Weekly Release #11

Upcoming Schedule
Fri-Sun., Nov. 4-6 -- at Big Ten Tournament (Iowa City, Iowa)
Sat-Sun., Nov. 12-13 -- at NCAA First/Second Round (Campus Sites)
Fri-Sun., Nov. 18-20 -- at NCAA Championship (Louisville, Ky.)

This Week's Lineup -- at Big Ten Tournament
The No. 10-ranked University of Michigan field hockey team (12-7, 3-3 Big Ten) will kick off the postseason at 12:30 p.m. CST on Friday (Nov. 4) in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament in Iowa City, Iowa. The fourth-seeded Wolverines will face host Iowa in the second of three opening-round matches. All games will be held at Iowa's Grant Field.

Tournament Notes
Looking for Another Trophy -- Michigan will look to defend its Big Ten Tournament championship from season and capture its fourth in school history. The Wolverines won back-to-back tournament crowns in 1999 and 2000, and ran the table in 2004, claiming the regular-season title and winning the tournament trophy. U-M has advanced to the Big Ten Tournament championship game in six of the last seven seasons.

Awards Week -- The Big Ten will announce its award winners for the 2005 season on Thursday (Nov. 3) at its annual awards banquet. The Wolverines have won seven of the eight individual awards during the previous two seasons and have boasted at least three individuals on the All-Big Ten First Team in the each of the last four seasons, more than any other school.

Back to Iowa -- The Unverisity of Iowa will serve as the host of the Big Ten Tournament for the second time since its inception in 1994. The Wolverines are 1-1 in conference tournament games in Iowa City, Iowa, claiming 1997 tournament runner-up honors after falling to Penn State 2-1 in the championship game.

Michigan vs. the Big Ten Tournament Field ...
Penn State: Michigan owns an all-time record of 8-20 against Penn State but has won six of the last nine meetings. In the regular-season match, the Wolverines' comeback fell just short as two second-half goals could not quite overcome PSU's early advantage, and Michigan lost 3-2. The Nittany Lions own a 4-2 advantage against Michigan in Big Ten Tournament play. For more information on Penn State, visit www.gopsusports.com.

Iowa: Michigan trails 11-32 in the all-time series with Iowa but has won nine of the last 12 meetings. The Wolverines battled to a 2-1 overtime win over the Hawkeyes just last Friday (Oct. 28) when the two teams met for the regular-season affair in Ann Arbor. Michigan is a perfect 2-0 against Iowa in Big Ten Tournament action with both wins coming in closely-fought, one-goal championship games (1999, 2004). Last season, junior/sophomore Katie Morris (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer HS), sophomore Mary Fox (St. Louis, Mo./Cor Jesu Academy) and senior Jessica Blake scored to key a U-M 3-2 come-from-behind win. For more information on Iowa, visit www.hawkeyesports.com.

Michigan State: Michigan leads the all-time series with Michigan State, 31-21-6 and has won 11 of the last 13 meetings with the Spartans. In this year's regular-season match, freshman Eric Dallas (Marlow, N.H./Keene HS) scored the gamewinner at just 4:41 as the Wolverines made it count for a 1-0 victory, their first conference win of the season. Michigan and MSU have faced each other on one occasion at the Big Ten Tournament with the Spartans taking a 3-0 win in 2002. For more information on Michigan State, visit www.msuspartans.com.

Ohio State: The Wolverines own a 27-21-1 record against Ohio State and have been dominant in recent years, winning 13 of the last 17 meetings. Michigan opened up the 2005 Big Ten regular season with a tough 6-1 road loss against the Buckeyes as Leticia Fragapane scored four goals for the OSU squad. Michigan has squared off against Ohio State eight times at the Big Ten Tournament -- more than any other school -- and own a 5-3 record. Last season, Michigan routed the Buckeyes 5-0 in the semifinal round en route to capturing its fourth tournament crown. For more information on Ohio State, visit www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com.

Northwestern: Michigan trails 16-28 in the all-time series with Northwestern but has won each of the last 14 meetings dating back to the 1997 campaign. U-M scored three goals in each half en route to a dominant 6-1 victory in the regular-season contest between the two programs. Junior/sophomore Kristen Tiner (Houston, Texas/The Kinkaid School) scored a pair of tallied off the penalty corner to pace the Wolverine effort. Michigan has twice faced Northwestern in the Big Ten Tournament and own a perfect 2-0 record. For more information on Northwestern, visit www.nusports.com.

Indiana: The all-time series between Michigan and Indiana is all square at 5-5, but the Wolverines have won five of the last six matches since the Hoosiers re-instituted their program in 2000. IU did take the regular-season match this year, earning a 3-1 decision at Ocker Field. Michigan has never faced the Hoosiers in Big Ten Tournament competition. For more information on Indiana, visit www.iuhoosiers.com.

STX/NFHCA Division I National Coaches Poll
After splitting games against Iowa and Louisville last weekend in the regular-season finale, the Wolverines climbed one position to the No. 10 spot in the most recent STX/NFHCA Division I National Coaches Poll, released on Tuesday (Nov. 1). The STX/NFHCA Division I National Coaches Poll can be found by visiting the NFHCA's site.

STX/NFHCA Division I National Coaches Poll (11/1/05)

Rank, Team (record) Points Previous 1. Wake Forest (18-0) 420 1 2. Duke (14-3) 386 2 3. Maryland (16-2) 384 3 4. Old Dominion (15-5) 341 7 5. North Carolina (13-5) 336 4 6. Penn State (17-2) 315 6 7. American (16-1) 311 5 8. Indiana (14-3) 267 9 9. Ohio State (15-5) 241 8 10. MICHIGAN (12-7) 199 11 11. Iowa (10-7) 187 10 12. Louisville (14-6) 186 16 13. Boston College (13-5) 172 14 14. Connecticut (14-5) 151 12 15. Michigan State (12-7) 148 15 16. Northeastern (15-5) 110 13 17. Villanova (14-4) 99 17 18. Boston University (13-5) 69 18 19. James Madison (11-8) 44 19 20. Richmond (13-5) 18 NR

Statistically Speaking ...
Among the Big Ten Conference, senior/junior Katie Morris clings to a share of the 10th spot in goals (10) and shares the fourth spot with three gamewinners. Senior Lori Hillman (Gibbsboro, N.J./Eastern Regional HS) sits second with three defensive saves. Junior Beth Riley leads the conference in saves (106) while ranking second in saves per game (5.89), and shutouts (4) and third in save percentage (.757). Throughout the 2005 season, the latest standings and statistics from the Big Ten can be found by visiting the Big Ten's website.

You're An All Star
Senior Lori Hillman and senior/junior Katie Morris were selected to participate in the 2005 NFHCA North/South Senior All-Star Game, scheduled to take place on Saturday, Nov. 19, in Louisville, Ky. The Wolverines have posted a strong 61-22 record over the last four years with Hillman and Morris on the roster. Hillman was a NFHCA All-America third team selection in 2004 and earned both Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and Tournament MVP honors. Morris experienced breakout success last season, setting the U-M record for goals by a sophomore and ranking third overall in scoring. The U-M pair were named to the 19-player North squad, which boasts nine representatives from the Big Ten Conference.

The Life of Riley
With Michigan's 4-3 win at Kent State (Sept. 25), junior Beth Riley earned her 36th career win to take sole possession of Michigan's all-time wins record. With five straight U-M wins, she improved her own mark to 41 career victories.
After her 3-0 shutout against Pacific (Oct. 23), Riley moved to fifth on Michigan's all-time shutouts list with the 13th perfect game of her career. She shares the position with Maureen Tasch (13, 1998-2001) and needs two more to climb to fourth, currently held by Molly Maloney (2000-2004).
Finally , Riley also moved to the second spot on Michigan's career games played rankings with her 57th slate last Sunday against Louisville (Oct. 30). Riley will look to gain five more starts this season and tie the U-M record in the category, currently held by Rachael Geisthardt (62, 1992-95).

Free Hits
With last weekend's games, Michigan improved its record in the all-time series against Iowa to 11-32 and fell to 5-1 against Louisville.

Michigan registered a 7-3 record against teams from the NCAA West Region this season.

Senior Lori Hillman collected her 22nd career assist on Michigan's first-half tally against Iowa to gain sole possesion of the ninth spot among the Wolverines' all-time assists leaders. She needs one more helper to reach the eighth position on the list, currently held by Shelley Johnson (23, 1996-97).

Junior goalkeeper Beth Riley made eight stops against Iowa to surpass 100 saves this season. After the weekend's games, she has a career-best 115 stops in the U-M cage the season, exactly doubling the total from her first two seasons combined.

Hillman, Fuchs Earn Seventh-Place USA Finish at Junior Worlds
Behind the play of senior captain Lori Hillman and guidance of assistant coach Tracey Fuchs, the USA Under-21 team posted a 4-2-2 mark en route seventh place -- its best finish in four appearances -- at the Junior World Cup, held Sept. 14-25, in Santiago, Chile. Hillman started every game in the U.S. backfield and contributed to just 14 goals allowed against the toughest junior teams in the world. Team USA wrapped up the competition with a 4-2 victory over South Africa in the seventh/eighth-place contest.

On the Horizon
The Wolverines will await selection to the 2005 NCAA Tournament, which is scheduled to begin on Saturday, Nov. 12, at four campus sites around the country. Should Michigan win the Big Ten Tournament, it will be awarded the conference's automatic bid, one of six automatic qualifiers determined by the NCAA. The NCAA Tournament field is 16 teams and will be unveiled at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 8.