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 7N * 1. ri I Ytf iii, 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 -' ,- % it i i i