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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 18, 1990)
Sports ‘Active rest’ readies tennis team for match By Paul Domeier Senior Reporter Nebraska women’s tennis coach Gregg Calvin knows better than to expect spring-season quality from his icam when the Comhuskers face Northwestern today. “What we’re going to do with this weekend is look at it as our last match of the fall season,” he said. The Huskers didn’t practice dur ing winter break, and Calvin said some players have missed early prac tices this week while they rearrange their class schedules. But, Calvin said he couldn’t resist scheduling the dual with the Wildcats in Minneapolis for today - the day before both teams begin play in the Minnesota Doubles. “It was too good of a chance to play one of the top teams in the Big Ten,” he said. Northwestern finished third in the Big Ten in 1989. Two Nebraska doubles teams played close matches against Northwestern teams at a doubles tournament at Notre Dame last spring, Calvin said. ‘41 think they ’ re right at our level he said. In the Minnesota Doubles, which start Friday, each doubles tandem will play seven matches in three days. Team scores will not be kept. Calvin said he will carry over his fall lineup for the match against Northwestern. That lineup included IldikoGuba, No. 1 singles; Ann Flan nery, No. 2; Nancy Tyggum, No. 3; Rachel Collins, No. 4; Meghan Quinn, No. 5; and Tina Coutretsis, No. 6. Tyggum and Collins, Cuba and Flannery, and Quinn and Coutretsis will team at doubles. Claudia Gandini will form another entry with Iowa’s No. 7 player in the doubles tourna ment, Calvin said. He said he may switch the teams for a change of pace for Sunday’s matches. Tyggum and Collins are ranked fifth in the region, Calvin said. Last year, he said, Tyggum and Doneta Holmen were fifth in the region en tering the spring season and were in the mid-30s in the first national rank ings. This year, he said, he hopes for the same early recognition for his new No. 1 team. Nebraska hasn’t played since the regional tournament in early Novem ber. Since then, the team has concen trated on weight train ing and physical improvement. Calvin said this ‘ ‘active rest’ ’ from the sport is a national trend. “Our kids didn’t totally put the racket down,’’ Calvin said. His players still hit two or three times a week, Calvin said. The physi cal training has paid off, he said, and he will keep using the off-thc-court exercises for his team. I Al Schaban/Daily Nebraakan Nebraska’s Tom Stus slaps the water in celebration after winning the 200-yard butterfly. Women swimmers ‘scramble;’ NU men face double-dual meet By Jeff Apel Senior Editor The Nebraska women’s swimming (cam is wrapped up in red tape. Nebraska women’s swimming coach Ray Huppert said he is con cerned about his team’s meet against Iowa State because the Comhuskers arc scrambling to fill their second semester schedules. He said the scram bling has interrupted Nebraska’s train ing schedule, as it has forced the Huskers to work out at different times. "It’s just helter-skelter right now,’’ Huppert said. "We’ve got kids run ning everywhere.’’ Iowa State will try to take advan tage of Nebraska’s disorganization when it faces the Huskers at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. The Nebraska men also will face the Cyclones, and will compete against Creighton in a double-dual meet. Huppert said he is pleased to see his team scrambling, because it shows that the Huskers are focused on aca demics. “The No. 1 reason forgoing to this university is for an education,” he said. “So we’re willing to make that sacrifice.” Huppert said Nebraska is so com mitted to academics that it often sched ules as many as three workout times a day. He said his goal is to try to ensure that no student-athlete misses class because of practice. “If that means slaying from 5 to 7 at night,” Huppert said, “then we stay from 5 to 7 at night.” Huppert said Nebraska will try not to allow its academic priorities to interfere with its meet against Iowa State. He said the Cyclones should present a strong challenge even though Coach Ramsey van Horn’s squad has been bothered by injuries. “Right now I think Ramsey is down because of injuries,” Huppert said. “But he’s got better personnel than in the past. “Asacoach, that s what you look for - that you don’t take that step backwards.” Nebraska men’s swimming coach Cal Bentz said the Iowa State men have not taken any steps backwards. He said the Cyclones, led by diver Lee Jay Striflcr, are a good team. “I can’t say enough about that diver,” Bentz said. “He’s a legiti mate NCAA performer.” Bentz said Creighton has an equally good team. He said both opponents arc a concern because they have dif ferent strong points. “Creighton and Iowa State have different strengths,” Bentz said. “That’s what we’re going to have to address.” Bentz said Nebraska will have a lot of people swimming a lot of dif ferent events in the meet. He said the Huskers are using that strategy to prepare for the upcoming Big Eight and NCAA championships. Bentz said Nebraska will be ready for the meet. He said the 17 days that the Huskers spent training it Long Beach (Calif.) State College over Christmas break were beneficial. “We worked hard,” Bentz said, “possibly the hardest we’ve ever worked.” -----1 Jin tyieL__ I Campus Rec sponsors annual sports trivia competition Name tire all time leading scorer in National Basketball Association history. List who won the last six Heis man Trophies. And while you re at it, name the starting goalie for the Chicago Blackhawks. If you can answer any or all of these questions, the Office of Campus Recreation encourages you to enter its annual trivia contest The opening round of the con test will be field at 6 tonight in the student recreation center lounge, .. Anyone entering should bring a pen or pencil. The top eight from the competition will advance to a semi-final round Tuesday. The competition's final round, which will be televised on the Office of Campus Recreation Network (channel 5), will be held Jan. 30. McDermott says attention increases team’s exposure By Jeff Apel Senior Editor Nebraska men’s tennis coach Kerry McDermott likes the individual at tention his players arc receiving. Now, he wants it to turn into team recognition. McDermott said Nebraska took a big step toward earning much-needed team recognition when No. 1 singles player Matthias Mueller earned a 32nd place ranking in the latest Volvo col legiate rankings. He said the ranking is nice because it helps put Nebraska tennis on the map. “It definitely helps with our expo sure," McDermott said. “Recruits realize they don’t need to play at a warm-weather state to become good players.’’ McDermott said Mueller’s accom plishment was not a big surprise be cause the sophomore from Hamm, West Germany, is a talented player. McDermott said the next challenge for Mueller is to lead Nebraska to a Big Eight championship. “Now, it doesn’t seem like wc have much problem getting individ ual attention,’ ’ McDermott said.’4 But we would still like to have more team recognition, and we could accom plish that by winning a Big Eight championship.’’ McDermott said Mueller is further along than his predecessor at No. 1 singles, Steven Jung. Jung, whose highest singles ranking was 62nd, capped off his collegiate career by finishing second at last year’s NCAA singles championships. McDermott said there is no com parison between Jung and Mueller. “Steven was pretty much a one dimensional baseline player,” he said. “Matthias is a lot more talented. He can serve and volley, and he has a strong baseline game.” McDermott said Mueller flashed his potential last spring when he de feated Kansas’ John Falbo, Volvo’s 15lh-ranked singles player, and Van derbilt’s David Drew, who was ranked 33rd. McDermott said the victories proved that Mueller belonged among an elite group of players. Joe Lynch, a spokesman lor the Intercollegiate Tennis Coaches A so cialion, said he also knows Mueller belongs among an elite group of play ers. He said there was “no way” his organization could have left Mueller out of the first fall rankings after his victory against Falbo. Lynch said Mueller’s victory against Falbo is critical because the Kansas native is now ranked 11th in singles. He said Mueller’s ranking will con tinue to rise if Falbo continues to win. ITCA rankings arc based on an average points-per-match formula. Varying point values arc assigned for each win based on the quality of the opponent and tournament. The lop 50 singles players and top 25 doubles teams are included in each poll. Notre Dame gives Nebraska last tuneup before Cowboys By Chuck Green Senior Reporter_ ; Although injuries could take their toll on Nebraska's wrestling team Saturday against Notre Dame, Com huskcr coach Tim Neumann has a r match on his mind, c 7:30 p.m. match at the Bob Dcvaney Sports Center is the fourth ranked Huskers’ last tuneup before Saturday’s showdown with top-ranked Oklahoma Slate at the Cowboy Duals in Stillwater, Okla. With Layne Billings out of the Nebraska lineup with a dislocated rib and Jason Kelber slowed by a sprained ankle, the Huskers might face the 13th-ranked Fighting Irish a little short handed. Notre Dame wrestles similar to Nebraska, Neumann said, but “as banged up as we arc, we might have some problems.’’ “But,” he added, “the Oklahoma State meet is a much more important one for us.’’ Even so, Neumann said, the Fight ing Irish will provide good competi tion. “Notre Dame has had the top four recruiting years in the nation the last four seasons, and every guy on their roster is a great athlete, ’ Neumann said. Last season, Nebraska defeated Notre Dame 24-15. Neumann said the Huskers’ sue cess so far this season - Nebraska is 11 -1 -1 in duals - is the result of team unity. The Huskers have only four seniors on their roster. A good example, Neumann said, is Nebraska’s performance during semester break. The Huskers lost to No. 1-ranked Arizona Slate 21-16 at the Jan. 3 Sun Devil Duals, finishing second in the eight-team tournament. Nebraska then defeated 18th-ranked Clcmson 34-10 and Virginia 48-3 before lying Arizona State at the National Wrestling Team Champion ships in Hampton, Va. “When you live out of a suitcase, work out at strange facilities and are on the road a lot, it takes a lot of leadership to keep 13 guys together,’ ’ Neumann said. “But we have tre mendous leadership on this team.’ ’ That leadership, Neumann said, is what has transformed the Huskers, who were ranked 39th three years ago, into a national championship contender. But, Neumann said he is trying to keep the success in perspective. “If you ask anybody in the wres tling community, they’ll tell you that Arizona State, Oklahoma Slate, Okla homa, Iowa and Nebraska are the five teams with the best shot at the na tional championship thus season,’’ he said. “For us to win it, we’d have to get a great deal of points from our underclassmen. “But anything’s possible.’’