SPORTS 4 michigandaity.com sportsdesk@umich.edu TUESDAY APRIL 30, 2002 Water polo survives, advances to NCAA Tournament By Daniel Brmmer DatlySportsWriter After a grueling weekend in Princeton, N.J., the Michigan water polo team showed itself - and everyone else - what it is made of. The team endured a combined six overtime periods in its two games - first against No. 17 Indiana and later against No. 14 Hartwick. The wins gave the Wolverines the Collegiate Water Polo Association championship and earned them an automatic bid into the four-team NCAA Tournament on May 11-12. Since being named a varsity sport last year, this is the first time that Michigan has reached the NCAA Tournament. In Sunday's Eastern Championship against Hartwick, the game was close heading into half- time with the Wolverines leading 3-2. Michigan was able to open up a 4-2 lead early in the third quarter and held that lead into the fourth. While Michigan could have put away Hartwick in the fourth quarter, it was unable to do so and instead gave up two goals. This evened the score to send it into the required two-period overtime. The Wolverines left the first overtime holding a 6-5 advantage and again just needed to hold on for the victory. But Hartwick's resiliency gave them the final score of regulation, evening the score again at six following the second overtime period. Senior Jen Crisman found the back of the net for the Wolverines with 31 seconds remaining in the first sudden-death period, and Michigan was victorious by a score of 7-6. Michigan coach Amber Drury-Pinto credits her team's success to its intense training. "In the end, I really think our conditioning paid off, and we were able to outlast them," she said. "It was a tough battle all the way through. That's what we expected to happen, and that is exactly what it was. We couldn't ask for a better game." Michigan would not have been playing that game if not for another overtime victory on Satur- day, this time over arch-rival Indiana. Against the Hoosiers, the Wolverines trailed 2-1 after the first period, but were able to even the score at 4-4 heading into halftime. The teams traded goals through the third and fourth quarters, and they were knotted at seven goals entering overtime. The first two mandatory overtime periods passed by with zeroes on the board, as did the first sudden-death period. Finally, in the second sudden-death period, sophomore Julie Nisbet scored to give Michigan an 8-7 victory. Despite being exhausted, Michigan coach Amber Drury-Pinto belibved her team was well prepared to play in the overtime and sudden-death situations it faced. "It was definitely emotionally and physically draining for all of us," Drury-Pinto said. "At the same time, it was familiar for us, and we weren't nervous. We were confident. We had our players, and we came through in the end." The NCAA Tournament begins on May 11 in Los Angeles. Joining Michigan will be defending national champion UCLA, Loyola-Marymount and Stanford. Mother nature turns two Rainouts steal first place from softball By Kyle O'Neill Daily Sports Writer Rain, rain go away. For the second straight week, the Michigan softball team had a Big Ten game rained out. Saturday's game of its two-game series against Illinois was cancelled with no makeup scheduled. The end of a doubleheader against Iowa was canceled to the weather last week- end (Apr. 21) as well. Even though the Wolverines have won five straight, including one against the Illini on Friday and two against Pur- due on Sunday, they've fallen from the top of the Big Ten standings due to their weather misfortunes. No. 20 Ohio State (15-3 Big Ten, 49- 9 overall) holds a two-game lead over the 11th-ranked Wolverines (13-3, 39- 9) thanks to the Buckeyes' apparent alliance with Mother Nature. This becomes important as the Big Ten Tour- nament approaches because the team with the best conference record will host the tournament - the Wolverines - swept the Buckeyes in their only dou- bleheader this season. Each team has two conference games remaining, but the Wolverines aren't going to get caught up in what the Buckeyes do at Catching up Thuher was no Thuh there wrtoDaily during exaem ek hr were plenty of softball games to fill the void. 4/17 at Western Michigan W 8-2 at Western Michigan W 8-3 4/19 at Northwestern L 2-3 4/20 at Northwestern W 11-1 4/21 at No. 21 lowa W 3-1 at No. 21 lowa rained out 4/26 at Illinois W 31 4/27 at Illinois rained out State College this weekend. "It's our job as coaches to get the players back to the task at hand, and our task this weekend was to go to Cham- paign and play Illinois and then play Purdue," assistant coach Bonnie Tholl said. "We're only in charge of our own destiny, and we can't take care of the weather." Though Michigan can't stop Ohio State from playing, it has been doing just fine taking care of itself. Sunday against Purdue, the Wolverines swept the Boilermakers 6-2, 6-0 thanks to five Michigan homeruns. Stefanie Volpe hit two of the longballs and went 3-for-6 on the weekend to increase her team- leading homerun total to nine and her batting average to .408. "We ended the week with a bang," Tholl said. "We played nearly errorless ball, and we're at a good point going into the end of our season. This is See BOILERMAKERS, Page 15 Blue gone with the wind at Penn State By Jim Weber Daily Sports Editor How can a team win by double digits one day and still lose a four-game series? Poor run support and untimely errors have plagued Michigan all season, but according to interim coach Chris Harri- son, that wasn't the cause of the prob- lem. The real root of the problem? The wind. Michigan had 20 hits and 15 runs when the wind blew out of the ballpark on Friday, but managed just 14 hits and three runs the rest of the series when the wind blew in toward the batters. Coincidence? Harrison thinks not, pointing out that just eight of Michi- gan's outs on Sunday were on ground balls. Harrison said that Michigan hit many fly balls all weekend, helping them on Friday but hurt them on Satur- day and Sunday. "We have got to be aware of what the pitcher is doing to us and the condi- tions. The way you win on Friday won't be the way you win the game on (Satur- day and Sunday)," Harrison said. Big Ten play has made the Wolver- ines wish that series were decided by aggregate score. Michigan is capable of scoring many runs, but apparently it can do so only once per series. In the last three Big Ten series, Michigan has outscored their opponents in total runs, scoring double digits in four games - three of which were wins. But in the other eight games, Michigan has won just once, scoring more than three runs only once. Michigan also continued its trend of heart-breaking losses in a 1-0 loss Sun- day. Two weekends ago against Michi- gan State, Michigan blew a three-run 4 4 4 BR U I iS Men's Boxing Club OPEN & RECRUITING Athletic, energetic men to pound it out in the ring. Training Tues/Thurs 4-6, Wed 7-9 At the Coliseum, 5 & Hill No Boxing Experience necessary! You come, we Coach! Info: 930-3246 Freshman second baseman Nick Ruden (left) was one of just three Wolverines to record a hit in Sunday's 1-0 loss to Penn State. lead in the ninth inning due to five wild Wins are even more important pitches from pitcher Matt Collins, because of Harrison's interim status, but resulting in a 5-3 loss. he refuses to use his job status for moti- Sunday in State College, the Wolver- vation. ines threw the game away again in the "You can't go about coaching that last frame. Starter Jeff Trzos allowed no way," Harrison said. "If you do, you are earned runs and just four hits, but his going to drive yourself nuts, and that error in the ninth brought in the win- won't be fair to the kids. They can't feel ning run for Penn State. With a man on like they are playing for the coaching second and one out, a sacrifice bunt staff. They just need to go and play." came to Trzos. Instead of going to first base for the easy out, he went for the Ninth place N iners play at third base but overthrew Bran- Michigan is in ninth place is the Big don Jominy, bringing home Penn State's Ten and lost seven of its last tine. Matt Harter. Michigan is now in ninth place in the Oakland L 3-17 conference and in serious jeopardy of Michigan State L 0-11 not making the six-team Big Ten Tour- at Michigan State L 3-4 nament. Michigan hosts conference at Michigan State W 19-4 Michigan State L 3-5 leader Ohio State this weekend and has at Penn State W 15-4 just three Big Ten series before the tour- at Penn State L 1-4 nament. But the Wolverines are just two at Penn State L 2-5 games out of the final postseason spot. at Penn State L 0-1 4 I