Nebraska Kansas
Wm^mL (14-10)
i ~
Today at 7:30 p.m. at NU Coliseum
44-0 Nebraska leads_
Nebraska (19-2)_ <
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.
Nikki Strieker MB 5-10 Fr. Lincoln
Kansas (14-10)_ _
Name Position Height Year Hometown
Mary Beth Bella MB 5-11 So. Oak Forest, III.
April Chavey MB 5-11 Jr. Concordia, Kan.
Kris Kleinschmidt H 5-9 So. Prairie Village, Kan.
Lisa Patterson H 5-10 Jr. St. Louis
Adrian Powell H 5-11 So. Clayton, Mo.
Julie Woodruff S 5-6 So. Castle Rock, Wash.
UNL Students tree with ID.
using a swing-type offense.
“They’re a very balanced team,”
Pettit said. “And the players arc very
competitive.”
Pettit said the close game between
the two earlier in Lawrence could
have been attributed in part to Ne
braska errors.
“I’m not sure how well they (the
Jayhawks) played,” Pettit said. “I know
it look us a while to get going.”
The Jayhawks got a big win over
the weekend, beating Oklahoma in
five games at Norman, Okla. Ne
braska also earned a victory over a
top-notch Big Eight foe, trampling
Colorado at home in straight games.
Though the odds of beating Ne
braska are low, Albitz said, the Jay
hawks enjoy playing the Huskcrs.
“We don’t dread it,” Albitz said.
“Nebraska is such a clean team, and
they have a nice attitude about play
ing the game.”
Husker coaches
praise Buffaloes
By Todd Cooper
Staff Reporter
Colorado won’t need the Rockies
to be at the top of its game Saturday
against Nebraska at Memorial Sta
dium, according to graduate assistant
coach Bill Kucera who scouted last
weekend’s Colorado-Oklahoma game.
‘They’re peaking at the right time,”
Kucera said, who along with NU line
backer coach Kevin Steele addressed
Monday’s Extra Point Club. “They
probably should be rated a little higher
than they arc.
“They had trouble early in the season
(but) I think that’s just early in the
season type of play.”
The Buffaloes utilized pitch and
draw plays in the 32-23 victory over
Oklahoma, Kucera said.
“(Running back) Eric Bienicmy
had a heck of a game,” Kucera said.
“They went to a lot of draw-type
things to get him the ball and let him
just read blocks and go. I think that’s
the strength of their offense right now.”
Steele said he understands why
Colorado fans have nicknamed the
senior running back “Public Bieni
cmy.”
“1 talked to a pro running back
coach this week ... and he thinks he’s
the best running back in the country,”
he said.
After having been sidelined for the
Oct. 6 Missouri game, Colorado quar
terback Darian Hagan’s shoulder in
jury almost has healed, Kucera said.
Steele added that Colorado ap
peared to be saving Hagan for the
Nebraska game, although he did play
the entire game against Oklahoma.
“I don’t think they were a big
—
They had trouble early
in the season (but) I
think that’s just early in
the season type of
play.
Kucera
NU graduate assistant
--
opuon team against Oklahoma,” Steele
said. “A little bit of that is I think that
Hagan’s shoulder has been bothering
him. To keep from punishing him
until he gels to Lincoln . . . they
haven’t run a lot of options to put
pressure on him.”
While Hagan healed, wide receiver
Mike Pritchard shared the offensive
load with Bienicmy, Steele said.
“Pritchard is as good as you ’ll find
in the league,” he said.
But Steele said he wouldn’t “trade
any of our guys for any of their guys.
“They’re a great football team,”
Steele said. “Can we beat them? Yeah,
I do believe we can, and we better, but
that’s a coach talking.”
Coach: Strieker
relies on focus
for her success
By Chris Hopfensperger
Senior Reporter
Freshmen Johnny Mitchell and
Derek Brown have taken Nebraska
by storm, grabbing headlines and
highlights as the Cornhuskcrs have
cruised through their season.
However, a freshman with per
haps more of an impact hasn’t even
stepped onto the turf of Memorial
Stadium. In fact, this student athlete
doesn’t even play football.
Nikki Strieker, the freshman vol
leyball player out of Lincoln East,
has played in all of the Huskcrs’ 21
matches, including a start Saturday
against the Lady Buffs of Colorado.
Strieker, who was recruited as a
setter but spends most of the time at
middle blocker, said she is just happy
to play.
“(Coach Terry Pettit) told me that
I would get playing time, but I would
have to work for it,” Strieker said.
“So I’ve worked really hard at the
middle position and that’s where I get
to play the most.”
Strieker has racked up 61 kills at
middle blocker this season, including
two against the Lady Buffs. How
ever, she welcomes any switch to
play setter.
“Thai’s my favorite, but I’ll have
to work for that next,” Strieker said.
“Setter’s the leader. They call the
plays, the defenses. I like setter bet
ter, but with (senior All American)
Val (Novak), there’s no question.”
Pettit said he is pleased with
Strieker’s play, especially in pressure
situations.
“Every freshman wants to be on
the court, but Nikki wants to be there
at critical times,” Pettit said. “Nikki
is a competitor. She mentally stays
with the game and keeps herself fo
cused on every point.
-44 -
Every freshman wants
to be on the court, but
Nikki wants to be there
at critical times. Nikki
is a competitor. She
mentally stays with the
same and keeps herself
focused on every point.
Pettit
NU volleyball coach
-99 ~
“She’s able to slay organized on
the court when a lot of freshmen
wouldn’t be able to.”
That includes playing against top
20 schools. So far this season the
Huskcrs have played 10 nationally
ranked schools.
Against then No. 1-ranked UCLA
Strieker had a season and team-high
three service aces for a five-game
match. She is third on the team in
total aces with 16 this season. Pettit
said that comes from concentration.
“Volleyball is a mental game, and
Nikki docs a good job of slaying
focused,” he said.
NU volleyball club will play Kansas
From Staff Reports
Ihe Nebraska men’s volleyball club
will play the Kansas club team to
night in the NU Coliseum immedi
ately after the women’s varsity game.
The Nebraska men’s club defeated
Iowa Stale on Friday in Ames, Iowa,
9-15, 15-11, 15-6, 13-15, 15-8. In
winning, the Nebraska men avenged
a loss taken earlier this fall in their
first match in the Coliseum after a
women’s match.
Louisville earns ranking !
after 18-year absence ,
The Associated Press
Louisville may be the bottom
team in the Top 25, but Coach
Howard Schncllcnbcrgcr is feeling
on top of the world.
“Hallelujah! That’s like being
knighted by thequeen of England,”
Schnellenberger said Monday af
ter the Cardinals gained a ranking
in The Associated Press college
football poll for the first lime in 18
years.
Louisville, 7-1-1, moved up to
25th after beating Western Ken
tucky 41 -7 Saturday. It is the Car
dinals’ first ranking since the final
poll of the 1972 season, when they
finished 18th with a 9-1 record.
Louisville went 2-9, 3-8 and 3
7-1 in Schncllcnbcrgcr’s first three
seasons before turning their record
around. Since the start of the 1988
season, the Cardinals arc 21-9-1.
The Cardinals were snubbed by
the bowls after going 8-3 in 1988,
hill that nm>hl chanec this vear.
They have not made a postseason
appearance since the 1977 Inde
pendence Bowl, a 24-14 loss to
Louisiana Tech.
There is a cloud on the horizon,
though. A communicationsproles
sor is trying to get quarterback
Browning Nagle removed from two
classes, a move that would make
him ineligible.
The professor claims that Nagle
has a poor altitude in class. But
Schncllenbcrgcr said he expects a
university committee to rule in
Nagle’s favor this week.
Virginia, which did not play
Saturday, remained No. 1 for the
third siraighi week while unbeaten
Auburn fell from second to fourth
in the poll.
The Cavaliers, 7-0, who meet
Georgia Tech in an Atlantic Coast
Conference showdown Saturday,
received 44 first-place votes anti
1,462 points from a nationwide
panel of sports writers and broad
casters.
Notre Dame, 6-1, climbed one
to second place after beating Pitts
Associated
Press Top
25
1 Virginia 1
2Notre Dame pnE]3
3 Nebraska
4 Auburn f^S|2
5lllinois lScjS
6 Houston
7Washington te|>] 7
8Miami HEfif]8
9Coiorado QQy 10
10BYU nSgl 9
11 Tennessee H51E111
12Florida St. Cm»I12
13 Iowa L*9Et] 15
14Texas KW»113
15 Florida 14
16Georgia 9BB
Tech 16
17 Mississippi BlPj 17
18Clemson 19
19 Wyoming EB»M 18
20 Michigan twin 20
21 Southern Cal 21
220regon 25
23 Arizona 23
24Penn St. rajM
25 L ouisville rgBI
1 i if previous
Source: Associated Press
burgh 31-22, and Nebraska, 8-0,
rosea notch to third, after downing
Iowa State 45-13. The Fighting
Irish received six first-place votes
and 1,380 points, while Nebraska
got five first-place votes and 1,350
points.
Auburn, 6-0-1, lost support af
ter edging Mississippi State 17-16
on a blocked extra point with 2 1/2
minutes left.
Tackle, tight end
I back in practice
From Staff Reports
Nebraska football coach Tom
Osborne said he isn’t doing anything
differently in practice to prepare for
Saturday’s game against Colorado,
despite the Buffaloes’ potent offense.
“CU is the best running team we
will face by quite a bit. They can try
to run right at us, and they will get
some yards, but 1 hope they don’t get
loo many,” Osborne said.
Safety Reggie Cooper, with a
hamstring injury, and defensive tackle
Kenny Walker, with a chest cold,
both sat out of Monday’s practice.
Fullback Omar Soto, who had an
injured knee, was in for the half-pad
practice with a brace on his leg. Of
fensive lack# Steve Engstrom and
tight end William Washington also
worked out.
CU, OSU players
win Big 8 honors
From Staff Reports
Colorado tackle Garry Howe, who
had 13 tackles in the Buffaloes 32-23
win Saturday over Oklahoma, was a
unanimous selection Monday for Big
Eight defensive player of the week.
Howe had six unassisted tackles,
including two for losses. He also was
credited with half a sack and a quar
terback hurry.
Nebraska plays Colorado Satur
day at 3 p.m. at Memorial Stadium.
The offensive player of the week
honors went to Oklahoma Stale tail
back Gerald Hudson, who ran for a
career-high 255 yards in the Cow
boys 48-28 win over Missouri.
I_Nelaralkan ~]
Nebraska (8-0)
2 Notre Dame (6-1)
3 Virginia (7-0)
4 Houston (7-0)
5 Illinois (6-1)
6 Washington (7-1)
7 Colorado (7-1-1)
8 Miami (5-2)
9 Auburn (6-0-1)
|t0 Texas(5-1)
KU coach
doesn’t dread
NU match
By John Adkisson
Staff Reporter
The Nebraska volleyball team
played the role of dream-smasher the
last time it faced Kansas.
Today in the rematch between the
two, the Comhuskcrs once again will
be trying to destroy the Jayhawks’
upset visions.
The Huskcrs, 19-2 and 6-0 in the
Big Eight, play their final home con
ference match this year against Kan
sas, 14-10 and 4-3, at 7:30 p.m. at the
NU Coliseum.
On Oct. 11, the Jayhawks battled
with then top-ranked Nebraska in
Lawrence, Kan., taking a 12-8 lead in
the first game. But the Huskcrs ral
lied, winning the first game 15-12,
and went on to take the match in
straight games. Kansas coach Frankie
Albitz said the Jayhawks got over
confident in the first meeting.
“We started thinking about beat
ing the top team in the nation, and it
cost us,” Albitz said.
The Huskcrs own a 44-0 series
record against Kansas, and Albitz said
the Jayhawks, though improved, aren’t
yet in Nebraska’s league.
“Our players seem to always talk a
lot about beating Nebraska,’’ Albitz
said. “But I don’t think they really
believe they can compete with them.”
Huskcr coach Terry Pettit said
Kansas is a team on the upswing,
