Michigan notes

Field hockey NCAA pairings announced

The Michigan field hockey team will hunt for a second-consecutive final four berth in familiar territory this weekend, as the Wolverines head to the NCAA regionals in Winston-Salem, N.C. for the second year in a row.

No. 5 Michigan (18-3) will square off against No. 14 William & Mary (12-7) Saturday at 2 p.m., and the Wolverines will face the winner of Harvard (12-5) and tournament-host No. 4 Wake Forest (16-3) Sunday at 2 p.m.

"I'm looking forward to the competition and I look forward to us playing well," Michigan coach Marcia Pankratz said. "We'll be ready to take on the challenge."

The only team in the regional the Wolverines have played this season is Wake Forest, where despite outshooting the Demon Deacons, Michigan lost 2-0.

The Wolverines were awarded an automatic bid by winning the Big Ten Tournament this past weekend.

The winner of the regional heads to NCAA final four next weekend in Norkfolk, Va, at Old Dominion.

Last year in Winston-Salem, No. 5 Michigan beat No. 11 Duke 2-1, and then third-seed Wake Forest 3-2 in a dramatic double-overtime en route to a final four berth.

This will be Michigan's second NCAA appearance. Last year the Wolverines defeated undefeated Connecticut 4-3 in the semifinal game before losing to Maryland 2-1 in the NCAA Championship game on a goal scored with no time left in the first half.

- Dave Roth

Men's tennis stumbles in land of casinos

A Vegas Vacation was just as painful to the men's tennis team as it was to the Griswolds.

During the Las Vegas Shootout, the squad faltered not only physically but mentally. Although official scores of the round robin tournament have not been released, coach Mark Mees feels that his team did not perform to its potential.

"We were out of our game mentally, and that is most important," Mees said. "And that is probably the key element in a tennis match."

"It sets us back when we are physically out of our game, but when we cannot mentally compete with the opponent it can be deadly. Playing in Las Vegas had nothing to do with our lack of intensity. We need to be prepared wherever we are scheduled to play."

Las Vegas was the last stop on the team's fall schedule, and Mees is taking the remainder of November and December to individually work with squad members to help improve their game before the start of the winter season, Jan. 2 in Milwaukee.

"The experience we gained through the fall schedule will only benefit us for the winter season," Mees said. "When we work with each player on his specific problem, we should be ready to go in the winter.

- Eric Powell