The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, September 25, 2002 - 11 Michigan faces fall preview of Big Ten Spikers aren't bored by Iowa By Sharad Mattu For the Daily This weekend the Michigan men's golf team will try to rebound from its rough start when it plays in the 16-team Northern Intercollegiate in Bloomington. Michigan coach Andrew Sapp has emphasized bulking up the Wolver- ines' schedule, and his golfers will face stiff competition this weekend. The teams in this year's field include defending NCAA champion Min- nesota and Illinois, which finished No. 18 last year. Last week the Wolverines finished last in the Ridges Intercollegiate in Johnson City, Tenn. But Sapp says the team came away optimistic. "Everyone there was ranked ahead of us and seven teams were ranked in the top 20," Sapp said. "We did finish last, but the players realized that they are very close to those other teams, and that has made them want to practice and improve." Redshirt freshman Mark McIn- tosh agreed with his coach. "Last year the team played in a lot of regional tournaments, but this year we get to see some of the top teams in the country. It is good because we are a young team, so seeing how the best prepare and play will help us become better golfers." Joining junior Dave Nichols, sophomore Rob Tighe and McIntosh BLOOMINGTON What: Northern Intercollegiate Invitational When: 8 a.m. Saturday, 8:30 a.m. Sunday Latest: Nine of the 16 teams in this weekend's field are from the Big Ten, and Bloomington will host the Big Ten Tournament in May. this weekend will be junior Scott Carlton and freshman Christian Vozza. "This week in qualifying, Christ- ian shot one under par," Sapp said. "This weekend will be his first tour- nament for us, and I am excited to see what he can show." The Northern Intercollegiate will also serve as a fall preview for the Big Ten Championship; Indiana will host the Big Ten Championships this spring and nine of the 11 Big Ten teams will be in Bloomington this weekend. "This weekend will be an early barometer of where we fit in when the season really gets going in the spring," Sapp said. By Waldemar Centeno For the Daily Schmucker rising star for women Picture Iowa, a country of corn- fields. Picture nothing but corn fields in sight, except maybe an occasional baseball field - a Field of Dreams. Iowa is supposed to be boring, right? But on Friday, Iowa City will be the place to be when Michigan opens up its first Big Ten matchup with the Iowa Hawkeyes (6-4). This would mark the 44th time that Michigan (6-4) will face the Hawkeyes. With the two teams hold- ing the same records, both seem to be evenly matched and ready to capture a win to begin the Big Ten grind. Revenge will be in the air for the Wolverines. Michigan is still bitter about its two losses to Iowa last year. The first loss was at home, where the Wolverines forced Iowa to a fifth game, but lost the match 3-2. The sec- ond loss was in Iowa City, where the Hawkeyes posted an easy win over the Wolverines, 3-1. The Hawkeyes have not fared very well this season, though, dropping their last two matches to Eastern Michigan and No. 7 Northern Iowa. After a difficult loss to Notre Dame, Michigan hopes to bounce back at this critical juncture. But the Wolverines won't undergo any drastic strategic changes this weekend to give teh Hawkeyes a new look. "We're working on little things to take the necessary steps in getting better as a team," junior Erin Moore said. Young, and capable of taking the Big Ten by storm, Michigan is ready to head over to Iowa and pro- claim its spot among the elite in the conference. "They throw the ball around a lot, but they're a good team," Moore said. But with continuously amazing play from Jennifer Gandolph and Kat- rina Lehman, Michigan should have DAXNNY MOLOS~HOK/Daily Bloomfield Hills native Katrina Lehman leads the Wolverines in aces with 15. As a senior, she will begin her final Big Ten season this weekend. By Michael Nisson For the Daily Oohh! Ahhh! Smack! Zing! No, this is not a summary of a professor's lecture on stylistic writing devices such as ono- matopoeia, nor is it the minutes from a meeting of the golf this weekend. It's surprisingly a lot different from high school golf. After I shot a 75 on the first day, I was thinking that was a great score. In high school, it would have been a phenomenal score, but here that's what we're supposed to be shooting. You really have to gut it out for every shot. I had a lot of fun, and I'm very pleased with my finish. I just wanted National Rifle Association. Rather, these words form the vernacular of one of nature's most pre- cious resources: the golf course. They were also some of the sounds coming from the Michigan Golf Course, when fresh- man Amy Schmucker finished fourth overall in the Wolverine Invitational two weeks ago. She tied sophomore teammate Laura Olin with a score of 229. When questioned about which freshman impressed her the most, junior Sarah Kruer sin- gled out Schmucker. IOWA CITY What: Lady Northern Invite When: Saturday and Sunday Latest: Michigan is coming off a sixth-place finish last weekend in East Lansing, with sophomore Laura Olin's 229 leading the way. to qualify for the next tournament, so I went above and beyond my expectations." Speaking of expectations, this year's team may be facing new ones for the upcoming sea- son. After competing in its first NCAA post- season experience - the NCAA East Regional, in which Michigan placed 12th - there is reason for excitement. Led by three- year letter winner Kim Benedict, the team returns six players from last year's squad. After already having placed second in their own Invitational, and sixth at the Mary Fossum last week, the Wolverines seem ready to break little problem competing with Iowa. Gandolph is coming off of a huge week at the Nebraska Classic, which was followed by another strong per- formance on Sept. 21 against Notre Dame. In that game against the Irish, Lehman had 20 kills and 17 digs. She is also approaching Julia Strum's school record for career blocks. Lehman is just 10 blocks away from that mark with 365. Over the pass few seasons, the play of Chantel Reedus, Nicole Poquette and Carrie Ritchie, along with Gandolph and Lehman, has led Michigan to victo- ry against the Hawkeyes and they will IOWA CITY AND MINNEAPOLIS Who: Michigan (6-4) vs. Iowa (6-4), No.8 Min- nesota (13-2) When: 8 p.m. Friday, 8 p.m. Saturday Latest: Michigan opens the Big Ten season on the road, and looks to win the conference opener for the first time since 1999. look to repeat that earlier success. Since both opponents are coming off of losses, this should be a very exciting matchup of the two Big Ten competitors. But, it will not be an easy task for the Wolverines, who yet again are forced to leave Ann Arbor. "She played amazingly in our home tournament," Kruer said. "She's shooting great numbers." Schmucker was pleased with her own performance. "It was really exciting, and I learned a lot about college Invitational into the win column. Their next chance to do so will come this weekend, when they travel to Iowa City to participate in the Lady Northern Invitational. Do You Have Acne?; If you have acne you may qualify for an investigational study at the University of Michigan Department of Dermatology. ¢ You may also receive compensation for your participation. ¢ If you are interested in participating, call the University of Michigan Department of Dermatology to find out more. ¢ The number is : (734) 764-DERM fa " ATTENTION FACULTY & STAFF GET YOUR FREE GO BLUE PASS TODAY! 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