2B - The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - February 10, 2003
CLUBSPORTsWEEKLY
Cuts help club tennis team build Midwestern 'dynasty'
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
By Maggie Adams
For the Daily
After a sound trouncing of Penn State on Saturday
- winning all but one of 15 matches - the Michi-
gan club tennis team has improved its record to 6-0.
As it is the defending regional champion, this easy
win comes as no surprise.
What is surprising is the fact that in just four years,
the Wolverines have managed to piece together a
team that is now ranked seventh in the nation. They
started out in the fall of 1998 with around 50 players
and managed a winning record despite some prob-
lems. With that many players, matches were disorgan-
ized and court fees were exorbitant. The team decided
to implement cuts, and that is when the team started
to really take shape.
"Good high school players were always around, but
they were overshadowed by too many weaker play-
ers," club Vice President Justin Street said. "When we
started cutting, great players started coming out of the
woodwork."
Top-ranked male player Nnamudi Amobi said: "A
lot of it has to do with the fact that Michigan high
school tennis is very competitive. We are a great
outlet for those players who still want to compete,
but want to avoid the extensive commitment of var-
sity tennis."
However, even with all that talent, the club team
faces many barriers to success. President Joanna Wu
regrets the loss of many players who were forced to
quit the team because of the financial commitment.
"They could play the game, but they couldn't
afford to pay for it," Wu said.
Team Treasurer Brian Tracy also laments the
excessive charges members are forced to pay the
Michigan Varsity Tennis Center for membership as
well as court time.
"It's hard because we receive minimal funding
from (the Michigan Student Assembly) and the
(recreational) sports department, amounting to less
than 10 percent of our overall budget,' Tracy said.
Practicing just twice a week during the off hours
of 10 p.m. to midnight, the team still spends an
average of $1,000 per month on court fees. Another
obstacle in the way of their success is the lack of
coed club teams in the area.
Street says that team members enjoy their status
as "the powerhouse for the places that get snow,"
but that the lack of developed women's programs in
the area makes for a frustrating season for the
women. With most of the well-developed women's
programs centered in the South and on the East
Coast, the travel and lodging costs keep many desir-
able opponents firmly out of reach.
Amobi asserts that "other schools around here
need to take some initiative."
Competitive women's teams will develop "probably
a couple years down the road. Hopefully sooner
rather than later," Street said.
The men on the team are as frustrated as the
women about the lack of women's teams because they
have a very close, supportive relationship, both on
and off the courts. They went to the Counting Crows
concert as a team earlier this year, and are planning
on catching the band again in Florida, where they will
be competing for the national title later this year.
Men's team player Andrew DeSilva proclaimed
that "when you come to Michigan, you think about
the Big House on Saturday afternoons and wild hock-
ey games at Yost (Ice Arena), but the real hidden
dynasty at Michigan is club tennis."
Who: Pat Owen
Hometown: Polson, Mont.
Position: 165 pounds
Sport: Wrestling
Year: Senior
Why. Owen pulled off the biggest upset of his career at Minnesota Fri-
day night. A minute into the match, Owen put No. 5 Jacob Volkmann to
his back and pinned him. In the loss to Michigan State, Owen
defeated Arsen Aleksanyan, 4-0.
Owen
M SCHEDULE
Today
W Golf at Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge (Palos Verdes Estates, Calif.)
Tomorrow
W Golf at Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge (Palos Verdes Estates, Calif.)
Wednesday, Feb.12
M Basketball at Indiana, 7 p.m.
W Golf at Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge (Palos Verdes Estates, Calif.)
*I
'10.1
Plaushines proving
to be clutch for M'
(9
6LIVZI
NOTES
By Anne Ulble
For the Daily
When it comes down to the wire,
women's tennis player Kim
Plaushines knows how to deal with
the pressure.
In Michigan's matchup against
DePaul three weeks ago, she provid-
ed the team with a victory in a tough
three-set win at No. 5 singles. Then
again, two weekends ago, against
No. 14 Kentucky, Plaushines pulled
out a 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 match to secure a
second win for the team.
"We were really happy to get the
win over Kentucky," Plaushines said.
"It came down to the wire, and the
team fought hard; everyone wanted
that match."
Plaushines, the right-handed jun-
ior from Wisconsin, has had an
incredible tennis career dating back
to prep school, where she compiled
an impressive 119-5 match record
overall. In 2000, she was ranked 13th
in the USTA Midwestern rankings.
And Plaushines continues to set high
Bue can't
standards at Michigan, as she is 4-0
in her singles matchups this season.
Plaushines accounts her success to
the incredible support she has from
the team.
"We get along really well, and we
all care for one another," Plaushines
said. "Having that support really
helps. It's a lot easier to pull through
the tough matches when you know
the team is out there for you."
With the team's season starting in
September and finishing in April, the
girls have a rigorous schedule that is
a non-stop commitment.
"It's a long season, and the girls
have been working really hard,"
coach Bitsy Ritt said.
Coming off a two week break, the
Wolverines are getting prepared to
kickoff their Big Ten schedule
against Penn State this weekend. Ritt
saw the past two weeks as a chance
for the girls to prepare themselves
mentally for the tough season ahead
of them.
"This break hopefully allowed
them to get enough practice sets in
Capitaied
up a hotly-contested doubles point.
Two of the three matches ended in
tiebreakers, and the No. 3 team of
Anthony Jackson and Josef Fischer
was the only Michigan team to win,
with a score of 9-8 (5).
On the singles side, Wake Forest
dominated the competition, taking the
top four matches in straight sets on its
way to a complete sweep. Michigan's
No. 1 player, Michael Rubin, faced
David Loewenthal, whom he had
beaten years ago on the junior circuit.
Things were different this time
around, though, as Loewenthal - cur-
rently ranked No. 35 in the country -
defeated Rubin in straight sets.,
"(Loewenthal) served extremely
well, and Michael just wasn't able to
break his serve," said Goldberg, not-
ing that Rubin was only broken twice
in the 6-3, 6-4 decision."
By Melanie Kebelw
Daily Sports Writer
r
iLast weekend was one-oflost oppor,
tunities for the Michigan men's tennis
team, as it dropped matches to No. 22
Wake Forest and William and Mary in
North Carolina. The Wolverines failed
to capitalize on their chances in several
contests, especially the doubles match-
es, and as a result, came away 0-2 on
the weekend.
"Obviously the end result was disap-
pointing that we didn't come away with
at least a split," Michigan assistant
coach Dan Goldberg said. "Wake For-
est is ranked pretty high, and they
played an excellent match against us.
The William and Mary match was real-
ly very winnable."
Michigan faced the Demon Dea-
cons and began the match by giving
DANNY MOLOSHOK/Daily
Kim Plaushines will help lead a push for
a Big Ten Championship.
to feel confident as we start playing
our Big Ten competitors," she
remarked.
As the eight girls advance into the
most important part of their season,
they have many goals set in their minds,
but the ultimate goal of every player is
to win the Big Ten Championships.
"We've been working really hard,
and we want to win (The Big Ten
Championships)," Plaushines said.
And with the team's motto, as 'Every
ball, every point, every day,' it's hard to
believe that it won't happen.
[own South
Saturday, the Wolverines had a few
more chances to turn the match in their
favor but fell short again. Michigan
began the match by giving up another
close doubles point.
"We actually had a match point to
win the number 1 doubles match, and
we lost that in a tiebreaker," Goldberg
said.
The No. I team of Chris Rolf and
Rubin dropped its match, as did Chris
Shaya and Vinnie Gossain. Once again,
the team of Jackson/Fischer was the
only doubles win for the Wolverines.
"Our number 3 team played extreme-
ly well in their matches this weekend,"
Goldberg said. "We're still learning. It's
just a question of cashing in when we
have those opportunities."
The singles matches also reflected
the Wolverines' inability to. capitalize
on opportunities. In one of the matches
Michigan lost, Gossain was up 3-0 in
the third set before falling to his oppo-
nent. Also, Shaya was two points away
from winning his match before losing.
"We didn't step up when the big
points came up. That match really came
down to a few points here and there,"
said Goldberg, citing lack of experi-
ence as part of the problem. "The more
matches the guys can play in those
types of situations, the more confi-
dence they'll have the next time. The
more confidence you have, you come
to expect to win those situations."
He said although the Wolverines did-
n't pick up a win this weekend, every-
one still took a lot of positives out of
the experience. And the experience
itself will benefit a team that started the
season with only two returning players
with varsity experience.
Vegas brings no luck
to M' gymnasts
U.S. National Team anyone? Five
members of the No. 4 Michigan men's
gymnastics team were sent to Las
Vegas Friday and Saturday to compete
at the U.S. Gymnastics-sponsored Win-
ter Cup Challenge.
Their goal was to compete against 80
of the nation's top gymnasts for one of
the three remaining spots on the nation-
al team. Also competing was current
Michigan assistant coach Justin Toman,
a former two-time NCAA individual
champion on the parallel bars.
He was accompanied by seniors
Jamie Hertza and Conan Parzuchows-
ki, sophomore Geoff Corrigan and
freshmen Justin Laury and Gerry Sig-
norelli. Sophomore Eddie Umphrey
was not able to compete due to an
injury he suffered last week.
The event was split into two days.
Friday featured the all-around finals
and individual event preliminaries. Day
two highlighted the individual event
finals, although only Parzuchowski and
Toman were able to advance.
Parzuchowski, a two-time NCAA
All-American on the still rings, ended
up in seventh place with a score of
8.825 in his dominant event. Toman fell
during his parallel bars routine and fin-
ished in eighth place (7.450), despite
excelling during the prelims with a
9.250.
-from Staff Reports.
Brannen, Willis join
elite group of men
It was a great weekend for sopho-
more Nate Brannen and freshman Nick
Willis. The two became the fifth and
sixth athletes in Michigan men's track
and field history to post sub four-
minute performances in the mile Satur-
day on the final day of the Meyo
Invitational at Notre Dame.
Willis started off in the lead in the first
500 meters of the race, but was overtaken
by Eastern Michigan's Boaz Cheboiywo
with 300 meters left in the race.
Brannen took the lead at the very end
of the race, but Notre Dame senior Luke
Watson was able to finish just a hair
ahead of him to take first place.
Brannen finished in second with a
time of 3:57.96, while Willis took
fourth place with a time of 3:58.15. The
top five finishers in the race had run
the world's top times for the mile this
year.
By finishing under four minutes, the
two runners joined some elite company.
Former Wolverines Kevin Sullivan,
Brian Diemer, Scott MacDonald and
Jay Cantin were the only athletes in
Michigan history who had recorded a
mile under four minutes.
Sullivan holds the school record of
3:55.33, which he set in 1995.
-from Staff Reports.
AA Airport Service
FLAT rate to and from Metro and all
other airports
CALL TODAY: 734-769-2645
NBA STANDINGS
NHL STANDINGS
EASTERN CONFERENCE
ATLANTIC DIVISION
EASTERN CONFERENCE
New Jersey
Boston
Philadelphia
Washington
Orlando
New York
Miami
CENTRAL DIVISION
W
34
27
25
24
24
21
17
W
34
32
25
26
19
17
14
10
L
15
22
24
25
26
27
32
L
15
15
23
24
30
32
34
40
Pct.
.694
.551
.510
.490
.480
.438
.347
Pct.
.694
.681
.521
.520
.388
.347
.292
.200
GB
7
9
10
10.5
12.5
17
GB
1
8.5
8.5
15
17
19.5
24.5
Ottawa
Toronto
Boston
Montreal
Buffalo
34
30
27
21
15
ATLANTIC DIVISION
W
New Jersey 33
Philadelphia 29
NY Islanders 25
Pittsburgh 22
NY Rangers 21
NORTHEAST DIVISION
w
L
13
14
22
24
28
L
14
20
20
23
27
L
20
20
20
28
27
Thursday, Feb. 13
W Basketball vs. Wisconsin, 7 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 14
Softball vs. Fresno State, 5:30 p.m. PST
W Gymnastics vs. Northern Illinois, 7 p.m.
Ice Hockey vs. Michigan State, 7:35 p.m.
Softball vs. Cal-State Northridge, 8 p.m. PST
M Track/Field at Sykes-Sabok Challenge Cup
W Track/Field at Sykes-Sabok Challenge Cup
Saturday, Feb. 15
W Tennis at Penn State, 11 a.m.
M Tennis vs. Toledo, 12 p.m.
M Basketball vs. Ohio State, 3 p.m.
Softball vs. Oregon, 3 p.m. PST
Softball vs. San Diego State, 5:30 p.m. PST
Wrestling vs. Penn State, 6 p.m.
M Gymnastics at Minnesota, 7 p.m. CST
Ice Hockey at Michigan State, 7 p.m.
0
Sunday, Feb. 16
Softball vs. Loyola Marymount, 9 a.m. PST
M Tennis vs. Indiana State, 12 p.m.
W Tennis at Ohio State, 12 p.m.
Wrestling vs. Ohio State, 1 p.m.
W Basketball vs. Michigan State, 2 p.m.
DAMP SCOREBOARD
T
3
9
5
4
7
T
7
4
5
7
7
T
7
8
11.
3
6
OL
4
2
2
5
2
OL.
1
1
2
5
4
OL
3
5
.8
4
5
PTS GF GA
73 140102
69 128115
57 147 154
53 145162
51 147 180
PTS _GFGA
76 182127
65 156133
61 161144
54 148 167
41 113141
PTS GF GA
62 161150
57 152156
51 128 164
45 148191
45 119161
Indiana
Detroit
Milwaukee
New Orleans
Atlanta
Chicago
Toronto
Cleveland
SOUTHEAST DIVISION
W
Washington 26
Tampa Bay 22
Florida 16
Atlanta 19
Carolina 17
WESTERN CONFERENCE
WESTERN CONFERENCE
NORTHWEST DIVISION
Dallas
San Antonio
Utah
Minnesota
Houston
Memphis
Denver
_
-
LSA STUDENTS & MAY 2003 GRADS
Seeking a
REWARDING SUMMER JOB?
Be a Summer Academic Peer Advisor!
Info at LSA Advising Center, 1255 Angell or
attend an information session at 4:00 p.m.,
Wednesday, February 12, 1215 Angell Hall
w
38
33
29
29
26
13
12
34
32
29
24
21
21
17
L
10
16
20
20
22
35
37
L
17
16
21
23
27
27
32
Pot.
.792
.673
.592
.592
.542
.271
.245
Pet.
.667
.667
.580
.511
.438
.438
.347
GB
5.5
9.5
9.5
12
25.
26.5
GB
0.5
4.5
8
11.5
11.5
16
CENTRAL DIVISION
W
St. Louis 29J
Detroit 271
Chicago 239
Nashville 18
Columbus 20
NORTHWEST DIVISION
W
Vancouver 31
Minnesota 27
Edmonton 25
Colorado 23
Calgary 18
L
15
17
19
23
26
L
16
18
18
14
26
L
11
19
24
23
24
T
8
9
10
9
6
T
8
8
6
11
8
T
12
7
4
6
7
OL
4
2
3
4
2
OL
0
1
6
5
3
OL
1
4
4
5
4
PTS
70
65
59
49
48
PTS
70
63
62
62
47
PTS
75
59
52
51
49
GF GA
180143
157 138
132 130
124144
152 167
GF GA
170143
132 120
151148
153132
120155
GF GA
170110
133 134
140149
147162
134148
PACIFIC DIVISION
0*
Sacramento
Portland
Phoenix
LA Lakers
Seattle
Golden State
LA Clippers
PACIFIC DIVISION
W
Dallas 31
Anaheim 24
Los Angeles 22
San Jose 20
Phoenix 19
NBA GAMES
Saturday Night
NBA Dunk Competition
Jason Richardson, Champion, 96 pts. in final round.
def. Desmond Mason, 93 pts. in final round.
3-Point Shootout
Peja Stojakovic, Champion, 22 pts. in final round.
def. Wesley Person, 16 pts. in final round.
Rookie Challenge
Sophomores 132, Rookies 112
Gilbert Arenas, Sophomores, MVP
Skills Competition
Jason Kidd def. Gary Payton in final round.
Yesterday's game
West 155, East 145
(NBA All-Star game in Atlanta)
Today's games
No Games
NHL GAMES
Yesterday's games
New Jersey 3, Minnesota 2
Montreal 2, Washington 0
Calgary 4, Colorado 2
Dallas 3, Los Angeles 1
Anaheim 2, Carolina 1
Today's games
Minnesota at Phildelphia,
Chicago at Vancouver,
San Jose at Detroit,
Tomorrow's games
St. Louis at Buffalo
Tampa Bay at NY Islanders,
Boston at Montreal,
Edmonton at Toronto,
.Los Angeles at Nashville,
Carolina at Dallas,
New Jersey at Colorado
40
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