The Michigan Daily - Thursday, November 16, 2000 - 15A
Women's basketball
to sign three recruits
The Michigan women's basketball
team signed three players for the 2001
season. The Wolverines signed Tabitha
Pool, a 6-1 small forward, BreAnne
McPhilamy, a 6-2 power forward, and
Katrina Mason a 6-2 center.
Pool, from Ann Arbor Huron High
School, is regarded as one of the top
high school players in the country. She
was ranked as the preseason No. I
player in Michigan by the Detroit News
and Detroit Free Press. Pool is Huron's
all-time leading scorer and average
21.6 points per game this season.
Shewas also named to the AAU all-
american team.
Mason averages 24 points, 20
rebounds and eight blocks per game for
Murray-Wright high school in Detroit.
Additionally, Mason shoots 73 percent
from the free-throw line.
McPhilamy, from Portage Northern
high school, is the school's second
leading scorer and rebounder. As a
junior she was named to the 1999 all-
state team and is a 2000 Ms. Basketball
candidate.
- Staff and wire i Iepois
Elite milers commit
to men's track team
Alan Webb and Nathan Brannen,
two of the top milers in North
4rmerica, have signed National Letters
pf Intent for the men's track and field
team for the 2001-2002 season. Webb,
a senior at South Lakes High School
in Reston, Vir.. is one of the nation's
elite prep milers. Webb has run
4:0.3.33, the third-fastest time in the
nation last season.
Finishing fourth in the Canadian
Olympic Trials in the 1500 mdters,
Brannen will supplement the
Wolverines with his 3:45.09 1500-
meter personal best, comparable to a
4:02 mile. The senior from Preston
High School in Cambridge, Ont. has
also run 8:25.42 for the 3000 meters
and 1:50.35 for the 800 meters.
- Staff and wire reports
Griese out of play
for three weeks
bENVER (AP) - Brian Griese, who
led the Denver Broncos to victory
Monday night despite a separated
throwing shoulder, is expected to miss at
east three games.
The Broncos said Tuesday they
wouldn't know more about Griese's sta-
tus for several days, but a team official
confinned reports that the quarterback
would be out a minimum of three weeks.
Griese was hurt when he was tackled
by Oakland linebacker Elijah Alexander
during the first quarter of Denver's 27-
24 win. Griese was taken to the locker
room for pain medication, then returned
o the field.
Broncos owner Pat Bowlen said
Griese could be out a "significant period
of time," adding, "It looks bad."
Gambi edges out
Thomas for MVP title
NEW YORK (AP) -- Jason Giambi
narrowly won the American League
Most Valuable Player Award yesterday
for carrying the Oakland Athletics to the
layoffs.
Giambi got 14 of the 28 first-place
votes to finish with 317 points in ballot-
ing by the Baseball Writers' Association
of America. "This is a boy's dream come
true," Giambi said. "This has been noth-
ing but a fairy tale for me this year with
my brother (Jeremy) here and the A's
winning the division."
Two-time winner Frank Thomas of
the Chicago White Sox finished second
with 285 points and 10 first-place votes.
NCAA basketball
Yesterday's results
Preseason NIT
Temple 61, New Mexico 49
Texas 57, California 54
Tomorrow's games
PRESEASON NIT
*illanova at Duke
South Alabama at Indiana
NHL.
Yesterday's results
Florida 4, CAROLINA 1
Philadelphia 2, TORONTo 1 OT
DETROIT 4, San Jose 1
ATLANTA 1, Nashville 0
NY Rangers at MINNESOTA, inc.
Dallas at BUFFALO, inc.
Colorado at ANAHEIM, inc.
'Today's games
New Jersey at Boston
Chicago at Calgary
Carolina at Ottawa
NY Islanders at Los Angeles
Pittsburgh at St. Louis
Colorado at Phoenix
Columbus at Nashville
Torrid spikers prepare for No. 8 Minnesota
By Eric Powell
Daily Sports Writer
Rankings are not of a concern for
the Michigan volleyball team any-
more.
Riding a four-game win streak,
including consecutive victories over
ranked conference foes No. 25
Michigan State and No. 13 Ohio
State, the Wolverines hope to keep
the momentum going into their final
four matches of the regular season.
"After the mid-season losing
streak, we knew that lineup changes
had to be made," Michigan coach
Mark Rosen said.
"We made them, and now we are
clicking, playing with enthusiasm,
and competing well. Now we have
momentum again."
But a 6-1 powerhouse awaits the
rolling Wolverines on the other side
of the net tomorrow in Minneapolis.
Minnesota's senior Nicole Branaugh
has dominated Big Ten opponents
this season with pure athleticism and
strength. Branaugh leads the Big Ten
with 5.57 kills per match, including
an average of eight kills a game last
week, earning her co-Big Ten Player
of the Week honors.
"Nicole is definitely the force on
that team," Rosen said. "She is tear-
ing teams apart single handedly."
As for containing Branaugh, Rosen
will match up sophomore Nicole
Poquette against her at the net.
Rosen also intends to focus on
strategic serving this week to keep
the ball away from Branaugh and
earn the Wolverines some quick
points.
"Being consistent is the bottom
line," Rosen said. "We need to limit
our errors, stop Branaugh at the net,
and just keep improving throughout
the match."
The Wolverines will look fof big
performances from senior leader
Sarah Behnke and junior Katrina
Lehman, who have hot hands as of
late.
Both performed well during the
two latest home victories over the
Spartans and the Buckeyes. Rosen
said he hopes to get a spark from
freshman middle-blocker Erin Moore
as well,
"Our senior leaders are definitely
providing us with intensity and direc-
tion," Rosen said.
The remaining four matches are
pivotal for Michigan's NCAA tourna-
ment hopes. Although the Wolverines
close with No. 4 Wisconsin at home,
the final two road matches provide.
tough competition for the
Wolverines.
"Even though Minnesota is ranked
No. 8 and has a great team, our final
road match at Iowa will decide our
postseason fate," Rosen said.
"We need to pull out two in a row
if we want to make it to the tourna-
ment."
RECRUITSu
Continued from Page 12A
out the class are three defensmet who
will attempt to fill the void of senior
assistant captain Dave Huntzicker and
Bob Gassoff.
This includes two offensive-defens-
men in Reilly Olson (Grand Praire,
Alberta) and Eric Werner (Grosse
Pointe Woods), who Powers says is 5-
foot-8 but "plays like he's 6-foot-2"
and is similar to former Wolverine and
NHL defenseman Blake Sloan.
Coaches say that they're expecting a
few more recruits and because of the
graduating seniors and that they'%e
been lacking depth the last few \c}ars
due to unexpected departures of Mike
Van Ryn, Mike Comrie, Scott
Crawford and Troy Kahler, the new
additions will have a great chance to
play next year.