Beck: Loss to OU helped
By Chris Hopfensperger
Senior Reporter
Nebraska’s loss to Oklahoma in
the last game of the women’s regular
season may have helped the Com
buskers get closer to the final of this
weekend’s Big Eight Women’s Bas
ketball Tournament in Salina, Kan.
The ioss cost the team sole posses
sion of second place in the final stand
ings, but Nebraska coach Angela Beck
said the 75-72 loss to the Sooners has
helped.
“We have probably got a better
work ethic,” Beck said. “I’ve seen
Staci McKee/Daily Nebraskan
Nebraska’s Sue Hesch gets the shot past Lynne Lorenzen
of Iowa State.
pretty good intensity in practice.”
The Huskers have gone to work,
she said, to prepare for their first
round game against Kansas Saturday
night at 8 in the Bicentennial Center.
“We’re concentrating on execu
tion versus 2-3 (zone) matchups, trying
to handle it a little better,” Beck said.
“We’ve had a little trouble against
them in the last couple of games.”
At 17-10 overall and 8-6 in the Big
Eight, Nebraska finished the Big Eight
season in a three-way tie for second
place, with Colorado and Kansas State.
After league tie-breaking proce
dures, the Huskers were awarded the
No. 3 seed, ahead of the Wildcats and
behind the Lady Buffs. The Jayhawks,
who finished 16-11 overall and 7-7 in
the conference, are die No. 6 seed.
Beck said Nebraska matches up
well against Kansas.
“They’re not a very good shooting
team, but they’ve shot well against
us,” Beck said. “They’re not a very
big team, but they’re scrappy.”
The Huskers split their regular
season games with the Jayhawks,
winning at home, 69-68, and losing
on the road, 83-63.
une or me most important Keys to
the game, Beck said, will be shooting
percentage. Nebraska led the confer
ence in field goal percentage while
Kansas was seventh.
Shooting poorly, however, may help
the Jayhawks.
“They’re used to missing shots and
hitting the boards and getting the second
shots,” she said. “We don’t get as
many second opportunities because
we just think, ‘Well, (Karen) Jen
nings is going to make it’”
Jennings leads Nebraska and the
Big Eight in scoring, averaging 20.3
points per game. The sophomore from
Persia, Iowa, is the team’s leading
rebounder as well, grabbing 8.7 rpg.
Beck said Nebraska can’t rely on
Jennings.
“I’m juggling some things and some
people,” she said. “It’s important that
we have a couple of people who haven’t
been playing well for us lately play
well.
“We can’t just have Jennings score
27 points.”
Senior Kristi Dahn must shoot
consistently, Beck said, and Sue Hcsch
must come out of her slump.
See BECK on 8
iww ... ..
Probable Starters
PPG RPG APG
F Beau Rule! Sr. 6-8 10.0 4.5 4.0
F Kelly Lively Sr. 7-0 1.9 1.6 0.3
O Rich .'ing Sr. 7-2 15,1 7.9 2.6
G Clifford Scales Sr. 6-2 9.5 2.9 2.9
G Keith Moody Sr. 5-11 4,4 2.2 3.3
F Alonzo Jamison Jr. 6-6 10.3 6.4 3.8
F Mike Maddox Sr. 6-7 7.3 3.3 2.8
C Maik Randall Sr. 6-9 15.8 5.7 1.9
G Terry Brown Sr. 6-2 17.1 3.7 0.6
G Adonis Jordan So. 5-11 12.1 2.9 4.8
Husker confidence low
tsy i quo cooper
Staff Reporter
Nebraska’s 80-69 loss to Okla
homa Slate Wednesday night ended
the Huskers’goals of a Big Eight
championship.
That hurt, but the loss didn’t end
their season, guard Keith Moody said.
“I’ve really been taking this loss
so hard,” said Moody, who made his
first start of the season Wednesday.
“The more I think about it the madder
I get.
“I’m so hungry even though 1 know
the regular season championship is
out of our hand. Just being able to
defeat Kansas is going to give us a big
round of confidence going into the
Big Eight tournament.”
That chance for the Comhuskers
to regain their confidence comes
Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Bob Devaney
Sports Center against the lOth-ranked,
21-5 Jayhawks. The Huskers lost their
first meeting with Kansas, 85-77, in
Lawrence.
“We played really well down there.
I think we just had a couple of mix
ups on defense,” Moody said. “That
was one of our better games of the
year even though we lost. And now
that we know what they’re going to
uc uumg wiicu uicy cuiiic licit, i
don't think those mistakes are going
to occur.”
Forward Beau Reid said the Husk
ers can’t let the mistakes occur against
the surging Jayhawks. Kansas has won
nine of its last 10 games.
“They lost to Colorado and then
just stepped up their performance
against Oklahoma and Iowa State,”
Reid said. “They 're just a good bas
ketball team — when they lose, they
bounce back. Hopefully we can take
care of our home court advantage
against them.”
And Sunday will be the last time
the Husker seniors (Moody, Reid,
center Rich King, guard Clifford Scales
and center Kelly Lively) protect the
Sports Center floor.
“A lot of things will be going
through my mind,” Reid said. “It’s
the culmination of every thing . . .
We’ve turned a 10-18 team into a 23
6 team. I’m going to be real pumped
up to play — I want to get victory No.
24.”
Moody said it will be hard to come
out on the floor for the last time.
“I hate to think about it,” he said.
But it may be even harder for
Kansas, he said.
Wrestlers struggle
to recover respect
By Chuck Green
Senior Reporter _
Throughout the season, Ne
braska’s wrestling team lost start
ers to injuries and subsequently
lost respect from other teams.
The seventh-ranked Comhuskcrs
have regained all but one of their
starters. On Sunday at the Big Eight
championships in Columbia, Mo.,
they’ll try to regain respect.
Nebraska coach Tim Neumann
said he not only thinks it can hap
pen, he expects it.
“As a coach, you have to expect
more out of the guys than they
expect out of themselves,” Neu
mann said. “They’re a little pissed
off about the lack of respect they’ve
been getting. A lot of people have
written Nebraska wrestling off
because of the injuries.”
At one point of the season, the
Huskcrs had only four of 10 origi
nal starters in the lineup. Now, the
only missing Nebraska starter is
177-pounder Corey Olson, out with
a serious knee injury.
But, Neumann said, Olson’s
absence shouldn’t be overestimated.
“Other than Corey Olson, we’re
just as good as we were last fall
with everybody out there,” he said.
“There is a lot of character and
leadership on this team and we are
fortunate to have a good group of
seniors who know what it takes to
get ready for a meet like this.”
The Huskers, who were picked
to finish among the top three teams
in the country when the season
began, arc picked to finish third at
the Big Eight championships.
Defending NCAA champion and
second-ranked Oklahoma Stale is
tabbed to capture the title, while
third-ranked Iowa State is picked
second.
Nebraska has lost to both teams
earlier this season, dropping a 20
15 dual to Oklahoma State, and
losing 17-16 to the Cyclones.
But that won’t matter Sunday,
Neumann said.
“The scores of those meets give
an indication of how close the Big
Eights are going to be, and I expect
us to be right there with every one
else,” he said. “But Oklahoma State
isOklahoma State. Thcy’rcalways
going to be strong, and Iowa State
has improved more than anybody
else in the country from last sca
See WRESTLERS on 8
Diver serves as role model
»y Benji ureenoerg
Staff Reporter
Before the season even started for
the Nebraska women’s swimming and
diving team, freshman Katie Savage
gave senior Amy Aarsen the nick
name “Grandma.”
Savage is one of three freshmen on
the women’s diving squad. The only
other woman diver is Aarsen. Hence
the nickname of respect. Right?
“I hate the name ‘Grandma,’”
Aarsen said, complaining that the name
makes her feel old, “so I like to refer
to myself as a big sister and my team
mates as ‘The Kids.’”
Aarsen is participating in the final
Big Eight meet of her career through
Saturday in Lawrence, Kan.
Being a leader this year for the
three new divers was nothing new for
the Wichita, Kan., native.
“Throughout my entire diving
career. I’ve always been a leader and
a team captain," Aarsen said. “So
when Coach (Jim) Hocking told me I
was going to be counted on to load
this season, it was not going to be new
experience for me.”
The skills she has taught this year’s
batch of newcomers should help them
to be as successful as their Husker
careers go on.
“Amy’s been an inspiration to me,
someone who I can look up to with
envy," Savage said. “She dives with
us, coaches us and contributes to our
team in any way possible."
NU women drown competition,
take first-day lead at Big 8 meet
From Staff Reports
Led by victories in the 500 frees
tyle and the 200 freestyle relay, the
Nebraska women’s swimming and
diving team look the first-day lead
Thursday in the three-day Big Erght
championships.
The defending-champion Com
huskers have 203 points, followed
by Kansas with 186, Iowa State
with 122 and Missouri with 66.
“I’m really happy,” Nebraska
coach Ray Huppert said. “We didn’t
expect to be in the lead after the
first day, but we’ll take it.”
The Huskers took the lead de
spite somewhat of an upset in the
1-meter diving competition. Ne
braska senior Amy Aarsen, the
defending champion, scored 439.25
points but lost to Kelley Kauzlar
ich of Kansas, who had 445.10
points. Aarsen was 61 points ahead
of the third-place competitor.
Michelle Butcher won the 500
freestyle. The Nebraska 200 frees
tyle team had the bcstpcrforinance
of the day, winning in 1:33.83, a
Big Eight and pool record and an
NCAA qualifying mark.
Aarsen says this season is dmcrent
because she’s never had so many people
look up to her as both a leader and a
person.
“I honestly feel like people can
count on me and that’s a great feel
ing.”
Being the only diver with college
experience hasn’t hindered Aarsen’s
performance so far this season.
Aarsen has won 14 of the 17 diving
duels. Along with the 14 wins, Aarsen
has broken several school records on
both the 1-meter and 3-metcr boards.
Aarsen s performance seems to
have helped Savage and Heidi
Buchholz. All three have qualified
for NCAA zone diving competition
in three weeks in Fayetteville, Ark.
The successful season for Aarsen,
Buchholz, Savage and Missy Allen
came from a good work ethic in both
practices and meets, Aarsen said.
“We’re serious about our sport,
but we go about in a fun way,” Aarsen
said. “We know when there’s a time
See AARSEN on 8