The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - December 2, 2002 - 7B Spikers beat Wildcats in season finale By Albert Kim Daily Sports Writer There was only one thing that could make senior Katrina Lehman feel better than get- ting a win in her last match at Cliff Keen Arena - an NCAA Tournament berth. Lehman and the Michigan women's vol- leyball team got it last night, landing an improbable spot in the tournament after splitting its last two matches last weekend. After dropping their match with No. 15 Wisconsin on Friday, the Wolverines need- ed a win Saturday to stay alive. They used a tried and true formula - stay away from the other team's star - to perfection in defeating Northwestern and middle blocker Erika Lange 3-1 on senior night. Lehman and sophomore Carrie Ritchie gave the 1,023 fans at Cliff Keen Arena something to cheer about. "I was really happy that our last match here we were able to pull off a win," Lehman said. Michigan's game plan hinged on match- ing Lehman up with Lange, one of the Big Ten's best blockers. Lange had just one and a half blocks on the night, and Michigan out-blocked the Wildcats 15-8. Revenge was also on the Wolverines' minds, since the team lost 3-1 to the Wildcats earlier in the season. Michigan jumped out to a quick 13-5 lead in the first game, as Northwestern struggled to find its rhythm. Michigan's Ritchie proved to be the hot server, using her jump serve to attack Northwestern's back line defense. Ritchie rolled off five straight points, tar- geting the Wildcats' defensive specialist. "She seemed to get in a little bit of trou- ble, so we tried to go after it," Michigan coach Mark Rosen said. Bad passing by the Wildcats led to easy points for the Wolverines, and Michigan exposed the soft middle defense of North- western to take the first game 30-23. The second game proved to be a reversal of fortunes, as Michigan's offense struggled early. Northwestern found some success defensively, finally getting some blocks and building a 17-13 lead. Michigan fought back behind Ritchie's serving once again, but made crucial mistakes down the stretch to drop the game 30-27. Michigan started to attack the middle front of the Northwestern defense early in game three, and it paid off. The Wolverines got Lange to respect the middle, then used fakes to the middle to attack the outside. This created one-on-one opportunities out- side, and resulted in Michigan getting some crucial points. Even setter Lisa Gamalski got into the act, out-jumping Lange for an important ball and winning the point. In the deciding game, Michigan took con- trol early and played with the intensity need- ed to save its season. Lehman came up with some huge points up the middle against Lange and capped a big night by knocking a kill right through Lange for a 23-17 lead that the Wolverines would not relinquish. The star of the night, though, was Ritchie who had crucial kills in addition to her almost untouchable serving. The team seemed to pick it up whenever Ritchie was starting things off. "I think that for anybody who gets to serve and gets an ace, it's a big momentum builder," Ritchie said. "It's a good rallying point for any team." Ritchie served out game four to close out the match, but the night wasn't over yet. Lehman was honored after the game for her four years as a starter, and there weren't many dry eyes on the sideline as she spoke about her time at Michigan. Lehman will leave Michigan with the most blocks in the history of the program. "She's been such an integral part of our offense and defense," Rosen said. "She's definitely going to be missed." Lehman did not feel much emotion during the game, though. "Actually I was really into the match tonight," Lehman said. "I didn't think much about this (being) my last time ever being here." TOM FELDKAMP/Daily Senior Katrina Lehman shined in her last match at Cliff Keen Arena, leading Michigan's defense in out-blocking Northwestern 15-8. She leaves Michigan as the school's all-time blocks leader. Blue to face Kansas State in first round By Albert Kim Daily Sports Writer The Michigan volleyball team got an early Christmas present last night as the Wolverines were selected to participate in the 2002 NCAA Tour- nament. Michigan will face Kansas State in the first round at Ahern Field House in Manhattan, Kan. The Wolverines are in the East region, and if victorious, will face the win- ner of No. 12 Washington State and Oral Roberts University. It was an ecstatic and very sur- prised team that saw its name on the big screen during the selection show last night. "Yesterday after the match (Michigan coach) Mark (Rosen) told us we had a 10 to 15 percent chance," junior captain Erin Moore said. "I thought it was even lower than that, but we got the wins we needed to get." Michigan got in on the strength of one of the toughest schedules in the country, and its Big Ten record of 10-10. It was also helped by Indiana losing Saturday night, which created a three-way tie for sixth place in the conference. In addition, Michigan coach Mark Rosen has a good track record of going to the postseason as a coach, making the tournament in eight of his 10 seasons. Rosen has led the Wolverines to the tournament three out of the last four years, narrowly missing a bid last year. "We've come in with a mentality that making the NCAA tournament should be the minimum," Rosen said. The Wolverines finished the 2002 regular season campaign with a 16- 14 overall record, including wins over NCAA Tournament-bound Michigan State, Ohio State and Penn State. PeThe tournament committee recog- nized the strength of the Big Ten and chose eight teams from the con- ference, tying a record set in 1999 for most Big Ten teams selected. Indiana, Minnesota, Northwestern, and Wisconsin were also selected. "We've always felt that this is a great conference, and it sends a strong message that we are one of the two best conferences in the country," Rosen said. Michigan has a 3-3 record in NCAA Tournament play. The last time Michigan was in the tourney was in 2000, when it beat Louisville in the first round but lost to then- No. 2 Arizona in the second round. For the Wolverines' lone senior Katrina Lehman, the announcing of the tournament draw was an intense couple of minutes to be sure. "My palms were sweaty, and my heart was racing," Lehman said. "When it came up, it was a sense of relief." Most of the team tried to be real- istic in gauging their chances, but in their hearts they all seemed to believe. "My head was saying. that we're not going to make it, but in my heart I knew we were going to make it," Lehman said. That belief is already carrying over into the preparation for the tournament. The Wolverines feel that they can play with anybody, and will get their chance to prove it. "I definitely think we (deserved) it," Moore said. "If we play our game, we'll be fine." ---- -------- ........................ ............................ ...... ........................... - ------ - ------- 3 . z,°a w# WEST Cvfac''s!: kx"i :--------- - f ;.:Z i'y3 t3 Y £w' y< t sa.:tES3ah.' t E.k: t No s d. t ................................ .., .emnee. . !4n+ane+e esera . moo 3 .""""""""""""""".' MWA"Oz;& AC 4"K' dbenueaeeaeeaeeu uneeaes fat :.Y xr;, . gg CENTRAL 3 p , ,tcc S wwwnnww.ww n.nww ''tea} onuuu sim oin LmL Al IL, 2iro --------------------------- - - ---- # Mtdf # J :L't wwwreeaserel Jerwpmww6w ws eeeowseswws Ta .iYt:dsR#S £'i PACIFIC ulml ------------- 'are..lmeeeK a . ilMrll rN !i9rrrrlrki9.r ! I s; a:: FtP.y^c s?}d S< PSYrD' ?'M' v '.3 3 'C?''#Ka". '{ £.ss5Y5 '? C .f84x4 i Michiganensian Y E A R B O O K LAST WEEK OF SENIOR, PICTURES! your piure could be in the midle of these ine TOM FELDKAMP/Daily Sophomore setter Lisa Gamalski played well Saturday night and will look to keep the Wolverines on a winning track in the NCAA Tournament. .A -," , . Chan Lance )nn r' .-. n,'u I Li r 4 : el ome a Karan DKNY Intimates Christian Dior Elizabeth Arden .and many more! Over 1000 Designer Fragrances for Men & Women I I amviu(,ne ,rie ver iuwear I I