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.”
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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.’’
