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invitational circs teni
By Jeff Korbelik
Dally Nebrask&n Senior Ecporter
The Nebraska men's tennis team
will host the first Husker Invita
tional this Friday and Saturday
in an attempt to save on their
budget, coach Kerry McDermott
said.
Play will be held on the East
Campus tennis courts and the
varsity courts behind the Coli
seum. Competition will begin at 9
a.m. on both days. Admission is
free.
Tra-
vis Turner never lo
By Mctk Davis
Daily Nebr&skan StaJfKeporter
Last week was Travis Turner's
first start on any Nebraska foot
ball squad.
While he made some mistakes,
and was taken out of the game on
two occasions, Turner isn't wor
ried about his position on the
team.
"I don't have to worry, it's all in
the Lord's hands," Turner said.
Washington Huskies
sit atop football poll
By Mike Reilley
Daily Nebreskan Staff Reporter
After Oklahoma and Texas
played to a 1 5-1 5 deadlock last
weekend, the Washington Hus
kies found themselves sitting
atop the Associated Press foot
ball poll.
Boston College also continued
its climb to the top of the rat
ings with a 24-10 win over
Temple. The Eagles are ranked
fourth in the wire polL
Although both teams are en
joying the benefits of success
this season, their reactions to
the high national rankings are
quite diverse.
A No. 1 ranking is nothing
new to the Huskies. In 1082,
they held the top spot for the
first seven weeks of the season.
"It's not a brand new phe
nomenon to us," Washington
sports information director
Chuck Niemi said. "We're not
as giddy about it as we were
two years ago."
Washington coach Don
James said the high national
ranking doesnt mean anything
to him.
"I read in the paper where
Texas and Oklahoma players
wanted to be ranked No. 1.
That's how I voted...I voted
them 1-2."
James said he will keep his
"I-don't-care" attitude until
after the bowl games.
"As I've said so often, the
only poll that counts is the one
at the end of the season."
Niemi said the high ranking
two years ago inspired oppo
nents rather than the team.
This year, though, Niemi said
the Huskies should appreciate
the top ranking since they were
not the p re-season favorite.
"It should be more motiva
tional for this year's team
because they had to earn the
top ranking," Niemi said. "It
was to our belief that our high
ranking in 1932 was mere of a
reflection of our '81 team
shut out Iowa in the Rose BcwL"
While Washington takes a
low-key approach to the rank
ings, fdcib&Jl fever has hit the
McDermott said he decided to
institute the invitational in order
to save money on travelling ex
penses. The Huskers have traveled
twice this semester. By staying at
home, Nebraska is able to pull
teams in and expose its program,
McDermott said.
Teams from Colorado, Wiscon
sin, Northeast Missouri State,
Southwest Missouri State and
Southwest Baptist (Missouri), will
compete in the invitational.
McDermott said he had problems
getting teams to participate.
"It's tough to get teams in the
Turner won the starting quar
terback job after Craig Sundberg
threw three interceptions against
Oklahoma State. Turner went into
that game behind 3-0, but won it
1 7-3. Last week, Turner threw for
76 yards in Nebraska's 33-23 vic
tory over Missouri
The junior from Scottsbluff
came to Nebraska after spending
some time thinking about attend
ing Chadron State. Until injuring
his leg, he played second team on
Boston College campus.
"Obviously, there is unparal
leled interest in Boston College
football this year," sports in
formation director Reid Oslin
said. This is the most atten
tion we've received in more
than 40 years."
In 42 years to be exact. In
1942, BC finished the regular
season ranked No. 1 and played
in the Orange Bowl.
Despite the excitement, Oslin
agreed with James that the
only important poll is at the
end of the year.
"Being 4-0 is nice, but being
8-0 late in the season is the
ultimate."
Fan support for BC football
is at its peak. For the first time
in the school's history, all home
games played at the 32,000
seat Alumni Stadium have been
sold cut. Oslin said a local tele
vision station even cancelled
the "Love Boat" to air an Eagle
game.
"It's great getting all the tele
vision coverage," Oslin said. "It's
fun for us to be in a position
like Nebraska is."
Eagle wide receiver Gerard
Phalen credits his coach, Jack
Bicknell, for the team's suc
cess. Phalen said the coaching
staff has kept the players from
becoming overconfident.
"There is a fine line between
( being overconfident and con
fident," Phalen said. "So far, no
one has crossed the line into
overconfidence."
Phalen said Bicknell "has
built this program around
honesty."
"He talks to the team and
whatever he tells us, we believe,"
Phalen said. "He makes sure
we don't cross that line."
Like Niemi, Phalen also thinks
the high ranking inspires op
ponents. "We're going to get the best
of every team," Phalen said.
"Everyone's coming at us with
the attitude, 'Key, let's knock
off Boston College.
They're not going to let up
ggainst as ar.d we have to
make sure we dent let up
first semester because they spend
their budget on the spring,"
McDermott said.
McDermott said Nebraska was
lucky to get Wisconsin to attend
the tournament. The Badgers, he
said, are one cf the top three
teams in the Big Ten. Colorado,
which has a new coach, also was
willing to compete in the invita
tional. McDermott said Nebraska
has never faced any of the smaller
schoob from Missouri.
"If the teams are going to travel
somewhere, they would much
rather play in an invitational than
the freshman squad behind Todd
Zart.
After a summer of healing,
Turner redshirted and played on
the scout team until this year.
Turner said that he had to
keep himself going after his injury.
He knew he couldnt give up even
though it was hard because his
recuperation was mostly a per
sonal ordeaL
"I was being tested by the Lord
to see if I was strong enough to
handle it and how much I really
wanted to play football," he said.
The testing didn't end with a
complete recovery from his injury.
He returned to the scout team for
another year.
But Turner never lost sight of
his goals.
"I went to practice everyday with
a challenge," he said. "I was throw
ing against the No. 1 team in the
nation and I always tried to im
prove." Turner's actions are not unlike
the heroes he admired as he was
growing up.
"I always liked Wilt Chamberlin
and Muhammed Ali people
that have great confidence in
themselves and could back up
whatever they said."
The confidence Turner has in
himself is from a combination of
being the youngest in a family of
four boys and one girl, and trying
to live in the image that he finds
most heroic.
The goal of every Christian is
to be Christ-like " Tumer said.
While being a very confident
athlete, Turner is also a very
quiet man. He lives in a trailer
court with his pet Doberman,
Tasha, and Tasha's nine puppies.
When Turner isn't at school
studying for a broadcasting
degree, he is at home spending
time with his dog and "spending
as much time as possible" with
the Lord.
"I don't know if you would call
me a loner or not," Turner said.
Turner used to live in Colo
rado, and his ultimate dream h
to play professional football for
the Denver Broncos. But until
then, he will be happy to be in
Colorado for a short time'thb
coming weekend when Nebraska
plays the Buffaloa.
"I miss waking up and seeing
the mountains' Turner. ssidL
i 0 I
us team s coses
in a dual meet," McDermott said.
Senior Jim Carson will play No.
1 singles, for Nebraska. Freshman
Mike Marsh will play No. 2, senior
Ashwin Vasan No. 3, freshman
Pat Carson No. 4, sophomore Jim
Burton No. 5 and David Hand No.
6. Vasan and Jim Carson will
team up to play No. 1 doubles, Pat
Carson and Marsh will play No. 2
doubles and Burtcn and Hand
will compete in the No. 3 doubles.
McDermott said his team is not
doing as well as expected this fall.
The team lacks depth, he said,
but the situation should change
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Nebraska hopes to add two
players to their roster this spring,
one from California and one from
New Jersey. Craig Johnson, who
has played No. 1 singles for the
Huskers in the past, may play
second semester. Ridge Schmidt,
who won the Big Eight No. 5 sin
gles title last year, will return In
the spring.
"We will have the No. 4 player
playing at the No. 6 position where
he belongs," McDermott said. "We
should be in the top -three in the
Big Eight."
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