WOLVERINES OTHER SPORTS

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Fresh off a record-tying regular season, the University of Michigan volleyball team is headed to its third consecutive NCAA Women's Championship.

The No. 20-ranked Wolverines (24-8) received an at-large bid and a No Sunday and will face host Kentucky in the first round at 7 p.m. Thursday at Memorial Coliseum in Lexington, Ky. The No. 17-ranked Wildcats are 26-4. Both teams are unseeded. The winner will advance to play the winner between No. 13-seeded St. Louis (28-4) and Alabama A&M (12-14) at 7 p.m. Friday.

MADISON, WIS. - For two periods Saturday night, the University of Michigan hockey team ceded power play after power play to Wisconsin, only to be bailed out by senior goalie Billy Sauer.

The Wolverines went to that well too many times and eventually paid the price as the Badgers scored on their first two opportunities with the man advantage in the third period to hand Michigan a 3-0 loss in the second game of the College Hockey Showcase.

BLOOMINGTON, IND. - The road to the NCAA men's soccer championship frequently runs through Bloomington.

On Saturday, that's where the University of Michigan's season ended with a 3-0 Sweet 16 loss to Indiana.

Michigan (13-6-3) came out strong in the first 30 minutes, but Andy Adlard gave Indiana (14-6-3) all the offense it would need with his team-best seventh goal of the season at 33:52.

PHILADELPHIA - The University of Michigan wrestling team salvaged a weekend split by beating Pennsylvania 22-15 Saturday.

The Wolverines (1-1), ranked No. 10 in the National Wrestling Coaches Association/InterMat poll, lost 20-12 to No. 22 Lehigh on Friday before beating the 21st-ranked Quakers on Saturday.

Michigan started strong against Penn as Michael Watts (125 pounds) and Zac Stevens (133) won decisions to put U-M up 6-0. Penn tied it at 6 with a pin, then won three straight decisions to take a 15-6 lead.

MINNEAPOLIS - The University of Minnesota's Sports Pavilion remains a house of horrors for the Michigan volleyball team.

The Wolverines lost 25-16, 20-25, 25-14, 25-20 to the Golden Gophers on Friday night for their 12th straight loss at that arena. Michigan hasn't won there since 1997.

Juliana Paz had 11 kills and Beth Karpiak and Megan Bower added 10 each for the Wolverines, who fell to 22-7 overall and 10-7 in the Big Ten. Bower and Paz each had 16 digs, and Lexi Zimmerman had 38 assists.

The problem is the offense.

That much was essentially acknowledged Wednesday when University of Michigan hockey coach Red Berenson talked about his goaltender situation and the fact that he hasn't yet discovered a clear-cut No. 1 netminder because Billy Sauer and Bryan Hogan continue to excel.

And, that can be gleaned from the team's statistics. On Friday in two-game, same-team series this season, the ninth-ranked Wolverines are 2-3 and are scoring half as much (2.33 goals) as they do on Saturday (4.33), where they are 5-0. Their goals-against average on both days, however, stands at 2.67.

The inconsistency was an issue last weekend, when the Wolverines fell 2-1 to lowly Western Michigan at home, then scored in the first 14 seconds en route to a 5-0 rout of the Broncos on Saturday.

That's part of the reason why Berenson continues to tweak his scoring lines - senior right wing Travis Turnbull got time at center during practice this week - with a two-game set on tap this weekend at No. 7-ranked Miami in Oxford, Ohio.

The RedHawks (6-3-3, 6-2-2 Central Collegiate Hockey Association)will provide a stiff challenge tonight and Saturday. They own the league's top power-play unit (16-of-70 for a .229 percentage) and the top penalty-killing crew with a .961 kill percentage, and are arguably the deepest scoring team the Wolverines have faced this season.

That means the Wolverines (8-4, 5-3 CCHA) must find a way to produce on offense tonight if they wants a good start in what shapes up as a crucial early league series.

"I think we just have to be a little more consistent," sophomore center Louie Caporusso said after practice Wednesday, adding that it doesn't feel like the team is playing worse on Friday. "It's just, I think, we've been a little bit more lucky on Saturdays and a little more unlucky on Fridays."

Perhaps nobody moreso than Caporusso against Western Michigan. He had just two shots and no points in the Friday loss, then scored on three of four shots for a natural hat trick and finished with four points on Saturday.

Scoring leaders
With 12 goals this season, Caporusso is practically assured of surpassing last season's total (12). His goals also tie him with Boston College's Brock Bradford for first in the nation.

Meanwhile, Michigan sophomore right wing Aaron Palushaj leads the country with 20 points after amassing five assists in the Western Michigan series. He has seven goals and 13 assists.

Rotating goaltenders
Berenson said Wednesday he is no closer to naming an everyday starter in net despite the discrepancy in records. Sauer is 2-4 compared to Hogan's 5-0 mark. But their other statistics remain close: Sauer has 134 saves, a 2.85 goals-against average and .893 save percentage, and Hogan's line is 135-2.22-.906.

"I think Billy has given us a chance," Berenson said. "I mean, we scored one goal at home (last Friday). How are you going to win a game? Doesn't matter who was in goal. ... I know Billy is concerned about it, but right now, I think he's playing pretty well."

Hitting the road
The Miami series comes in the middle of a five-game road trip for the Wolverines. They travel west next weekend for the College Hockey Showcase, in which they play at Minnesota on Friday in a Big Ten Network-televised game, and at Wisconsin on Saturday. Their next home game is Friday, Dec. 5 against Michigan State.

Injury update
Senior forward Danny Fardig (shoulder) is questionable to play.

U-M signs 3 recruits
Michigan received national letters of intent Tuesday from three forwards in the Ann Arbor-based U.S. National Team Development Program: Kevin Lynch of Grosse Pointe; A.J. Treais of Bloomfield Hills; and Chris Brown of Flower Mound, Texas. They are expected to join the team next season.

Brown, a 6-foot-2-inch, 195-pounder, has five goals and seven assists in 19 games this season. He is predicted to be a first- or second-round pick in the upcoming NHL Draft.

Lynch (6-1, 190) has three goals and four assists in 19 games and is rated as a third- to fifth-round pick.

Treais (5-8, 150) has three goals and four assists in 13 games this season. He is projected as a late-round draft pick.

Berenson characterized Lynch as a grinder, compared Treais to former Michigan standout T.J. Hensick, and classified Brown as a "big, strong, physical winger who can score."

Kevin Ryan can be reached at kryan@annarbornews.com or 734-994-6950.

Up next
Who: No. 9-ranked Michigan Wolverines (8-4, 5-3 CCHA) at No. 7 Miami RedHawks (6-3-3, 6-2-2).
When: 7:35 p.m. today; 7:05 p.m. Saturday.
Radio: WTKA-AM (1050) both games; WXYT-AM (1270) and WLBY-AM (1290) today.
Series history: Michigan leads
66-18-3. Michigan won 2-1 on March 22 in last season's CCHA championship game in their last meeting.

JACKSON - Steve Kampfer took the first step toward a return to the University of Michigan hockey team when he had his neck brace removed Wednesday - just 51⁄2 weeks after he suffered a fractured skull during an apparent assault on campus.

"I'm ecstatic I got it off so quickly," said Kampfer, a Jackson native. "They didn't expect it to be off this fast. It takes the bone six to eight weeks to heal, and I could have been in the brace for 12 weeks."

A return to the Wolverines for Kampfer, a junior defenseman, is not imminent, but he is holding out hope that it can happen this season. Kampfer said the final call on his return will be made by the Michigan trainers and coach Red Berenson.

"Coach told me: 'Until I feel you are 100 percent, you're not going to touch the ice,' " Kampfer said. "It's the coach's call of when he feels I'm ready. I feel I'm capable of playing, but I know I'm not ready."

Kampfer was injured in an incident during the early hours of Oct. 12. According to court records, Mike Milano, a member of the Michigan football team, has been charged with one count of assault with intent to commit great bodily harm less than murder and one count of aggravated assault.

Milano was suspended indefinitely from the football team shortly after the incident.
The case is now in the hands of the prosecutors, Kampfer said.

"I'm just a witness for them now," he said.

Kampfer, drafted in the fourth round of the 2007 NHL Draft by the Anaheim Ducks, had career-highs in games played, goals and points scored last season, and he opened this season with two assists in two games prior to the incident.

After being released from the hospital, Kampfer spent about 10 days at home in Jackson before returning to Ann Arbor to resume school and hockey activities.

Although he does not go on the ice, Kampfer is rehabbing with the trainer and watching films, and he keeps up on the road games with teammate and Michigan captain Mark Mitera, who has been sidelined since he tore his anterior cruciate ligament in the season opener.

"They say I'll be at full strength in a month or so," Kampfer said. "They want to make sure the bone has healed, and I'm trying to move my neck around to get the muscles loosened up. It's like I'm a baby, and I'm turning my head all the time."

Kampfer is trying to stay positive.

"I've learned that you can't take anything for granted," he said. "My teammates, coaches and the staff have been phenomenal through this ordeal; I can't describe what they have done for me."

The next big hurdle will be a return to the ice in practice, and if all goes well, Kampfer might be able to see action a few months into 2009. And that will help Kampfer put the whole ordeal behind him.

"It's time to move ahead," Kampfer said. "I can't dwell on it, but I can't forget it either."

The first local squad to host an NCAA Tournament event this season is the University of Michigan men's soccer team.

The Wolverines, who received a No. 11 seed, will have a second-round game at 6 p.m. Tuesday against the winner of Saturday's matchup between Denver and Cal-Davis.

It will be the first game played on the new competition field at the recently opened U-M Soccer Complex.

Michigan (12-5-3) hosted a game in each of its previous tournament appearances in 2003 and 2004, never losing on its home field.

Michigan head coach Steve Burns is flying west to scout Saturday's game. Whoever advances will be in for a rude awakening when they arrive in Ann Arbor next week.
Temperatures in Davis, Calif., and Denver have reached the 60s this week. Tuesday night's forecast calls for below freezing.

Burns said the ideal weather for soccer is 40-60 degrees. Below that, and the players' extremities start stinging, he said. Burns has been thankful his team has been able to practice in it all week to prepare.

He tells his players a story of a group of Alaska pipeline workers that call a mechanic who fixes their car with no gloves. That mechanic tells the workers his job was to fix the car, not worry about the cold.

"You have to get cold out of your mind," Burns said. "It's great that we're getting used to it, because it will be difficult for the opponent that comes in."

Tuesday's victor advances to play the winner of the second round game hosted by sixth-seeded Indiana. Michigan beat the Hoosiers for the first time in 11 tries in early October before losing to them 1-0 last weekend in the Big Ten tournament semifinals.

Played on a field that quickly turned to mud and made Michigan play a style it isn't used to, but Burns isn't worried that his offense was held scoreless in two games.

"We looking forward to getting the ball moving and getting to play on a fast field again that allows us to open up the opponent," Burns said.

Admission to the game is $7 for adults and $4 for seniors, students and anyone under 18. Children under 5 are admitted free with a paid adult. Parking is in the lot next to the Varsity Tennis Center.

Cross country finals
Michigan men and women are competing at the NCAA cross country championships Monday in Terre Haute, Ind. CBS College Sports will televise both races beginning at noon.

Dexter High School graduate Lex Williams, who has fought through injuries during his senior season, was Michigan's top runner at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional with an eighth-place finish. The men's team is ranked No. 9 in the nation.

The Michigan women, who are ranked No. 8, got a runner-up finish from fifth-year senior Nicole Edwards at the regional meet. The team finished 21st at nationals a year ago.

Around campus
The Michigan women's basketball team is home at noon Sunday against Vanderbilt on the Big Ten Network. Bring two canned food items and get $1 admission ... Eastern Michigan has moved up the time of its final home football game on Nov. 28 from 1 p.m. to noon.

Antoine Pitts can be reached at apitts@annarbornews.com or 734-994-6819.

Red Berenson, the University of Michigan hockey coach, couldn't put his finger on the problem.

Chris Summers, a Michigan defenseman, tried to explain it, too, but ended his statement by saying he didn't have an answer.

First-game losses are becoming a trend for the Wolverines in their weekend series this season, and the team isn't sure why.

The problem bit them again Friday night when the struggling Western Michigan Broncos rallied with a pair of third-period goals to defeat the Wolverines 2-1 before 6,852 fans at Yost Ice Arena.

Prosecutors levied felony assault charges Friday against a University of Michigan football player accused of attacking a hockey player last month.

Michael Milano, 20, was charged with one count of assault with intent to commit great bodily harm less than murder and one count of aggravated assault, court records show.