study Abroad Programme 52 Cornmarket Street Oxford OX1 3HJ England Tel & Fax: 011 44 1865 798738 Email: osap@osap.co.uk Web: www.studyabroad.com/osap m rnnT .&v AI Aff NACU uI.