Husker volleyball beats CU for 21st win
py iwrecn awraian
Senior Reporter
Colorado became the Nebraska volleyball
team’s latest victim on Saturday night as the
Comhuskers tied a school record with their
21st consecutive victory.
Playing before an NU Coliseum-record
crowd of4.607, the Huskers swept the defend
ing Big Eight champion Buffs 15-3, 15-12, 15
5.
Second-ranked Nebraska, 21-0, improved
to 7-0 in the Big Eight, while No. 14 Colorado
fell to 15-5 and 6-1.
It was last season’s two losses to the Buffs
— ending the Huskers’ 17-year reign as Big
Eight champions — that provided much of the
motivation for Saturday night, Huskcr outside
hitter Kelly Aspegren said.
“I have been waiting for this match for so
long,” said Aspegren, who contributed 15 kills
and led the team with a .542 hitting percent
age. “In the back of our minds, we had been
thinking about Colorado a little'
The Huskers opened play Saturday night
looking as if they had been thinking about
Colorado more than a little. The Buffs did not
score their first point until 26 serves into the
match.
By that time, Nebraska already had built a
5-0 lead, which was quickly extended to 8-1
before Colorado scored again. The Buffaloes
got no closer, and Nebraska rolled to a victory
in the first game, finishing Colorado off on a
kill by outside hitter Billie Winsett.
Nebraska coach Terry Pettit said the absence
of Jen McFadden, whose season ended Tues
day night when she tore the anterior cruciate
ligament in her right knee, was not noticeable
on Saturday.
Peggy Meyer, who started in place of
McFadden, did not hit on all cylinders. Pettit
said.
“Peggy was a little tight. But that’s too be
expected,” he said “The other people have
been in the situation before, and I feel confi
dent she will be much more a part of our of
fense in the next few matches.
- 1
“But I think our team is pretty comfortable
“I don’t know if we could play
(No. 1) Stanford the way we
played tonight. We played great
ball, but we still have some
things we need to work on. ”
■
KELLY ASPEGREN
Husker outside hitter
with Peggy.”
Colorado opened the second game strongly,
establishing a 6-2 lead, before Nebraska took
advantage of several Buffalo errors to close the
lead to 8-7. Colorado stretched its lead to 11
7, but a double block by Aspegren and middle
blocker Allison Weston ignited the Huskers.
The Huskers went on an 8-1 run, and they won
the game when Colorado swing-hitter Karrie
Downey’s hit went long.
Pettit said the record crowd helped the
Huskers pull out the second-game victory.
“They were wonderful,” Pettit said. “Colo
rado made a run in the second game where
they got in a rhythm ... 1 didn’t think we were
serving as aggressively as we had been. They
arc just a very good team, and they can make a
run at any time.”
With Nebraska leading 2-1 in the third
game, the two teams traded side outs until
Nebraska pulled away and scored nine straight
points to take an 11-1 lead. The Huskers
cruised the rest of the way, ending the match
on a Meyer kill off the hands of two Colorado
players.
“I don’t know if we could play (No. 1)
Stanford the way we played tonight,” Aspegren
said. “We played great ball, but we still have
some things we need to work on.”
The Huskers will try to set a new record
with 22 straight wins on Wednesday when they
play host to Kansas State at 7:30 p.m. at the
NU Coliseum.
CU trips NU in cross country;
Huskers take 2nd place in meet
From Staff Htporto _
Colorado got the best of Nebraska in one
sport on Saturday: cross country.
The Nebraska women’s cross count™ team
finished second behind Colorado in the Big
Eight conference meet at Manhattan, Kan. The
third-ranked Buffaloes finished with six run
ners in the top 10 and edged the Cornhuskers
29-65.
Senior Julie Mazzitelli led the Huskcrs with
a fourth-place finish and a time of 17:36. Fresh
man Nora Shepherd finished 11th with a time
of 18:13.
Nebraska coach Jay Dirksen was pleased
with his team's second-place finish.
uWe went in thinking it would be a dog
fight for second with Kansas,” Dirksen said.
“We ran very well today.”
The Nebraska men's team finished with a
fifth-place finish. Iowa State won the men's
division.
Kevin Miiller led the Huskers with a 12th
place finish and a time of 24:37.
Colorado
Continued from Page 0
4:34 remaining in the first half, and Berringer
went to work.
The junior from Goodland, Kan., completed
four passes for 38 yards on the drive, and
Clinton Childs scored on a 2-yard run with 36
seconds left in the half.
Berringer completed 12 of 17 passes for 142
yards and one touchdown as Nebraska im
proved to 9-0 overall and 4-0 in the Big Eight.
Nebraska’s 17-0 lead at intermission
marked the first time Colorado was held score
less in the first half in 28 games.
Husker defensive tackle Christian Peter said
he didn’t expect Nebraska’s defense to be so
dominant.
“They have a great offense,” Peter said.
“They’ve been rolling over people all year. We
just came out and gave 100 percent effort on
every play.”
The Huskers picked up where they left off
at halftime when their first possession of the
second half ended in a 30-yard touchdown pass
from Berringer to tight end Eric Alford.
Alford caught five passes for 78 yards, while
another Husker tight end, Mark Gilman, had
four receptions.
“Historically, Nebraska uses the tight end
spot,” McCartney said. “The one kid they
moved to tight end this year (Alford), we knew
when he was in the game they had a high ten
dency to do those things. We anticipated it,
but we just didn’t stop them.”
From that point on, it was on the shoulders
of the defense to preserve the win.
The Blackshirts stopped Colorado on two
straight fourth-down plays on the Nebraska 35
and 21-yard lines.
Colorado finally got on the scoreboard with
1:06 remaining in the third quarter on Salaam’s
6-yard touchdown run.
But Nebraska’s defense didn’t let up in the
fourth quarter. The Huskers held the Buffa
loes scoreless and stopped them on two more
fourth-down attempts.
The victory marked the Huskers’ fourth win
over ranked teams.
Osborne said he was more confident on Sat
urday than he was on Oct. 15 in Manhattan,
Kan., against Kansas State.
“1 really felt like more of an underdog when
we went down to K-State because of our situa
tion at quarterback than I did (Saturday),” he
said. “I felt that if we played well (Saturday),
we would win.”
m — _u_ii_s
Maun Sartln/DN
Nebraska defensive specialist Stephanie Cl ere digs a ball during the
Muskers’ three game sweep of Colorado on Saturday night. Cl ere had
a team high IS digs.
CU coach praises Huskers
By Mitch <hwwin
Senior Reporter
After seeing his supposedly unstoppable
offense crumble at the feet of the Comhusker
defense on Saturday, Colorado football
coach Bill McCartney said the Nebraska
football team deserved to be ranked No. 1
__ in the nation.
Nebraska is the
best team we have
played to this date,” he
said, “and I don’t see
any reason why they
shouldn’t be No. 1.
They started the sea
son up there."
Colorado’s offense,
behind the firepower
Stewart 01 quaneroatK Pvorucu
Stewart and tailback
Rashaan Salaam, was
averaging 40.3 points and 503 yards per
game before Saturday.
In Nebraska’s 24-7 win, the Buffs man
aged only 314 yards. More revealing, Colo
rado penetrated the Nebraska 20-yard line
only once, was forced to punt six times and
was 0-15 on third- and fourth-down at
tempts.
“When we had the ball,” McCartney
said, “I didn’t feel like we were ever hitting
on all cylinders. I never felt like we were in
a rhythm. I never felt like we got in sync,
and I think you have to credit Nebraska for
that.”
Stewart, who drank a can of Big Red
Soda while speaking to reporters after the
game, said the Nebraska defense was well
prepared for the Buffaloes, who fell to 7-1.
“A couple of times,” Stewart said, “I re
member it was like they knew where we
were going. They had the defense set up
exactly where we were going to. It seemed
like they just overloaded to the side I ducked
under to. They were just there ”
In his three losses to the Huskers, Stewart
has completed 24 of 64 passes, with no
touchdown passes and three interceptions.
“Getting a chance to beat Nebraska is
great,” he said. “But it’s not just about try
ing to beat Nebraska because it’s a rivalry
or whatever. I knew for us to beat this team
today we had to plav well, and we didn’t”
McCartney said he was concerned about
the Buffs’ lack of success converting on
third and fourth downs. On four fourth
down tries, Stewart was hit for a loss three
times and threw one incomplete pass.
“The key plays that allow you to possess
the ball and start to get your whole offense
going we didn’t convert,” McCartney said.
“Throughout the game, I thought there were
several things we could do, and we didn’t
get them done.”
Colorado was burned nine times by
passes to Nebraska’s tight ends. Eric Alford
caught five passes for 78 yards and a touch
down pass from quarterback Brook
Berringer. And Mark Gilman hauled in four
passes for 46 yards.
“Historically, Nebraska uses the tight end
a lot,” McCartney said. “The one kid they
moved to tight end this year, No. 88
(Alford). We knew when he was in the
game, they had a high tendency to do those
things, and we anticipated it, but we just
didn’t stop them.”
Although the Orange Bowl and the na
tional title probably are out of the picture,
McCartney said the Buffaloes would not let
the rest of the year go to waste.
“Our team is one of the closest teams I’ve
ever been around,” he said. “And right now
we are going to have to rally around that.
Our expectations were so high and our com
mitment was so deep that now it is going to
be a real test of our unity and our grit.
