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I-1
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Mike Kluek
Conference did
a decent job
in its first year
It's hard to believe it’s been
eight months since I sat in an au
ditorium and listened to Big 12
Conference officials talk about how
great the inaugural year of the con
ference was going to be.
They talked boastfully of how
first-class the Big 12 was going to
be from head-to-toe and bragged that
it wouldn’t take long before it was
the premiere conference of the land.
avian nf tbnna nfflniolo mora
as big aft a three-year-old’s on
Christmas morning. They couldn’t
wait fo$iar into the season.
But with this weekend’s league
softball tournament, outdoor track
and field championships and base
ball tournament left, a void remains.
As the first full year of the con
ference ends, it’s time to look at
what was successful for the league
as well as what needs to be oiled,
repaired, replaced or thrown out.
1. The Big 12 Football Cham
pionship — If it hadn’t been for
the Nebraska faithful, this game
would have been a bust.
The conference needs to find a
city whose residents will enjoy the
game no matter which teams are
playing. St Louis didn’t, and now
San Antonio gets an opportunity.
If San Antonioans don’t buy
tickets a^d Texas, Texas A&M or
NU are not in the championship
game, time will be a lot of empty
seats in the Alamo Dome.
Also, the Big 12 needs to aban
don its search for a dome stadium.
Boise, Idaho, is going to play host a
bowl game in December and if they
can play football there, surely they
can tum the trick in Kansas City.
2. The Big 12 Basketball
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t
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I
p*
F
p
face in supporting
some of the smaller sports and, es~
pecially, women’s athletics.
Women’s athletics made great
strides this year across the nation,
but this conference seemed like it
wasn't along for the ride.
If the Big 12 makes a few mi
nor adjustments for the upcoming
year, they will have every right to
have web eyes come next July.
Mucfeie a journalism gradu
ate student and a Daily Nebras
kan sentor reporter.
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Rsitsma gets shot at team
Mick Haley asks NU
outside hitter if she
wants to play for the
collegiate national team.
By Shannon Heffelfingeb
Staff Reporter
The volleyball world has taken
notice of Lisa Reitsma.
Nebraska's two-time first-team
All-American has been invited by
Tbam USA Coach Mick Haley to com
pete on the collegiate national team
this summer.
However, there has been some con
fusion concerning the amount of time
Reitsma will spend with the team at
its headquarters in Colorado Springs,
Colo., and in what capacity she will
participate.
“I have a very
high apprecia
tion and regard
for Lisa,” Haley
said from the
USA Volleyball
office in Colo
rado Springs on
Wednesday. “The
university, as
well as the people RtttSM
of the state of Nebraska, have always
understood what a great talent she is,
and now the rest of the country does.”
Composed of elite college players,
the team begins training in late May
for international competition in
Canada July 28 before traveling to the
World University Games, held Aug
15 through Sept. 1 in Italy. The United
States has never fielded a gold-medal
winning team.
The timing of those matches causes
scheduling conflicts for many players
who are already committed to begin
practicing with their college teams just
before the world team leaves for Eu
rope.
Other collegiate players on Haley’s
wish list include Penn State’s Terri
Zemaitis and Lauren Cacciamani
Michigan State’s Val Sterk, Washing
ton State’s Sarah Silvernail and
Stanford’s Kristin Folkl, who missed
the first month of the 1996 season
while competing with the national
team.
Haley said Stanford Coach Don
Shaw has agreed to allow Cardinal
setter Lisa Sharpley to compete with
the team through September, several
weeks after the start of the NCAA
regular season.
“We’re running into that conflict
with a lot of players,” Haley said. “But
I would just love to have Lisa
(Reitsma) out here for any amount of
time.
“Other than the fact that she’s 6-4
and a dynamic attacker, she has an all
around game that has improved so
much that she could probably easily
step in and play with the U.S. team.”
Please see REITSMA on 16
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Lizama adjusts to NU lifestyle
Matt Millm/DN
AS A FRESHMAN, Lbam has a battlig average ef .423 la Big 12
Caafenaea plag lev Nebraska. She else is the toae leaser hi stales
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ByMkeKluck
Senior Reporter
Adjusting to college softball
pitchers has not been a problem for
a little bit more < a challenge for
thefieshman.
The 5-foot-8 infielder for the
Cofnhuskers (26-2$ overall and
10-6 in the Big 12 Conference) is
hitting .366 this season and a
smoldering .423 against Big 12
opponents. Lizarrk also leads the
team in runs (41) and stolen bases
(16).
Lizama said she is not sur
prised with her performance this
season as NU prepares for the Big
12 Tournament, which begins Fri
day in Oklahoma City.
“I just expect that out of my
self to do well all the time,”
Lizama said. “Those arc the stan
dards I’ve held for myself since
high school. I’ve had those stan
dards for a longtime, and now it’s
just something I’m supposed to
^Lizama began setting her top
f '
s'
Bfeh^O’Dowd High School, and
was a three-time league most valu- -
able player.
It was those statistics which
first attracted the NU coaches into
looking at Lizama as a possible
recruit.
“We saw that she was a leader
on the field no matter what posi
tion she was playing,” said Ne
braska Assistant Coach Lori
Sippel.
Sippel, who played against
. . —. .■
Please see LIZAMA on 16
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