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Sports

SPORTS

Neitzel fills void of true point guard

Megan Homanick
October 18, 2004

He's the first "true" point guard the MSU basketball team has had in three years, he's the 2004 Mr. Basketball Award winner from Michigan, and he's expected to play a big role on this year's team. He's freshman guard Drew Neitzel, and he's got a lot of pressure to be the next great Spartan point guard and the answer to their recent problems at that position. "This is a national stage, and it's the reason you come here," Neitzel said.

SPORTS

Men's soccer upsets Michigan, 3-2, in OT

Matt Bishop
October 18, 2004

The MSU men's soccer team snapped a two-game losing streak Sunday with a 3-2 overtime victory over Michigan in front of a U-M record 2,306 fans at the Michigan Soccer Field in Ann Arbor. MSU got on the board first when senior midfielder John Minagawa-Webster got ahold of junior forward Ryan McMahen's corner kick and put it into the U-M goal.

SPORTS

Hoopla

Laura Collins
October 18, 2004

Dancing players, pumped up teams and the other finest spirit squads on campus were in full force Friday night at Breslin Center, for "Hometown Hoops," this year's midnight mania event.

SPORTS

Simmons emerging as leader; sets high standards for team

Lauren Phillips
October 18, 2004

For wrestling co-captain Andy Simmons, anything less than taking first at the NCAA Tournament will be a disappointment. Simmons has set the bar high for himself for the 2004-05 season and knows that in order to achieve that mark, it will take work. "I know I'm going to work my butt off," he said. The NCAA rankings for this wrestling season have not been announced yet, but Simmons already is planning his move up.

SPORTS

Inconsistent spikers travel for 2 weekend games

Fans and foes: Don't give up on the MSU volleyball team just yet. The team has been struggling, pulling in only one victory at home against Indiana in the past four weeks and searching for a solution to the breakdowns in play. But the season isn't over for the Spartans (6-8 overall, 1-5 Big Ten), said MSU spikers as MSU faces No.

SPORTS

Icers open regular-season play tonight

Matt Bishop
October 15, 2004

Consistency in its own building will be the goal of the MSU hockey team when the Spartans hit the ice for another season with a pair of games at Munn Ice Arena. "I think it'll be a good weekend of hockey," MSU head coach Rick Comley said.

SPORTS

Women's basketball creates new section

Samona Combs
October 15, 2004

Senter Court is run by three MSU undergraduate students and was created to provide a firm student support system for the team during the season while establishing an intimidating environment for the team's competitors. The program will also host meet-and-greets, parties and bus trips to away games and other events.

BASKETBALL

Summer lovin'

Megan Homanick
October 14, 2004

MSU junior center Paul Davis learned to love during the summer. "He told me that he's here to learn how to love the game, instead of liking (it) like most guys do," MSU head coach Tom Izzo said at the men's basketball media day on Wednesday. Izzo added that Davis' new-found love for the game started showing through his summer work ethic and schedule. "I was in the gym at 8 in the morning, working out with a couple of the managers for about an hour and a half," Davis said.

FOOTBALL

Teague's work ethic sets tone

When head coach John L. Smith publicly scolded the Spartans for poor practice habits earlier this season, he probably wasn't talking about junior running back Jason Teague. "He's one of the hardest-working guys involved in the program," running backs coach Reggie Mitchell said. Teague's work ethic is a big reason why he has been MSU's starting running back all season, which is a minor surprise considering the sometimes-brilliant performance of redshirt freshman Jehuu Caulcrick. Caulcrick can be a bruising runner who consistently gains yards when he gets in a groove, as in the fourth quarter of MSU's 38-25 win against Illinois last Saturday.

VOLLEYBALL

Team slips as season progresses

Something is bound to go wrong. That's about the only consistent thing the MSU volleyball team can count on right now. Players say the system has gone awry and the team's rhythm has been off.

SPORTS

Freshmen expected to step in for injured Potter

Matt Bishop
October 13, 2004

With its season opener quickly approaching, the MSU hockey team will look to regroup after losing junior defenseman Corey Potter to a separated shoulder in its 7-2 win over Toronto on Sunday at Munn Ice Arena. Potter was in the corner in his defensive zone when he was hit hard from behind into the boards by Toronto forward Jesse Rycroft.

FOOTBALL

Special teams troubles continue

Megan Homanick
October 12, 2004

The MSU special teams have had its problems this season, and it continued Saturday against Illinois. A blocked punt, a mishandled extra point snap and another missed field goal all led to a long day for Spartans kickers - sophomore punter Brandon Fields and senior place-kicker Dave Rayner. At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Fields seemed to take his time catching the ball before trying to punt it.

SPORTS

Ex-Spartan to play in Europe for hockey

Esther Gim
October 12, 2004

Former MSU forward Adam Hall signed with KalPa, a Finnish hockey team, for the duration of the hockey lockout. A Kalamazoo native, Hall recorded 126 points from 1998-2002 as a Spartan, where he also served as team captain. He spent last season with Nashville, collecting 13 goals and 14 assists in 79 games for the Predators.