Sports
Illinois State attempts to make regionals
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By Darran Fowler
Senior Reporter
The Illinois Slate volleyball team
will come into Lincoln with the intent
of doing something it has failed to do
five times — survive past the first
round of the NCAA tournament.
“The goal of this university is to
get our team into regionals,” Illinois
State coach Julie Morgan said. “It’s
not just to go the NCAA’s, but to get
to regionals.
“We know what it’s like to win a
conference championship and we
know what playing in a first-round
match is like. But, we don’t know
what it’s like to get into the regional
tournament.”
i nc Kcaoiras sixin attempt ai a
berth in the semifinal round of
regionals will take place Saturday,
when they bring an 11-match win
ning string into Nebraska for a 2 p.m.
contest at the NU Coliseum.
The two teams last met in 1982,
when the Redbirds defeated Ne
braska in three games. Illinois State
leads the series 5-2.
Illinois State comes into the match
as the last-seeded team of the eight
team Mideast region. Nebraska,
which is making an eighth-straight
appearance in the NCAA, is the re
gion’s No. 1 seed.
The Redbirds matched Ne
braska’s sweep in the Big Eight by
going undefeated in Gateway Con
ference regular season play and win
ning the postseason tournament.
In defeating Northern Iowa in the
finals lo claim the conference title,
the 21-9 Redbirds automatically
qualified for the NCAA’s 32-team
tournament for the second consecu
tive season. Illinois State also quali
fied for the NCAA championships
from 1982 to 1985.
Morgan, who is in her third season
at Illinois State and was named the
Gateway Coach of the Year for the
second consecutive season, said the
Redbirds needed to win their confer
ence tournament because an at-large
bid would have been unlikely.
“I think because of the parity of
volleyball across the country, espe
cially this year, we knew we had to
win the tournament in order to get
looked at,” she said.
Morgan said she is familiar with
this year’s Nebraska team, which is
ranked No. 4 in the country with a 25
3 record
“We respect them,” she said.
“We know they’re a great team,
there aren’t any secrets about that.
They arc well-coached and have a lot
of talented players.
“Obviously, setter Val Novak ...
she’s a great leader on the floor and a
great athlete. I think Virginia (Stahr),
Janet (Kruse), Eileen Shannon ... all
of them arc just great players. (They)
have a very well balanced team.’’
That balance and talent will be in
Nebraska’s favor more than the home
court edge, she said.
“Any time you’re not on your
home court, it’s difficult,” she said.
See REDBIRDS on 7
Basketball coaches predict season s leaders
By Jeff Apel
Senior Editor
The big names arc gone, but Okla
homa men’s basketball coach Billy
Tubbs’ cockiness remains.
Tubbs said he is looking forward
to the season even though Oklahoma
lacks the big-name players it has
possessed in the past. The Sooners
also lack height, as they start 6-foot
8 Tony Martin at center.
“For the first time in five years we
will be starting the season without a
proven star in our lineup and our lack
of si/.c will certainly be a factor,”
Tubbs said. “However, I think we
will be quicker, tougher and better
defensively than last year. 1 also feel
that we will score as many points as
last year.”
Tubbs said those attributes should
help Oklahoma return to the national
prominence it earned last season. The
Sooners finished last year with a 30
6 record while advancing to the third
round of the NCAA tournament.
Tubbs said he wouldn't mind see
ing a repeal of last season. Oklahoma
spent six of the last eight weeks ol the
1988-89 season ranked No. 1.
“We have the same goals this
season as we do every season: one,
win the Big Eight; two, go to the
NCAA Tournament and three get
back to the Final Four,” Tubbs said.
“Of course, I wouldn’t mind being
ranked first in the nation again.’’
Missouri coach Norm Stewart also
would not mind being ranked No. 1.
The Tigers have that potential, as
they return forward Doug Smith and
guards Lee Coward and Anthony
Feeler from last year’s team that fin
ishcd 29-8.
Stewart said Missouri will rely on
Smith, Coward, Peeler and forward
Nathan Buntin to overcome the fire
power that was lost through gradu
ation last season. The Tigers lost
center Gary Leonard, guard Byron
Irvin and forwards Greg Church and
Mike Sandbothe to graduation.
‘‘We lost four outstanding play
ers,” Stewart said.4‘Buton the posi
tive side, we have four people return
ing who played a key part in last
year’s success.”
Stewart said Missouri will mix its
returning cast with an abundance of
talented newcomers. The top Tiger
newcomers arc Chris Heller and Jim
Horton, a pair of 6-10 centers.
‘‘We’ll need some help from the
people who have been with us,” Ste
wart said,4 ‘arid also from our recruit
ing class.”
Oklahoma State coach Leonard
Hamilton said he also will rely on a
wide variety of people this season.
The Cowboys’ top returnees arc
guard Corey Williams and forward
Byron Houston, who were teammates
on last summer’s North team that
won the gold medal at the U.S. Olym
pic Festival.
Michigan Stale coach Jud Heath
cote, who coached Williams and
Houston at the Olympic Festival, said
he was impressed by the pair. Hous
ton led the North in scoring with a
12.2 points-per-game average while
pulling down a tournament-high 43
rebounds.
“They both have tremendous po
tential and they were certainly two of
the better players in the whole festi
val,” Hcathcolc said. “And the most
impressive thing is that they can’t
help but get better and better.”
Williams said playing in the
Olympic Festival made him and
Houston better players.
“With me and Byron being in the
festival,” he said, ”1 think it boosted
our team’s style to another bevel.”
Hamilton said Oklahoma Stale
can boost its play to a level above last
season’s 17-13 performance if it be
comes more consistent.
“I feel that it is going to be very
important to develop some consis
tency this year -- especially on the
road,” Hamilton said. “There were
limes last year that we played tremen
dous basketball -- especially at home.
“It’s going to be very important
that we show some maturity and cn
See PREVIEW on 7
National championship tor Nebraska
or Florida State remains a possibility
By ( buck Green
Senior Reporter
Though a national championship
for either Nebraska or Florida State is
unlikely, it is not impossible, accord
ing to Bruce Skinner, the executive
director of the Sunkist-Ficsta Bow l.
Skinner said that although the
Comhuskers and Scminolcs need “a
lot of luck” to capture the mythical
national title, ‘‘stranger things have
happened.”
‘‘There’s always that outside
chance,” he said. ‘‘A lot will depend
on this week’s rankings. There arc
still a lot of big games to be played.”
The Associated Press last week
had Florida Stale ranked fifth, while
the Huskers were No. 6.
Florida State will play Florida
Saturday in its final regular-season
game. Skinner said he and other
Sunkist-Fiesta Bo>vl officials arc
holding their breath for the outcome.
“You kind of have to,” Skinner
said. “We held it for a while during
the Nebraska-Oklahoma game.”
For the game to have national
championship implications, Skinnei
said, teams ranked ahead of Florida
State and Nebraska must lose, either
Saturday or in their respective bowl
games.
Skinner said the following sce
nario would be necessary for the Fi
esta Bowl winner to be considered for
No. 1: Colorado, which likely will be
ranked first this week after Miami
defeated top-ranked Notre Dame 24
JO last Saturday, would have to be
beaten in the Orange Bowl by the
Fighting Irish and Michigan would
have to lose to Southern California in
the Rose Bowl.
In addition, he said, Alabama ~
the only team other than Colorado to
remain undefeated - would have to
either lose Saturday to Auburn, or
lose to Miami in the Sugar Bowl. If,
however, Miami moves ahead of
Florida State and Nebraska in this
week’s ratings, Alabama would have
to lose to Auburn and then defeat the
' Hurricanes on New Year’s Day.
“It’s all pretty much up in the air
for us,” Skinner said. “But it’s all
possible. That scenario isn’t really
that far-fetched.”
Regardless of national title impli
cations, Skinner said he thinks this
year’s Sunkisi-Ficsta Bowl “will be a
great contest.”
“It’s one of the best bow l games
going this season,” he said. “You’ve
got two of the finest teams in Amer
ica, year in and year out, and aside
from our national championship
games a few years back (between
Miami and Penn State in 1987 and
Notre Dame-West Virginia last sea
son), this could be the best one we’ve
ever had.”
Skinner said he thinks Nebraska
and Florida State arc ranked loo low
in the polls.
“They’re two of the better teams
in the country right now,” he said.
“They’re both a lot better than some
of the teams that arc ranked ahead of
them.”
Skinner declined to name the
teams he thought were inferior to the
Huskers and Scminoles.
Skinner said the bowl’s payout to
each school this year will be “be
tween $2.5 and 3 million,” which is
about the same as last season’s purse.
Nebraska and Florida Slate will
receive an allotment of 11,000 tickets
each, Skinner said, and the remaining
tickets “have been sold out since
May 1.”
FIESTA BOWL
Nebraska vs. Florida State
ORANGE BOWL
Colorado vs. Notre Dame
COTTON BOWL
Tennessee vs. Arkansas
ROSE BOWL
Southern Cal vs. Michigan
SUGAR BOWL
Miami, Fla. vs. Alabama
CITRUS BOWL
Illinois vs. Virginia
GATOR BOWL
Clemson vs. West Virginia
PEACH BOWL
Florida vs. Syracuse
COPPER BOWL
Undecided vs. Arizona
JOHN HANCOCK BOWL
Texas ASM vs. Pittsburgh
LIBERTY BOWL
Air Force vs. Mississippi
HALL OF FAME BOWL
Auburn vs. Ohio State
INDEPENDENCE BOWL
Texas Tech vs Tulsa
ALOHA BOWL
Michigan State vs. Hawaii
ALL-AMERICAN BOWL
Georgia vs. Duke
HOLIDAY BOWL
Penn State vs. BYU
CALIFORNIA BOWL
Central Mich or Ball St. vs. Fresno St.
John Bruce/Dally Nebraskan