Team development
not only concern
of softball coach
By Todd Cooper
Staff Reporter
In a fall exhibition schedule con
sidered weaker than 1989’s, Nebraska
softball coach Ron Wolforth says his
team isn’t looking just to develop for
the spring - when it counts.
“It’s like this weekend, we expect
to win and we should win,” Wolforth
said.
Nebraska opens the exhibition
schedule this weekend with the Kear
nev State Invitational to be Dlaved in
North Platte. The Comhuskers will
face Kearney State, the 1990 NAIA
champion, Regis College of Denver
and Colorado State, a top-20 team
last spring.
“Colorado State will certainly be
a formidable opponent,” Wolforth
said. “Kearney State also beat us (5
2) last fall. So any given day, people
like that can beat you.”
That’s why Wolforth feels he can’t
afford to be concerned with just de
velopment.
“It’s like they say, ‘If you’re only
in it for development, why keep
score?’” he said. “Certainly, improv
ing is important for us. Like we say,
we want to improve 1 percent daily --
that means improving game by game,
inning by inning.”
However, Wolforth said this sched
ule would allow the younger players
the opportunity to mature -- even in
pressure situations.
“Say it’s the seventh inning and
we have the chance to win the ball
game,” he said. “If one of my fresh
men hasn’t had a chance to hit, I’ll
make sure she gels the at-bat, whereas
five months from now, she wouldn’t
get a chance.”
With third baseman Loti Cook using
up her eligibility this spring, Denise
McMillan and Amy Erlcnbusch could
gel a lot of playing time as freshmen.
Khara Trenka, a utility infieldcr,
also may play there, but she is cur
rently recovering from knee surgery.
Nebraska’s defense will be solid up
the middle, Wolforth said, with short
Kilcy Timperiey Daily Nebraskan
Softball coach Ron Wolforth swings during infield practice
Wednesday. Nebraska starts its fall season Saturday.
stop Shae Sloan, second baseman
Michelle Cuddeford and center fielder
Kristin Davidson all returning.
“Defensively, we’re very solid,”
Wolforth said. “This is one of the
better defenses I’ve had here.
“Offensively, we’ll be pretty good.
Right now I’d say we’re about as far
along as we’ve ever been at this stage.”
Wolforth said Nebraska will miss
some speed this fall with Amy Kill
man still out with after knee surgery,
sisters Angie and Rhonda Thaller
having left the team and Jill Rishel
using up her eligibility.
Nebraska’s two pitchers — Stepha
nie Skcgas and Marie Bowie - arc
hampered by some nagging injuries,
Wolforth said.
“Stephanie Skcgas has tendinitis
in her throwing elbow,” he said. “She
won’t be throwing with the velocity
that she was this spring. Our pitching
staff will not be at full speed when we
play Kearney.”
Wolforth said the major reason for
Nebraska’s schedule being comprised
mostly of the state’s smaller colleges
is of an effort to prepare for the NCAA’s
cost-cutting.
Women’s
Intercollegiate
_softball schedule
DATE OPPONENT LOCATION
9/15- Kearney North Platte
9/16 State Invite
Kearney St.,
Colorado St.,
Regis, NU _
9/18 University of Omaha
Nebraska
_Omaha
9/21 Kearney State Kearney
9/23 Wayne State Lincoln
9/26 University of Lincoln
Nebraska -
Omaha _
10/2 Nebraska Lincoln
Wesleyan _
10/5- Creighton Omaha
10/7 Invite _""A
-
--.——
John Bruce/Daily Nebraskan
No.l Huskers still have
work to do, coach says
By John Adkisson
Staff Reporter
The Nebraska volleyball team is at
the top of the heap. Now, the chal
lenge is to stay there.
The Comhuskers, who ascended
to the top of the Volleyball Monthly
poll released Tuesday, will try to ward
off three challengers this weekend in
the Badcn-Mizuno Invitational.
Texas A&M, Purdue and Wyo
ming will join Nebraska in the round
robin tournament, which will start
tonight at 5 p.m. at the Coliseum.
Nebraska coach Terry Pettit said
the No. 1 ranking is important for his
team.
“It’s something we’ve worked hard
for a number of years to achieve,”
Pettit said.
Nebraska achieved the ranking with
victories last weekend over top-ranked
UCLA and No. 2 Hawaii at the Wahine
Invitational in Honolulu.
Although other teams may be
shooting for Nebraska because of their
top ranking, Pettit said his team can’t
worry about it
“We’ve just got to be concerned
about what happens on our side of the
court,” Pettit said.
A big part of Nebraska’s early
season success can be attributed to
senior setter Val Novak and junior
outside hitter Cris Hall. Novak was
named the tournament MVP in Ha
waii, and Hall led Nebraska with 26
kills in the match against UCLA.
Pettit said both have looked strong
earlv.
“When Val goes through an entire
game without making a mental error,
we are a very hard team to beat,”
Pettit said, ‘ ‘Cris (Hall) is certainly a
dynamic player.”
Pettit said all three teams at this
weekend’s tournament are top-cali
ber.
* ‘We played Texas A&M last year
in Texas, and it seemed like (the
Aggies) were very deep, and they
played us very well,” Pettit said.
UNL Baseball
Schedule
immmm m
DATE OPPONENT TIME
9/16 Neosho County 1:30 p.m.
Community
College
9/20 Iowa Western 7:00 p.m.
Community
College
9/23 Ft. Scott noon
Community
College _
9/30 Barton County 1:00 p.m.
Community
College
10/3 York College 7:00 p.m
10/6 Indian Hills 1:30 p.m.
Community
College
10/13 Nebraska 5:00 p.m.
Alumni Game
*UNL students free with
student ID.
“Purdue comes from a strong confer
ence and they have a strong tradition.
They also have beaten some pretty
good teams.”
The Huskcrs’ greatest challenge
may come from Wyoming. The
Cowgirls are 5-1 and ranked 20th.
“Wyoming returns most people
from last season,” Pettit said.
“They’ve also played a lot in Lin
coln. They know the court, the fans,
the atmosphere real well.”
Nearly twice as many season tick
ets have been sold for Huskcr volley
ball this season, and Pettit said that
indicates that interest in the sport is
definitely growing.
Pettit said that his team, which
will play two ranked teams next week
at the Illini Invitational in Cham
paign, 111., won t be looking past this
weekend’s tournament.
Cross country teams open season minus key runners
By Cory Golden
Staff Reporter
Nebraska’s cross country teams
will begin their season minus seven
of the lop 12 runners from last year,
said Cross Country Coach Jay Dirksen.
The loss of members has left the
casts of the men ’ s and women ’ s team s
quite different, Dirksen said. But they
should remain competitive, he said.
The women’s team is balanced; no
real stars. The men’s team has a star,
but no supporting cast. Both teams
open their season at the first Woody
Greeno-Nebraska Invitational Satur
day at Pioneer’s Park. The women’s
5,(XX)-meter race will begin at 10:45
a.m., followed by the men’s 8,000 at
11:15 a.m.
On the women’s side, the Com
John Brucu/Daily Nebraskan
huskers are left with a young team,
led by sophomore captain Katie
Fletcher, last year’s most-imprtwcd
award winner. Fletcher’s perfonnancc
is doubtful because of a sinus infec
tion, Dirkscn said.
“We’re young but we’re experi
enced,” sakl Dirkscn, 1989’s Big Eight
Women’s Coach of the Year. “Wc
have a lot of girls with national meet
experience.
“What wc don ’ t have is a real star,
but wc have a real good team over
all.”
Dirkscn said that with improve
ment this squad will definitely have a
shot at its third-straight Big Eight
crown.
Last year’s team also finished as
District V champions and placed third
at the NCAA Championships for the
second-straight year.
The roster includes five returning
letter winners: Fletcher, junior Lisa
(DarIcy) Graham Junior Kelly (Loos)
O ’Donne 1, sophomore Fran tenBenscl
and sophomore Sylvia Veil.
Others vying for top seven spots
arc redshirt freshmen Julicannc
Campbell and Becky Lund, sopho
more Angie Lippold and senior trans
fer Danijela Vicanovic, Dirkscn said.
“They should be in the lop 20 in
the nation, if not the top 10 by the end
of the season,” he said.
For the men it could be a long,
uphill race, Dirkscn said.
“We’re about an average team at
best,” he said. “Wc could develop
into a decent team i f wc run up to our
potential. But, so far, things haven’t
looked good enough.
“Still, it’s possible for this team to
finish in the top half of the confer
ence.”
The Huskers do have a bonhue
front man in two-time All-American
Joe Kirby, who finished 13th at the
NCAA championships to lead Ne
braska last year.
“He’s one of the best in the na
tion,” Dirksen said of the men’s team
captain. “And he’s head and shoul- i
ders above anybody else we have.”
Four other Icttcrmcn return: Jun
ior Tom Banks, sophomore Kevin
Clark, junior Pal Day and sophomore
Kirk Pettit. However, Banks won’t
compete this weekend because he
returned out of shape and may not run
for some lime.
Also among the lop runners is fresh
man David Iteffa, Dirksen said.
“He’s the star of the future,”
Dirksen said. “He’s very smooth, has
a great attitude and will be the first
true freshman ever in our lop five.”
Nailing down who the bottom two
runners arc is a tough chore, he said.
Freshman Todd El wood and sopho
more Frank Lee are contenders, as is
sophomore Steve Coulter -- a transfer
from Kansas.
“We have a solid team, but un
proven,’’ Dirksen said.
Last year, the Huskers placed a
best-ever eighth-place at nationals,
and finished second to eventual na
tional champion Iowa State in the
conference and district meets.
Dirksen isn’t expecting the same
fortune this season.
“You can't have that every year,
he said. “This is definitely a rebuild
ing year.”
Heat has hurt both teams as they
prepare for the opener.
“We've only really had one really
quality workout because of it,” Dirksen
said. “Saturday will be interesting.”
Michelle Paulman/Daily Nebraskan
Cross country coach Jay Dirksen, right, talks *21
Saturday’s meet with assistant coach Kurt Craft at Holmes
Park. The NU team will compete in the Woody Greeno
Nebraska Invitational at Pioneers Park.