- Nebraskan SPORTS!
Monday, Soptembor 20,1993 K^/X V/iVl k-/
West Coast squeaker nearly tweaks Nebraska
Mark Delia Giustina/Special to the DM
Nebraska quarterback Tommie Frazier is pursued by
UCLA’s Robert Gamble (No. 24) and Shane Jasper during the
Cornhuskers' 14-13 win Saturday at the Rose Bowl in Pasa
dena, CalH. Frazier ran for 33 yards on nine carries and threw
for 145 yards on 13-of-l 9 passing despite being hampered by
a sprained right ankle.
NU volleyball coach
celebrates 500th win
By Tim Pearson
SeniorReporler
After his 500th win at Nebraska
Saturday night, Comhusker volley
ball coach Terry Pettit didn’t want to
take credit for the milestone.
Instead he gave the credit to the
university and the athletes he’s worked
with during his 17 years as Nebraska
coach.
Pettit achieved the milestone as
the Huskers improved their record to
9-0 by winning two matches this past
weekend at the FirsTier Invitational
at NU Coliseum.
“This is a lot better than getting my
118th loss,” Pettit said. “There are
two things that stand out.
One, to achieve that you have to
be at a university that provides the
financial and administrative support
that Nebraska does. The second thing
is a litany of exceptional athletes who
have been wonderful players."
The Huskers, ranked fourth in the
coaches poll and seventh in the Vol
leyball Monthly poll, defeated No. 14
Georgia on Friday 15-9,15-8,12-15,
15-8 and No. 22 Louisiana State on
Saturday 15-9,15-3,15-4.
In the Georgia victory, sophomore
middle blocker Allison Weston,
named the invitational’s Most Valu
able Player, set a Nebraska school
record with 35 kills in a four-game
match.
“It surprised me,” Weston said.
“But my shoulder felt it afterwards.”
Weston said theComhuskcrs knew
they would see a tough Georgia team
Friday night.
“We knew that Georgia was going
to be good,” she said. “This gave us a
good outlook of where we stand as a
team.
“We had a few shaky practices last
week, but fortunately we turned it
around this weekend.”
Louisiana State coach ScottLuster
said Nebraska was just a better team
Saturday night.
“Nebraska’s a fine team,” he said.
“They’re very experienced, and they
play good consistent volleyball. We
weren’t as smooth as Nebraska. -
“That’s why they’re ranked fourth,
and we’re not.”
Luster said the Huskers could pos
sibly be the nation’s best all-around
team.
“We’ve seen Long Beach State,
Texas and Pacific, and I think Nebras
ka is far the most balanced out of the
four,” he said. “They have good se
nior leadership, and Terry just keeps
reloading every year.”
In the first game, the score was tied
3-3 before Nebraska reeled off 10
unanswered points to seal the game.
The Tigers made a late run to make
the score 14-9, but that’s the closest
they got.
The Huskers ran away early with
the second game, jumping out to a 5
0 lead. With the score 8-3, junior
outside hitter Kelly Aspegren had three
consecutive service aces to start a run
of seven unanswered points.
Nebraska won the third game on
the strength of Weston’s five kills.
Pettit said the presence of Weston
and 6-foot, 2-incn freshman middle
blocker Jen McFaddcn make it lough
Turnovers plague Husker offense
By Jeff Singer
Senior Editor_
PASADENA,Calif.—After com
ing off back-to-back blowouts, the
Nebraska football team was finally
given a test Saturday.
And although the Cornhuskers of
ten looked like they would succumb
to the challenge from UCLA, sixth
ranked Nebraska was able to escape
with a 14-13 win over the Bruins
before a crowd of 50,299 in the Rose
Bowl.
The main point the Huskers want
ed to get across after the narrow vic
tory was “a win is a win.” With the
victory, Nebraska moved up to No. 6
in the Associated Press Top 25.
“We’re just glad to get out of here
with a win,” Nebraska coach Tom
Osborne said. “If you go minus-four
turnovers against a good football team
on their field, then you’re very fortu
nate to win the game.”
The turnovers — including three
Husker fumbles and an interception
—hampered the Nebraska offense in
numerous drives, while the Bruins
were able to remain turnover-free in
their bid to upset the Huskers.
Nebraska turned the ball over in
key drives each quarter, but the team
was able to overcome those mistakes.
“We played well — with the turn
overs,” said Nebraska freshman I
back Lawrence Phillips, who ran for a
career-high 137 yards on 28 carries.
“We did what we had to do after the
turnovers occurred.”
UCLA’s Skip Hicks put the Bruins
up 10-0 on a 6-yard touchdown run
midway through the second quarter.
But on the ensuing drive, the Ne
braska offense finally got in sync. The
Huskers drove 80 yards in nine plays,
capped by Phillips’ 5-yard touchdown
run, to cut UCLA’s lead to three.
The Huskers opened the third quar
ter with another turnover—this time
a fumble by junior fullback Cory
Schlesinger. But they again overcame
the miscue.
After forcing the Bruins to punt
after three plays, Nebraska drove 80
yards on 14 plays in nearly six min
utes. An 11-yard pass from quarter
back Tommie Frazier to tight end
Gerald Armstrong gave the Huskers
their first lead halfway into the third
quarter.
UCLA was able to cut the lead to
14-13 on a 27-yard Bjorn Merten field
goal early in the fourth quarter, but the
Bruins could get no closer.
The Bruins had one last chance
when they had the ball with more than
four minutes left in the game, but they
were forced to punt with 2:23 left. The
Huskers were able to run out the clock
in their final possession.
Frazier, who completed 13 of 19
attempts for 145 yards, said the score
was the only thing that mattered at the
end of the game.
“We scored 14, they scored 13 —
it was a win,” Frazier said.
Nebraska entered Saturday’s game
leading the nation in scoring with 63
points per game.
But Nebraska wingback Abdul
See NEBRASKA on 8
California natives dazzle at home
By Jeff Singer
Senior Editor
PASADENA, Calif. — For a pair
of Nebraska football players, Satur
day’ s game against UCLA was a home
coming of sorts.
And the duo didn’ t disappoint thcir
followers who watched them a^4hc
Rose Bowl. .. - •
FreshmanH'i-back Lawrence
Phillips and junior wingback Abdul
Muhammad, both nativesof Southern'
California, had solid perfortnances in
the Huskers’ 14-13 win over the Uni
versity of California at Los Angeles.
Phillips, a native of West Covina,
Calif., rushed for a career-high 137
yards on 28 carries in his second game
as a Huskcr.
Muhammad, who had 156 family
members and friends from his home
town of Compton, Calif., in atten
dance, caught three passes for 38
yards. Muhammad hauled in a 16
yard shovel pass from quarterback
Tommie Frazier that set up Phillips’
score on the next play.
Muhammad said it was nice to play
in front of his many supporters but
that it didn’t affect his on-field perfor
mance.
“I’ve played in front of my family
and friends before so it was no big
deal,” Muhammad said. “I was just
very focused.”
Phillips said he had a similar out
look.
“I wasn’t thinking of the crowd; I
wasn’t thinking of being at home. I
was just thinking about winning the
game,” he said.
But Phillips said he was also con
cerned with protecting the football.
Phillips was lortunate enough to be
one of the Huskers who was not bitten
by the turnover bug. Nebraska had
four turnovers in the game, including
three fumbles.
“I was just worried about holding
onto the ball because it’s crunch time
and I can’t turn it over,” he said. “1
really didn’t want to sit on the bench
and think about fumbles.”
Phillips said he didn’t think the
estimated 30 family members and
friends of his in attendance would get
to see him play as much as they did.
“Last week I got 14 carries, and I
was pretty much thinking I was going
to get that much (Saturday),” he said.
Breaking the 100-yard rushing
mark for the first time in his college
career in front of family and friends
made the win memorable, Phillips
said.
_K ON graphic
for opponents to match up.
“It means opponents can’t concen
trate on a particular attacker,” he said.
Weston said the Huskers did a
good job of defending and attacking
against LSU.
“We were bringing up balls that
they were hitting at us and then pound
ing it right back at them,” she said.
m
NOTES:
' •Along with Weston being named
Most Valuable Player, three Huskers
were named to the All-Invitational
team. Senior setter Nikki .Strieker,
McFaddcn, and freshman outside hit
ter fyiaria Hcdbcck all were named.
•Assistant coach Cathy Noth said
junior Kim Tonniges, who’s recover
ing from off-season shoulder surgery,
will likely play in the back row most
of the season. Senior Laura Luther is
still out while she recovers from shoul
der surgery.
Kitoy Timp*r1ey/DN
Freshman setter Stephanie Clerc (left) looks on as fresh
man outside hitter Maria Hedbeck makes a dig Saturday.
