10 --The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, November 14, 2001 0 Hard work brings Oesterle back After a knee injury, the senior is ready to help By Allison Topp Daily Sports Writer When a teammate singles you out based on performance, it is difficult to try to live up to those expecta- tions day in and day out. This was the task presented to senior forward Heather Oesterle after her fellow teammate senior Raina Goodlow claimed, "Heather is the hardest worker on this team." But Oesterle has no trouble back- ing up the praise given by her team- mates. Oesterle is entering her senior season for the Michigan women's basketball team. She has put in the time and earned her title as the. workhorse of the team, and thanks in part to those efforts, the Wolver- ines are ranked higher in the pre- season polls than they ever have been. Last year, Oesterle tore her ante- rior cruciate ligament toward the end of the season. For many players this is a career-ending injury that requires surgery and painful reha- bilitation. But this was only a hur- dle, as Oesterle's work ethic helped her clear this new challenge. Heather went to rehab twice a day, building up strength in her knee by lifting and doing other strength exercises. Her first day back was the first practice of the season. Before that, she had gone out on the court and scrimmaged lightly, but did not put her knee to the test. A "My knee was definitely sore after the first game," Oesterle said. "Right now I would say it's at 80 percent, but my strength is continu- ally improving." Osterle's knee will probably remain sore for the next couple of months. But how she played Friday night in the team's only exhibition game against RTU Klondaika is a tribute to her toughness. Oesterle ran the court for 27 minutes and had a team-high six assists. "I need to do whatever the team needs," Oesterle said. "If we aren't getting enough rebounds, I need to women's hoops again get in there and fight. If the ball isn't getting to the right people, then I have to pass." Oesterle's unselfish play has made her a natural leader on the team. She shares captain duties with point guard Alayne Ingram and Goodlow. Oesterle is, admittedly, not the most vocal person on the team; she instead prefers to lead by example. "Leading by example for me is coming to practice everyday ready to play and never giving up," Oesterle said. "You have to do the little things that others overlook or simply don't want to do." Oesterle has made a career out of doing the little things. Coach Sue Guevara referred to her as a garbage player - she does anything that needs to be done. "I would say Heather is the one of the more versatile players on the team," Guevara said. "She has the ability to pass the ball or run the point if Alayne becomes injured. Nobody works harder on this team than Heather." Big Ten title upforz grabs in,{.. Columbusx By Daniel Bremmer and Chris Burke Daily Sports XWriters/ I I The Big Ten championship should come down to a two-team race - Michigan versus the winner of the Ohio State-Illinois game. In addition, other important contests will determine where teams will end up in the bowl pic- ture. AROUND The Big Ten Blue needs two more victories to keep postseason dream alive By Charles Paradis Daily Sports Writer After making the NCAA Tournament in three out of the last four years, the Michigan volleyball team (8-8 Big Ten, 12-11 overall) is in danger of failing to earn a berth this season. - But there is one bright spot for the Wolverines - they control their own destiny. If they win at least three of STATE COLLEG their last four games, they qualify an (12-11) for the tournament., Michigan needs and o 9 o two to even be considered for selec- When:7:30 p.m. Friday,; tion to the Tournament.t E, atI tat 71 Teams across America will wait to hear their names called during the selection show, but most of the teams Latest; micniganIneedsto w its next four games, and pr four to have any shot at theI the time, because they were playing well," Rosen said. "But things have changed since then." When the Wolverines played the Wildcats, Michigan fell in five games. Since beating Michigan and Michigan State in the same weekend, the Wildcats have been dis- mal, defeating only Indiana and Big Ten cellar-dweller Purdue. The Wolverines have also played ! spoiler against a few Big Ten teams ,COLUMBUS this season - wins over Michigan State, Minnesota and most recently No. 14 Penn State Penn State should earn the Wolverines p.m. Saturday respect in the eyes of the selection win at least two out of committee. obably three of its last The Wolverines' have a good chance NCAA Tournament. for significant victories this weekend, when they travel to face No. 14 Penn State and No. 9 Ohio State. Michigan swept the Nittany Lions at home on Oct. 20, after having their perfect home record snapped by the Buckeyes the previous evening. "We have to win two of the last four to even be con- sidered, and at least one would be a significant win," Rosen said. The Wolverines will not settle for just two wins in the last four. They know that with three victories, they can pack their bags and kneepads and begin preparing for the tournament. "We win three of the final four (games) and it is a done deal," Rosen said. No. 12 ILLINOIS (5-1 BIG TEN, 8-1 OVERALL) AT OHIO STATE (4-2, 6-3), NooN, ESPN: In a game that has huge conference championship implications, the 12th-ranked Fight- ing Illini travel to Columbus to take on the Buckeyes. Ohio State still con- trols its own destiny in the Big Ten, and could take the conference cham- pionship with wins over Illinois and Michigan. The Illini also have a chance at winning the Big Ten, but they need help. Currently, they would lose the first-place tiebreaker to Michigan because of a 45-20 loss on Sept. 29. But with an Illinois victory Saturday and a Michigan loss, the Illini would take the Big Ten. The Buckeyes are coming off a momentum-building 35-9 win over Purdue last Saturday, where quarter- back Steve Bellisari played his best game of the year. The Buckeyes' defense was also strong, intercepting three passes and forcing two safeties. Unlike Bellisari, Illinois' quarter- back Kurt Kittner has been among the top passers in the nation this sea- son and leads the Big Ten in passing. The Fighting Illini come into Colum- bus having won five of their last seven games at The Horseshoe, but look for that trend to come to an end. Bellisari will come out firing as he did last week and lead the Buckeyes to victory, setting up a matchup with Michigan for the Big Ten title. Ohio State 35, Illinois 24 INDIANA (3-3, 3-5) AT PENN STATE (2-4, 3-5), NOON: In a game that fea- tures two 3-5 teams, the losing team will beeliminated from bowl con- tention. Indiana has won two games in a row for the first time all season, with an impressive 56-21 romp over Northwestern and a 37-28 victory over thenno. 23 Michigan State. Penn State. is the hotter of the two teams, however. The Nittany Lions have won three of their last four, with their only loss coming to No. 12 Illi- nois last week on an Illini score with less than two minutes to go. The quarterback situation at Penn State is like night and day. Sopho- more Zack Mills has been playing well, completing 23 of 33 passes for 277 yards and two touchdowns against Southern Mississippi two weeks ago. On the other hand, backup Matt Senneca was 6-for-23 for 52 yards in Mills' relief on Saturday, throwing three interceptions in the process. Still riding the high from coach Joe Paterno's breaking of Bear Bryant's record, Penn State should pull off the victory at home. Penn State 27, Indiana 24 MICHIGAN STATE (3-3, 5-3) AT PuR- DUE (3-3, 5-3), NoON, ESPN2: Pur- due has been struggling as of late, after jumping out to a 4-0 start to the season. Since then, the Boilermakers are 1-3. In its five wins, Purdue is averaging over 28 points per game compared to just over 10 in their three losses. Despite its loss to Indiana last Sat- urday, Michigan State has been play- ing well lately. Its offense has been led by running back T.J. Duckett, who is averaging 5.3 yards per carry this season. Duckett rushed for 97 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries against Indiana and 212 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries against Michigan. The Michigan State defense should be able to hold off the Boilermakers' struggling offense, and look for Duckett to continue his recent suc- cess on the ground. Michigan State 28, Purdue 14 MINNESOTA (1-5, 3-6) AT IOWA (3- 4, 5-4), 1 P.M.: For the second straight week, Minnesota will have to face an offense that will feature two very different quarterbacks. After Michigan surprised the Golden Gophers by playing Jermaine Gonzales at the quarterback position as a change of pace from John Navarre, the Hawkeyes will attempt to do the same with starter Kyle McCann and backup Brad Banks. With a win, Iowa would become bowl eligible for the first time since 1997. The Hawkeyes put themselves in position for postseason play last week when they trounced Northwest- ern 59-16 on the road. Minnesota will attempt to counter Iowa's attack with running back Tellis Redmon and wide receiver Ron John- son, but it's unlikely that the Golden Gophers will be able to do much in Iowa City. Iowa 41, Minnesota 17 Quarterback Kurt Kittner and the Fighting Illini are looking to storm into Columbus and knock the Buckeyes out of contention for the Big Ten title. already know if they have met the requirements to be in the tournament. "In general, I think the things (the selection commit- tee) looks at are significant wins and significant losses," coach Mark Rosen said. "You have to maximize your significant wins and minimize your significant losses." Michigan's up-and-down season has been highlighted by both significant wins and significant losses. The Wolverines have knocked off top-25 teams in Minnesota and Penn State, but Michigan has also lost some matches it should have won, such as those against Iowa and Northwestern. "The match at Northwestern didn't look very big at 0 0 0 Belli-sorry no longer After two inconsistent seasons as Ohio State's quarterback, it appeared Steve Bellisari was finally going to be benched after a 20-17 loss to Wisconsin. Bellisari was only 10-21 for 132 yards, with one interception and the Buckeye fans heckled him throughout. But coach Jim Tressel stuck with Bellisari, and now the quarterback is leading the team to a possible BCS bid. (wins in bold) 'V t:: ~ifl 41 . 5 i t BELLISARI'S PERFORMANCE 15-24 for 246 yards, l TD, 0 INT 5-23 for 45 yards, 0 TD, 2 INT ' 15-21 for 194 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT 4-10 for 109 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT 10-21 for 132 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT 15-28 for 198 yards, 0 TD, 1INT 8-21 for 209 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT 12-17 for 203 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT 14-20 for 263 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT RESULT Ohio State 28, Akron 14 UCLA 13, Ohio State 6 Ohio State 27, Indiana 14 Ohio State 38, Northwestern 20 Wisconsin 20, Ohio State 17 Ohio State 27, San Diego State 12 Penn State 29, Ohio State 27 Ohio State 31, Minnesota 28 Ohio State 35, Purdue 9 - ,~imac f Brady still starter over Bledsoe Snai tup1 .ยข an ik l3c G( a dic*t a camera. With an iMac, it's easy to do amazing things, like upload pictures and send them to friends and family everywhere. And when you buy an iMac between October 26 and December 31,2001, you can take the pictures with an HP318xi digital camera (or get $150 cash back'). It's a great photo opportunity. For details, visit www.apple.com/store or talk to a sales associate. U-M COmruter Showcase 7M4-SALES v Michigan Union Pround level Former Michigan quarterback will BOSTON (AP) - Drew Bledsoe's doctors have cleared him to return to the field. Now all he needs is permission from his coach. "I'm itching to get back in," Bledsoe said yesterday at a news conference with his doctors. "I'm going to do everything in my power to be on the field on Sun- day. Ultimately, that's not my decision. But I can't wait." Bledsoe was injured on Sept. 23 by a crushing - but legal - hit by Jets linebacker Mo Lewis. The New Eng- land Patriots quarterback returned for another series, but was taken out again after teammates told the coach- es he looked woozy. Since then, backup Tom Brady has led the team from an 0-2 record to 5-4. Coach Bill Belichick has said he would start whoever looked better in practice, and so far that's Brady. "We expect Tom to start against St. Louis," Belichick said Monday. "I think if we had lost the last seven gam1es, that probably would look a little different than winning five of the last seven. But until I see it, I just continue to lead New England don't know. I'm going to play the guy who gives us the best chance to win every week." But Bledsoe said he would do his best to change the coach's mind. "From the time I was a rookie, I've been a starter on this team, and I anticipate being a starter again. That being said, I have to go prove it again," Bledsoe said. "I have great confidence in my ability to play this game, and J intend to make it hard for Brady to stay on the field." Doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital, speaking for the first time since the injury, disputed previous reports that Bledsoe had a concussion and a collapsed lung. Treating physician David Berger said Bledsoe arrived by ambulance the night of the Jets game with his left side of his chest filled with blood. Doctors inserted a chest tube that allowed them to give Bledsoe back his own blood. The turning point in Bledsoe's treatment was when the blood vessel healed on its own within a few days, making season-ending surgery unnecessary. Berger said that Bledsoe stayed informed on all treatment, and did not pressure doctors one way or the other regarding sur- gery. "I think he understood the gravity of his injury," Berger said. In fact, doctors said Bledsoe probably was healed two weeks ago, but because he was still weakened they decided to wait to OK his return. "We feel a lot more confident about him coming back now," Berger said, noting that five specialists were con- sulted on the case. "It's the opinion of all of them that the injuryhas healed." Berger also said because of the scar tissue that will keen the blood vessel in place against the ribs, Bledsoe ;, Y ., :