113A - The Michigan Daily - Thursday,
November 9, 1995
Spikers face
tough road
to NCAA
To -
By Chris Murphy
Daily Sports Writer
The Michigan women's volleyball team is
bracing for the stretch run.
In fourth place, with just six games remain-
ing, the Wolverines are striving for their first
tournament berth in the team's history.
The problem is, three teams are currently
tied for fourth and two of Michigan's remain-
ing games are against ranked opponents -
Ohio State and Penn State.
A fourth-place finish in the Big Ten should
get the Wolverines into the tournament, but it
is apparent that Michigan can't rest on its
laurels.
It will be mathematically impossible to catch
the Buckeyes or the Nittany Lions; those two
are second and third in the conference respec-
tively.
So Michigan can't really move up or down.
This weekend's
opponents, Wiscon-
, sin and Minnesota
R kond's provide the Wolver-
ines with an oppor-
P£% ,tunity to improve
their record and so-
Wh+: Michga (&r6 lidify their fourth-
...Apy.Yy place position.
The Badgers are in
seventh while the
IsCOnsin (5-9, 12- Golden Gophers are
13) and vs, tied for eighth.
Coming off an
A+ nnesota l4.. O>
eventful weekend-
. ~Michigan came back
Whevr: Madlson and to beat Illinois Fri-
°xlnneepoaps day but fell to Indi-
ana Saturday - the
:FIday Wolverines are
turday at 7 looking at another
Wht: Michigan is set of long matches.
ifgfor the first "I don't expect an
C easy time at all,"
u Tournamant coach Greg
t bifrtn Its history. Giovanazzi said. "I
The Wolverines need think our team never
to place fgurt in rth anticipates a quick
match against teams
lg Ten to mak e the of this caliber. I
tourney.Currently don't think there's
for fourth, any team in this con-
ference that we can
Mihilgan needs to go out and beat in 45
defeat al the tams minutes."
vbelow it ithe U ' Michigan (8-6 Big
~~iteenee.Ten, 14-10 overall)
zff~enefaces off against
-^ Wisconsin (5-9, 12-
13) Friday. Earlier
this year, the Wolverines beat the Badgers in
a marathon, five-game match in Cliff Keen.
And although Wisconsin is in eighth place in
the conference, Giovanazzi expects a tough
match.
"I thought after we played (the Badgers)
that they were one of the strongest teams in
the conference," Giovanazzi said. "I thought
we were fortunate to get out of that match."
Wisconsin plans its attack around its two
key players. Sophomore opposite setter Amy
Lee ranks among the league's leaders in kills,
and junior setter Laura Abbinante is one of the
best servers in the Big Ten.
One of Giovanazzi's main concerns is the
Badgers' offensive power.
"They outhit us and really outplayed us in
some of the statistical categories," Giovanazzi
said.
Minnesota (4-10, 10-14) bases its game
around one player. Katrien DeDecker is third
in the league in kills. The junior outside hitter
usually will get 12 attempts and averages an
extraordinary five kills per game.
"(Minnesota) has one player that is among
the best in the conference," Giovanazzi said.
"(DeDecker) can just turn a match around."
In order to come out of the weekend with
two wins, Michigan is looking to continue its
success in its blocking and serving games.
Giovanazzi will also be looking for some
players to step up.
Another key element should be the play of
the Wolverines' reserves.
Against the Illini, junior outside hitter Col-
leen Miniuk and freshman outside hitter Karen
Chase came off the bench in the third game to
spark the comeback. Both should see substan-
tial playing time this weekend as well.
"Mainly (the bench) takes the pressure off
the starters so they don't think they have to
perfect," Giovanazzi said. "(The starters) can
go out and play a good match and they know
if they need help in any area, they'll get it."
With a chance to control their own destiny,
the Wolverines are confident about the up-
coming stretch.
"I think we're a team that's right on the
verge of being in the Top 25 in the nation,"
Giovanazzi said.
'M' prepares for districts
Top-seeded Badgers will test Wolverines
By Mark Snyder
Daily Sports Writer
Running is just like school. To be success-
ful youneedthe three R's. But reading, 'riting
and 'rithmetic are not going to advance the
Michigan men's cross country team to the
NCAA Championships.
The rest, relaxation and revival that this
team is undergoing will be the factors, that
contiribute to its possible success this week-
end at the NCAA Districts.
The meet, to be held on the Purdue campus
in West Lafayette, will be a showcase of the
best college talent in the Midwest. The pur-
pose of the meet is to
determine the top three
teams in the District, This wooke
which advance to the
NCAA Champion-
ships at Iowa State. Who: 25 teams frog
The Wolverines' Where: West Lafaye
entrance as the No. 2 Aldy,$t
seed makes them one When: All day, Sat
of the teams to beat if What: The No. 2 se
other squads want to to avenge their loss
advance to the finals. Wisconsin in the B]
Wisconsin, the Big
Ten champion and No. competing will be N
I seed, is expected to Michigan State. Th
win the meet, with the district willIadv
Notre Dame and T
Michigan State vying Tournament,
for third-place behind
Michigan. Competing for Mic
Michigan had the Junior Kevin SuI
weekend off from J
practice and was able * Freshman John M+
to relax without coach . Senior Kris Eggle
Ron Warhurst being , Senior Theo Moll
around.J
"Twelve of (the - Jnr DavidBarr
runners) went up Junior Ryan Burt
north to get away,' ,.Sophomore Don N
Warhurst said. "I was
up in Canada recruit-
ing, so it worked out perfect."
The squad capitalized on the time off,
taking it easy and having some fun at Kris
Eggle's cabin. They did a little running,
allowing them to refocus on the task at
hand. With the Districts only a week away,
the team prepared itself for this weekend's
meet.
They also had time to heal all temporary
injuries that were nagging the team.
"Nobody's hurt, and nothing's wrong with
anybody," Warhurst said.
After eight weeks ofintense training, rest is
in the forecast for this week. Warhurst is
reducing the intensity of the workouts as the
NCAA meets approach. The decision to take it
easy is also affected by the fact that the NCAA
relay races are run at a distance of 10,000
meters, instead of the 8,000-meter courses that
the Wolverines have been running on all sea-
son.
The revival must come from within. The
team s main priority is advancing and after
two weeks off, they must get back in the flow
of a race and run competitively.
"The meet is only to qualify, but the main
goal is to really run strong," freshman John
Mortimer said.
nd's meet
m around the midwes
ette
urday
ed Wolverines will io
s to No. I seed
ig Ten Tournament. A
Notre Dame and
he three top teams in
vance to the NCAA
Having All-Ameri-
can Kevin Sullivan
running will do noth-
ing but aid the Wol-
verines as they attempt
t to upset top-ranke1
Wisconsin.
W ''(Sullivan) should
win," Warhurst said.
ok "At about 7,000
meters, he'll pull
ls away (from the
pack)."
With Sullivan an-
choring, a strong per-
formance from the rest
of the team could set
up a close race.
Two weeks ago, the
Wolverines led Wis-
consin halfway
through the Big Ten
meet before faltering.
This time, the team
hopes things will be
different. Big perfor-
mances from senior
Theo Molla, coming
off the best race of his
career, and Mortimer
are essential.
higan will be:
van
Mortimer
nett
Mc Laughlin
Warhurst is only allowed to enter seven
runners, so Eggle is going to take freshman
Todd Snyder's place in the lineup.
The other Wolverines competing this
weekend arejuniors David Barnett and Ryan
Burt, along with sophomore Don
McLaughlin.
Following the three R's has led this team
far, so Michigan is sticking with the game
plan. Warhurst has confidence that another
big outing will lead to success.
"If we have a repeat performance of the Big
Ten meet, that should get us in," Warhurst
said.
The Michigan men's cross country team has had time to rest up for the district tournament.
No. 2-seeded harriers face showdown with Wisconsin
By Nancy Berger
Daily Sports Writer
As the 1995 women's cross country season
nears the home stretch, the Wolverines have the
outside track.
Wisconsin is in the driver's seat.
The Badgers are the perennial favorite to win
at the District IV Championships this Saturday
in West Lafayette. Wisconsin, the Big Ten cham-
pion, should run away with the title, with Michi-
gan being its closest competitor.
When the Wolverines take their starting place
at the Purdue North Golf Course, they want to
position themselves closer to Wisconsin than
they did at Big Tens.
The chances of Michigan gaining some ground
are positive according to senior co-captain Kelly
Chard.
"We are stronger than we were two weeks
ago," Chard said.
Strengthening the team has been the focal
point for coach Mike McGuire.
"Our whole theme the last two weeks is to
improve," McGuire said. "I will be disappointed
if we don't get closer to Wisconsin in this meet."
The Wolverines, the two-time defending Dis-
trict IV champions, should be able to pull up
closer to Wisconsin with sophomore All Ameri-
can Pauline Arnill back in the lineup. Arnill has
will just let Kathy Butler go."
Butler is the defending district champion. She
won the race last year in 17:05.
Michigan will be bringing nine runners to
Purdue, but only
seven are slated
not seen action
for almost a
month because
of a slight back
injury.
This is the first
time that
Michigan's two
top runners,
Arnill andsenior
C ourtney
Babcock, will
both be in the
This weekend's a
Who: 25 teams from around
Where: West Lafayette
When: All day, Saturday
What: Seven runners will co
including sophomore PaulinE
Babcock, Kelly Chard and K;
Jennifer Barber and freshme
ti c t
to run.
Accompany-
the Midwest ing Arnill and
Babcock are se-
niors Katy
Hollbacher and
mpete for Michigan, Chard, junior
e Arill, seniors Courtney Jennifer Barber,
aty Hollbacher, junior f r e s h m a n
Michelle Slater
n Michelle Slater and and Big Ten
Freshman of the
Year Katie
McGregor.
These five run-
ners are expected to keep the Wolverines' motor
running.
"They can't get complacent because
Courtney and Pauline are back," McGuire
said.
There is another team in the field that could
give the Wolverines a run for their money.
Bowling Green won the Mid-American Con-
ference and could pose a threat to Michigan.
"They are a veteran team and are looking at us
as someone they could possibly beat," McGuire
added.
Despite the Falcons' experience, there are
some factors that work to the Wolverines' ad-
vantage. The Mid-American Conference is not
nearly as strong as the district field or the Big
Ten. It is tougher to run in a group in the district
meet, due to the large number of teams and
competitors.
Michigan is looking forward to competing.
Emotions should be running high due to the
meaning and consequences of the meet. The top
two teams from each district go to nationals. The
Wolverines will be disappointed if they don't
qualify, since they haven't finished any lower
than fourth since 1984.
Michigan knows that there will be a lot riding
on this meet as they try to ride on the heels of
their rival Wisconsin.
lineup since on Katie McGregor
Sept. 16. Arnill
finishedtwo sec-
onds behind
Babcock when they placed first and second at
Boston College.
"Pauline will be in the hunt, she is looking to
place second in the race," McGuire said. "We
0
m