Colorado
Continued from Page 7
“We’re going to have to be sharp
Saturday,” Brown said. “It’s a great
cal iber defense Colorado has. They ’ re
strong up front, real aggressive.”
As far as the Huskcrs arc con
cerned, Osborne said he had no wor
ries about freshman Tommie Frazier
starling at quarterback.
Frazier made his first start last
week against Missouri and threw for
157 yards, ran for 77 and scored three
touchdowns.
“Hb’s played in a lot of important
ball gamcsoverhiscareersol think he
has pretty good poise,” Osborne said.
“I think he’ll do well. If we didn’t
think he would, we wouldn’t start
him.”
The importance that Colorado puls
on its matchup with Nebraska is no
secret, but the circumstances dictate
the importance of this season’s game,
Osborne said.
“Certainly they’re going to be fo
cused on this game because it’s going
to represent a lotas far as who wins the
Big Eight championship,” he said.
Brown said he had noticed that
Colorado put out a greater effort
against the Huskers.
“When they play, they do play a lot
harder than what I’ve seen in past
games,” Brown said. “I think that’s
great. It makes the game that much,
better.”
-;—
Daily Nebraskan staffers pick §
the winners of the ten major
college football games this
weekend, with winners in bold: 1
Kansas St. at Oklahoma
Oklahoma St. at Kansas
Missouri at Iowa St.
Michigan at Purdue
Georgia at Florida
Texas at Texas Tech
West Virginia at Miami
Florida St. at Virginia
Ohio St. at Iowa
Stanford at Washington
Nebraska 27,
Colorado 24
Last week: 7-3
Season: 46-23 (.667)
Notes:
• Nebraska has a 34-14-2 record
against Colorado, but is 0-2-1 against
the Buffaloes in the last three meet
ings. Nebraska last beat Colorado 7-0
in 1988 at Lincoln.
• Playing on Halloween hasn’t
haunted the Huskcrs in the past. Ne
braska is 15-0 in all games played on
Oct. 31.
Buffaloes
Continued from Page 7
points to a 1-5 Minnesota team.
“Weplayed really welt 90 percent
of the game in those two games,”
Bickcrt said. “But it’s the little things
that make big plays. And that’s what
happened.”
Bickcrt has never lost to Nebraska
and Colorado is undefeated in the B ig
Eight during his career.
“It’s a real important game to me
and the other seniors,” Bickcrt said.
“This is our big game of the year, and
to go out without a loss in the confer
ence would be a great accomplish
ment.”
“1 want to finish my college career
by beating Nebraska three out of four
times,” Figures said.
/ ~ \
^ «*s
• . - , . i
' • i >
fo» by Tiuaim ter County Corommioner, Rem Wilctw, TiriMMrar, P.O. Bo» 6135, Lincoln, NE 6850
%
Jeff Haller/DN '
Nebraska’s Kim Tonniges (left) and Eileen Shannon put up a block last Saturday against
Colorado. The Cornhuskers, 8-0 in the Big Eight, will host Missouri in a 7:30 p.m. match
Saturday at the NU Coliseum.
Improved Missouri team
not conceding win to NU
By Jeff Singer
Senior Reporter
In years past, the result of a Ne
braska-Missouri volleyball match
would be a foregone conclusion.
But this season, an improved Mis
souri team will wail until after
Saturday’s match is played before
deciding who the victor will be.
Fifth-ranked Nebraska will battle
the Tigers at 7:30 p .m. S aturday at the
NU Coliseum.
TheComhuskcrs have won the last
23 meetings between the schools and
have a career 36-2-1 record against
the Tigers.
But the Tigers have improved on
last year’s marks of 1-11 in the Big
Eightand 10-22overallto4-5and 15
8 this season.
Missouri volleyball coach Craig
Sherman said it was easy to see why
the Tigers had improved so much in
one year.
“We’ve had a lot of young kids that
arc maturing,” Sherman said. “They
play well together and they work well
together.”
The brightest spot for the Tigers
this season has been senior outside
hitler Y vette Buhlig. Buhlig leads the
conference in hitting percentage as
well as service aces this season.
Sherman said Buhlig was vital to
Missouri’s success.
Missouri at Nebraska, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday
NU Coliseum
Nebraska (14-2), (8-0)
Stephanie Thater 6-2 MB
Eileen Shannon 6-0 OH
Kim Tonniges 5-11 OH
Laura Luther 6-0 OH
Allison Weston 6-0 OH
Nikki Strieker 5-10 S
Missouri (15-8), (4-5) 9
Cindy Atteberry 5-6 S
Shannon Brown 6-0 MB
Yvette Buhlig 5-11 OH
Gwen Mullens 5-9 OH
Cara Relchel 5-10 OH
Melinda Wrye 5-7 OH
Scott Maurer/DN
“She’s provided a lot of leader
ship, and she helps raise our level of
play,” Sherman said.
Nebraska coach Terry Pettit said
that if the Huskcrs could stop Buhlig,
the match should be easy.
“She’s their best player, and gen
erally when you slop a team’s best
player, they usually let up,” Pettit
said.
Pettit’s team hasn’t let up this sea
son, as Nebraska currently has a 12
match winning streak and has won 31
games in a row. If the Huskcrs sweep
Missouri, the consecutive-game streak
will tie Nebraska’s school record,
which was established in 1976.
The 14-2 Huskcrs swept Kansas
Wednesday 15-4, 15-7, 15-4, and
Nebraska outside hitter Laura Luther
said that score symbolized the Husk
ers’ improvement since Nebraska
started the year at 3-2.
“We’ve raised our level of play
since the beginning of the year,” said
Luther, who ranks among the Big
Eight leaders in hitting percentage
and service aces. “All aspects of our
game have improved.”
But the Husker that the Tigers are
most concerned with is Nebraska
middle blocker Stephanie Thaler.
Thaler, a Missouri native, is chal
lenging Buhlig for the Big Eight’s
hitting percentage title, and Sherman
said it should be interesting when the
two square off Saturday.
“It’ll be a good battle there/'
Sherman said.
“If she kills the ball, we’ll say
‘Good hit, Stcph,’ and go on to the
next point,” Sherman said.
Women’s, men’s cross country
run for conference championships
By Phil Carter
Staff Reporter __
After a week of rest, Nebraska
cross country coach Jay Dirksen says
his men’s and women’s teams arc
tuned up for a run at the conference
championships.
“I think we’re ready,” Dirksen said.
“They’ve worked hard in practice,
and we’re pretty healthy so I think
both teams have a chance.”
The meet will be in Boulder, Colo.,
Saturday, and Dirksen said he hoped
the altitude wasn’t a major factor in
the running conditions.
“Altitude is something you don’t
fear but you’re aware of, he said. “If
our runners can stay with it, they can
perform really well.”
Nebraska senior Fran ten Bcnsel,
who won the Big Eight title last sea
son, is the favorite to win the women’s
individual title.
“There’s not a lot of people who
can stay with her,” Dirksen said. “If
she can slick with her race, then she’s
probably the favorite.”
Dirksen said Colorado runner
Brooke Boffman would possiblychal
lengc ten Bcnscl.
“She’s a real good runner, and
(Colorado) has a goodlcam,” Dirksen
said. “They’re at home, and the alti
tude shouldn’t affect them.”
Although the Huskcr women arc
favored, Dirksen said that Kansas Slate
had a good team and he picked them
to win.
“(Kansas State) has a lot of bal
ance,” he said. “They have two run
ners in the top five of the conference,
and their other runners always stay
with the pack.”
On the men’s side, Dirksen said the
Huskers were still pretty young, but
he felt the inexperience could work
either way.
“When you have a young team,
you’re goitig to be competitive or
you’re not,” Dirksen said. “We’ve
had a couple of guys who have some
colds and one has tendonitis, but we’re
pretty healthy.”
The Colorado men’s team is the
favorite to win, Dirksen said.
“Their top seven runners arc within
40-50 seconds of each other,” he said.
“I think anyone who has that type of
grouping has a strong team.”
Kansas State and Iowa Stale also
will battle for the top men’s spot this
weekend.
“Kansas S talc has a balanced team,
and Iowa Slate is strong, but they are
going to be without their No. 1 runner
and tneir best freshman,” Dirksen said.
“For us, David Iteffa has a strong
chance at the individual title.”
Iteffa, a senior, has been hampered
by a hip injury. He was held out of
track season and has been limited to
just two races this season.
“I think he’s back tq normal,”
Dirksen said. “His training has im
proved, and the way he’s improved all
year, I feel this has been a very suc
cessful season for him.”
