Thursday, September 16, 1982
Daily Nebraskan
Page 13
Volleyball team looks at only senior as leader
By Ward Triplett
For Nebraska's Gwen Egbert, seniority is indeed a
distinction. Egbert, 21, is the only senior playing for the
Cornhusker volleyball squad.
"Being the only senior puts some pressure on me,"
Egbert said. "It means that I 'can't just do anything I
want, because they might think that they could do it
too. If I'm dogging it in practice, the underclassmen will
see that and think that they could get away with it."
"I have to remember that the underclassmen are
looking up to me, and I have to set a good example.
That would be to just always play the best I can and
help them with my experience."
Egbert is unusual as far as Nebraska volleyball players
go, since Coach Terry Pettit recruited her otfr of a junior
college instead of high school. Egbert was the most
valuable player on a Kellogg Community College team
that won the junior college volleyball championship her
sophomore year.
"Kellogg had a really good volleyball program. In
fact, they had a better program than most of the four
year schools," the Kalamazoo, Mich., native said.
"Plus, 1 was a homebody. I didn't want to go too far,
and Kellogg was about a half-hour from my house."
Egbert chose Nebraska over Southwestern Missouri
and Wyoming because of Nebraska's superior academic
program. The decision, she said, was "tough."
Immediate starter
"I knew I'd get a good education at any of the three,
and they all had good volleyball programs," Egbert said.
"But Nebraska had the better school of the three. They
were equal to me except for that."
Egbert immediately stepped into the Nebraska line
up as the starting setter, but her season was slowed by
an ankle injury in September. She then missed four
weeks of action.
"I thought I was playing really well until then, but
that injury really hurt me," Egbert said. "I missed the
middle of the season, and it was hard to get back in shape
afterwards."
This season, Pettit switched Egbert to an outside
hitter position, where she is in the main digging position.
Sophomore Cathy Noth, who played the position last
year, is now the team's setter. That, along with two new
center blockers, has changed the team a lot, according
to Egbert.
Tennis coach optimistic about opener
By Kevin Warneke
The UNL women's tennis team will get its first dose of
competition this weekend as it plays Stephens College
at 1:30 p.m. Friday and Drake at 3 p.m. Saturday. Both
matches will be played on the East Campus tennis courts.
According to Coach Kathy Hawkins, the Stephens
College match will be a good warm-up for Drake.
"Stephens College is going to be one of the weaker
teams mat we will face this year," she said. "They're
trying to improve their team and are playing Division
One schools."
Because she hasn't seen them play in two years,
Hawkins said, she is hesitant to make any predictions
of the outcome of the match. It will be a good way of
getting rid of first-match jitters and getting the squad
ready for Drake, she said.
"Drake will be a big match," Hawkins said. "They've
beaten us closely the last two years."
But despite the previous two losses to Drake, Hawkin
Hawkins said she is optimistic.
"We think we're the better team" she said. "But we're
going to have to work for the win, and also I'm glad
we're playing at home."
The lineup against Stephens College will be without
the services of Cindi Reiman and Ann Swanson, who
hold the No. 1 and No. 2 singles spots.
"I think that Stephens College is not as strong and
I want to give some people a chance to play," she said.
"I don't think this will jeopardize the outcome."
Aggies . . .
Continued from Page 12
"That's (the weak-set) something they
haven't used in a couple of years and I
don't know if they'll use it against us or
not," Krueger said.
The New Mexico State offense features
a short pass attack. Hendrix said the Aggies
could be expected to throw about 40
times during Saturday's game.
Quarterback Jamie McAlister engineers
the Aggie passing game. The four-year
starter has completed better than SO
percent of his passes in each of the past
three seasons. Hendrix described Mc
Alister as an accurate quarterback with
"a good head but not a great arm."
McAlister's favorite passing targets are
flanker Al Tanner, fullback James Hebert
and split end Bobby Humphery. Humphery
is also the Aggies most potent ground
Jamie Pisarcik will play the No. 1 spot, followed by
Lisa Brooks, Elizabeth Mooney, Mimi Magiera, Genny
Mortell and Lynn Svoboda in the second through sixth
spots.
Against Drake the squad will be at full force with
Reiman at her No. 1 spot. Ann Swanson and Jamie
Pisarcik either at the two and three spots, Brooks at
four, Mooney at five and Mortell in the sixth spot.
Against both teams, Reiman and Swanson will make
up the No. 1 doubles team, with Brooks and Pisarcik
playing No. 2 and Mooney and Mortell playing No. 3.
"I feel good about the whole team," Hawkins said.
"Our team depth is strong and we have strong competi
tion for spots on the team."
Hawkins pointed out that good depth is already
needed as Susan Hayes and Lee Ann Givens, two returning
players, are out with injuries.
Hawkins said she has been surprised with the play
of two of her returning players and also of the perfor
mances of her freshman recruits.
"Cindi Reiman worked hard this summer and puts
in extra time. 1 think she has career aspirations in tennis
after college," Hawkins said. "Jamie Pisarcik played on
an amateur circuit this summer and has come back
strong."
Hawkins said she is pleased that although Mooney,
Brooks and Mortell, the freshman recruits, have not
taken over the No. 1 spot, they could do so in a year
or two.
"They are aggressive; they're fighters," she said.
"Our blocking is a lot better now," Egbert said, "and
our center blockers are taller and stronger than last year.
Our two freshmen (Michelle Smith and Sharon Kramer)
can take up a lot more court than Shadi (Pettine) and
Terri (Kanouse) did last year. Personally, I think we're
better off this year."
Egbert said the team is not in as good physical condi
tion as needed yet, but game experience should take
care of that.
'Assertive' player
The younger players also need the games, and the
"feel of the ball" for the team to improve, she said.
While Egbert said it was too soon to evaluate her own
play, Pettit had praise for his senior.
"I think she's much more assertive as a player both
physically and mentally," he said. "In the Wyoming
tournament, she provided good leadership when things
got a little out of hand."
Egbert said her only personal goal this season is to
"do the things that need to get done" and continue to
push herself.
"I'm not what you would call a exceptional athlete,"
Egbert said. "I have to work really hard to be competitive.
With our freshmen being such gifted athletes, it's hard
for me to keep up."
Egbert would like to lead the Huskers to their seventh
straight Big Eight championship as well.
"I have a lot of friends down in Missouri, and they're
going around saying that Missouri will win the Big Eight
this year. 1 don't think they have as good a team as we
do, because every time we played them, they were really
scared of us," she said.
"We have a good program here, and they're building
a good one down there. 1 know they really want to
beat us, but we really want that seventh title," Egbert
said.
pi EHaQE3EliaE9EimiaBlEaElDlBIEaDBBl E
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weapon. The senior from Lubbock, Texas,
was ranked 19th nationally in kickoff
returns last season.
Krueger said the Aggie offense would
practice fundamentals this week.
"We're going to work on protecting our
quarterback and catching the football,"
he said.
Saturday's game will be only the second
meeting between New Mexico State and
Nebraska. Krueger said the 1982 Aggies
are better than the team that lost to Ne
braska 57-0 in 1979.
"Last time we played Nebraska the kids
really played well. I think we hit Jarvis
Redwine pretty good two or three
times and caused some funbles," Krueger
said. "We have a better team now than we
did then."
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