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Friday, December 8,1989 4**# 1*^ A
Regional volleyball coaches agree
tournament outcome unpredictable
Al Schaben/Daily Nebraskan
Nebraska’s Eileen Shannon goes high in the air to record a
kill against Illinois State.
By Darran Fowler
Senior Reporter
Some of the top players in the
region will compete in this year’s
Mideast regional volleyball tourna
ment.
Nine of the 12 players voted to
the Mideast s All-Region team,
which is selected by the American
Volleyball Coaches Association, will
be competing at this weekend’s re
gional finals at the NU Coliseum.
Those top players will make for a
competitive tournament, Illinois
coach Mike Hebert said.
“This is the best regional tourna
ment that has been assembled for the
the Mideast regional ever,” Hebert
said.
“I think it’s up for grabs,” Ohio
State coach Jim Stone said. “I have
n’t seen Nebraska play and I hate to
pick a favorite when I haven’t seen
them all play.”
Three of the four teams in this
year’s tournament are from the Big
Ten Conference. On Friday, 10th
ranked Ohio State, the conference s
champion, and 12th-ranked Illinois
meet for the third lime this season at
5:30 p.m.
Minnesota, the 16th-ranked team,
which tied Illinois for second place in
the Big Ten, will play fourth-ranked
Nebraska, the region’s top seed, at
7:30 p.m.
Semifinal winners advance to Sat
urday’s final at 7:30 p.m.
“Who plays the most consistently
is going to win,” Nebraska coach
Terry Pettit said. “It basically comes
down to execution. What’s unusual
about this regional is that mentally
and physically all four teams are
capable of doing that.”
Pettit, who is in his 13th season,
said this region has come a long way.
‘‘I would concur with the other
coaches,” he said. “(It’s) not just the
regional tournament but the entire
region in that we’ve had an interest
ing shift.
“Five years or so ago maybe our
one or two best teams could compete
with the best one or two teams in
another region but it was thin below
that.”
Ohio State recorded thin wins in
both matches against Illinois this
season, as both went five games.
“If it’s played as well as the first
1Who plays the
most consistently is
going to win.'
-Pettit
two it should be a pretty exciting
match,” Hebert said.
Nebraska and Minnesota also met
this season, and the Huskers recorded
a victory despite operating without
All-America middle blocker Virginia
Stahr. Stahr missed the match be
cause of a sore shoulder.
“They defeated us in four games
last lime and Virginia didn't play in
that match,” Minnesota coach
Stephanie Schleudcr said. “I wish
she would decide to not dress up for
(tonight’s) match but I understand
she probably will.”
Stahr agreed.
“I’m anxious to play but it’s just
because it’s a big game,” Stahr said.
“My memory’s not really vivid of the
last lime we played because I was in
a depressed mode at the time. It’ll
feel good to get out there and just
enjoy the entire match.”
Minnesota and Nebraska match up
physically, Schlcuder said.
‘‘It’s going to be a battle at the
net,” she said. ‘‘With the way they’re
hitting we’re going to have to block
exceptionally well to have a chance
at them.”
Minnesota will attempt to offset
Nebraska’s attack by serving effec
tively, Schlcuder said.
“We’re one of the leaders in the
nation in service aces this year,”
Schlcuder said. “We have a few
people that jump serve and hopefully
that will take away a little of their
punch.”
Stahr said the jump serve is one of
her fortes. She said if the Huskerscan
control the jump serve, they should
be in good shape.
“Personally, I prefer the jump
serve over the floater because it
doesn’t give you so much time to
think. It’s more of a reaction serve,”
she said. “It just requires a totally
different way of passing the ball and
we’ve been practicing against the
jump serve quite a bit.”
And practices have gone well this
week, she said.
“I think we madea lot of improve
ments every day,” she said.
Schleuder made a reference that
her team kind of feels like David
going up against Goliath, but Stahr
said she disagrees.
“I don’t sec it as a David and Go
liath situation at all,” she said. “We
see it as a pretty even match and we’ll
have to play well to win. I mean,
we’re not expecting a 3-0 win.”
I-1
Basketball team
must be willing
to pay the price
If you can’t play basketball,
go to Nebraska.
Why does that thought keep
crossing my mind? It shouldn’t.
After all, 1 like the looks of this
year’s men’s team, and the fu
ture holds some promise.
The team isn’t without tal
ented basketball players.
They’re fun to watch, but
they sure stink to listen to on the
radio.
It’s simply a group of ath
letes that for some reason lacks
the motivation or mental tenac
ity to play up to its potential for
40 minutes.
Of course, the season’s not
lost. It’s still early, so maybe
I’m jumping the gun. Maybe
they Tl realize soon that basket
ball at the Division 1 level is no
place for lightweights.
It’s just puzzling and frus
trating from a fan’s perspec
tive.
With Clifford Scales, Rich
King and Beau Reid now jun
iors, I was under the assump
tion that this was going to be the
year. The year that some other
team challenged Colorado for
last place in the Big Eight. The
year the Cornhuskers go on the
road and still lose a few close
games.
You know, lose respectably
... not gel blown out. In case
you’re unaware, the Huskcrs
See WORK on?
Husker depth leads to 3rd-straight win
By Paul Domeier
Staff Reporter
Sara Offringa knows the 14 per
cent field-goal average she took into
the Nebraska women’s basketball
team ’ s game against Georgia State on
Thursday isn’t a fair indicator of her
potential.
”1 haven’t looked comfortable,
and I haven’tbeen comfortable,” she
said.
The freshman from St. Louis
settled down with 10 points on five
of-nine shooting in the Comhuskcrs’
86-58 win over the Lady Crimson
Panthers before a crowd of 728 at the
Bob Dcvancy Sports Center.
“If I feel like I’m in synch in my
shooting, then the rest of my game
comes around,” she said. ‘Til want
to play defense because I know my
offense is there.”
Offringa said she didn’t alter any
thing in her shot.
‘‘Coach (Angela) Beck has been
telling me to get some confidence,”
she said. ‘‘It’s just my confidence.”
The 4-3 Huskers have won three
straight, including a 110-61 win over
Oral Roberts Tuesday.
‘‘We’re turning the comer, I
think,” Offringa said.
Six Huskers joined Offringa by
scoring in double figures against
Georgia State. Kristi Dahn led Ne
braska with 14 points, while Karen
Jennings had 12 and Kim Yancey,
LceAnna Hiestand, Ann Halsne and
Sarah Muller had 10.
Nebraska swarmed over Georgia
State without hitting a single free
throw or three-point shot. The of
fense came in a fast-break wave, and
used its speed to pull away from the
Lady Crimson Panthers.
Beck said the team’s depth made
the difference.
‘‘I think we’ve been wearing eve
rybody down,” she said.
Nebraska doubled the score twice
in the early going, at 14-7 and at 26
13, and took a 36-27 at halftime.
The only Georgia State threat
came at the start of the second half,
when the Lady Crimson Panthers
scored the first three baskets to close
the gap to three points.
After a Nebraska timeout,
Offringa hit a jumper from the wing
and the Huskers scored eight of the
next 10 points to pull away.
The Huskers shot 68 percent for
the second half, and 57 percent for the
game. The team was credited with 36
assists, led by Yancey’s seven and six
each by Dahn and Offringa.
Beck said her squad ran a zone
offense against Georgia State’s sag
ging man to man. The Huskers also
used a quick lineup with Hicsland,
Offringa and either Muller or Rissa
Taylor for extra defense.
Beck said her outside players need
to take more shots.
4 ‘Obviously Offringa never passes
one up,” she said.
Nebraska led by as many as 30
points in the closing minutes. Fresh
man Tami Ransom closed out the
game with a half-hook bank shot, her
first points of the year.
Taylor, Sue Rcsch and Carol
Russell each got extra minutes with
Hubert out. Muller gave the Huskers
an extra dimension with five assists
as Hubert’s replacement in the start
ing lineup.
“She’s a better passer than Kelly,
but not as physical,” Beck said. “I
think Muller’s one of the belter pas
sers on our team.”
Even after several good games,
Beck was still shaking her head.
“I never know who’s going to do
well on this team,” she said. “If we
can get some shooting out of Offringa
and a little maturity out of Russell,
we’ll be all right.”
Nebraska’s next game is on Tues
day, when the Huskers face Wiscon
sin. The game begins at 7 p.m. in
Madison, Wis.
Versatile Husker moves in and out or lane
By Cory Golden
Staff Reporter
Ask Sarah Muller how her sea
son’s going and the 6-foot-1 forward
for the Nebraska women’s basketball
team will shrug and smile.
Muller, a sophomore from Fre
mont, has been moved in and out ol
the paint for the Comhuskers by ne
cessity. She took over the starting
spot that was vacated by junior Kelly
Hubert on Thursday night, and scored
10 points during Nebraska’s 86-58
win against Georgia State.
Hubert suffered a badly sprained
ankle during Nebraska’s 110-61 vic
tory over Oral Roberts Tuesday night
at the Bob Dcvancy Sports Center.
“Last year I played inside and
then they moved me outside,.’’
Muller said. “And now that Hubert’s
hurt, they need more of a defensive
player inside because (Ann) Halsne
and (Karen) Jennings are from Iowa
and haven’t played much defense --
so I’m back inside now.”
Halsne and Jennings spent their
high school careers as offensive play
ers in six-on-six basketball in Iowa.
Muller said she doesn’t mind
switching positions.
“My true love is playing inside,”
she said, “but I started to gel com
fortable with playing the three guard
outside. So it really doesn’t matter
now.”
Muller took advantage of her loca
tion in the paint on Thursday to grab
seven rebounds while connecting of
five of nine shots from the field.
When asked about her perform
ance at the Bob Dcvancy Sports
Center, Muller shrugged again.
“It was good,” she said, “but I
wouldn’t say it was belter than that. I
played OK defensively...so it was
OK.”
On defense, Muller said, she to
taled an “OK” two steals, two
blocked shots and five assists.
Life on the outside may have
improved Muller’s all-around play,
she said.
In the second half, Muller more
than once pulled down a defensive
rebound, turned and led the fast
break.
Thanks to her time as an outside
player, that all came naturally, she
said.
‘‘Coach (Angela) Beck always
told me when I was a three guard that
when I got a rebound to put the ball
down right away so we can run our
fast break,” Muller said. ‘‘So it’s
kind of just instinct.
‘‘I like to pass. I don’t mind it.”
Starting instead of coming off of
the bench isn’t that much of a change,
she said.
“I played about 20 minutes be
fore,” Muller said. ‘‘I wouldn’t say I
play a whole lot more than 20 now.”
Muller, who sported a black No.
55 on her ankle tape in honor of
Hubert, said she expects to move
back to a reserve roll when her team
mate returns.
“Kelly should be back in about
eight weeks for the Big Eight,”
Muller said. “So she’ll be back inside
and I’ll probably sub off the bench for
her then.”
Muller said she hopes her role will
change by season’s end.
“I’d like to be a permanent
starter,” she said.
She shrugged, then smiled.
“But you never know.”
i
