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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 30, 1991)
Sports Pettit foresees tough opener for Huskers By John Adkisson Staff Reporter_ No patsies allowed, That is the rule the Nebraska volleyball team may well see posted throughout Memorial Coliseum in Lexington, Ky., this weekend. The Comhuskers, ranked third in the preseason American Volley ball Coaches Association poll, will open their season in the Kentucky Kickoff Classic against three other teams in or near the Top 20: Wis consin, Texas Tech and Kentucky. Nebraska Coach Terry Pettit said the tournament field is strong and his team will need to play well to win all'lhree games. “We are definitely going to have to play quality volleyball to win,” Pettit said. “But if we stay organ ized, we can put ourselves in that position.” The Huskers will play three games in two days in the round robin tournament. They will open against Wisconsin and Texas Tech on Saturday, and then face Ken tucky Sunday. Nebraska defeated Wisconsin in one meeting last year, beating the Badgers in four games in Lin coln. But the Badgers return three starters, including All-Big Ten selection Arlisa Hagan, who regis tered 478 kills last season. Pettit said Wisconsin, follow ing the death of Coach Steve Lowe, is a team that may be emotionally ready for Nebraska. “We have to prepare ourselves to face a team that could be emo tionally charged,” he said. “As far as we’re concerned we’re getting ready for a very lough volleyball team.” Texas Tech finished last season 30-3 and ended its season losing to Final Four participant Louisiana State in the NCAA Tournament. The Lady Raiders are rated 20th by the AVCA, and return four starters from last season’s team. “They are a good ball-control team,” Pettit said. “We don’t know a whole lot about them, but we do know that they return a lot of people from last season.” Pettit said Kentucky, which just missed being rated by the AVCA, is a “well-coached” team that will “play at the same level throughout the match.” The Wildcats also qualified for last season’s NCAA Tournament, winning a match before losing to Texas in the South Regional. Nebraska freshmen Kim Tonni ges and Christy Johnson will sec some playing time, Pettit said. Pettit said he will also experi ment with a 6-2 offensive scheme, which uses two setters. But that doesn’t mean he is abandoning Nebraska’s standard 5-1 offense, See OPENER on 9 ^JHH ^ Mich#H« Paulman/Daily Nebraskan Nikki Strieker dives for the ball during Nebraska’s exhibition against Nebraska alumnae Saturday, with Eileen Shannon in the background. Hughes takes style to split end By John Gardner Staff Reporter_ _ Hidden beneath Tyrone Hughes’ football helmet, shaved into the hair on the back of his head, is the silhouette of a woman. This season, Hughes, a junior kick returner for Nebraska, will be taking that flamboyance outside. He has been moved from wing back to split end and is second behind Jon Bostick. Hughes said he knows why. “They moved me to utilize my speed at that position,” he said. “(Nate) Turner and (Vincent) Hawkins took over the (wingback) position because they arc bigger and can block the linebackers bel ter.” “I don’t like blocking too much.” Hughes said he plans to catch a lot of balls this year. “I’m not going to say we’ll pass more than we’ll run, but we will pass when we need to,” Hughes said. “We plan on opening drives with the pass to open up the de fense and enable us to run.” In 1990, Hughes led the nation in kickoff returns for the first four games and eventually finished third. But that didn’t exactly change his thinking. “It felt good, of course,’’Hughes said. “But I had to think of the team and slay on top of my game.” Hughes recorded 523 kick re turn yards, breaking the school record held by his friend Dana Brinson. When Hughes was a freshman, he backed up Brinson, and imme diately their similarities were no ticed. Hughes said he didn’t espe cially like this. “It was real hard being com pared to him,” he said. “We were best friends and many people said I was better than him. “I guess I concentrated more than Dana, but we’re two different players, that’s all.” Brinson wasn’t the only player Hushes was compared to. “When I was first coming up, some of the veteran players even called me ‘Baby Rocket’ and that bothered me,” he said. DN ttw photo Tyrone Hughes breaks a tackle last season against Baylor. Hughes is making the switch from wingback to split end. The “Baby Rocket” tag was in reference to former Notre Dame standout Raghib “Rocket” Ismail. Hughes was heavily recruited his senior year in high school. Oklahoma, Louisiana Slate, Min nesota and Tulanc wooed him as well as Nebraska. Hughes said he chose the Huskcrs for several rea sons, one of which was the style of offense. “When I was in high school (at New Orleans St. Augustine), we ran a wing-T offense and I noticed Nebraska was doing a lot of the same thing,” he said Hughes also said he fell ihc coaches were more honest with him. “They really stressed academ ics and seriously let me know where I stood, what my chances were,” he said. Hughes quickly gained status as a return man. After redshirting in 4988, he led the Big Eight in 1989 with a 15.1-yard per return aver age. Hughes also shared the wing back position with Turner in 1989 and 1990. ^ee HUGHES on 10 Top ten reasons Nebraska ought to win championship in order to .. I’m sick and tired of hearing con stant talk about why the Nebraska football team won’t win the national championship this year. I hear my fraternity brothers argu ing whether the Comhuskers will lose either three or four games this year, and my fellow sportswriters can’t decide if the Huskers belong in the middle or the bottom of the Top 25. Ridiculous. Now maybe this California kid hasn’t lived in (he Midwest long enough to realize the Husker tradition of los ing the big games, but 1 think Ne braska has what it takes to win it all this year. So I have compiled my lop 10 reasons why the Comhuskers should give all they ’ vc got to bring home the national championship. The Comhuskers should win it all so that_ 10. Nebraska can cure itself of the common disease, January bowl gamc itis: The fear of a college football team to win a big game on New Year’s Day. Jeff Singer 9. The football players can drop previously challenging popular courses such as Underwater Basket Weaving 101 and Advanced Gum Chewing 311 to now accommodate an equally difficult course to help them with their new national championship rings: Ring Wearing 101 — so many choices, so few fingers. 8. Tom Osborne can shed his title as “the nation’s best coach not ever to have won a national title despite having some of the best talent and schedules any head coach in the country dreams of,” and leave that distinction to col lege football’s humanitarian — Flor ida State’s Bobby Bowden'. 7. After Nebraska wins the na tional title, Husker Bob can retire and we can rest our ears. 6. Defensive coordinator Charlie McBride, whose defense gave up a total of 117 points in nine quarters against Colorado, Oklahoma and Georgia Tech, doesn’t gel fired and realize the only football vacancy that will be offered to him is head equip ment manager of the Broken Bow Bearcats of the 10-and-under youth football league. 5. Even if Nebraska has a weak non-conference schedule as in the past, people won’t look to the Husk ers’ battles with Alaska A&M or Jerry’s Kids and Sisters of the Poor as an excuse for a good season. 4. When Bob Dcvancy hits the bars, he has a different excuse besides Nebraska not winning it all again. 3. Nebraskans can stop filling Memorial Stadium to capacity every Saturday hoping for a national cham pionship and can start supporting the equally popular sport on campus: Women’s archery. 2. A Big Eight team can actually be respected for winning a national championship (sec Colorado’s 1990 fifth down and all of Oklahoma’s titles that seem to follow with terms on probation). 1. If football players receive free cars, they can make reference to the national championship on their per sonalized license plates. Remember Husker fans, national championships arc to be taken seri ously, humorous columns arc not. Singer is a Junior news-editorial major and Dally Nebraskan sports staff reporter.
