6B - The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - September 29, 2003
I
'M' fights rain
for seventh-
place finish
By Steven Shears
Daily Sports Writer
Rain, rain, go away.
This weekend, the wet weather in Columbus
hampered the play of the Michigan women's golf
team through the first two rounds of the Lady
Northern Intercollegiate tournament. It caused
the completion of the third round to be postponed
a day and created difficult course conditions.
But when the sky cleared yesterday, Michigan
shot its lowest score (305) of the tournament on
the Ohio State Scarlet Golf Course, and finished
seventh in a field of 15 ieams.
"I am pleased with our steady improvement,
and steady effort over the weekend," Michigan
coach Kathy Teichert said. "Each round we got a
little better."
Part of this progression was because of the
improved weather conditions from Saturday to
yesterday.
But the rain may have also helped the Wolver-
ines. Because the rain forced the second round to
be completed yesterday and not Saturday, the
holes could not be relocated to another spot on
the green. This helped the Michigan golfers to
become familiar with the course.
"None of our players have ever played this
course," Teichert said. "The hole placement was
the same all three rounds, and this helped us get
a little better in each round."
Michigan shot 312, 311 and 305 in the three
rounds.
"We played much better in the third round,"
Teichert said. "We were in it from the start."
Lauren Olin and Amy Schmucker performed
exceptionally in the third round. Olin shot an
even par, the only even par from a Michigan
golfer in the tournament. Schmucker shot a 4-
Blue opens Big Ten
season with noise
DANNY MOLOSHOK/Daily
The Michigan women's golf team fought bad weather to finish seventh in the Lady Northern Intercollegiate
tournament. The field consisted of 15 teams.
over-par 76.
"Lauren and Amy shot the scores we really
needed them to shoot," Teichert said. "Lauren
was very consistent."
But solid numbers from Michigan's top golfers
during the last round were not enough for the
Wolverines to overcome their high-scoring first
round. Olin and Schmucker had trouble with the
unfamiliar Scarlet course early on Saturday.
Enter sophomore Brandi Zielinksi.
Zielinski stepped up in the first round and shot
a 78, which was good enough to be included in
Michigan's lowest four scores and count toward
the Wolverines' team score. In the Wolverines'
season opener last week, she only competed as an
individual.
"Brandi really came through in the first round,"
Teichert said. "She was key; to get her to help us
was really a boost. When you have some depth
like that, it takes off some pressure."
Senior Sarah Kruer shot 78 and 79 in the first
two rounds, respectively, contributing to the team
score as well.
Michigan finished the tournament in the mid-
dle of the pack, but was just two strokes behind
Indiana and Kent State, who shared fifth place.
"The more we compete, the more we can
expect out of us," Teichert said.
By Eric Ambinder
Daily Sports Writer
The loudest building on State Street
this past weekend wasn't Yost Ice
Arena; it was its little brother, Cliff
Keen Arena. The 12th annual "Rock
the House" drew almost 3,000 fans
this weekend, celebrating the begin-
ning of the Big Ten season for the
Michigan volleyball team.
"These women go all out," said fan
Max Navia.
"Maybe the guysMHG
get the adulation, -
but the girls have
heart. I wish I
came out to more
of these matches earlier."
Navia chose "Rock the House" over
the Michigan intra-squad hockey
match happening down the street.
Unsure of his decision at first,
Navia would come to realize he made
the right one.
Not only were the fans treated to
two of the best volleyball matches in
recent history, but the team's effort
and results were also a major morale
booster for coaches and players.
Michigan (9-4 overall, 1-1 Big Ten)
kicked off its Big Ten season with a 3-
0 sweep of Ohio State on Friday (6-3,
0-1), but couldn't outlast the steady
play of No. 12 Penn State on Saturday
(13-1, 2-0), losing 3-2.
The Wolverines were looking for
their sixth consecutive win of the
season against Ohio State, a team
that boasts one of the best players in
the country in outside hitter Stacey
Gordon.
"If we could contain Gordon, than
we thought we could have a very good
chance," Ohio native and Michigan
middle blocker Erin Moore said.
Gordon, who leads the Big Ten in
kills per game at 6.25, averaged just
3.33 kills per game against the
Wolverines and finished with a minus
.083 attack percentage.
Shutting down Gordon early was
key for the Wolverines, who took the
first set 37-35, in a game that boasted
15 tie scores and six lead changes.
"It was good for them to win that
game," Ohio State coach Jim Stone
said. "They rode that momentum into
the second game and took a lead that
we couldn't catch up from."
Michigan was able to cruise the rest
of the match, mainly behind the ener-
gy of the crowd and the steady play of
freshman Danielle Pflum.
Pflum, who saw extended action
filling in for injured starter Chantel
Reedus, registered just six kills, yet
most of them came at crucial points in
the final two sets.
"She was just okay," joked Michi-
gan coach Mark Rosen. "Danielle
did a nice job. In practice we're try-
ing to challenge her, and she's been
stepping up. She's been getting better
everyday."
Behind a .538 attack percentage
from freshman Megan Bowman, the
Wolverines cruised in the final two
sets (30-24, 30-24), beating the Buck-
eyes, 3-0.
"Had we lost that first game you
never know momentum-wise what
could have happened," Rosen said. "It
can swing the other way real quickly."
Little did Rosen know that Saturday
night's match up against No. 12 Penn
State would have his Wolverines fac-
ing the opposite end of a momentum
swing.
Seventeen lead changes and 10 tie
scores in the first set alone set the
tone for the close match. Despite hav-
ing game point in the first set, the
Wolverines made a costly ball han-
dling error that Penn State capitalized
on, giving the Nittany Lions a 31-29
win. The next two sets would follow
the same trend.
Michigan took the second set 33-31,
while Penn State battled back and won
the third set 32-30. Michigan cruised
in the fourth 30-26, playing its best set
of the night, committing just four
errors and scoring a match-high .436
hitting percentage.
"There were lots of little momen-
tum swings," Rosen said. "I think we
got hurt a little bit in consistency, and
we were a little more streaky than they
were. In the 30-point games, I thought
we got away with it because it's long
enough that we could give up a little
bit and fight back at the end. In the
fifth game, it's short enough that we
couldn't catch back up."
Notched at 6-6 in the fifth set, Penn
State lived up to its national ranking
and won six of the next seven points to
take a 12-7 lead.
"You can't afford those two, three,
four-point swings in a 15-point game,"
Rosen said. "In a fifth game, we've
got to be more consistent."
Penn State's Ashley Pederson
recorded her 25th kill on the game's
final play, giving Penn State a 15-12
final-set victory.
"This match is a definite confidence
builder," Michigan's Jennifer Gan-
dolph said. "Penn State is 12th in the
nation, and I don't think we're even
getting any votes. We're happy with
the way we played."
Good thing the Wolverines will face
one of their toughest opponents of the
year this Wednesday in East Lansing
- they have some energy to burh.
"I feel really bad for Michigan State
now," a teary-eyed but well-spirited
Gandolph said.
Teammate Lisa Gamalski echoed,
"Michigan State, hell yeah! Coming
off a loss like this, they better
watch out."
Former M' star Larkin to play another year
CINCINNATI (AP) - Six days
after Barry Larkin turned down a
take-it-or-leave it offer, the Cincin-
nati Reds re-signed their captain for
2004.
Larkin and Reds chief operating
officer John Allen met during yes-
terday's season-ending 2-1 loss to
Montreal, and they agreed to a
$700,000, one-year contract that
allows the shortstop to earn an
additional $300,000 in performance
bonuses.
"I've said all along that I wanted
to be a member of the Cincinnati
Reds," said Larkin, who has spent
his entire 18-year major league
career with Cincinnati.
Larkin, completing a $27 million,
three-year deal, turned down a
$500,000 offer last Monday, which
appeared to signal the end of his
career with his hometown team.
"We're very happy that he's going
to be with the organization on the
playing field," Allen said. "Both
sides knew what we wanted, and at
the end of the day we ended up with
what we wanted."
Larkin, upset more with the way
the situation was handled than with
the actual figures, called Allen on
Saturday night.
On Sunday, Allen called Larkin
out of the dugout during the game
and they started talking. Chief
financial officer Carl Lindner Jr.
also was on hand.
"It was always Barry's position
that he wanted to finish in Cincin-
nati," said Larkin's agent, Eric
Goldschmidt. "He reached out to
them, and they increased their offer
from $500,000 to $700,000. For
Barry, that was all he needed."
"They moved," said Larkin, who
hopes to join the team's manage-
ment after next year. "They negoti-
ated. My desire to be here, to help
groom the next shortstop, to move
up into the front office, to stay
rooted to Cincinnati - that was all
part of it."
Larkin and Allen both credited
Expos manager Frank Robinson
with helping them get back togeth-
er. Robinson, a Hall of Fame out-
fielder, spent the first 10 seasons of
his career with the Reds before
leaving in a controversial trade that
many still consider the worst in
franchise history.
"He urged me to do something,"
said Larkin, who met with Robin-
son on Saturday. "He said he didn't
want to see me in another uniform."
Larkin played shortstop for
Michigan for three seasons before
the Cincinnati Reds selected him
with the fourth pick in the 1985
Major League Baseball Draft.
As a Wolverine, Larkin was twice
named the Big Ten Player of the
Year and an All-American. He hit
.361 in three seasons at Michigan.
U U
THE BOSTON CONSULTING GROUP
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The University of Michigan
Department of Recreational Sports N
REC Intramural Sports Program REC
SPORTS WWW.eCSports.UmiCh.edu SPORTS
INTRAMURALS
734-763-3562
INTRAMURALS
I
The complexity of a problem disappears in the
simplicity of the solution.
THE BOSTON CONSULTING GROUP
Invites you to our
Fall Presentation and Reception
6:00pm
TONIGHT
Monday September 29, 2003
Michigan Union, Pendleton Room
Undergraduate and
Entries due:
Tues, 09/30 5:00
IM Building
Entry Fee:
$25.00 per team
$5.00 per individu a
Manager's Meeti
MANDATORY
Tues, 09/30 6:00 P
IM Building
Meet Dates:
Entries also Thurs, 10/02
taken online UM Varsity Track
Tr ay&Field
PM
aal
ing:
PM
fih
Qu
Entries also
taken online
Ultimat
Entries due:
Wed, 10/01 5:00 PM
IM Building
Entry Fee:
$35.00 per team
Manager's Meeting:
MANDATORY
Thurs, 10/02 6:00 PM
IM Building
Tournament Dates:
Sat 10/04 & Sun 10/05
Mitchell Field
e Frisbee
I
Entries due:
Wed, 10/15 5:00 PM
IM Building
Entry Fee:
$35.00 per team
Manager's Meeting:
Entries due:
Wed, 10/01 5:00 PM
IM Building
Entry Fee:
MANDATORY
Thurs, 10/16 6:00
IM Building
Tournament Date
10/17,10/18, & 10
Entries also Mitchell Fields
taken online
/ - a
0PM
es:
D/19
$50.00 per team
Manager's Meeting:
MANDATORY
Thurs, 10/02 7:00 PM
IM Building
Tournament Dates:
Sat 10/04 & Sun 10/05
Elbel Field
Entries also
taken online
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