Michigan To Begin NCAA Title Defense Against Princeton
11/12/2002 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
| | Senior Jessica Rose played in each of U-M's 10 previous NCAA Tournament games. |
Michigan received one of eight at-large berths to the tournament after posting an 18-3 record during the regular season. The Wolverines, who won the 2002 Big Ten Conference regular-season championship, fell to Michigan State 3-0 in the Big Ten Tournament championship game last Sunday (Nov. 10) in Columbus, Ohio. U-M owns an 8-2 record in NCAA Tournament play and has advanced to the semifinals in two of the last three years, playing in the national title game twice. The Wolverines posted a 2-0 victory over Maryland in the tournament final last year to capture the program's first NCAA championship.
Princeton, with an 11-6 record, got into the tournament by winning the Ivy Group championship with a 7-0 record. The Tigers are making their third consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and have reached the semifinals four times (1996, 1997, 1998, 2001) and played for the NCAA title twice (1996, 1998). The Tigers suffered a 4-2 defeat to Michigan in the first-ever meeting between the two schools during last year's national semifinal.
The Big Ten is represented by three schools, including two of the top four seeds in the tournament. Joining Michigan and Penn State as Big Ten representatives is Michigan State, which is seeded third in the event and will travel to Harvard to face the Crimson in the first round.
Q U O T E S
Head Coach Marcia Pankratz
On any surprises in the draw ... "I'm not surprised but I definitely think it was interesting. I expected Michigan State to be hosting and that was a big, big surprise. I think they deserve to be hosting so that was interesting. We're happy certainly. We've done well on Penn State's field. We play there every year so we're used to their surface. We're looking forward to going out there."
On if winning the Big Ten Tournament could have meant being able to host ... "I think after seeing Michigan State I don't know what else they could have done. They've done everything they could and I'm just surprised. I think hosting was based more on geographic and finances, which you just have to live with and be happy we're going where we're going."
On playing Princeton, the team U-M faced in the NCAA semifinals last year ... "They didn't lose one person from last year's Final Four team. We know their personnel really well because they don't have anybody new and everybody's the same from last year. They're a great team and they have remarkable players. It will be quite a test for us but if we want to go to the Final Four then we have to play the best to get there."
On learning from the loss to Michigan State in the Big Ten Tournament ... "There are always things you can learn from losing. We're trying to fine-tune and tweak some things and get better."
Junior Defender Stephanie Johnson
On the bracket ... "I'm absolutely overwhelmed with excitement. I think we've got quite a large contingent of supporters out in Pennsylvania. We have a couple girls from the area and I have nothing but anticipation for some good success down the line."
On focusing on one game at a time ... "Going back to my first NCAA Tournament, I think I learned a lot from Ashley Reichenbach having seen her go through multiple Big Ten Tournaments. I remember her telling Coach (Pankratz) that it's so much easier when you look at it just one game at a time. I just want to keep that with us and try to impart that to some of the younger players."
On the difficulty of repeating as national champion ... "I've heard about how hard it is to win a second time a couple times this year so I don't know whether that's a challenge or encouragement. Basically, we try to stay within the team and deflect that thought process and just move on. With the confidence we have, and we've had a great season, we're so happy with the success that we've had and we're building each day with the success that we've brought with us."
On the confidence being the defending national champion ... "I think there are a lot of hot teams out there right now. We just need to try and stay within our team and look at the positive things that we're bringing to each team. Obviously, Princeton is going to bring something different to the table than we're going to bring. We're just really going out there with the mindset that adversity happens and we're looking forward to embracing it and overcoming those obstacles to try and repeat."
On what she remembers about Princeton from last season ... "It's hard to forget because my best friend, Emily Townsend, is on that team. It was a pretty anticipated matchup for me. It was definitely an intense game. We showed up 20 minutes before game time and Princeton had been warming up for about an hour and it was pretty funny to see their startled faces when we walked in. It was just a bounding confidence that our team walked out there with, a totally solidified unity. It just felt right that night and we went out there and played together and showed a lot of heart. I'm thankful we came out on top and that's what we're looking to take with us into this tournament and this game and try to bring back some of those emotions."
Junior Forward April Fronzoni
On her reaction to facing Princeton again ... "They're definitely a very strong team. We're actually really excited with whoever we play and it's Princeton so we're going to have face them sooner or later, so better sooner than later. It should be a good match."
On Princeton's personnel ... "They returned all their starters and all their players from last year. They're just as strong as last year and even stronger. I think if we come out and play the game that we're capable of playing we'll have no problem."
On the toughness needed to play during the NCAA Tournament ... "It's so important. The toughness that we carry amongst ourselves is awesome. Tournament time, you lose and you're done, so that's definitely on our minds. Knowing that we're the defending national champions and everyone is going to bring their 'A' games and want to knock us off is another factor that goes into everything. Once again, if we just play U-M hockey no one is going to stop us and we're just going to go right back to where we were last year."
On the advantage to playing at Penn State and near her hometown ... "State College is two hours from where I'm from (Larksville) so I'm hoping a lot of friends and family that wouldn't get to see me usually play will get to see me play, so that's awesome. Penn State is just like another home turf for us. We've played there a lot, we're very used to and comfortable with their turf and the good and bad bounces that happen on their field, so I think that our team is very excited with the draw that we came out with. We're excited and happy and everything will be fun."
On the field at Penn State being conducive to the type of hockey U-M plays ... "It definitely plays into our type of hockey, speed and all the other fun stuff that comes with it. It's definitely playing right into our hands."
On the scoring pressure she and Molly Powers feel ... "There's definitely a little bit of pressure coming into these big games because you're a forward and you're the one that's supposed to put in the goals, so there's some pressure but pressure is going to come in whatever sport you play. It just depends on how you handle it and right now we're handling it pretty well so, hopefully, that will just carry over and we'll be able to put a few more in before the season's over."
N O T E S
Michigan is 3-0 in the first round and has advanced to the second round in each of its NCAA Tournament appearances.
Only three other schools have won back-to-back NCAA championships. Old Dominion won three straight from 1982-84 and 1990-92 and North Carolina captured three crowns from 1995-97.
The Wolverines are on the road for the first round for the third time in the last four years.
Contact: Paul Thomas (734) 763-4423
