10 - The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, February 15, 2006 Skiba making best of bad situation By David Murray Daily Sports Writer Canada should be proud. Over the past six games, Stephany Skrba, the Richmond Hill, Ontario native and Canadian Junior Nation- al Team member, has shown Michi- gan fans why she was crowned Miss Canada Basketball in 2005. Skrba scored 19 points and pulled down eight rebounds in an early-season game against Saint Francis (Penn.), garnering her Big Ten Player of the Week honors. But after that performance, the fresh- man sputtered, averaging just 4.3 points and 3.3 rebounds during the next 16 contests. Lately, the lengthy Canadian has buried any doubt of her offensive potency, pouring in 71 points in her last six games - two more points than her total scoring output in the previous 16 - reminding everyone of her early- season form. "There is no question that we've known that Stephany can be volatile offensively if she's getting the right shots and taking all of the shots that she's very comfortable with," Mich- igan coach Cheryl Burnett said. Skrba's increase in productivity hasn't been limited to just scoring. She has led the team in rebound- ing in four of the last six games, averaging 7.8 boards per game in that span. "She's a great offensive rebound- er," Burnett said. "And defensively, we almost have to have her in the game because of her defensive rebounding." If poise is what Skrba lacked early in the season, then she has a surplus of it now. Coaches and teammates alike have both pointed to confidence as the reason for her recent success. "I definitely think she's realized that she's going to be a big scorer and a big rebounder for us," freshman forward Carly Benson said. "So, just her having the confidence to go out and do those things, without wor- rying about making mistakes, has really helped us out a lot." Most recently, Skrba's solid play boiled over into a career day when the Wolverines faced Ohio State on Friday night. Skrba filled the void left by injuries to Ta'Shia Walker and Katie Dierdorf. She recorded the first double-double of her young career, notching 17 points and grab- bing 13 rebounds, which tied for the team's season-high. "My teammates did a great job of getting me the ball (against Ohio State)," Skrba said. "Our (guards) always tells us, 'If you demand the ball, we'll get it to you,' so that's exactly what they did." Despite her sensational night, she said she realizes that even if she does her part, she can't replace her injured teammates by herself. "I'm going to continue to try to be aggressive and bang in there with the big girls," Skrba said. "Hope- fully, the posts that are remaining can fill that void (left by Walker and Dierdorf)." The freshman has remained unfazed by her increased scoring and rebounding burden, playing with the savvy of a seasoned veteran. Michigan is realizing the talent that earned her Miss Canada with her performance in the last six games. Now the Big Ten has a glimpse of what it will have to contain for the seasons to follow. "If I continue to work hard there is no telling what I can do," Skrba said. JEREMY CHO/Daily Freshman Stephany Skrba scored 17 points and grabbed 13 boards against Ohio State. GOPHERS Continued from page 9 the season. So, we're going to have to step it up and play well these last five games, there's no doubt about that." Michigan also needs a lift from its frontcourt, especially junior Court- ney Sims and senior Chris Hunter. Against Purdue, Sims struggled to find any open space in the paint. Because the Wolverines didn't boast much of an outside threat, the Boil- ermakers packed the lane to contain the 6-foot-ll center. "With big guys, it's important that the other pieces around them are intact," Amaker said. "I think that big guys are dependent on so many other players around them for suc- cess. ... Now, (we're) missing some of the perimeter pieces that we nor- mally have (and that) has affected our post play." It's highly unlikely that Horton, Harris and Abram will run onto the court together at the start of tonight's game. As a matter of fact, there's a very strong possibility that none of the three injured Wolverines will see court time. All three are consid- ered questionable, at best. But the veteran Michigan squad isn't going to let the injuries keep it down. It knows it has to play with who it has. "We got to continue to try to get better," senior co-captain Graham Brown said. "We got to try to get a win against Minnesota. Our backs are against the wall. We have to get a victory." Erdman hopes to avoid plateau, remain By Chris Herring Daily Sports Writer It's common to hear athletes set- ting higher goals for themselves from year to year. So why would an athlete ever be content with achieving the same things each season? Women's track and field cap- tain Katie Erdman can provide the answer. Erdman believes that the goal of repeating as an All-American is very ambitious - even though she has earned the award three times before. "Every year that I've been here, the national field has gotten so much better," the Cadillac native said. "If you can keep up with that (pace), you're going to be faster too. As far as goals go, I guess I just don't want to find myself at a plateau." If she can avoid leveling out, Erd- man will continue to set records at the expense of the ones she currently holds. The junior owns Michigan's school record in the 600-meter (1:29.57,) and she recently broke her own indoor 800-meter record with a time of 2:04.21 at Notre Dame's Meyo Invitational. Maintaining her work ethic will give Erdman the chance to surpass her own records, according to dis- tance coach Mike McGuire. "She is as serious in her approach and her focus as anyone I've ever had," McGuire said. "Her approach is better than her results are, and her results are pretty darn good." Erdman's other goal is staying healthy, and for good reason. This indoor season is even more reward- ing for her, because she had to sit out last season with a hamstring injury. "She has had some interruptions along the way," McGuire said. "I think she's in a situation where if she stays healthy, she has got an opportunity to run down close to two minutes flat (in the 800-meter) this year." Her 800-meter time of 2:08.31 at the Kentucky Invitational met an NCAA provisional mark. Just three weeks later at Notre Dame, she not only ran fast enough to automatical- ly qualify for the NCAA Champion- ships, but she also ran the nation's fastest 800-meter time so far this year. The three-time All-American also set a fieldhouse record for the 600-meter run with a time of 1:29.99 at the Red Simmons Invite. "The last time I ran (the 600- meter run) in 1:29 was at the Big Ten final, so I feel like I'm ahead iealthy of schedule," said Erdman after the fieldhouse record-breaking run in January. When asked whether she was more proud of holding school records in the 600- and 800-meter runs or her three All-American recognitions, Erdman chose the latter. "Every round (at nationals), there is a full heat of girls who want it just as much as you do," Erdman said. "You get no garbage at the national meet. There's no one there who is a Cinderella story. The All-American (honor) comes harder, because all it takes is one mediocre performance and you're out, and that happens to a lot of good athletes." In January, Erdman was selected as one of the team's four co-cap- tains. She said she is honored by the selection, but she doesn't seem excited about all the aspects of the position. "It's not something you look for," Erdman said of being named captain. "The effort comes from a group. It should never come from just one person. It's never effective. Not that (their effort) can't have an effect, but it's a million times more effective if it comes from the group itself." And with Erdman finally healthy, it appears the sky, not a plateau, is the limit for both her and the team. a1 FILE PHOTO Junior Katie Erdman holds the nation's fastest 800-meter time so far this year. 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