In this issue

Announcements

Gopher Chatter

Upcoming Match Previews

Rankings

Coach’s Corner

From Coach Hebert:

Thanks to all who showed up at the Pavilion last weekend to watch the Gophers record their first tournament win of the season. It also marked the end of the pre-conference season. Here is a summary of things accomplished and things still to be resolved.

Our left side and middle attacking has remained consistent throughout. All of our players in these positions have been keeping their errors down and have been terminating at a high percentage. Our primary passers have been improving steadily, with Tan, Dieter, Cowles and Roysland leading the way. At this point we are the best in the Big Ten in preventing aces against us. Our blocking has been outstanding. We lead the Big Ten in this department as well at 3.6 blocks per game. Our back row defense was much improved over the weekend after we switched Tan to the middle back position and returned Dieter and Cowles to their more familiar role as left back defenders. We accumulated 100 digs against Creighton for an average of 25 per game. This is a very high number. We also began to serve tougher and forced our opponents into many more out of system offensive situations. I like how we played last weekend.

Our biggest challenge at this point is to identify a right side (opposite) player. We have asked Hagerty, Vatterrodt and Schmidt to give it a try and all have had their moments. We even tried Roehrig on the right side against UWGB. But no solution is evident at this time. Maybe we will go with “opposite by committee” until we find the right answer.

The other issue we need to resolve is how to trust each other under pressure. There is no doubt in my mind that this will become a mentally tough team. But it will require that they work themselves out of adverse situations a few more times before they begin to believe in themselves.

The Big Ten will be a meat grinder this year. There are a lot of teams that have improved significantly. Although the usual cast of characters (Penn State, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Ohio State) are expected to finish in the top half, a new breed is lurking just below the surface. This group includes Purdue, Northwestern, Michigan and Michigan State. All four of these teams have displayed moments of solid volleyball. The days of playing an “easy” match in the Big Ten are over. Every night will be a battle!

I sure hope I will see you all this weekend. It is essential that we get off to a great start against Purdue and Indiana. Don’t forget the 1:00pm start on Sunday against Indiana!
Go Gophers!

Head Coach

Minnesota Volleyball

From the Golddiggers’ President

From Larry Mickelson:

I was golfing this past weekend and as my mind wandered I started thinking about the upcoming Big 10 season. Outside of the obvious reason behind my poor golf play (the shank on the 4^th hole, the bunker trials on the 8^th, and don’t even talk to me about the 4 putt on 12!), this allowed me to reflect on what the non-conference season is all about. Except for those years when a team returns basically everyone, 2004 for example, the non-conference season is the opportunity to try and identify what type of team they will have for the year – who will step up, what rotations they will use, etc. This has been extremely important for MN this season with 4 freshman and senior Kelly Roysland who hasn’t played collegiate volleyball before. And while Kelly was able to participate in the spring season, the freshmen have only been working with the team since early August. And, in a team sport such as volleyball where communication is key, the coaching staff has a limited time to mesh this team and find out what will work. We as fans have been spoiled over that past few years with teams that have started the season highly ranked and have come out of the starting gate playing well. Even in 2005 when the team welcomed eight new players, including six freshmen, the team had a starting line-up pretty much intact. It has been a while since we have had so many new players take the court for the Gophers. This is something that we, as fans, must remember as the team goes thru some growing pains as they have so far this season and, undoubtedly, will in the future. The goal is to peak for the NCAA tournament and I trust that Mike and the coaching staff will have the team ready then.

That said, I look forward to the start of the Big 10 season. The rivalries, intense play, emotions, and the crowds all increase as the Big 10 schools come to town. I am confident that the non-conference schedule will have allowed the team to gain experience in playing tough teams at home (Diet Coke Classic), on the road (California), as well as a tournament that allowed them to work on their game and confidence (Invitational). I will not invite disaster by thinking ahead but there are some big matches coming up, both home and away, and I can’t wait!

Point U!

Larry Mickelson, President, Golddiggers

Meet the Gophers

Christine Tan is in her second year playing the back row for the Gophers. This year, she is normally playing at the libero position, instead of substituting in as a defensive specialist. We had a few questions for her.

Note: Photos courtesy of the University of Minnesota (although we didn’t actually ask for permission).

During your freshman year what were the biggest adaptations you needed to make from high school volleyball-wise? Academically?

During my freshman year I definitely learned a lot more about the game scouting and scheming wise. There were a lot of new elements to the game that I had never paid attention to or that had never been brought forth to me. I had to learn to adapt to the type of scheming defense that we played and at the same time still apply my reading and defensive instincts to the game. Academically speaking I had to adjust to the sporadic scheduling and making sure that I had enough time to fit everything into my schedule. I also had to make sure I was setting enough time for studying since I realized that a large part of college education is learning to teach yourself on your own.

Now that you have a year of college volleyball behind you, what did you learn in the first year that you can use in your sophomore year?

During my first year of college volleyball I learned that you can never underestimate an opponent, especially in the Big Ten. Every time that you step onto the court you should be prepared and mentally focused to play. Any team at any time can pull out a win if you do not respect your opponent.

Last year you were a defensive specialist, this year a libero. Mentally, is this a big change? What other differences are there for you in the positions?

Mentally speaking I do think my role has changed. Last year there were a lot of players I could look to for advice or inspiration. This year I’ve tried to apply what those players have taught me and try to be both the knowledgeable and inspirational player that my teammates can look to.

Being from Florida how did you adapt to your first MN winter?

Well, since I took my recruiting trip to the school in August I definitely did not have a clear idea what the winters were like. However, I think overall I survived and am pretty sure I can take it the next three years. When November came around I stopped riding my scooter and bought a bus pass. Between walking and busing I managed to get to class, the gym and my bedroom…and those were pretty much the only places you saw me during the winter.

When did you start playing volleyball?

Around five years old. My parents dragged my brother and I to the beach so they could play beach doubles on the weekends. I guess I just picked it up from them.

What moment(s) stand out the most from your first year at MN?

There were a lot of memorable moments but a few that stood out were beating Wisconsin at their home gym, having my parents watch us play during the Penn State/ Ohio State weekend at home (it also was my birthday that weekend) and of course beating Florida in the Sweet Sixteen. My best memory however is remembering how scared to death I was to start as libero against Nebraska in the preseason versus playing them in the Elite Eight and feeling totally prepared, excited and pumped and not the least bit intimidated.

Outside of the Pav, where was your favorite place to play last year?

The O’Connel Center in Florida

What are you looking forward to in your sophomore year?

The Big Ten season and playing at the Pav again. Also, when we play Penn State/Ohio State at home and because it’s my birthday that weekend again.

OK, now we get personal!!

If I didn’t play volleyball I would…….probably still be playing soccer but if not that then table tennis because that is definitely my second favorite sport to play, and I never get tired of it!

When I need to relax I…….go on a scooter ride (but not in the winter time) or, I really enjoy cooking and love watching the food network.

My favorite food is……Smoothies!!! What can I say I used to work at a Jamba Juice and I am obsessed.

When watching “Caddyshack”

____ I pull for the gopher

____ Carl all the way! Cinderella story and all that.

__x__ What is “Caddyshack”?

Ok, I know what Caddyshack is I’ve just never gotten to watching it so I really can’t choose the other two. Sorry.

What people don’t know about me is……I’m actually really not as loud and annoying in person as I appear on the court. Usually I’m pretty calm and a bit shy, especially around people I don’t know or, if I’m around my classmates

Announcements

Road Trip to Wisconsin

The Golddiggers are organizing a trip to Madison, WI to take in the MN/WI match on Saturday, November 25^th. A sign-up form and more information were included in your membership packet. This should be a fun event!! We are hoping to get two buses, approx. 80 people, to take the trip down I-94. Approx. 40 Gopher fans made the trip last year and had a great time. The trip is open to all so be sure to invite your non-Golddigger friends (you have friends that aren’t Golddiggers?) to join us and they will see what fun we have! Let’s turn the Fieldhouse in the Gopher’s home away from home!

+ + +

Reception
We will have a reception following the Indiana match on SUNDAY. If you are one of “DuAnn’s Angels” she will be contacting you about what to bring. If you would like to be part of DuAnn’s Angels please see her about what you can do.

***Don’t forget – the team and coaching staff will be performing the “Hartmann” dance for us at the reception!!!!!

+ + +

Match Time changes!!

October 31^st vs. Iowa – match has been changed to 6:00 PM! Please make note of this time change!!!

Also, Season Ticket Holders – please note that the date is incorrect on your ticket for the Northwestern match. It should be November 17^th not September 1^st as listed on the ticket.

Gopher Chatter

Wandering Gophers

Wayne and Karen Miller are former local Gopher Fans who have moved down to Las Vegas. Wayne dropped an e-mail off with newsletter@golddigger-boosters.org last week.

Karen and I have been following both the Gophers and UNLV.

JT mentioned (note – last newsletter) we traveled to SF to watch the Gophers. It was great to see the friends we left behind.

We also traveled to LA to watch the (UNLV) Rebels play. This team is definitely under rated. On Sept. 13th the Rebels played their first Mountain West Conference match against the BYU Cougars currently ranked 12th in the AVCA/CSTV Poll. The Rebels caught the Cougars by surprise and swept the match. The crowd was huge compared to the turnout for the Rebels tournament here in Vegas. It was reported to be one of the largest ever, 866 people. WOW! Oh how we miss the roar of POINT U!

And just in case anyone looked at which teams the Rebels have played, in LA when they met Northwestern we told the Rebel parents and also the Northwestern fans there that we will always be Big Ten fans. Unfortunately, that match didn't turn out so well for the Wildcats of NU.

We would very much like to hear from YOU! Former Gophers, out-of-town members, Hollywood celebrities -- whomever -- please email us at the address below, let us know what you are up to, pass on suggestions or questions for the Point U!(betcha), or hammer the coaching staff for their time-out usage -- it’s up to you. The coaching staff has also generously offered to answer questions submitted to them through this newsletter. We look forward to all your input.

Upcoming Match Previews

Purdue

From Purdue’s website (what can I say, I’m lazy!)

The Book on the Boilermakers
The Purdue Boilermakers (7-4) look to start the Big Ten season on the right foot after splitting weekend matches with Oregon and #4 USC at the Sports Imports Classic in Columbus, Ohio. The Boilermakers topped Oregon and fell to the Women of Troy at the Big Ten/Pac-10 Challenge.

Four players average more than two kills per game, led by junior middle hitter Stephanie Lynch. Lynch has put up 4.21 kills per game on a team-best .363 hitting percentage, while also racking up 1.12 blocks per game. Junior outside hitter Danita Merlau (3.86), senior outside hitter Sammi Mader (2.79) and junior outside hitter/defensive specialist Kelli Miller (2.12) round out the group. Sophomore outside hitter/middle hitter Carrie Gurnell (1.35) and freshman outside hitter Kristen Arthurs (1.19) also contribute to the offense. Gurnell has put up 1.12 blocks per game in addition to her kill tally.

Senior libero Anne Mastandrea provides the bulk of the defense for the Boilermakers with 5.81 digs per game. Miller and Merlau add 3.83 and 3.74 digs per game respectively. Sophomore setter Sam Gray (2.43), freshman setter Jaclyn Hart (1.95) and freshman defensive specialist Jessica Ullrich (1.94) follow. Eight different players accounted for the team's 50 aces, including Miller's 15 and Gray's tally of eight. Purdue leads opponents in all statistical categories.

MN takes on Purdue on Friday evening. On Saturday, the Boilermakers head down I-35 to play Iowa.

Indiana

Indiana comes to the Pavilion on Sunday afternoon after playing in Iowa on Friday. The Hoosiers currently sport a 9-3 record although they have not posted any wins over “name” programs nor any impressive losses. The Hoosiers are led by 6’2” junior OH Erica Short who has recorded an impressive 204 kills thus far.

One of the factors to watch is Indiana’s serving. They have recorded 82 aces so far (1.91 aces/game) while having 120 service errors (2.79 errors/game). MN has only been aced 31 times this year (0.89 aces/game) and if they can provide solid passes they should be able to control the match.

Rankings

Rank School (1st-Place Votes) 2007 Record

1 Nebraska (55) 9-0

2 Stanford (5) 11-0

3 Penn State 8-2

4 Southern California 10-0

5 UCLA 10-1

6 Florida 9-0

7 Texas 5-3

8 Washington 11-0

9 Wisconsin 8-1

10 Michigan 12-0

11 California 10-1

12 Minnesota 7-3

13 Hawai’i 8-3

14 Duke 5-3

15 San Diego 7-4

16 Kansas State 10-2

17 BYU 7-3

18 Dayton 13-0

19 Ohio 8-3

20 Cal Poly 6-6

21 St. John’s 14-2

22 LSU 10-1

23 Ohio State 6-3

24 Oregon 11-1

25 New Mexico State 10-2

Others Receiving Votes and appearing on two or more ballots: UNLV 92; Long Beach State 74;

Middle Tennessee 54; Colorado State 48; Oklahoma 46; Sacramento State 33; Missouri State 31;

Pepperdine 26; Santa Clara 21; Iowa State 16; Louisville 12; Purdue 12; Wichita State 11; Arizona 10;

Notre Dame 10; Texas A&M 9; Tulane 8; Illinois State 3.

Dropped out: Santa Clara (22); Texas A&M (25)

National Update

A quick look at the AVCA’s top ten ranked teams (excluding the Big10 schools):

Nebraska – Big Red continues to roll as they are 9-0 on the season after sweeping Texas Tech on Saturday. In games Nebraska is 27-1 and it would appear they are thru the toughest part of their regular season as they will only face two ranked opponents, Texas and Kansas State, during the Big 12 season. Their biggest opponent would appear to be boredom. Up next for Nebraska is Texas A&M on Saturday and Kansas on the 26^th (the Big 12 plays Wednesdays and Saturdays).

Stanford – Stanford eked out a 5 game victory over Penn State this past weekend to remain at 11-0 as they head into the brutal Pac 10 season. The Pac 10 boasts 4 teams in the top 10 and 6 in the top 25. The Cardinal will take on #11 and cross-bay rival, Cal, on Friday night in their only match this weekend.

Penn State – see below

USC – Southern Cal dispatched two Big 10 teams this past weekend, Ohio State in 5 and Purdue in 3, to remain undefeated at 10-0. However, we may not know how strong this team really is until the weekend of September 28/29 when they travel to the Bay Area to take on Stanford and Cal. USC has only played three matches away from Galen Center and has only played one ranked team that is currently ranked, Ohio State. The Women of Troy will again stay home this weekend as they host Arizona and Arizona State.

UCLA – The Bruins finished their non-conference season by beating University of San Diego 3-2 (MN beat USD in 4) and winning the USD Tournament and currently stand at 10-1 with their sole loss to Nebraska. UCLA is 3-1 against teams that are currently ranked. They also host Arizona and Arizona State this weekend.

Florida – Florida opened their SEC this past weekend by beating Georgia and Auburn in Gainesville to run their season record to 9-0. Like USC and UCLA this may be a tough team to get a read on as they have yet to play an opponent that is currently ranked and have spent much of their time at home. We may find out more about them this Sunday as they travel to #22 LSU after playing Mississippi on Friday.

Texas – How does Nebraska view this “rivalry”? Check out this quote from Sarah Pavan: “You can see how cocky they are when they walk in here. You just want to beat them handily every time.” Texas was swept last Wednesday in Lincoln although they played without sophomores Destinee Hooker and Ashley Engle. The Longhorns got healthy on Saturday as they swept Missouri. Texas hosts Iowa State on Wednesday, Sept. 19^th, and has Saturday off.

Washington – The Huskies remained undefeated at 11-0 after UNF/JU Classic in Jacksonville, FL where they defeated North Florida, Jacksonville, and New Orleans. Washington will face their first ranked opponent on Friday when they travel to #24 Oregon before going to Oregon State on Saturday.

Wisconsin – see below

Michigan – see below (no, this is not a football poll)

Big10 Update

The standings:

        Conference Standings as of Sep 17, 2007

                        Conference  Games           Overall   Games

  Institution               W-L    For Opp   Pct      W-L    For Opp   Pct

  -----------               ---    --- ---   ---      ---    --- ---   ---

  MICH................      0-0      0   0  .000     12-0     36   7 1.000

  WIS.................      0-0      0   0  .000      8-1     26   5  .889

  NU..................      0-0      0   0  .000      9-2     28   8  .818

  ILL.................      0-0      0   0  .000      8-2     28   9  .800

  PSU.................      0-0      0   0  .000      8-2     26  10  .800

  MSU.................      0-0      0   0  .000      9-3     29  12  .750

  IND.................      0-0      0   0  .000      9-3     27  16  .750

  IOWA................      0-0      0   0  .000      8-3     28  14  .727

  MINN................      0-0      0   0  .000      7-3     24  11  .700

  OSU.................      0-0      0   0  .000      6-3     20   9  .667

  PUR.................      0-0      0   0  .000      7-4     24  18  .636

2007 conference statistics are at: http://bigten.cstv.com/sports/w-volley/stats/2007-2008/confstat.html

Illinois

The Fighting Ilini enter the Big 10 season at 8-2 by finishing their non-conference schedule with wins over Southern Illinois and Toledo. Their only losses so far this year have been to #18 Dayton and #22 LSU, both 5 game losses. The win over Toledo was coach Don Hardin’s 200^th at Illinois.

The Illini are led by freshman OH Laura DeBruler with 174 kills thus far and senior MB Vicki Brown with 124 kills. Brown and freshman MB Johanna Bangert lead the team in blocks at 1.27/game and 1.39/game respectively.

Illinois will start the Big 10 season with two tough matches – home against #9 Wisconsin on 9/19 and at #10 Michigan.

http://fightingillini.cstv.com/sports/w-volley/ill-w-volley-body.html (website)

http://fightingillini.cstv.com/sports/w-volley/mtt/ill-w-volley-mtt.html (roster)

http://fightingillini.cstv.com/sports/w-volley/stats/2007-2008/teamcume.html (stats)

Indiana

See above.

http://iuhoosiers.cstv.com/sports/w-volley/ind-w-volley-body.html (website)

http://iuhoosiers.cstv.com/sports/w-volley/ind-w-volley-body.html (roster)

http://iuhoosiers.cstv.com/sports/w-volley/ind-w-volley-body.html (stats)

Iowa

Iowa stands at 8-3 after they beat Texas-Arlington, Ball State, College of Charleston, winning 9 games and losing 1 in the Hawkeye-Holiday Inn Classic. Two of Iowa’s losses were to #17 BYU and #22 LSU, both in 5 games. Their third loss was to in-state rival Iowa State.

Leading the way for the Hawkeyes offensively is sophomore OH Megan Shipper with 136 kills and freshman OH Megan Eskew with 112. Junior MB Laura Kremer and freshman MB Becky Walters lead the defense at the net with 57 and 50 blocks respectively. Iowa is splitting the setting duties between freshman Aimee Huffman and junior Kiley Fister.

The Hawkeyes open their Big 10 season by hosting Indiana and Purdue.

http://hawkeyesports.cstv.com/sports/w-volley/iowa-w-volley-body.html (website)

http://hawkeyesports.cstv.com/sports/w-volley/iowa-w-volley-body.html (roster)

http://hawkeyesports.cstv.com/sports/w-volley/iowa-w-volley-body.html (stats)

Michigan

Michigan continues their impressive play by remaining undefeated at 11-0 and are now ranked #10 after starting the season unranked, an impressive feat. This past weekend they won their own Michigan/Nike Invitational by sweeping Utah Valley State and Temple before beating Georgia Tech in a five game barnburner.

Michigan is led by senior OH Katie Bruzdzinski with 190 kills and junior MB Beth Karpiak with 145 kills. Stesha Stelsky has been the backbone of the Wolverine back row. She recorded 31 digs in a recent 3 game match and is second in the NCAA in digs/game at 6.72.

The Wolverines will be tested early this Big 10 season as they host Illinois and Wisconsin. This is the season that Michigan is the “odd” traveling team meaning they will be playing two matches each weekend while their opponents only play once. In the past, the odd traveling team has struggled somewhat and it will be interesting to see how Michigan fares.

Minnesota hosts Michigan on Sunday, September 30^th. Could be a big match for both teams.

http://www.mgoblue.com/section_display.cfm?section_id=201&top=2&level=2 (website)

http://www.mgoblue.com/roster.cfm?section_id=340&top=2&level=3 (roster)

http://www.mgoblue.com/statistics.cfm?section_id=343&top=2&level=3 (stats)

Michigan State

Michigan State beat two fellow Michigan schools last week, Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan, to end the non-conference season at 9-3 after starting the season 0-3. Those three losses were to #4 USC, #21 St. John’s, and Loyola Marymount at a tournament in Los Angeles.

MSU’s offense is split between OH Ashley Schatzle and OH Katie Johnson, both seniors with 169 and 164 kills, respectively.

The Spartans appear to have drawn the short straw in scheduling as they travel this week to #3 Penn State and #23 Ohio State.

http://msuspartans.cstv.com/sports/w-volley/msu-w-volley-body.html (website)

http://msuspartans.cstv.com/sports/w-volley/mtt/msu-w-volley-mtt.html (roster)

http://msuspartans.cstv.com/sports/w-volley/stats/2007-2008/teamcume.html (stats)

Northwestern

Northwestern enters the Big 10 season at 9-2 after winning the Northwestern Wildcat Invitational, their second tournament win of the season. The latest tournament saw the Wildcats defeat Drake University, Western Michigan, and St. Louis. Their two losses this year were to Loyola Marymount and UNLV, again in a tournament held in Los Angeles (perhaps the Big 10 should avoid playing Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles!).

Kate Nobilio, Northwestern’s sophomore libero, was named the Big 10’s Defensive Player of the Week on 9/17 and ranks sixth in the country in digs/game at 6.33.

Northwestern also drew a short straw this year and open the season by traveling to Ohio State and Penn State.

http://nusports.cstv.com/sports/w-volley/nw-w-volley-body.html (website)

http://nusports.cstv.com/sports/w-volley/nw-w-volley-body.html (roster)

http://nusports.cstv.com/sports/w-volley/stats/2007-2008/teamstat.html (stats)

Ohio State

The Buckeyes enter the Big 10 season on 2 game losing streak after dropping a pair of matches to #4 USC and #24 Oregon. However, the USC match was a taut five game affair in which OSU dropped G5 16-14. OSU now stands at 6-3.

The biggest question mark for OSU this year is who will replace Marisa Main as their setter. Freshman Betsy Hone had been getting a majority of the sets earlier in the year but sophomore Ashley Hughes has see the bulk of the setting action in the past few matches.

Ohio State suffered another blow this past week when a top recruit, Becky Pavan (sister to Sarah), announced that she was withdrawing her commitment to Ohio State and will instead be attending Kentucky next year. The decision was apparently made due to the announced retirement of coach Jim Stone.

This weekend the Buckeyes host Northwestern and Michigan State in a Friday night/Sunday afternoon schedule.

http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/SportSelect.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=17300&KEY=&SPID=10410&SPSID=89326 (website) http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/SportSelect.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=17300&KEY=&SPID=10410&SPSID=89323 (roster)

http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/SportSelect.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=17300&KEY=&SPID=10410&SPSID=89325 (stats)

Penn State

Penn State took on a tough task the final weekend of non-conference. No, not by playing and beating Yale and Delaware State but by taking on #2 Stanford in the Yale Classic. After dropping G1 to the Cardinal, the Nittany Lions rallied to take games 2 & 3 before losing a tough G4 28-30 and G5 9-15. Still, an impressive showing for PSU.

Penn State is led offensively by Nicole Fawcett and Megan Hodge. Fawcett leads the team in kills with 164 and impressive .319 hitting percentage. Hodge has 161 kills with a hitting percentage of .265. Christa Harmotto has been the blocking force by being a part of 51 blocks while Roberta Holehouse has dug 121 shots that have somehow slipped past Harmotto.

Penn State opens the Big 10 season by hosting Michigan State and Northwestern.

http://gopsusports.cstv.com/sports/w-volley/psu-w-volley-body.html (website)

http://gopsusports.cstv.com/sports/w-volley/mtt/psu-w-volley-mtt.html (roster)

http://gopsusports.cstv.com/sports/w-volley/stats/2007-2008/teamcume.html (stats)

Purdue

See above.

http://purduesports.cstv.com/sports/w-volley/pur-w-volley-frame.html (website)

http://purduesports.cstv.com/sports/w-volley/pur-w-volley-frame.html (roster)

http://purduesports.cstv.com/sports/w-volley/pur-w-volley-frame.html (stats)

Wisconsin

The Badgers took last week off to refresh and prepare for the Big 10 season. They open the Big 10 season with a Wednesday night match on the road at Illinois and then face Michigan in Ann Arbor. Wisconsin at #9, Michigan at #10, something has to give.