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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 21, 1989)
Volleyball invitational features three top teams By Darran rowier c#nifir Reporter ~ “Exciting” is the way to describe this weekend’s FirsTier Invitational at the NU Coliseum, Nebraska volleyball coach Terry Pettit said. Pettit said the tournament promises to be exciting because all four participating teams will provide Nebraska fans with an opportunity to watch strong teams compete. The tournament features three ranked teams I.. Nebraska, Stanford and Kentucky. Pitts burgh, which finished 24-9 last season, also is competing. In the American Volleyball Coaches Asso ciation and NCAA Committee polls released Tuesday, Stanford was ranked fifth. Nebraska was ranked seventh in the AVCA poll and ninth m the NCAA ratings. Kentucky was No. 11 in the AVCA and No. 15 in the NCAA rankings. “It’ll be exciting,” he said. “All the matches will be very competitive. I anticipate on Saturday that we’ll have a real big crowd. It’ll be a great tournament.” The tournament begins at6 p.m. Friday with Stanford facing Pittsburgh, followed by a match between Nebraska and Kentucky at 8 p.m. Action will resume on Saturday at noon with Nebraska playing Pittsburgh, followed by Stanford and Kentucky at 2 p.m., and Ken tucky and Pittsburgh at 6 p.m. The tournament will conclude at8 p.m. with a match between Nebraska and Stanford. That match will be televised live by NETV. The tournament is free for all University of Nebraska-Lincoln students who show tneir IDs. Fundamentals will be the key to who wins, Pettit said. “It’s going to be won by who flat out plays the best and that comes down to execution,’ ’ he said. Stanford, ranked No. 2 in the preseason, was 3-1 going into Wednesday night’s match at Colorado State. The Cardinal’s only loss was to third-ranked Pacific. Stanford leads the series with Nebraska 3 1. See EXITING on 16 Corporate sponsors contribute to NU volleyball success By Darran Fowler I Senior Reporter Talented recruits are not the only i reason the Nebraska volleyball team '<■ has been successful over the years. i The support of team sponsors also < has played a huge role. ) Nebraska volleyball coach Terry t Pettit said one of the major develop ments in the Comhuskers’ program in the last four years has been that of 1 team sponsors. • This year corporate sponsors like I Run/a, FirsTier Bank, Baden and i Mizuno have helped to lure some of i the country’s lop teams to play in Linebacker Petko says he has much to leam after Utah By Chuck Green Senior Reporter Mike Petko was emotionally tom after Saturday’s game against Utah. Petko, a 6-foot-2, 225-pound sophomore linebacker, was happy to have started the game, which the Comhuskers won 42-30. He even made two unassisted tackles and an interception. But Petko said he thought he could have done belter. “It was nerve-racking out there,” hcsaid. ‘‘Ididn’tdotoogoodofajob. I still don't know all the defenses, and we ran some unfamiliar ones today.” Petko was playing as part of Ne braska’s “dime^’ defense, which employs five defensive backs, faster linebackers and the team’s best pass nishing defensive linemen. The de fense is used on obvious passing situ ations, or against predominantly pass-oriented teams like Utah. Petko said the coaches’ solution to his mistakes against Utah was simple. “They put (linebacker) Pat Tyr ancc in.” he said, shaking his head. “I jusi still have a lot to learn.” Nebraska coach Tom Osborne said Petko shouldn’t take his mis takes so hard.. ‘‘Petko played with a lot of heart,’” Osborne said. “He calls the alignments of the defense. He’s al most like the quarterback for the dclcnsc, and for a first-year player, that’s pretty difficult.” Last season, Petko started for Shane Thorcll’s junior varsity team and finished with 25 tackles -- 11 of which were unassisted. He also re corded a tackle for a five-yard loss, recovered a fumble and broke up a pass. Petko, a scholarship recruit, was a two-year starter at Anaheim Servile I High School, where he earned all league and All-Orange County hon ors as a senior. During his final sea son at Servile, Petko made 97 tackles, five quarterback sacks, two intercep tions and three fumble recoveries. Nebraska recruit Derek Brown, a Parade Magazine All-America selec tion who is sitting out this season to gain Proposition 48 eligibility, also graduated from Servite High School. Petko said many of his problems were caused by Utah’s unique style of offense. “(Utah quarterback) Scott Mitch See PETKO on 16 Lincoln. “They are as important as our freshman recruits because Nebraska is only as good as the teams we play against,” Pettit said. “We are play ing for the national championship every year and you can’t do that if you’re not playing against the best teams.” Bowling Green, Houston and Kansas State played in the Runza Invitational two weeks ago, and No. 5-ranked Stanford, 1 Ith-ranked Ken tucky and Pittsburgh will participate in this weekend’s FirsTicr Invita tional. Top-ranked Hawaii also will play Nebraska in the NU Coliseum Oct. 20 and 21 in the Baden Challenge. “They’re our unsung heroes,’’ Pettit said of Nebraska’s corporate sponsors. Runza and FirsTier Bank each gave $5,000 grants to the Nebraska volleyball program to help attract teams to come to play the Huskers. That money is spent to cover the costs of putting on a tournament. Those costs include the fees encoun tered for player awards, team ban quets, lodging for opposing teams and officials, Pettit said. Baden contributed almost $2,000 to lure Hawaii to Lincoln, he said, and also gives Nebraska its year sup ply of volleyballs, which cost around $30 each. “They helped defray the costs to bring Hawaii here,” he said. Mizuno, which supplies Nebraska with most of its equipment, acts as a sponsor in all these events, Pettit said. Besides Nebraska, Mizuno also sponsors the UCLA and Stanford volleyball teams, so “you’re in a pretty select group there,” Pettit said. Fern Spencer, assistant vice presi dent at FirsTicr-L.incoln, said his corporation’s role “is really mone tary.” “It’s up to the volleyball team to use the money as they wish for the tournament,” Spencer said. “We get good publicity out of it and at the same time it helps the volleyball team. So it’s a good deal for both of us.” The volleyball program needs additional financial help because its revenue is not as great as other sports, Spencer said. “Since they don’t have the in come like the football team does, they need the outlet support,” Spencer said. Several other sponsors have See SPONSORS on 16 Former Husker to begin career as tennis coach By Paul Domeier Staff Reporter When Brad Scheidegger was at Nebraska, Comhusker men’s ten nis coach Kerry McDermott never pictured him as a coach. But McDermott will have ample opportunities to see Schei degger in the coaching ranks, as the former All-Big Eight cham pion was named the new men’s and women’s tennis coach at Nebraska Wesleyan. He succeeds Julie Davis, who resigned after one sea son with the Plainsmen. McDermott said Scheidegger surprised him when he announced in mid-August that he was the new Wesleyan coach. He said he never pictured Scheidegger in the coach ing ranks even though the framer Husker claimed the Big Eight's No. 5 singles title in 1987. . McDermott said Scheidegger will “have his eyes opened” when he gets into the full swing of his new job. “He’ll find out it’s a lot harder than you think it is,” McDermott said. Scheidegger said his job has not been too tough so far. He said he hasn’t even met with his players yet because Wesleyan’s season does not begin until after the start of the new year. “It’s basically a second-semes ter (season),” Scheidegger said. “I’m just getting the schedule together now." Scheidegger said the job does present new challenges, but re cruiting is not one of them. He said he does not have to worry about re cruiting because Wesleyan does not offer atiilelic scholarships. Scheidegger said coaching will not be much of a change because he has been giving tennis lessons for over a year. He said his teach ing position gave him a definite advantage entering his new job. “I kind of knew how every thing worked, and knew how to run practice,” Scheidegger said. McDermott disagreed, saying there is more to the job. “There’s a lot of hours in volved,” he said. “It’s not an 8-to H ■ —— 1 j ■ New Wesleyan tennis coach Brad Schektegger. 6 I