14A The Michigan Daily - Thursday, September , 1999 Volleyball hopes history won't repeat itself as Big Ten begins By Dena Krischer Daily Sports Writer Before the preseason even began, even before last season was over, Michigan's volleyball team hoped to do something this year it has never done before - win the whole thing. Yet as invincible as it may have been during the preseason, the Wolverines have come to realize that, although a Big Ten title would be ideal, winning isn't everything - :ompeting is. Still, with a 1-1 start in the Big Ten, the Wolverines have showed that yes, :hey can compete, they can survive, and they can intimidate. "We have to look at the big pic- ure," said Michigan coach Mark (osen. "We're not going to win every ;ame, but we have to make sure we ire competing so that we have the apportunity to win." The Wolverines have been making :hanges since before the start of the >reseason to prove to the country that tistory - an 12-18 finish after a 8-2 start - doesn't always repeat itself. So far this season, it has. Michigan is 8-1 in the non-conference season. But to the players, last year's Big Ten season (4-16) is a thing of the past - t his year, they will succeed. "The Big Ten is where it's at," said Rosen. "The reality is that in presea- son, we do well, but in the Big Ten we struggle. And that's just because the Big Ten is so good." Michigan suffered a disheartening loss against No. 2 Penn State last Saturday, revealing that, like all teams, it has a weak spot. Fortunately, Penn State is the only team that has picked up on it. Despite the loss, the Wolverines have proven that they are compete- tive, they are surviving, and, even more so, they are intimidating. The Wolverines stole the No. 18 spot on the USA Today/AVCA coach- es' Top 25 after upsetting Ohio State in five matches at their Big Ten open- er at Cliff Keen Arena last Friday. "If we finish within the top six, then we'll probably be in the NCAA Tournament," said Rosen. If Michigan does just that, it goes to Hawaii. Yes, Hawaii. But first things first. Michigan faces a two-week-long stretch of physically draining games. "These next two weeks are going to be pretty brutal," Rosen said with a weak laugh. The Wolverines leave on Thursday to face No. 20 Wisconsin on Friday night. Then, they leave Madison for West Lafayette to face Purdue on Saturday night. Then, they come home, go to class for a day, and travel to South Bend to face Notre Dame on Tuesday. Then, they relax for a total of maybe five minutes before they face Minnesota and Iowa at h'ome the weekend after that respectively. And through it all, they will com- petete, they will survive, and they will intimidate. SAF Alija Plttenger and the Wolverines are ranked No. 18 In the USA Today coaches' Top 25 this week. Cross country to prepare at Notre Dame, By Ryan C. Moloney Daily Sports Writer At first glance, the Notre Dame invi- tational may not seem like much in com- parison to the Big Ten, NCAA Regional and national meets. And while tomorrow's meet in South Bend won't make or break the season for the Michigan cross country team, the goal is always the same when the gu goes off towin. "This weekend is pretty important," senior co-captain Jay Cantin said. "We're racing a team (Georgetown) which has beaten us, so we've got to prove that we're closer to them.: Granted, the Wolverines have dipped into triple figures in terms of training mileage the last couple of weeks. But that has done little to temper their goal of running competitively in the ear going of the season. "It's good to run with teams like Missouri and Georgetown at the start of the season," senior co-captain Steve Lawrence said. "They are definitely within our range and it's good to work with teams that close to us because it brings us nearer to where we want to be." The plot thickens when the ever- important at-large bid comes into play The two top teams in each regional me earn an automatic berth to the national meet while the third place finisher is forced to await word from the NCAA. At-large bids are largely based on the caliber of competition faced by the aspiring team during the season. A good performance Friday might go a long way towards determining the Wolverines' destiny. "The Great Lakes region is one of th, toughest in the country," Cantin said. "We need to beat teams because if we get third we might lose out. "The Michigan name alone won't carry us." Not like it used to, anyway. Last year's Wolverines could roll at a meet like this one without bringing their "A" game. This year, the team can ill-afford to take the day off. "I don't think we're as talented as w were in the last few years," Lawrenc said. "Last year we didn't run our best at the Big Ten meet and we still ended up winning. This year has got to be differ- ent." Which isn't to say the Wolverines will drop the hammer from the get-go. Prudent, conservative pack-running is the key on the flat and fast Notre Dame course. "We're going to go out slow and b the third mile we should be near the front," Cantin said. "That becomes big at the national meet." Especially, according to Cantin, because of the "ridiculous" strategy of taking it out too fast - popular at the national meet and on flat courses such as Notre Dame's. "If you go out too fast in the first cou- ple of miles, that's pretty much four more miles of hardcore pain," Lawrence said. "I can see us running in the 60s an 70s (places) nearthe beginning. Holding off for two miles really helps a lot." You can just go to www.1SC00CLLECT.com 1 0 Save a Buck or Two. 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