Friday September 20, 2002 michigandaily.com sportsdesk@umich.edu SPORTS 9A Sisters clash at Cliff Keen in Blue victory By Rob Dean For the Daily Nicole Poquette jogged onto the court after a timeout, ready to serve for the Michigan volley- ball team. This would have been a routine - TOLEDO action for the junior from Grand Haven. But as she MICHIGAN 3 got ready to send the ball sailing to the Toledo team, she noticed something that piqued her interest. Poquette smiled, because standing across the net from her was her younger sister, Chelsey. This would be the first time in their careers that the two had ever played on different sides of the court. "It was such a good feeling seeing her over there," remembers Poquette. "I'm sure she was nervous." Chelsey saw limited action for the Rockets while Nicole starred in a 3-0 victory for the Wolverines. Michigan (6-3) handed Toledo (7-3) its third loss of the season, dominating the Rockets for most of the match. While Michigan led throughout, Toledo made several runs. "We knew that they were going to play really hard because they had nothing to lose," said Michigan associate head coach Leisa Rosen. But after narrowly losing to two top teams last weekend, the Wolverines came out strong by overpow- ering the Rockets at the net. DANN'Y MOLOH"UOuaiy Michigan captain Erin Moore delivers a punishing blow earlier this season. The junior had six kills in Michigan's 3-0 win over Toledo last night. "They seemed very focused," said Michigan head coach Mark Rosen. The team jumped out to an 11-point lead behind the stellar defense of Poquette, captain Erin Moore and junior Chanteel Reedus. Katrina Lehman had similar success serving the ball, posting four aces in game one en route to a 30-17 win. Michigan didn't have to play much offense in the second game, jumping out to an early lead off several Rocket errors. Toledo did make a strong run to count- er Michigan's defense at the net - getting as close as two points - but Rosen opted to keep his players on the court rather than call a timeout. "I really wanted to call a timeout to break their rhythm, but it was early in the match and you only get two timeouts," Rosen said. The team rallied on the court behind the leadership of Lehman and Moore to win the second game 30-25. To finish the match, Rosen mixed some of the younger Wolverines with their veteran teammates. In the end, it was freshman Shaynell Neal with the win- ning kill to put away the Rockets 30-21. One incidental moment in the sibling showdown seemed to sum up Michigan's triumph for the evening. As Poquette sent a spike flying toward her younger sister, the ball sailed just past Chelsey's extended reach. For the night, the Wolverines were simply beyond the Toledo's grasp. . Football Saturday No. 14 Michigan m Utah TOMRRW,1205P..,ESPN L 0 * , , y Michigan (2-1) has a sour taste in its mouth after a heart-breaking, 25-23 loss to Notre Dame last week. But so does Utah (2-1), which enters the Big. House for the teams' first-ever meeting still livid over a con- troversial ending to its loss to Arizona last weekend. Inside this edition of Football Saturday, you will find: Risin' in the West - Who are the Utes? Find out how coach Ron McBride handles dining with Rick Majerus as well as helping Utah rise out of obscurity. The Captains - Take an in-depth look into this year's Michigan captains. Tight end Bennie Joppru and Victor Hobson use dramatically different person- alities to motivate teammates throughout this upcom- ing season. As always, Football Saturday contains matchups, a preview of the game as well as other college football action around the country. Powers leads new offense for 'M' stickers By Brian Schick Daily Sports Writer It did not come as a surprise that Michigan field hockey forward Molly Powers was named Big Ten offensive player of the week. After all, she did score three goals last weekend - two OCKE against No. 14 Boston Who:No.3r College, including the vs.emple game-tying mark. The eastern (5-0 next day, she scored the when: 10 a.r overtime game-winner 2 p.m.Sund against Connecticut. Latest: The Vr What may come as a their final nor surprise is that this is the weekend bet first time Powers has comesto tom received the award in her four years at Michigan. The senior has been an integral part of the third-ranked Wolverines' early- season offensive explosion. Powers' three-goal performance last weekend gives her five for the season - tied R Mic -4) m. Jay Wol nco fore wn n for second on the team - and she hopes to keep the offense rolling as Michigan (5-1) hosts Temple (1-4) tomorrow and Northeastern (5-0) on Sunday at Ocker Field.. "It's surprising (that Powers never received this honor) because she's very talent- FIELD ed,' Michigan coach Mar- higan (5-1) cia Pankratz said. "She North- comes up with big goals in big games - like the one tomorrow, against Connecticut - so finally, it's nice to see." verinesface According to Powers, nference there isn't a real reason Ohio State why she found herself in next week. crucial situations last weekend. When she did, she made the most of her opportunities. "I think it was a coincidence," Powers said. "We all try to fill those shoes when the game is on the line and be the kind of player who can step up." Powers is already close to eclipsing her goal total from last year (eight) in just six games. In fact, the entire team is ahead of its production at this point last season. Through six games last season, the Wolverines had scored eight goals. This season, the number is 20. Powers indicated that Pankratz has implemented a new offense this season, and it has made an immediate impact. "The system that we're running is very attacking," Powers said. "So far it seems to be working for us, and hope- fully it'll continue to work." Although Powers and her fellow Wolverines are averaging 3.3 goals per game;just four players have put the ball in the net this season - Powers, seniors Jessica Rose and Stephanie Johnson, and junior April Fronzoni. But the play- ers who are scoring are doing so in impressive fashion. "We have some players that are really growing," said Pankratz, who won her 100th career game last weekend. "A lot of our upperclassmen are forwards, and they're very fast. Their skills are starting to catch up to their speed, and they're incredibly dangerous. It's an exciting brand of hockey." Pankratz hopes the excitement will continue this weekend, especially against No. 12 Northeastern. The Huskies' netminder Emily Roy has allowed just two goals all season, both against Massachusetts on Sept. 2. North- eastern will also take on Central Michi- gan tonight at Ocker Field as a tune up for tomorrow's game. Pankratz hopes the extra day of practice will be to the Wolverines' advantage. "We've been able to work on some things (in the past few weeks) and to grow," Pankratz said. "We've been able to expand on our attack and make it really complicated. We're hoping to build some momentum heading into the Big Ten." Like Jordan, all eyes on Turpin By Gennaro FlIee Daily Sports Writer With supreme ball-handling skills, lightning speed, a cannon foot and an afro that would make Dr J. nervous, sophomore forward Mychal Turpin is hard to miss on the soccer field. So far this season, Michigan has been riding Turpin's back en route to a 2-2-1 record. During last week- end's Brown Invitational, Turpin scored two goals in two games giving him the single-sea- son record for goals scored (six) - and the ELBEL AND V Wolverines aren't even out of the nonconfer- Who: Michig ence season. But Michigan coach Steve Burns Oakland Univ doesn't see Turpin's dynamic play in a com- and Penn Ste pletely positive light. As Burns simply states, When: 6 p.m Turpin is so good, it's bad. Sunday "I call it 'Michael Jordan syndrome'," Latest: Forw Burns said. "When Jordan began his career Turpin'stwo with the Chicago Bulls, his teammates would weekend ma stand and watch him do his thing when the gan's leading ball was in his hands. "Likewise, when Mychal has the ball, our team offense is stagnant, in that the rest of the team doesn't attack the net because they are watching to see what he can do. If we aren't moving without the ball, we can be easily defended." That was the case last Sunday in a 2-1 loss to Yale. Turpin scored the Wolverines' lone goal and the Michi- gan offense struggled, posting just nine shots on goal compared to Yale's 14. m VAF an ver ate . to ard go de gcs After failing to earn a "W" in the Brown Invitational, Burns and his Wolverines know the importance of this week- end's two-game homestand against Oakland and Penn State. "We feel that we've got to make up some ground and this would be a great time to do just that," Burns said. "When you look at the psychological component to our team, they know that they need to respond with two wins this weekend to get back on track to qualify for the NCAA tournament." Today, Michigan faces off against the Oakland Golden Grizzlies. The youthful Grizzlies have RSITY FIELDS won back-to-back Mid-Continent Conference (2-2-1) vs. titles, and currently hold a 2-2-1 record in their sity (2-2-1) race for a third. During his 22 years as Oakland's (3-3) head coach, Gary Parsons has molded the Griz- oday, 2 p.m. zlies into a very organized, hard-working team. Returning almost every defender from last year, J Mychal Oakland's strength lies in its suffocating defense, als last which allowed just 18 goals in 2001. him Michi- On Sunday, Michigan opens up itsBig Ten areer scorer. season at home against Penn State. One of the favorites in the Big Ten this season, the Nittany Lions will enter Sunday's contest with a 3-3 record. The key to beating the Nittany Lions is stopping sophomore forward Chad Severs, who is tied with Turpin and Knox Cameron for the conference lead in points (13). "Severs is a handful, you've got to always be aware of where he is on the field," Burns said. Although Penn State holds a 3-0 edge over Michigan in the series, two of the three games have gone into overtime. Softball Umpires Needed!* Why umpire softball??? ~ Very flexible scheduling ~ We provide all training - first time officials welcome ~ Uniforms provided and yours to keep! ~ Earn $7.00 an hour Meet new friends WI r7i I Intensity key for 'M' this weekend By Jae Ferrntino For The Daily The No. 14 Michigan women's soccer team has fared exceptionally well in its difficult early matchups, but starting today, the team is putting its record on the line against familiar conference foes. This weekend, the Wolverines will take on their first two Big Ten oppo- nents, hosting Iowa today and Illinois on Sunday. Both games will be played at Varsity Field. co-captains Abby Crumpton, Andrea Kayal and Carly Williamson. Their lead- ership will be needed to start another winning streak for Michigan. The Hawkeyes and Illini are not the favorites in the Big Ten race this year, but both squads are under new leader- ship, which means their strategies are something of a mystery. Michigan does know, though, that Illinois will be fast. "I expect them to use a 'run-and-gun' style," Rademacher said. "The wings VARSITY FIELD Who: No. 14 Michigan (5-1) vs. Iowa (4-1) and Illinois (3-3) When: 4 p.m. today, 11:30 a.m. Sunday Latest: Michigan looks to rebound after Geor- gia snapped its five-game winning streak last weekend. minutes had passed. "We just need to come out at the beginning of the game with the same Training clinics begin on Please contact Monday, David Siegle at September 23rd, 763-3562 for at 7:30 PM at further the Intramural information. Sports Building.