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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 3, 1996)
Trevor Parks Inexperienced NU becomes an elite team In a steamy, un-air conditioned Redbird Arena, the Nebraska vol leyball tearnbegan a journey into the unknown more than three months ago. Dozens of questions arose that first weekend in Normal, 111. Who would step up to be a team leader? Who would fill in for Allison Weston, Christy Johnson and Billie Winsett? Could this team handle the pres sure of playing as the defending na tional champion? How would three season-ending injuries affect this team? un mat sticKy August weeKena, NU had problems. After fighting for a four-game win over Illinois State, Hawaii ripped the Huskers, exploiting all the weaknesses Nebraska didn’t have last season. A 22-8 season and an NCAA-regional appearance ap peared to be a realistic goal for this young team. But this is Nebraska, where championship seasons are always the goal, and mediocrity is not an option. Soon the athletic youngsters became experienced—and danger ous for Husker foes. Fiona Nepo, who started one match in 1995, replaced Johnson, a two-time All-America setter — the most important position on the floor. Sophomore transfer Megan Korver and true freshman Tonia Tauke filled vacancies left at the middle-blocker position by the in jured Jen McFadden and Weston. Replacing Winsett at outside hitter was the inexperienced, yet spunky, Jaime Krondak. Things were rough. Fifteen weeks later, the road is much smoother. The Comhuskers are 27-3, Big 12 champions, and as long as they beat Rhode Island or Arkansas on Saturday night, NU will play host to a NCAA regional for the third time in as many years.'. " Nothing has fazed this young club, which suddenly looks like a bunch of veterans. With a brutal schedule and nine freshmen and sophomores, this suc cess didn’t seem possible feu: a team that lost All-America candidate McFadden, redshirt freshman Denise Koziol and all-star recruit Katie Jahnke to injuries before the beginning of die season. Nebraska was not chosen to win the Big 12 this season. Still, the Huskers weren’t fazed. Seniors Kate Cmich and Maria Hedbeck orches trated the goals: Big 12 tide, NCAA regional host, Final-Four partici pant, die national championship. So far the Huskers die two for two, and they’ve proven everyone wrong but themselves. * Parks is a senior news-editorial major and a Daily Nebraskaitse nior reporter. ‘Improving’ NU to face test tonight By Trevor Parks Senior Reporter Although the Nebraska men’s bas ketball team’s progress may not be obvious, Coach Danny Nee has seen the Cornhuskers improve in every game this season. “We’re mov ing along,” Nee said. “To you, it may be slight. But to me, I’m getting eight players some pretty good expe rience that will ? make us better later on.” The 2-1 Cornhuskers’ next chance to take a step forward comes tonight at 7:05, when NU plays host to Texas San Antonio (2-1) at die Bob Devaney Sports Center. Sophomore forward Larry Flo rence, who missed Nebraska’s 75-67 win over Oregon State Saturday with a knee injury, returns to the starting lineup. Nebraska will have all nine scholarship players available tonight for the first time this season. While one player returns for the Huskers, one key player is missing for the Roadrunners. Sheldon Jones, who was averaging 10.3 points per game for Texas-San Antonio, broke a bone in his left leg Saturday against Hous ton. After having surgery, he is out for the season. Playing without Jones, a 6-foot-1 senior from Chicago, will hamper the Roadrunners, Nee said. UTSA’s two wins this season have come over Angelo State (70-56) and Abilene Christian (90-78). The Road runners lost 69-49 to Houston. Another advantage on NU’s side is the team’s cohesiveness, point guard Tyronn Lue said. In three games, Lue said, the Huskers have played with more appreciation for each other then they did in the entire 1995-96 season. “We still have the long part of the season to go,” said Lue, who is aver aging 17 points and six assists per game, “but we are more together as a unit than we were last year. I think we will be pretty good down the road.” On its current path, Nebraska is I Please see HOOPS on 8 I i WATT MlLLER/DN andAnna Derorge fight for a loose ball with St. Louis guard Mandy Lueking in Nil’s 93-54 win Saturday. Nebraska will play Creighton in Omaha tonight at 7. for bragging rights . ..- —1 ■ I By Mike Kluck ' Senior Reporter The last time the Creighton women’s basketball team started 0-2, the Lady Jays went on to fin ish die season 28-4, winning their league championship and advanc ing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament That may be why Nebraska Coach Angela Beck is taking the 0-2 Lady Jays seriously heading into the 4-0 Comhuskers’ 7 p.m. game today against Creighton at the Civic Auditorium in Omaha. “We think they will be a real difficult game for us,” Beck said. ‘We don’t care if they had a loss at Wyoming and Iowa State. Creighton is Creighton, and Creighton and Nebraska is a tre mendous rivalry.” CU Coach Connie Yori said the rivalry between the two schools is good for basketball in the state. Through the last six meetings, the series is even. The Huskers won 86-69 last year in Lincoln, but the Lady Jays had won the previ ous two contests. “Anytime you have two Divi sion I teams in the state, there will be arivalry,” Yori said. “It is prob ably not as much of a rivals for them, because they have so many good rivalries within the Big 12 Conference now. ‘We have a lot of respect for what Nebraska has done and the job Angela Beck has done.” Yori has been particularly im pressed with Beck’s ability to re cruit players from Nebraska. The Huskers have three scholarship freshman from Nebraska, includ I I F 22 Tina McClain 5-10 Sr. G 20 LaToyaDoage 5-6 Sr. J G 32 Kristi McCullough 5-9 Sr. F 24 Carrie Welle 6-1 Jr. ing Nicole Kubik, who has earned a starting spot in her first season. “We have tried to recruit Ne braska kids and haven’t had a lot of luck,” Yori said. ‘To go to Ne braska seems to be the trend right now. For us to beat Nebraska would help us.” However, Creighton’s effort tonight may be hampered by in juries. Point guard Holly Sivesind, an All-Missouri Valley preseason first-team selection, is question able because of a calf injury suf fered last Tuesday in practice. “Before the season,” Yori said, “the one thing we knew about our team is we couldn’t afford to have Holly injured.” NUbowl optaons abound Huskers could still end up in any of five postseason games. Bt Mike Kluck Senior Reporter It’s simple. If the Nebraska foot ball team beats Texas in Saturday’s Big 12 championship game, the Comhuskers will almost certainly play Florida State in the Sugar Bowl, pos sibly for a third straight national title. But if the Huskers lose... The Longhorns would win the first ever Big 12 tide, receiving an auto matic berth to the Bowl Alliance and throwing a wrench in the master scheme orchestrated by the Sugar, Fi esta and Orange Bowls. And NU goes where? As long as the third-ranked Husk ers don’t fall too far in the polls, they probably would be considered for a spot in the Orange or Fiesta Bowl, said Keith Tribble, executive director of the Orange Bowl. - 9* “1 wouldthink they would still be an at-large selection for the alliance, even though they would have two losses,” Tribble said Monday. On Monday, Orange, Sugar and Fiesta officials narrowed the list of teams available for an alliance-bowl berth to 10. The group includes Florida State, Nebraska, Florida, Brigham Young, Penn State, Colorado, Virginia Tech, Tennessee, Alabama and Texas. Fiesta Bowl Public Relations Man ager Shawn Schoeffler said Nebraska would certainly be welcome in Tempe, Ariz., the site of NU’s 62-24 win over Florida last season. “We try to look at what’s best for college football,” Schoeffler said. “A lot of times, the number in front of a team doesn’t matter to us. We would rather look at teams that would pro vide more of ah intriguing matchup. It doesn t bother us that Nebraska played here last season.” Another thing that doesn’t bother Fiesta Bowl officials is Nebraska’s fans, more than 35,000 of whom trav eled to Arizona last December and January for the Fiesta Bowl. If Nebraska loses Saturday and is left out of die Bowl Alliance, the Husk ers likely would play in die Cotton Bowl, Jan. 1 in Dallas, or the Holiday Bowl, Dec. 30 in San Diego. After the alliance picks its six teams on Sunday at 1:30 p.m., the Cotton Bowl has the first selection of any remaining Big 12 teams. Cotton Bowl officials have expressed interest in Kansas State. The Wildcats finished the season with a 9-2 record, including a 6-2 mark in the Big 12 Conference, one game worse than Colorado, which only lost one conference game. John Reid, the executive director of the Holiday Bowl — which will choose a Big 12 team after the Cotton Bowl — said the Cotton Bowl has a history of not inviting the same team for two straight seasons. Colorado beat Oregon 38-6 in last year’s Cotton Bowl. !Cotton Bowl Executive Director Rick Baker was unavailable for com