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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 5, 1990)
Sports Coach: Team rallies at match crunch time By John Adkisson Staff Reporter The Nebraska volleyball team is 13-1, and experience has gotten it there. The Comhuskers, which open their home conference schedule at 7:30 p.m. Saturday against Missouri at the NU Coliseum, have dominated close matches this season. In Nebraska’s first conference match Wednesday at Kansas, Nebraska came from behind to win the first two games 15-12 and 15-13 before rout ing the Jayhawks 15-5 in the third. For the season, Nebraska has a 13-4 record in games decided by three points or less. “We seem to raise our level of play near the end of close games,” said Huskcr coach Terry Pettit. “And I think that can be attributed to our experience.” Pettit said he doesn’t like having to watch his team rally, but added he doesn’t expect Nebraska to dominate every match from the start. “We’re dealing with human beings here,” he said. “You can’t just ex pect a team to perform like a printout says they should perform.” Pettit also credited senior co-cap tains Val Novak and Becky Bolli for rallying the team at crunch lime. “It’s not a matter of them getting the team motivated,” Pettit said. “It’s just that they raise their level of play and play error-free volleyball.” The team tries to focus on being intense rather than being emotional, Pettit said. “We’re not a perfect volleyball team,” Pettit said. “Over a long pe riod of time, it’s hard to maintain a high emotional level.” At Kansas, Pettit said that the Huskers’ setting and defense were “sub-par.” He credited Bolli and outside hitter Janet Kruse for playing well. “Janet handled the ball about as well as she has all year, and as usual, Bolli came up with the big serve when we needed it,” he said. Missouri was 4-8 and 0-1 in the Big Eight going into Thursday’s match at Oklahoma. The Tigers’ conference loss was to Iowa State. Pettit said he is familiar with the talents of Tiger outside hitter Yvette Buhlig, who ranks third in the Big Eight with a .297 hitting percentage. “She’s an exceptional player for them,” Pettit said. “She played in the Olympic Festival, so we know she can play.” He said he hadn’t seen Missouri play, but added that Tiger coach Craig Sherman had “an exceptional recruit ing year” in 1990. Nebraska has won the last 18 matches against Missouri, including two straight-game victo ries last season. Pettit said the Husk ers will not be focusing on the Tigers as much as on their own level of play. “We won’t necessarily prepare for them as much as we’ll work on get tingoursclvcs ready, especially in the technical aspects,” Pettit said. Winning the match is not his only concern, Pettit said. “I believe wc'U control the match,” Pettit said. “But we’re just looking for improvement every game.” Joe Heinzl< No. 1 Nebraska is home Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Here Cris Hall goes high for a kill in the Wis consin match. Kansas State's big start leads to NU upset hopes By Chris Hopfensperger Senior Reporter Kansas State is supposed to lose. The Wildcats are supposed to come on the field, play a few downs, roll over, and die. That is the historic role of a team that has two winning seasons in the last 20 years. Apparently no one told Coach Bill Snyder and this year’s team. The Wildcats, 3-1 this season, arc off to their best start since 1982. This year they already have scored more points than all of last year and won as many games as the past four seasons combined. Even more unusual than Kansas State actually winning, Nebraska coach Tom Osborne said, the Wild cats now think they can win. ‘‘1 think it's a little different situation than we’ve faced from them in a long time,” Osborne said. ‘‘I think that for the first lime that we’ve played them in several years they might have a genuine feeling that they’re capable of beating us if they play well.” So far this season some of the Wildcats have played well. Run ning back Pat Jackson is fifth in the Big Eight in rushing, averaging 94.3 yards a game. Quarterback Carl Straw leads the Big Eight and is sixth in the nation in passing efficiency, completing 62.5 per cent of his passes. “Their main thing is to confuse you,” Osborne said. “They run a lot of sets. Just about every forma tion known to man, they run. “They’ve tried to work at a running game and they run it fairly well. That makes them a little bit harder to defense.” Straw, hobbling from an ankle injury from last weekend’s game with New Mexico, has delayed the announcement of a definite starter at quarterback. His replacement, Paul Watson, is a good player, Osborne said. “They’re a little like Minnc See WILDCATS on 8 Coach says Cats could win if football gods wear purple By Paul Domeier Senior Reporter More wins haven’t meant more Ians for the 3-1 Kansas State Wild cats, Nebraska’s football opponent Saturday at 1:10 p.m. After three home games, Kansas Slate has drawn 67,444 spectators. That’s total, not average. The aver age has been 22,481 a game at the 42,000-seat KSU Stadium in Man hattan, the site of Saturday’s contest. “People have been very positive and supportive, w ith the exception of attendance,’’ said Kansas State coach Bill Snyder. In 1989, Snyder’s first season as coach, the team averaged 26,726 spectators per home game. “Part of our program w as that we would campaign heav ily to gel people in the stands, with the hope that the players would respond to that kind ol support,” he said. So far, without support, the play ers have responded. Kansas Stale has defeated Western Illinois 27-6, New Mexico State 52-7 and New Mexico 38-6 at home. The Wildcats lost 42 37 at Northern Illinois. Three wins for Kansas State is the most since 1982. To add a fourth this weekend, though, Snyder said just about everything would have to go Kansas State’s way: Nebraska must See SNYDER on 8 Missouri coach says frustration may continue for young team By Sara Bauder Schott Senior Reporter A frustrating couple of weeks may be extended for the Missouri volley ball team, said Coach Craig Sher man. Frustrating, Sherman said, because for the Tigers’ wins have been few and the team faces No. 1 Nebraska on its home floor at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Going into Thursday night’s match against Oklahoma, Missouri was 4-8 “4 4 The last couple of weeks, we’ve been looking so hard for wins that it is hard to see the positive steps we’ve made. Sherman Missouri volleyball coach -1» overall and 0-1 in the Big Eight. Nebraska is 13-1 and 1-0 al ter sweep ing Kansas Wednesday. “The last couple of weeks, we’ve been looking so hard for the wins that it is hard to see the positive steps we’ve made,’’ Sherman said. “We have improved, but the W’s aren’t there.’’ The Tigers are a young team with only two seniors and three juniors, and Sherman said the big problem is little experience. Against Nebraska, Sherman wants his young group to be in position to win a couple games. Sherman said Missouri is looking forward to playing Nebraska for one reason. He said the Tigers arc anxious to play in front of the NU Coliseum’s large crowd -- a luxury the Tigers don’t have. The Comhuskers lead the nation in attendance, averaging 2,624 a matc h. Missouri’s average is 147. Finishing fourth in the Big Eight is Sherman’s goal for the season. The Tigers finished seventh last year. He said Nebraska and Colorado proba bly have the lop two spots sewn up, but there could be a “neat little dog fight’’ for the remaining teams. Husker middle blocker Stephanie Thaler is from Union, Mo. Sherman’s hopes of nabbing Thater were short lived. “She had a good high school ca rccrand was being recruited by all the lop* 10 schools,” he said. “We were out of it pretty early.” Coming into this week, Thater led the Big Eight in hitting percentage with a .372 average. She was fol lowed by teammate Cris Hall (.313) and Missouri’s Yvette Buhlig (.297). #1 Nebraska Missouri j (13-1). W,(4-8)* .I-'' "xl. Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at NU Coliseum _Nebraska leads series 30-2-1_ Nebraska Name Position Height Year Hometown Becky Bolli DS 5-8 Sr. Burwell Cris Hall OH 6-2 Jr. Chanute, Kan. Janet Kruse OH 6-1 Jr. Fort Calhoun Val Novak S 5-10 Sr. Oak Lawn, III. Eileen Shannon OH 6-0 So. Elmhurst, III. Stephanie Thater MB 6-2 So. Union. Mo. Missouri Name Position Height Year Hometown Cindy Attenberry S 5-5 Fr. Eldon, Mo. Shannon Brown MB 6-0 So. Belleville, III. Yvette Buhlig OH 5-11 Jr. Alma, Mo. , Sherri Gentry MB 5-11 Sr. Osage Beach, Mo. Shelly Lowery MB 5-11 Fr. Independence, Mo. Jodi Lucas OH 5-8 Jr. Festus, Mo. UNL students free with student ID. ‘Does not include Thursday night's game. John Bruce Daily Nebraskan
