NU volleyball team boasts depth, experience
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Tonia Tauke return. Korver, the Big
12 newcomer of the year, hit .307 last
year and led the team with 1.6 blocks
per game. Tauke was second with 127
blocks. Both were used primarily in
the front row last season.
Still recovering from a knee
injury, sophomore Lisa Avery, along
with freshmen Angie Oxley and
Jahnke, who redshirted because of a
knee injury in 1996, add depth to the
position.
“Megan certainly was our most
versatile blocker, and Tonia was in
the top 10 in blocking as a freshman,”
Pettit said.
“Katie Jahnke had a great spring
and she’s going to compete to be on
the court somewhere.
Nepo, the Husker captain, said
the added depth should not lead to
individual distractions.
“People within the same posi
tions know they’re going to be chal
lenged,” Nepo said. “They know that
it’s up to them to work harder and do
whatever they can to get that posi
tion. It anything, the depth will just
push us more.”
The overall team depth and expe
rience at the setter position should
anow me liustcers to improve onen
sively this season. Nebraska hit .260
as a team last season. The mark led
the Big 12 last season but didn’t
match the NU standard set in previ
ous years.
“I’ve been working at lot with the
middles,” Nepo said. “Its really a key
to balancing our offense.”
More opportunities for the mid
dle blockers will lead to less offen
sive responsibility for Reitsma.
Reitsma’s 12 attacks per game and
1,486 total attacks broke nine-year
old Nebraska records.
“This year we are going to be a
more balanced team,” Reitsma said. I
have confidence that we can go to
any player and they are going to put
the ball down.”
Although the offense will be
improved, Pettit said, NU will still
emphasize defense. The Huskers led
the conference in blocking with 3.4
per game and recorded 1,886 digs last
season.
“For us to be a great team, it will
have to come from our blocking and
defense,” Pettit said. “We’ll be better
offensively, but I really believe that
for us to compete and get back to the
Final Four, we will need the defense
and blocking.”
Volleyball
Top 25
Bellow are the USATODAY/AVCA
Top 25 College Rankigs
Rank School Recoed
1 Stanford $1-2
2 Penn St. 31-3
3 Nebraska 304
4 Florida 37-2
5 Long Beach St $3*
6 Michigan SI 26-7
7 Washington St 27*
8 BYU 27-7
9 TexasA- A 23-7 ■
10 Pacific 26-7
11 Hawal 35-3
12 UC Santa Barbara 23*
13 Texas A2M 25*
14 Ohio St 27*
15 use ; 21*
16 Loyola Marymount 26*
17 NotreDame 22-12
18 Wisconsin 25*
19 Washington 23*
20 Arizona 20-10
21 UCU 1744
22 South Florida 27-5
23 Colorado 19-10
24 Colorado SL 23-11
25" : Arkansas ;; ■ A ^ 2841'.
Volleyball
Schedule
Data Opponent Time
Aug. 3031 Florida Invite
Aug. 30 Loyola 11 am
Aug. 30 Miami 5 p.m.
Aug. 31 Florida 1 p.m.
Sepl$4 First Bank Invite
Sept. 5 Arkansas 730 p.m.
Sept. 5 OeoraeMason 11am
Sept. 6 Pacific 730 p.m.
Sept 12*13 Arty's Classic
Sept 12 Oral Roberts 730 p.m.
Sept 13 Tennessee 1030am
Sept. 13 Ohio St. 7:30 p.m.
Sept 1933 BigTeo-ffig 12Challenge
Sept. 19 PermSL 5 p.m.
Sept 20 tffiaoonsfei 7 pm.
Big 12 Conference Schedule
Sept2B atKansae 730p.m.
Sept 27 atKansasSt 7pm.
0cL3 Iowa St 730pm.
Oct. 4 Missouri 730 pm.
Out# Colorado 730pm.
Oct 10 at Oklahoma 7 pm.
Oct 17 at Texas 7pm.
Oct 18 at Texas A&M 7 p.m.
Oct 24 Saytar 730pm
Oct 25 Texas Tech 730 p.m.
Oct 29 at Colorado 830pm.
Nov. 1 Oklahoma 730 p.m.
Nov. 7 at Missouri 730p.m.
Nov. 8 at Iowa St. 730 pm.
Nov. 14: Kansas St 730pm.
Nov. 15 Kansas 730 pm.
Nov. 21 etTnaeTech 7 pm.
Nov. 22 at Baylor 730 p.m.
Nov. 28 Texas A&M 730pm
Nov. 29 Texas 730 p.m.
We’re on your way.
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Husker setter
Nepo brings
leadership
By Shannon
HEFFELFINGER
Assignment Reporter
Every movement Fiona
Nepo made on the volleyball
court last year characterized her
debut season as Nebraska’s
starting setter.
Whether it came as a quick
flying shoot-set to the outside, a
vicious jump serve, or a domi
nating block from the 5-foot-9
setter, Nepo displayed leader
ship through her actions when
ever her hands touched the ball.
Now, after a successful year
of growth and maturation at the
setter position, Nepo hopes to
lead by more than just her
actions.
“I need to show more pres
ence on the court,” Nepo said.
i am going iu iry iu oc more
vocal. It was really difficult for
me to do last year because I did
n’t feel that confident, not in my
playing, but I didn’t feel that I
had the right to tell my team
what to do.
“I was worrying too much
about what I was doing. I felt
that if I couldn’t do the things I
had to for me to perform well,
then it wasn’t right for me to ask
my teammates to do the same.”
The pressure of following
the long line of Husker setters -
including All-Americans
Christy Johnson, Val Novak,
Lori Endicott, and present NU
assistant coach Cathy Noth -
added to the burden of attempt
ing to make the position her
own.
Statistically, Nepo handled
the situation well. Her 13.6
assists per game placed second
in the Big 12 Conference last
season. Nepo tied for second on
the team with 32 service aces
and was third on the team with
268 digs.
Nepo’s marks and NU’s suc
cess earned her first-team All
America status in 1996. Her
continued high level of play,
Coach Terry Pettit said, will
indirectly lead to an increased
leadership role.
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helpful if you’ve worked so
hard that you’ve gained every
body’s respect,” Pettit said,
“Otherwise, nobody listens to
you. But Fiona works hard.
She’s disciplined, she’s commit
ted, and I think she understands
what we need to do to win.”
Improving her court aware
ness and decision making and
having better communication
with her blockers are things
Nepo said she must do to help
the Huskers improve this sea
son.
“I think that’s the key to bal
Please see NEPO on 26
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