SCHO poLl bE IgidIa ru G ting to Michigan State end, Michinan relinquished the spat in the USCHO poll. The ,Lerines are now ranked third. Head in ro see the rest of the top 10. THURSDAY h higandaily.com /sports NOVEMBER 9, 2000 M' tops Miami, 4-3, in double OT Blue set to pla undefeated, top-ranked Notre Dame on Saturday By Rohit Bhave uily Sports Writer Four minutes into the second overtime, Michigan's grueling NCAA first-round fight with Miami was finally settled. With an Ppty net in front of her, senior captain Kacy Beitel cashed in her golden chance, vaulting Michigan into the sec- MtANII 3 and round of the NCAA Tournament MIuCtaAN 4 with a 4-3 victory. As is the case with many overtime games, a critical break keyed the final goal. At the top of the Miami penalty box, Beitel deflected a clearing attempt by a Miami defend- e onto the waiting foot of Michigan forward Stephanie Chavez. Chavez gathered the fortunate bounce and fed a perfect pass to eg wide-open Beitel. The senior wasted no time burying the ball o the waiting net, ending the Redhawks' dreams. The Wolverines' path to Sunday's second-round matchup against No. I Notre Dame was not easy. While the impending challenge of he Fighting I-ish seems formidable enough - Michigan lost to hem 5-1 on Oct. 24 - the underdog Redhawks gave Michigan all it could handle in this double-overtime thriller "I really thought we were going to win,"' Miami coach Bobby Kramig said. "We had a lot of success running at them with the ball." "We didn't have any pressure on us," added Miami forward Danielle Berkemeier. All game, a Michigan goal was resolutely answered by a Miami equalizer, each team playing a game of can-you-top-this until regu- lation expired. As soon as one team claimed the momentum, one fantastic offensive play or a turnover would turn the tide of the game once again. With the game tied at two with 21 minutes remaining, their over- worked legs burning with fatigue, and the red-clad Miami crowd drowning out the home faithful, the Wolverines badly needed a game-changing play. They received one from Chavez. The sniper juked the entire left side of the Miami defense out of position and scored what looked to be the game-winner with just 13 minutes left. Chavez's goal seemed to elevate the Wolverines, and they contin- ued to attack the tiring Miami defense. With eight minutes left See MIAMI, Page 14A G Michigan fought off a stiff challenge from upstart Miami and won yesterday, 4-3 in double overtime. TEPHANIE 9FFEN Stickers commence title quest against Tribe By David Roth No. 14 William & Mary (12-7) has dropped four Tribe fell only 1-0 against No 3 North Carolina 1uls Sports Writer more games than Michigan (18-3), but when the Tribe whereas the Wolverines were beaten 4-0 by the Ta has lost, it's only been against steep competition and the Heels. a, r Sicous mids should Ot be catered to Saturday ome say the NFL result from the Redskins-Titans Monday night contest of a week ago will have a et effect on this year's presidential tion. If Washington had defeated essee, we would be welcoming a nocrat to the White House today. since the opposite happened, a c in Washington is inevitable. Or say. frecn times, the result of the Iskins' final home game before the tion has correctly predicted the out- e of the race. How the Redskins before election time falls under the gory of"sports superstition." re's another: The Detroit Lions not won a championship since 7 so of course they will not win ' s season - despite The Sporting bold projection that they would the 2001 Super Bowl. And the "hing change can't possibly help the ' most mediocre club. ut on a more serious note, "sports mstition" is found in everyday life. 1997, wore the same blue ter to watch every Michigan foot- game. And after the season I was tive that it was my blue sweater that won us the national championship. - to wear that blue sweater to the next season's opening loss to e Dame. You can blame me for the via e-mail. efore every Michigan hockey game, e Comrie was always the first one ate away from the blueline after the anal anthem was played. Some ies hit both sides of the net before a e begins. Most athletes have some of pregame ritual, the same one *each game. me people develop their supersti- is in the form of streaks. Currently, Wolverines hold the win-win-loss ak. This means that they are due for in this Saturday. After a devastating ito Northwestern last Saturday, if superstition holds true, Michigan i defeat both Penn State and Ohio to before lositt the bowl game. am an extremely superstitious per- but this is one that I can't put may . The only way the Wolverines I win on Saturday is with heart. ore the Michigan State game, the yers asked the media and fans to >w the records out the window and said that the best team will win. I ask the players to follow their own advice. Throw out these streaks, throw out the fact that Penn State has nothing to play for. That is simply not true. The Nittanv Lions have an incredible aiount of pridec to play for. Not only has Michigan won the last three meet- ings between the two teams, but a vic- tors would shed a bright spot on a dim season for Joe Paterno. This is why no superstition will mat- ter on Saturday. This is the most mediocre team I have witnessed in my four years at Michigan. That may not be a fair statement because I was here for two straight Big Ten titles, a national championship and a Orange Bowl wm. But it is unfortunate that in my last game in the Big house as a studenti will be looking towards the Outback or Alamo Bowl for the season's wrap-up. This may be selfish, but the same can be said for many of you -- including 14 members of Michigan's squad. So for them and for every Michigan senior on campus, all these sports superstitions should be thrown out this weekend. Signs may point to a victors for the Wolverines, but unfortunately nothing this season can be taken for granted. If we learned one thing from the loss to Northwestern, that is it. No matter who wins the presidential election, I doubt it is because of a Redskins loss. Remember, they even lost to the Lions this season. The same goes for this weekend. If Michigan manages to pull out a victory it is not because of any streak or super- stition, it is because this team finally got the urgency and heart to win a game - something that the Nittany Lions may leave behind. - Step/aie fetn can he reached ti snffet(iviiwniich.edii. William and Mary's men's tennis team won consec- losses have not been byn utive NCAA championships in 1947 and 1948. Since "William & Mary is a then, its stu- coach Marcia Pankratz sa dents have SATURDAY ference and they've cert had more schedule. They're chisele success Win- WINSTON-SALEM, NC be a very difficult team ti ning Ben Who: Michigan (1&3) vs. William & Mary Michigan's schedule h S t e i n ' s (12-7) Wolverines have won fo money than When:2 p.m. ranked teams. o a r n e r i n g Latest: Defending NCAA runner-up Michigan "Weve got a lot of iv begins first-round NCAA tournament play. Bg Ten tournameit," Pa that resem- is ready." bles an athletic title. Compare Michigan an But don't expect the Michigan field hockey team to against current top-four to have it eas when it takes on the Tribe in the NCAA 2-0 against No. 4 Wake regionals at Wake Forest on Saturday at 2 p.m. play the Michigan-Willi Wolverines beat State, run win streak to thrfere much. averv good team," Michigan aid. "Theyvplay in a tough Con- ainly played a really difficult c, they're prepared and they'll o play against." as been. rst as tough - the ur straight games, all against iomentum coning out of the inkratz said. "I think the team d William & Mary's showings reams in the country. Each lost Forest, the team expected to iam & Mary winner. But the But that doesn't scare the Wolverines. "Scores really don't tell you that much, so we're not aorried about that," Michigan co-captain Reran Wulfsber' said The hribes' other losses were all to top-15 teams,"ath the exception of Duke, a squad that played Michigair the same regional in Winston-Salem last sear. Despite the rivalry the Wolverines seem to be build- tig against Wake Forest, Michigan won't take Willim & Marv for granted. "We're not overlooking William & Mar," Wulfsbcrg said. "We're definitely looking to be in the game on Sunday, but we know we have to win on Saturday .so that's what we're focusing oni. "It was definitely a magical postseason last year , ad By Richard Haddad Daily Sports niter State Pride lay just beyond the Michian volleyball team's grasp, but it achieved something of greater impor- tance last night- a- victorv. M\1 .11 - N 2 At Cliff' "-'MRIs IAN5- K e e n aL Arena, the Wolverines (6-9 Big Ten, 16-10 overall) avenged an earlier loss to hated Michigan State (7-8, 14-10) with an exhausting five-game victory (15-13, 9- 15, 15-13, 7-15,15 -10). The State Pride Flag, awarded annual- ly to the winner of the rivalry ,will be relocated to Last Lansing by virtue of the Spartans' outscoring the Wolverines 128-120 over two matches this season. But for No. 25 Michigan State, "The loss hurts more than winning the flag," Michigan State's Angela Morley said. "I didn't even know we won it." "It's a little bit bittersweet" Michigan coach Mark Rosen said. "It's a huge rivalry and we wanted to win the flag, but winning the match is a lot better because the flag is just for pride. It does- n't Let vou anythini." A Big Ten victory over a ranked oppo- nent, on the other hand, greatly improves Michigan's NCAA Tournament hopes. In a mirror-image of the Spartans' five-game victory in East Lansing, last night's match swung back and forth throughout. Each team alternated between erratic play and domination, exchanging sideouts and extended vol- leys at a feverish pace. The match was marked by the intensi- ty and emotion that characterizes this rivalry regardless of the sport. Michigan senior captain Sarah Behnke's smash into a Michigan State player's face injected the packed arena with energy. Freshman Erin Moore duplicated the feat minutes later, and the helpless vic- tim of her fury hit the floor before the ball did, further inciting the crowd. BRANDON SEDLOFF/Daly Alija Pittenger and the Wolverines spiked Michigan State last night. Moore's performance on the evening of innocent aggressiveness." epitomized the play Michigan is capable The victory - and Michigan's three- of in its best moments. Painting the base- match winning streak - can be directly line with a perfectly-placed finesse shot attributed to that aggressiveness. The as often as she displayed her power, Spartans statistically dominated the evere time Moore touched the ball it match, outhitting, outblocking and out- found the Spartans' side of the court, as digging their counterparts, but "we won evidenced by her match-high 19 kills. the key points in the match," Rosen said. "Erin brings a competitiveness that is "I've always believed that the most unmatched in the gym," Rosen said. aggressive team wins in rally scoring." "The entire team draws from her attitude Yesterday night, it did. .4. $18!! CAP AND GOWN at GRADWEAR.COM NO TAX! U. of Michigan $35 plus Same Quality, Better Price Money Back Guaranteed LA RGAST S E LE CT I O N HAST SPOES 619 E. LIBERTY ST. (ACROSS FROM BORDER'S BOOKS) November 8,9 & 10 from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm BOOK & SUPPLY Ulrich's Bookstore Michigan Book and Supplyx 549E . University 3175. State St. 662-3201 665-4990 Wew igevsno cuivg