Thursday, November 16, 1995 Page 7
Trevor Parks
Lucky No. 15
shines success
on NU sports
The lucky number for
Nebraska’s two major sports this
fall has got to be 15.
Why? Well, both Nebraska quar
terback Tommie Frazier and volley
ball player Lisa Reitsma wear that
number. And those two players have
played major roles in their teams’
runs toward winning their respec
tive national titles.
Right now, both players are gain
ing the spotlight for both their teams
with top performances all season.
Frazier should win the Heisman
Trophy, and Reitsma should be one
of four Nebraska volleyball play
ers to be named All-Americans
when all is said and done this year.
For her performance last week,
Reitsma was named AVCA national
player of the week.
If you look at both players, they
bear many similarities.
Frazier’s quest began in his fifth
game as a freshman, and he has
been at the helm of the Huskers ever
since. Reitsma’s emergence began
this season as a raw sophomore and,
like Frazier, she has put up big num
bers in her first season of seeing
plenty of playing time.
Before everything is said and
done, Reitsma, like Frazier, will
have a major impact on the record
books of a Nebraska program. So
far, you can tell the impact she will
make.
Both the Nebraska football and
volleyball teams depend greatly on
Frazier and Reitsma, respectively.
Frazier gets the ball to whomever
deserves it, and Reitsma kills the
ball onto whomever’s head.
Because of the number’s suc
cess, it seems like everyone is wear
ing the No. 15.
Harry Connick Jr. is the latest to
- jump on the No. 15 bandwagon.
Tuesday night at his concert at the
Lied Center, Connick donned a red
No. 15 Frazier jersey as he tickled
the ivories of his piano.
He even came up with a song
that featured a guitar riff that
sounded like, “I am Tommie
Frazier.” That song named for the
No. 15 who plays football easily
could have been translated to “I am
Lisa Reitsma” or “I am Number
15,” whichever tune that works.
With Connick adorned in the
No. 15 jersey, someone yelled from
the audience, “Harry for the
Heisman.”
Not quite, but Tommie for the
Heisman I could see.
In the next month, Frazier and
Reitsma and the No. 15 will be try
ing to become No. 1.
Two quality players wearing the
same number.
Maybe more athletes at Ne
braska should wear the No. 15, and,
as Harry would know, it could only
help.
Partatoa«ealoraew*-«dltDrtriiiia|or
ud a Drily Nebraska! senior reporter
and coiamnlst
Seniors ice win over Missouri
By Trevor Parks
Senior Reporter
Allison Weston used seniors night
to show off what she had learned while
playing for Nebraska the past four
years.
Weston, along
with fellow se
niors Christy
Johnson and
Billie Winsett, displayed the skills they
picked up in the Comhuskers’ 15-2,
15-4,15-0 win over Missouri Wednes
day night in front of a crowd of 3308
fans at the NU Coliseum.
With the win in 56 minutes, Ne
braska finished the regular season with
a 25-1 record, including a 24-match
winning streak. The Huskers also fin
ished the Big Eight season undefeated
for the 11th time. The six points by
Missouri, 6-23 and 1-10 in the con
ference, tied the least given up in Ne
braska history.
Weston had a hitting percentage of
.643, knocking down 18 kills, and she
didn’t have a hitting error in 28 at
tempts.
Weston, a native of Papillion, said
she was glad to play well on a night
when the seniors were the main fo
cus.
“We knew coming into the match
we just had to work on things on our
side of the net,” Weston said. “After
the introductions, it was time to get
down to business.”
Nebraska stayed focused early,
beating the Tigers in the first game 15
2. With the score 2-1, the Huskers
scored six points to take an 8-1 lead.
Nebraska won the game on a kill by
Winsett.
In the first game, Weston had eight
kills and was involved in helping the
Huskers score nine of their 15 points.
In game two, Missouri took a 3-0
lead to begin the match, but Nebraska
eventually battled back to tie the game
at four. Once the Huskers tied the
I I I
Starters for tonight’s 7:05 game
against Pella Windows.
F Bernard Garner 6-7 Jr.
F Erick Strickland 6-3 Sr.
C Chris Sallee 6-10 Sr.
G Jason Glock 6-5 Sr.
G Tyronn Lue 6-0 Fr.
Pella Windows Ht.
F Howard Eaton 6-6
F BradPippett 6-5
C Scott Wilke 6-10
G Cam Johnson 6-3
G Michael Born 6-1
DN Graphic
Travis Haying/DN
Nebraska senior outside hitter Billie Winsett hugs Coach Terry Pettit before Wednesday night’s
match. The three Huskers seniors — Winsett, Allison Weston and Christy Johnson — were
honored before the match.
game, they scored the final 11 points.
The Huskers took the lead for good
in the game when a Jen McFadden kill
made the score 5-4. Nebraska won the
game 154 when two digs by Fiona
Nepo led to a kill by Winsett.
Coach Teny Pettit said he was glad
Nebraska didn’t lose its focus coming
off a big win over Florida on Sunday.
“Our focus right now is not on the
opponent; it’s trying to sharpen things
up and trying to get better,” Pettit said.
In the third game, Nebraska
couldn’t get much better. Missouri had
two kills and forced four sideouts in
the game. The other two sideouts were
Nebraska errors.
The Huskers jumped out by scor
ing the first four points of the game.
After two sideouts by both teams, two
Weston kills and a service ace by
Jaime Krondak made the score 7-0.
When Nebraska got the serve back,
Johnson served the final eight points
of the game. In that span, the Huskers
used three blocks, a Weston and
Winsett kill and three Tiger errors to
close out the match.
Missouri made 25 errors in the
match and had a hitting percentage of
-.127, including a -.318 performance
in the third game. Taking advantage
of that, the Huskers won 15-0, the first
time they’ve shut out an opponent in
a game since Sept. 17, 1994 against
Louisiana State.
Pettit said the fans had a chance to
honor the three seniors for their ac
complishments Wednesday, but he
wouldn’t realize the three were gone
until next season.
Pella game a prelude to Hawaii trip
By Todd Walkenhorst
Staff Reporter
Tonight’s exhibition game is the
only obstacle left before the Nebraska
men’s basketball team embarks on a
trio to Hawaii.
Nebraska will
play host to Pella
Windows tonight
at 7:05 at the Bob
Devaney Sports
Center. The con
test will mark the
second and final
exhibition game
for the Huskers.
On Friday, the
Huskers will depart for Hawaii to play
in the Big Island Invitational over
Thanksgiving weekend. Nebraska
coach Danny Nee said he thought the
change of scenery would help his team
prepare for the regular season.
“We’re going to get out to Hawaii,”
he said, “take a couple of days off and
then go into the last phase in prepara
tion for the opening of the season ver
sus Toledo.
“I do think a change of venues will
be beneficial to us. I think Hawaii
would be a good place to prepare.”
Tonight, the key for the Huskers,
Nee said, is to play a quality team.
“We’re just hoping for competi
tion,” Nee said. “We were very disap
pointed with the last game. We need
better competition.”
Nebraska defeated Spalding
Americas 113-68 last week in the
Huskers’ first exhibition game. Nee
said tonight’s game should be more
competitive because Pella had some
games under its belt.
“When they (Pella) play us,” Nee
said, “it will be their 12th game.
They’ve had some quality wins over
people like Indiana State, so we’re
expecting a much more difficult
game.”
The game will become even more
difficult for the Huskers because four
returning players will not see action
tonight.
Senior guard Tom Wald will not
play because of a severely sprained
ankle. Nee said he hoped Wald would
be ready for the regular-season opener
against Toledo on Nov. 24.
“It’s not broke, but we thought it
was,” Nee said. “He won’t be in
Thursday’s game, and we don’t know
if he will be ready for Hawaii or not.”
In addition, center Mikki Moore,
See PELLA on 8
Fabulous freshman provide needed depth
By Mitch Sherman
Senior Editor
Nebraska volleyball coach Terry
Pettit was leery all of last season that
the Comhuskers’ lack of depth would
hurt his team come tournament time.
He was right.
One year later, Pettit no longer
worries about depth. Two big reasons
why are freshmen Jaime Krondak and
Fiona Nepo. The marquee members
of the Huskers’ No. 1-ranked recruit
ing class, Nepo and Krondak are be
ginning to pay big dividends for top
ranked, 25-1 Nebraska.
“Not all the time is everything go
ing to go right for them,” Pettit said
Wednesday night after Nebraska’s 15
2, 15-4,15-0 win over Missouri, “so
that’s why we have 10 players who are
seeing quite a little bit of playing time.
They all contribute in some pretty sig
nificant situations.”
Krondak and Nepo, who have each
started one match this season, quietly
are becoming key ingredients in the
Huskers' run toward the Final Four
next month. Krondak, a 6-foot outside
hitter from Lincoln East, played well
enough in preseason practice to earn
a starting spot in Nebraska’s season
opening match against Penn State on
Aug. 25.
Kate Cmich has started every
match since—until Wednesday night.
Pettit started junior Maria Hedbeck,
but before the end of the first rotation,
Krondak had entered the match. She
contributed three kills, one service ace
and one dig against Missouri, not bad
considering the match lasted only 56
minutes and the Tigers scored only six
points.
“At the start of die season, I was
really nervous about the crowd,”
Krondak said. “I have become more
comfortable, and being comfortable
brings more confidence. Then I am
able to do the things that I may not
have been able to do at the beginning
of the season.”
Krondak’s comfort level showed
Sunday against previously unbeaten
and third-ranked Florida. In the five
game Nebraska win, she had a career
high 16 digs and played in four games.
Krondak also served three of
Nebraska’s final six points in the criti
cal second game against the Gators.
“When she came here,” Pettit said,
“she was a good player. I think it’s a
matter of being more comfortable.
Jaime has proven she can play in pres
sure situations. I sense that she has
confidence in her game.”
Pettit also has noticed a difference
in the play of Nepo, a 5-9 setter from
Honolulu, who is the heir apparent to
Christy Johnson’s spot next season.
“Fiona is coming in and not just
playing,” he said. “Something is hap
pening when she is playing. She is
making a great dig or doing something
to raise the level of play”_ .. _