Net?raskan SPORTS
Friday, Dacombor 3,1993 kJA. m*JL kJ
Nebraska (25-5)
Vs.
Notre Dame (25-7)
Sunday, 1 p.m., Joyce Center,
South Bend, Ind.
Nebraska
MB Al^^Weston ^6-0^ So.
OH Maria Hedbeck 5-10 Fr.
OH Billie Winaett s i 5-11 So.
S Stephanie Clerc 5-6 Fr.
Notre Dame
MB Molly Stark^ 5-11 Sr.
OH Christy Peters 5-11 Jr.
MB Julie Harris 6-2 Sr.
DN graphii
Volleyball team ready for rematch
By Tim Pearson
Senior Reporter
Nebraska’s volleyball team entered
South Bend, Ind., 11-0 on Sept. 25,
but it left with its first defeat of the
season after losing to Notre Dame in
four games.
Now, over two months later, the
25-5 Comhuskers are hoping it won’t
happen again.
Nebraska will play at Notre Dame
again Sunday in a 1 p.m. match in the
second round of the NCAA Volley
ball Championships.
The Huskcrs advanced to the sec
ond round after a three-game sweep
of Cornell 15-7,15-4,15-1. The 25-7
Fighting Irish received a bye to the
second round.
Husker coach Terry Pettit said he
knew his players would perform bet
ter than they did two months ago
against the Irish.
“It was one of our lesser perfor
mances of the season,” he said.
“They’re a team we know we can
beat. If we win, we get the chance to
host regionals, but playing Notre
Dame will be a challenge.”
The Nebraska players arc al so look
ing forward to the rematch, setter
Nikki Strieker said.
“It’s really exciting to get another
shot at Notre Dame,” she said. “Both
teams have changed and grown, so it
will be a great match.”
Nebraska middle blocker Allison
Weston — whose 485 kills on the
season rank third in school history
behind Kathi DeBoer’s 529 in 1987
— said the chance to play at home in
the regionals gave the Huskers added
motivation against the Irish.
“It looks real good for us,” she
said. “It’ll be a good rematch. Hosting
regionals would be a plus for us.”
Freshman middle blocker Jen
McFadden, who missed the Cornell
match because ofback spasms, should
be able to play, Pettit said.
“McFadden woke up with spasms
in her back,” he said. “I didn’t like the
way she was moving in warm-ups, so
I felt that keeping her out was the best
decision.”
But Pettit said serving would de
cide the match even if McFadden
wasn’t ready to go.
“Our serving is really tough right
now,” he said. “Several of our servers
have raised their level of play.
“Serving may be the key against
Notre Dame.”
Pettit said his team had improved
greatly in the past month and a half.
See REVENGE on 8
Nee says team selfish
before weekend classic
By Jeff Griesch
Senior Reporter
The Nebraska basketball team will
look to improve on a disappointing 1 -
2 start when it is the host for the
Seventh annual Ameritas Classic this
weekend at the Bob Devaney Sports
Center.
Nebraska has never lost a first round
Nee
game in the
Amcritas Classic
and has won the
tournament five
straight times, but
the Huskcrs will
enter this year’s
tournament with
the worst record in
the four-team field.
The Cornhusk
ers have struggled
the past two games, losing to I exas
78-75 at home on Sunday and to Ap
palachian State 91-82 on the road
Wednesday.
During his postgamc radio show
after the loss to the Mountaineers,
Nee said the Huskers were not playing
well together.
“It’s a team problem — it’s chem
istry,” Nee said.
“There’s too much individuality and
selfishness. Ifyou’re interested inyour
score, go play golf. In team games the
only stat I’m interested in is win
ning.”
Ohio, the Huskers’ first round op
ponent, come into the tournament 1
0 after an 84-51 win over Ohio Do
minican Tuesday night.
Navy enters with a 2-0 record,
while Portland is 3-1, including a
runner-up finish in the Great Alaska
Shootout.
“The Naval Academy has always
been competitive and I’m impressed
on paper about Portland,” Nee said.
“Ohio is a good team and they
return the Mid-American conference
player of the year last year in Gary
Trent along with a 7-foot-2 center,”
Nee said.
Trent, a 6-7, 215-pound sopho
more, led the Bobcats in scoring and
rebounding last season, averaging 19
points and 9.3 boards per game. While
Jason Terry, a 7-2 sophomore center,
will give Ohio a height advantage
inside against Nebraska.
Weekend’s foes unfamiliar
to Portland Pilots coach
By Tony West
Staff Reporter
Portland coach Larry Stcclc said
although he didn’t know much about
any of the teams in this weekend’s
Amcritas Classic tournament, he
hoped his team could continue its
success.
The 3-1 Pilots will face Navy at
8:30 p.m. Friday at the Bob Dcvaney
Sports Center in the second game of
the Ameritas Classic. Nebraska will
play Ohio in the first game at 6:30
p.m. The winners of those two games
will meet in the championship Satur
day at 3:10 p.m.
In their three victories so far, the
P ilots have proven tournament-tough.
They traveled to Anchorage, Alaska,
for the Great Alaska Shootout on Nov.
25-27 and came away with a second
place finish behind the No. 14 Purdue
Boilermakers.
“We’ve gotten off to a nice start,”
Steele said.
But Steele said his team would
have its hands full this weekend.
“Right now, at this very moment, I
can’t tell you a player’s name on any
one of the teams,” Steele said. “How
ever, I do know it’s going to be a very
good tournament, and (Nebraska) is a
very well respected program.”
But Nebraska, at 1 -2, has the worst
record of the teams. Ohio is 1-0, and
Navy is 2-0.
Matt Houle leads the Pilots with a
23.3 average. Newcomer Canaan
Chatman is Portland’s second leading
scorer with a 17.3 average.
Although the Pilots have proven
themselves offensively, Steele said
their defense would carry them this
weekend.
“To be successful in the tourna
ment, we arc going to have to be a
good defensive team,” Steele said.
Steele said he wanted to see an
improvement on defense. The Pilots
are giving up an average of74.5 points
per game.
William Lauer/DN
Nebraska forward Bruce Chubick tries to take a charge against Texas’ Terrance Rencher
during the Comhuskers’ 78-75 loss Sunday night.
Walloping Ward proves primary goal of Husker defense
By Derek Samson
Staff Reporter
For the Nebraska defense, one thing is cer
tain: Stop Charlie Ward and you stop the explo
sive Florida State offense.
Anderson
But, linebacker Mike
Anderson and nose tackle
Terry Connealy said, the
Comhuskers will have their
hands full with Ward, the
front-runner for the Heisman
Trophy, during the Jan. 1
Orange Bowl.
Anderson and Connealy,
who played in last year s 27-14 Orange Bowl
loss to Florida State, know what Ward brings to
the Seminole offense.
“He is what makes them as good as they are,”
Anderson said. “They would still be a good
team, but not anything like the way they are
now. He brings a lot of different things to their
offense.”
Ward led Florida State to a 11-1 record last
season and a second-place finish after the Or
ange Bowl. This season, Ward has his Semi
noles ranked first and third with an 11-1 record.
Florida State is second, behind the Huskers, in
the bowl coalition poll.
“Florida State is a little more experienced
this year, but they’re basically doing the same
things as last year,” Anderson said. “What I
have seen of them looks awfully similar to last
year. They were pretty tough then, so I don’t
expect anything different from them.”
Connealy
With the help of two Ward
touchdown passes, Florida
State jumped out to a 20-0
lead over Nebraska in the
second quarter last year, be
fore going on to the 27-14
win.
Ward finished the game,
completing 15 of 30 passes
for 187 yards. He also rushed for 23 yards and
caught one pass for a 28-yard gain.
“He’s a great runner and a great thrower,’’
Connealy said. “He does a lot of things for them
and he does a lot of things well. I think they have
a lot of good players, but stopping him is a very
big step.”
Connealy, who had seven tackles in the loss,
said the Huskers have their work cut out for
them with Ward.
“He’s a good passer and a good scrambler,”
he said. “It is hard to contain him, but we have
to keep him in the pocket and away from
scrambling where he makes things happen. We
need to keep pressure on him.”
Anderson, who accounted for five tackles in
last year’s Orange Bowl, said Ward’s speed
makes him dangerous.
“He is a great quarterback and a great ath
lete,” Anderson said. “He has a lot of speed and
he’s what makes their team go. He’s probably
goings to win the Heisman, so that tells you
See WARD on 8
