The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - October 2, 2000 - 7B Spikers split Ten roadaC S Falling down After starting the season 8-1, the Michigan women's volleyball team is just4/ 3 in Big Ten play and 10-4 overal Fortunately for the Wolve ines, the bulk of the conf nce schedule is still ahead of them.i. Here's how the Big Ten standings shape up after the first U.S. basketball hangs on for gold By Edrick Lopez For the Daily The Michigan volleyball team had a bittersweet weekend. After defeat- ing Illinois 3-0 (15-8, 15-10, 15-10) on Friday to obtain its first Big Ten conference win in three tries, the 25th-ranked Wolverines lost to Purdue, 3-1 (15-7, 16-14, 10-15, 15- 10) on Saturday. "It was a good news, bad news weekend," Michigan coach. Mark Rosen said. Katrina Lehman led the way for Michigan in both games. Against the Fighting Illini she scorched the net with a hitting percentage of .476 while also producing a match-best four aces. On Saturday, she terror- ized the Boilermakers with a .378 hitting percentage and a career-best 20 kills. "She had a great weekend," Rosen said. "She showed her competitive- ness by stepping up big this week- end." Purdue snapped the Wolverines two game winning streak with its vic- tory on Saturday. Rosen gave credit to the Boilermakers for their 3-1 vic- tory, saying they played "very well'. "We didn't execute as well as we wanted to," Rosen said. Purdue "did better defensively". Junior outside hitter Nicole.Kacor led the Wolverines with 21 kills. "She did a good job on defense and her attacking was solid." Rosen said. The game on Friday was a different story. Michigan (1-3 Big Ten, 10-4 overall) won at Illinois for the first time since Oct. II 1997, when the spikers won 3-0. The Wolverines vicious attack proved to be too much for the Fightin Illini (0-4, 9-6). Their .336 (63-20-128) hitting average was their fourth-best of the season and WHY HAS THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN FAILED ITS STUDENTS? For some answers see: www.universitysecrets.com best against a Big Ten opponent. Michigan registered 63 kills to just 39 for the Fighting Illini. This game "showed how well we can play in the road, against a Big Ten opponent." Rosen said. In game one the Wolverines stormed out of the gate with a 3-0 lead. The Fighting Illini then responded with a run of their own to cut the lead to 3-2. Thunderous kills from seniors Sarah Behnke and Joanna Fielder. incited a 7-2 Michigan run, that pushed the lead to 10-4. Thanks in large part to Lehman's serving, who recorded to aces in the stretch, the Wolverines went on a 4-1 run and then proceeded to hold off an Illinois run to win the first game. Gamc two was a tight one in which both teams refused to give up. After five lead changes, Michigan finally put the game away on two points off Nicole Kacors serve followed by a clutch kill by freshman Nicole Poq luette. Game three was neck and neck all the way until a 7-0 Michigan run, hichlicted by four conseeutive points off the serve of senior outside hitter Alija Pettinger. increased the score to 10-4. Followinc a timeout. the Fighting l1lini rallied to make a 4- 0 run, which forced a Michigan time- out. The Wolverines then regrouped and went on to win the set (15-10) and the match (3-0). Next. Michigan takes oi Indiana on ckridv, at 7 pum. in the annual -Dock the House" match at the Cliff Keen Arena. PRNINTING LOWEST PRICES! HIGHEST QUAUTLY! * FASTESTSERVICE! * 1002 PONTIAC TR. N994-1367 few weeks oft Minrsota Ohio&State wisdonsin Iowa MicAIigan State Pen1 State Michigan indiana Purdue Northwestern Illinois the season. BIG TEN 4-0 4-0 3-1 3-1 3-1 1-3 1-3 1-3 1-3 1-3 0-4 OVERALL 15-0 14-0 13-2 7-5 10-3 12-4 10-4 10-4 9-7 4-10 9-6 SYDNEY, Australia (AP) - One by one the U.S. basketball players bowed to receive their gold medals, each of them flashing a wide, genuine smile. They were smiles that were a mixture of joy and relief, smiles that had been repressed throughout the Olympics. "It was just a tremendous feeling, the best moment I've ever had as a basket- ball player," Vin Baker said, tears falling from eves as he recalled the moment. "This wasn't an easy journey for us" No it wasn't, right up until the end. The U.S. men let France creep within four points with 4 minutes left, but after that, there was no repeat of Lithuania's near miracle in the semifinals. Vince Carter had a double-pump dunk with 1:40 left and the U.S. team scored nine of the game's final 12 points to defeat France 85-75 yesterday. It was the 12th gold medal .in 14 Olympic basketball competitions for the United States, but this one will be remembered as the Olympics when the rest of the world caught up. "We played together, and came up and proved we're the best team in the world," Allan Houston said. "It was a little bit tougher than I thought. Nobody can tell us we didn't earn it. That's what makes it even more special. "We had to play every second for the gold medal that we got." The final victory margin of 10 points was the lowest ever for the United States in a gold-medal victory. It was the fifth time in these Olympics that the Americans won by 15 or fewer points. quite a difference from 1996 and 1992 when the U.S. teams won every game by at least 22 points and often had victory margins of 40 points or more. "What this Olympics demonstrated is that the competitive level of internation- al basketball has improved -- more so than casual observers of the game under- stood," NBA commissioner David Stern said. That competitiveness didn't manifest itself in the gold medal to the same degree it had in the semifinals. France led only twice, 2-0 after scor- ing the first basket of the game and 7-6 on two free throws by Stephane Risacher following a technical foul on Garv Payton for getting in the face of a French player during a stoppage in play. Still, the Americans found themselves ahead just 76-72 after Antoine Rigaudeau hit a 3-pointer with 4:26 left; to complete a 16-4 run that tufhed a slow-paced, foul-plagued game into an interesting one. Kevin Garnett followed with a put- back after the U.S. team grabbed two offensive rebounds, Alonzo Mourning hit two foul shots and Garnett scored on a bank shot to restore a I 0-point lead and end any thoughts France might have had of duplicating Lithuania's feat of two days earlier. "Just wanted to keep it going," Carter said. "Didn't want to make it this'far to quit. If we were going to lose, we were going to go down fighting." After Carter put an exclamation point on the victory with his showtime dunk, the U.S. coaching staff started hugging each other on the sideline. When the final buzzer sounded, the American men walked over and exchanged high-fives with the women's team, who won their gold medal Saturday night. I WHERE IN THE WORLD WILL YOU GO? i t f r - Discover the possibilities at the Annual Study Abroad Fair Thursday, October 5, 2000 Michigan Union Ballroom 4to 6pm oflpe For more information, please contact the Office of International Programs G51 3 Michigan Union 764.4311 www.umich.eddW-iinet/oip : Own Your Career in withCa Career Fair October 3, 2000, 12-4 pm Michigan Union Company Presentation October 4, 2000,4:30-6 pm Wolverine Room, B-school Casual attire preferred. For closed list invitations, submit resumes to Helaine Isaacs at isaacs@sibson.com.