Weekly Release #6
9/30/2003 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
This Week's Schedule
No. 5 Michigan (7-3, 1-0 Big Ten) vs. No. 6 Iowa (8-2, 1-0 Big Ten)
Saturday, Oct. 4 1 p.m. Ocker Field Ann Arbor, Mich.
No. 5 Michigan at No. 18 Louisville (5-4, 1-1 MAC)
Monday, Oct. 6 3 p.m. Trager Stadium Louisville, Ky.
Radio/Internet: None.
Series Information: Michigan trails 8-33 in the all-time series with Iowa but has won eight of the last 10 meetings, including four straight ... The Wolverines own a 4-0 advantage in the all-time series with Louisville, winning each time by virtue of a shutout.
Opponent Information: For information on Iowa field hockey, visit www.hawkeyesports.com ... For information on Louisville field hockey, visit www.uoflsports.com.
This Week's Storylines
Bird Hunting -- On the same day the Michigan football team will be in Iowa City, Iowa, to face Iowa, the Wolverines will be hosting the Hawkeyes in a pivotal game on U-M's Big Ten Conference slate. Michigan owns an 8-2 record in the last 10 games with Iowa, including victories in each of the last four meetings.
Setting Goals ... -- Senior April Fronzoni, a candidate for the Honda Award as the nation's top field hockey player, enters this week's action five goals shy of the all-time record at Michigan, held by Mary Callam, who recorded 64 from 1976-79. Fronzoni has 59 career goals, including a team-high 11 this season, to sit in second place.
... And Scoring Points -- April Fronzoni is also on her way up the career points chart at Michigan with 133 and is three away from tying Callam as the all-time points leader. Callam recorded 136 points from 1976-79.
Eight Is Enough -- Michigan enters Saturday's (Oct. 4) match against Iowa with victories in each of its last eight Big Ten contests, dating back to the 2001 campaign.
Are You Ready for Some ... Field Hockey -- Monday's (Oct. 6) match at Louisville is the second of three straight rare Monday matches for the Wolverines. U-M hosted Kent State last Monday (Sept. 29) and will travel to Mount Pleasant on Monday, Oct. 13, to face Central Michigan. Overall, four of Michigan's matches this season will be played on a Monday.
News and Notes ...
Holding Steady at No. 5 -- The Wolverines remained fifth in the latest STX/NFHCA Division I National Coaches Poll (Sept. 30). U-M is one of five teams from the Big Ten in the rankings, with Iowa (6th), Penn State (8th), Michigan State (9th) and Indiana (20th) all behind Michigan.
A Helping Hand -- Sophomore Lori Hillman has registered an assist in four of her last five games, including three straight, to move into the team lead for helpers with seven. Hillman, who has 1-7-9 totals this season, has already achieved career highs for assists and points in a season, eclipsing her 22-game totals from a year ago (2-1-5). Considering Hillman netted two goals in her final game of 2002, she has been on a scoring tear as of late, netting three goals and recording 11 assists in her last 11 games, which dates back to the Wolverines' final contest last season.
A Trip Down Memory Lane -- Head coach Marcia Pankratz welcomes her alma mater, the University of Iowa, to Ocker Field this weekend. Pankratz is a 1987 graduate of Iowa, where she ranks third among the all-time goal scorers with 76 markers.
On the Radar Screen -- After recording one assist in her first seven appearances, senior Kristi Gannon has posted 3-1-7 totals in her last three matches, scoring a goal in two of those contests. Gannon netted a season-high two markers on Monday (Sept. 29) against Kent State and sits one goal shy of cracking Michigan's top 10 career goal scorers.
Finding That Scoring Touch...Again -- Junior Adrienne Hortillosa has notched a point in six of her last seven matches, totaling 2-6-10 during that time, including a point in each of her last four outings. Hortillosa, who ranks second on the team in assists, has netted a goal in two of her last three appearances, marking her only goals of the season. Hortillosa, who netted 10 goals as a freshman in 2001, is one goal shy of her total from 22 games a year ago (3).
Ten Games Equals a Career -- Junior Jessica Blake ranks third on the team in points with 5-5-10 totals after 10 games, exactly the amount of goals, assists and points she registered in the first two seasons of her Michigan career, which spanned 39 games. Blake, who has already established career highs for goals, assists and points, has notched a point in seven of her last eight outings, including four straight contests, and has scored in three of her last four appearances.
Miss Consistent -- Freshman Jill Civic has proved to be pretty consistent for Michigan, recording a point in six of her nine appearances, including four of her last five outings. Civic ranks second on the team in goals and points with 7-1-15 and has scored in three of her last five games.
Achieving Perfection -- Freshman goaltender Beth Riley has been perfect in her five appearances this season, sporting a 5-0 record. Riley, who has started in four contests this season, including each of the Wolverines' last two outings, owns a team-best 0.91 goals-against average and has allowed only one goal in her last four games after giving up three in her collegiate debut.
In a Sea of Numbers, We Found This -- According to the latest Big Ten statistics, Michigan leads the conference in average home attendance, averaging 510 fans per match. The closest team is Penn State with an average fan base of 326 ... The Wolverines lead the Big Ten in goals per game with a 4.00 mark ... In the latest national statistics compiled by the NFHCA, Adrienne Hortillosa is tied for 16th in assists per game (0.667), while April Fronzoni is ranked in four categories, including goals (t-5th - 11), goals per game (t-3rd - 1.222), points (t-8th - 25) and points per game (5th - 2.778) ... As a team, Michigan ranks fourth nationally in scoring offense (4.00 goals per game) and 11th in margin of victory (+1.89 goals per game) ... April Fronzoni is tied for the goal-scoring lead in the Big Ten with a pair of Ohio State players -- Lucy Clayton and Vanessa Immordino.
Free Hits -- Michigan's trip to Louisville will mark its first appearance at the school. U-M could have visited Louisville last season, as the 2002 NCAA Championship was held at U of L's Trager Stadium ... Junior Laura Woitkewitsch's assist against Kent State on Monday (Sept. 29) marked her first point of the season ... Senior Stephanie Johnson had her four-game goal-scoring streak snapped at Northwestern last Friday (Sept. 26) and has not scored in her last two appearances ... Michigan's win at Northwestern marked the 12th straight win against the Wildcats.
Next Up -- Hoosiers and Chippewas ...
The Wolverines will play another Saturday-Monday series next week, facing Indiana and Central Michigan. U-M will entertain No. 20 Indiana in Big Ten action on Saturday, Oct. 11, at 1 p.m. at Ocker Field before traveling to Mount Pleasant, Mich., for a 3 p.m. meeting on Monday, Oct. 13, against Central Michigan.
If You've Been With Us All Season, These May Look Familiar ...
Not Afraid to Play the Tough Ones -- Michigan has 11 of the 20 teams ranked in the latest STX/NFHCA Division I National Coaches Poll on its 2003 schedule, including the top three teams in the poll -- No. 1 Wake Forest, No. 2 North Carolina and No. 3 Maryland.
Tough to Swallow -- Michigan's three losses this season have come at the hands of the top three teams in the latest STX/NFHCA Division I National Coaches Poll, suffering setbacks against Wake Forest (No. 1), North Carolina (No. 2) and Maryland (No. 3).
Training in Europe -- The squad traveled to Amsterdam, The Netherlands, during the 2003 preseason to compete against club teams in the Amsterdam area as well as Cologne Rot-Weiss, the team junior Laura Woitkewitsch played for before coming to U-M. Details of the Wolverines' trip will be available soon on MGoBlue.com.
Freshmen 15 -- Freshman Jill Civic appeared in the first-ever edition of Sports Illustrated On Campus as one of the nation's top 15 newcomers - the Freshmen 15 -- in all NCAA Division I sports.
Five Alive -- With her Big Ten co-Offensive Player of the Week award on Sept. 8, senior April Fronzoni tied the school record for most Big Ten Player of the Week honors, held by Kelli Gannon (1997-2000).
2003 Honors and Awards ...
Big Ten Conference Offensive Player of the Week
April Fronzoni - Sept. 8
Big Ten Conference Defensive Player of the Week
Stephanie Johnson - Sept. 15
Contact: Paul Thomas (734) 763-4423
