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Sports

SPORTS

Rivalry will have to wait until 2007

It's apparent MSU and Hawaii have a rivalry in the making. But it's too bad that six hours and more than 4,000 miles separate the Spartans from meeting the Warriors again, not to mention two years, which is when MSU travels to Hawaii. But maybe that's a good thing. Leading up to the game, the Spartans said there was a "payback factor" stemming from last season's loss at Hawaii, where they made the exhausting trip only to leave in heartbreak.

FOOTBALL

Defense dominating with key players

After an offseason of relentless questions about its ability, the MSU defense has put some critics to rest. With two games against teams with damaging passing attacks under its belt, the Spartans' defense has yielded just 28 points. Aided by the return of senior cornerback Jaren Hayes and the explosion of sophomore bandit Sir Darean Adams, the Spartans were largely able to shut down Hawaii. MSU head coach John L.

SPORTS

Monday musings

• What a weekend for football! Michigan lost. Ohio State lost. Iowa lost. The only thing that could have made it better would have been a commanding Spartans win.

VOLLEYBALL

Spartans look to stay perfect in Kansas

After their success at home, the MSU volleyball team will kick off its six-game road trip at the Jayhawk Invitational, where the Spartans will compete against nonconference foes Temple Virginia Commonwealth and host Kansas for the Invitational title MSU head coach Cathy George is calling this "international flavor weekend" and believes it's going to be one of MSU's toughest tests of the young season, as the Spartans (4-0) face a wide variety of talent. "We play Temple first, and Temple is a team that has a lot of Chinese players on it," George said.

BASKETBALL

Ford Field to host Spartans again

MSU has agreed to play a pair of neutral-site men's basketball games with Texas Tech, including one at Ford Field, the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal reports. The Spartans will play in Dallas on Dec.

SOCCER

Senior captains key to Spartans' success

After a win against UMass and a tie against Denver, the MSU men's soccer team is getting into the flow of the season and preparing for its weekend tournament. Those games were the only ones the Spartans (1-0-1) will have to play back to back, and even though it took a physical toll on the team, head coach Joe Baum said there are positives to playing two games close together. "Going through the physical demands of playing two games in two days - we got through that, and that will help us from a physical and preparation standpoint," he said. The Spartans face Long Island on Friday in the U-M Tournament in Ann Arbor. Baum said the freshmen are fitting in well, making an immediate contribution.

BASKETBALL

Izzo nabs 1st recruit for '06

Isaiah Dahlman, a 6-foot-6 swingman from Braham, Minn. has verbally agreed to play basketball with MSU starting next season. Dahlman, a senior in high school, averaged 28 points, six rebounds and five assists last season and led his team to a 33-0 record and the Minnesota Class 2A title. He is the first commitment MSU men's basketball head coach Tom Izzo has secured from the class of 2006. "He's definitely a top 100 player," said Chris Monter, midwest recruiting analyst for the recruiting service Collegebasketballnews.com.

SPORTS

MSU not sending game footage

MSU officials are refuting a report in The Honolulu Advertiser that MSU coaches refused to send game film from the Spartans' win against Kent State on Saturday. The article, published Tuesday, said MSU's coaching staff showed poor sportsmanship and also claims Hawaii's video coordinator left four messages with MSU to send the game film but none of the messages were returned. MSU associate athletics director for communications John Lewandowski said it was a "mutually agreed upon situation" not to exchange game film. Hawaii lost to Southern Cal this past weekend.

SPORTS

Baseball nears end of season with many teams still in the race

It's a beautiful time of the year. Both college and professional football are starting, hockey is on the horizon and thoughts of slam dunks are beginning to fill the heads of many sports fanatics. Yet, with all this going on, one sport manages to stick out past the rest.

SPORTS

Spartans win and tie against Big 12

After knocking off No. 6 Texas A&M (2-1-1 overall) on Friday, the MSU women's soccer (1-1-2) team looked to build on that victory with Sunday's game against Texas. The Spartans were unable to pick up their second win of weekend but came away without any losses after playing Texas (2-1-1) to a 0-0 tie as part of the Big Ten/Big 12 Challenge. MSU head coach Tom Saxton felt the game was a tough fight from start to finish.