UW-Stevens Point football team prepares for season opener One week of practice is completed for the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (UW-SP) football team as the Pointers prepare for their season opener Saturday, Sept. 8, against Ohio Northern. The Pointers are coming off an injury-plagued 2-8 season and open the year with Ohio Northern, which has lost just four games over the past two seasons to NCAA Division III opponents - all to defending national champion Mount Union (Ohio). UW-SP practiced this week from 8:40-11:10 a.m. and from 3-5:15 p.m. each day at the Eddie Kotal Practice Fields behind the Quandt Fieldhouse. The Pointers will hold an intra-squad scrimmage Saturday, Sept. 1, at 9 a.m. at Kotal Fields. Next week, practices will be held from 3:30-5:30 p.m. * * * SOCCER TEAM SETS SIGHTS ON ANOTHER WIAC CHAMPIONSHIP: UW-SP is again the favorite in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference women's soccer race as the Pointers garnered seven of nine first place votes in a preseason poll of conference sports information directors. The Pointers have won eight of the nine all-time WISAC titles and have never lost a WIAC regular season match, boasting a 63-0-2 all-time record. UW-SP also brings the longest conference winning streak in NCAA Division III history into the season at 44 straight victories. The Pointers were 22-5 last season and qualified for the Division III Final Four. UW-SP opens its season Friday, Aug. 31, at 2 p.m. at St. Thomas (Minn.) and plays Sunday at 1 p.m. at Gustavus Adolphus (Minn.). UW-SP head coach Sheila Miech enters the weekend with a 198-71-16 career record and is attempting to become the first female soccer coach ever to reach 200 career wins in any NCAA division. Practice were held this week on Wednesday from 8-10:30 a.m. and Thursday from 1-4 p.m. at the Pointer Soccer Bowl. UW-SP will host Lawrence in a scrimmage Tuesday, Sept. 3, at 4 p.m. * * * WHITE BEGINS FIRST SEASON AS POINTER VOLLEYBALL COACH: A new coach leads the UW-SP volleyball team into the 2001 season as Stacey White begins her first season with the Pointers. UW-SP was 12-22 last season and faces a challenging schedule this season that gets started with the season opener on Friday, Sept. 7, at 13th ranked Elmhurst (Ill.). The Pointers practice Tuesday and Thursday from 9-11:30 a.m. and 2-5 p.m. at Berg Gymnasium. There will only be morning practices on Wednesday and Friday with Wednesday's practice taking place from 7-10 a.m.