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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 19, 1992)
Sports Record crowd watches Huskers beat OU Player says team lacked intensity By Jeff Singer Senior Reporter A new record led to an old result for the Nebraska volleyball team Sat urday night. The Comhuskers, who played be fore a NU Coliseum record crowd of 4,373, defeated Oklahoma for the ninth straight time, 15-4,16-14,15-7. Nebraska improved its record to 11 -2 overall and 5-0 in Big Eight play, while increasing its winning streak to nine. But not many of the Husker volley ball players were too excited about their performance against the Soon ers. II Oklahoma is a tradi tional rival for Ne braska. If we were playing shuffleboard, they’d come out to see it. —Pettit NU volleyball coach -- “We were a 1 iltlc slow—our pass ing was pretty bad and our communi cation was pretty bad,” senior Outside hitter Eileen Shannon said. “We could’ve played a lot better than we did.” Fellow outside hitter Laura Lulhcr agreed. “The intensity just wasn’t there,” said Luther, who had 11 kills in 26 attacks for a .308 hitting percentage. Shannon led Nebraska in kills with 16 in 35 attempts for a .314 hitting average, but she said that statistics can be deceiving. “It was a three-game sweep, but just because we won all three games doesn ’t mean we played well,” Shan non said. “The stats don’t say every thing.” I:. - .... Shaun Sartin/DN Nebraska’s Laura Luther attempts a dig during the Huskers’ three-game win over Oklahoma on Saturday night. A record NU Coliseum crowd of 4,373 fans watched Nebraska improve to 11-2 overall and 5-0 in the Big Eight. After dominating the first game, the Huskg-s went up 10-5 in the sec ond game until Ok lahoma scored cighi unanswered points to take a 13-10 lead. The two teams then seesawed back and forth until the Huskcrs were able to cam a two-point victory. Luther said that even though Ne braska has won 16straighiconfcrcncc li ties, Saturday’s second game showed the Huskcrs can sometimes be too passive. “I think it definitely makes us wake up; sometimes we can get lackadaisi cal,” Luther said. Oklahoma volleyball coach Miles Pabs) said Nebraska didn’t play as well as it had in the past. “Nebraska had trouble passing the ball,’’ Pabst said. “My gut feeling is they' re not as strong a bal l club as they had last year, especially when you lose two All-Americans in (Janet) Kruse and Cris (Hall).” This was the Huskcrs’ second win 01 the season over Oklahoma, as they beat the Sooners 15-11,15-4 and 15 2 in Norman, Okla. The 4,373 fans that came out to watch the Huskcr victory bested the 4,328 mark set against Oklahoma in 1988. Nebraska volleyball coach Terry Pettit said matches against the Soon ers seem to bring out the Husker fans. "Oklahoma is a traditional rival for Nebraska," Pettit said. “If we were playing shufflcboard they’d come out to see it.” Pettit said he was expecting the I il th-ranked Huskers to play better for the Nebraska fans in time for their next home match against No. 15 Colo rado Saturday. " We have the best fans in thecoun try,’ Pettit said. “When they come back next Saturday, they’ll see a lot better play.” Volleyball player earns 1,000th kill By Derek Samson Staff Reporter Stephanie Thaler hit two mi lestones Saturday when she collected her 1,000th kill and moved into eighth placeon Nebraska’sall-time kill chart. “I didn’t even know it,” Thater said after the Comhusker volleyball team downed Oklahoma in straight games. “1 don’t focus on personal stats.” Thaler, a senior middle blocker, registered 11 kills in 24 attempts and passed Enid Schoncwisc, pushing her career kill total to 1,006 in front of a record crowd. She now needs 53 kills to pass current Huskcr assistant Cathy Noth and move into seventh place. “(The crowd) was really helpful. We always like playing Oklahoma and love playing at home,” Thaler said. r\__ _• .. n me owners, Thatcr said Nebraska looked rusty in the 15-4, 16-14, 15-7 win. “We definitely did not play to our potential. We need to take charge of our individual issues,” she said. “You have to know that your five other teammates will have the pride to do Jheir job.” The fifth-ranked Huskers boosted their record to 11-2, but Thaler said the team didn’t improve in the pro cess. “We’ve got some things to work on, Thaler said. “We have been gradually getting better each game this season and tonight it came to a hall. “For us to be a Final Four team, we have to play at a top level all the time,” she said. Nebraska was forced to the vvire ih the 16-14 second game win, but Thater said she would have preferred a blow out. “ I love to play intense competi tion, but if we don’t play well I’m not happy,’ Thaler said. “Ifthere wasany frustration or lackadaisical on our side it was caused by us and not Okla homa.” Ten BenseYs win doesn't pull cross country ahead of Arkansas oy «JvJiIII HUKISSOn Senior Editor Fran ten Bcnscl won another race, but the Nebraska women’scrosscoun try team came up short in its bid to win the Ra/.orback Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark., this weekend. Arkansas, the host team, easily outdistanced the second-place Comhuskers, winning by 45 points. But ten Bcnscl, asenior All-Ameri can, won her third individual title of the season, running the 5,(XK)-mctcr course in a lime of 16:57. ‘Fran ran another great race,” Ne braska coach Jay Dirksen said. “She was pushed by a very quality runner, and she did well.” Junior Theresa Sidling, who ran 1 nth with a timcol 17:32, was the only other top-10 finisher for Nebraska. Dirksen said the women’s team still needed to develop its depth in time lor the Big Eight Champion ships. “We’ve still got to get better after our first couple of runners,” he said. On the men’s side, Dirksen said he was thrilled w ith the performance of junior David llcffa. Ilcffa finished fifth with a time ol 29:47 on the 10,000-metcr course, and finished just one second behind a runner from Arkansas who placed second at last year’s NCAA champi onship. “He ran by far the best race he’s cvcrruTt,” Drrkscn said. “David went head-to-hedtiwith Arkansas’ best run ner, and he took him to the wire.” The Nebraska men’s team finished sixth out of a nine-team field with 149 points. Arkansas also won the men’s division, scoring 43 points. Rcncir Henning, the Huskcrs’ sec ond-highest finisher on themen’sside, finished 29th with a time of 31:56. “We’re capable of running a little better than we did,” Dirksen said. “We’re a better team than what we’re running now, but lime’s runningout.” The Huskcrs will take a partial team to compete next weekend in the University of Nebraska-Kearney In vitational. The full teams will return to compete in the Big Eight Cross Coontry Championships on Oct. 3t in Boulder, Colo. Huskers rank No. 8 in AP poll From Staff and Wire Reports Without playing a game, the Ne braska football team made a three notch jump, in The Associated Press Top 25 football poll Sunday. The Comhuskcrs gathered a total of 1,030 points and leaped from No. 11 to No. 8, passing Colorado, Penn Stale and Stanford. Colorado fell from No. 7 to No. 9 after tying unranked Oklahoma at home. Kansas, the only other ranked team in the Big Eight, moved from No. 25 to No. 22 after rallying to beat Iowa State 50-47. Washington and Miami, both 6-0, were tied at the top of the poll, each receiving 1,517 poinis. The tic was the first in the AP poll since Oct. 27, 1941, when Minnesota and Texas shared a spot at the top. The No. 8 ranking is Nebraska’s highest this year. Before taking the weekend off, the Huskcrs drew ire from Comhusker coach Tom Osborne for sloppy play after a two-hour scrimmage at Memo rial Stadium on Friday. Nebraska’s top twooffensive units had five turnovers, including three fumbles. \ “It looked like some of the guys weren’t very focused,” Osborne said. “Any time you come out here to play, you have to play. So it was a disap pointing performance from thatstand point.” The highlight of the scrimmage was the return of sophomore quarter back Tony Veland, who had been injured since late August. Veland had 10 plays in the scrim mage, and Osborne said his missed practice lime was evident. “He’s still a little rusty,” Osborne said. “He’s not throwing the ball like he did earlier. I believe he’s still feel ing his way.” Osborne said he expected Veland to be at full strength (or Nebraska’s game this weekend at Missouri. Gymnasts bring show to Lincoln’s Pershing By Nick Hytrek Senior Reporter Gymnastics fans who couldn’t get enough of Shannon Miller, Tatiana Gutsu, Vitali Shcrbo and Trent Dimas during the 1992 Sum mer Olympics will get a second chance to sec them perform. Only this time it will be in per son. Miller,Gutsu, Shcrbo and Dimas are pan of a group of international champions touring the United States. The tour will stop in Lin coln Monday and Tuesday, with a performance at Pershing Audito rium Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. Also scheduled to perform arc former U.S. Olympian Kurt Tho mas, 1989 women’s world cham pion Svetlana Boguinskaia, mem bers of the Nebraska men’s and women’s gymnastics teams, and younger gymnasts from Lincoln’s four gymnastics schools. “I personally think it will be a once-in-a-lifctime opportunity to see the best in the world,” said Francis Allen, Cornhusker men’s gymnastics coach. “It’s probably one of the best groups ever as sembled.” Nebraska women’s coach Rick Walton agreed. “It’s not every day you get some of the better people in your sport coming through town,” Walton said. The list of honors for the mem bers of the lour goes on and on. Miller won five medals at the 1992 Summer Olympics, includ ing a silver in the women’s all around. Beating Miller in the all around was Gutsu, who was also a mem her of the Unified Team, which won the team gold. Sherbo, also of the Unified Team, won six gold medals at Barcelona — more than any other athlete. Dimas, who competed for Nebraska for one year, won a gold in the high bar. As well as perf orming, the gym nasts will work out at the Nebraska facilities Monday. That’s when Huskcr gymnasts will benefit, Walton said. “We’re certainly going to set up the video camera and hope to get something out of it,” he said. “I would be willing to bet (my gym nasts) won’t be in a hurry to get out that day.” Allen agreed it would be a learn ing experience. “It will be a professional clinic for me and my staff,” he said. ‘‘The Russians work on s^> much trivial stuff. We’re going to have them critique some of the stuff our guys arc doing.” It should also be an inspirational experience, both coaches said. “If you want to motivate some one to work hard, let them watch those who have made it to the topof the world,” Walton said. it’ll just be total inspiration for the kids, for every bodyAllen said. Plus, it’s hard to tell how one of them might inspire kids from Lin coln to be in the Olympics.”
