Antone Oseka
Volleyball
tourney fills
football void
Since the Sea of Red will be
absent this Saturday, most people
think the sports scene in Lincoln
will be brutally blank.
Oh, how wrong they are.
The fifth-ranked Nebraska vol
leyball team will play host to three
top-30 teams in the First Bank
Invitational Friday night and all
day Saturday in the NU Coliseum.
The 2-1 Comhuskers are com
ing off a disappointing loss to No.
*♦ riuuua iasi weeKeno in
Gainesville, Fla.
They could use your support
when they face off against No. 25
Arkansas at 7:30 Friday night. The
Huskers defeated Arkansas last
season in the NCAA Tournament,
but the Razorbacks return nearly
everybody from that team.
The other match Friday will pit
George Mason against Pacific at 5
p.m.
Probably the best match of the
invite will come at 7:30 Saturday
night when Pacific, No. 7 in the
nation in the USA Today poll,
faces off against Nebraska. There’s
plenty of volleyball before that,
though.
NU starts the day against No.
29 Geoige Mason at 11 a.m. Then,
Pacific plays^Arkansas at 1 p.m.
George Mason and Arkansas take
to the floor at 5:30 p.m., followed
by the Pacific-NU match.
Granted, volleyball doesn’t
have quite the same atmosphere as
a Saturday packed house in
Memorial Stadium, but it’s still a
great sport in which to partake.
Take players like senior All
American outside hitter Lisa
Reitsma, junior All-American set
ter Fiona Nepo and junior all-Big
12 middle blocker Megan Korver.
Reitsma could be one of the
best players in the country, while
Nepo could be the best setter in the
country.
The match against Pacific
should bring out the best in these
players.
Besides, this NU team was
closer to the national champi
onship than the football team was
last season. The players are a great
bunch of athletes to get out and
see. And a great bunch of role
mArlalc tA Kaa^
The NU volleyball team pro
vides young girls (and boys) with
role models that shouldn’t come
crashing down on the 5 o’clock
news. I can’t remember the last
time a volleyball player was in
even a little bit of trouble. Take
those kids to the Coliseum this
weekend and give them a great
taste of sports action with a little
different flavor.
All in all, it’ll be a great week
end of volleyball action in Lincoln,
with its own mini-Sea of Red.
Oseka is a senior news-edito
rial major and a Daily
Nebraskan senior reporter.
The last line of defense
Matt Miller/DN
i NEBRASKA GOALIE REBECCA HORNBACHER is an imposing force to Nebraska opponents. Hornbacher finished fifth nationally last season with a 0.51
i goals-against average while earning third-team All-American honors.
Hornbacher fits definition for goalkeeper
By Jay Saunders
Assignment Reporter
Webster’s Dictionary defines a
goalkeeper as “a player stationed at a
goal to prevent the ball or puck from
crossing or entering it.”
Keoecca Homoacner nts mat aet
inition.
What the dictionary doesn’t say is
that a goalkeeper needs to be intense,
aggressive and a leader on the field.
Hombacher adds that on her own.
The senior from Ralston has
become one of the best goalies in the
country. Last season, m her tirst sea
son for the Huskers, Hornbacher
earned third-team All-American hon
ors after posting a 0.51 goals-against
average while giving up only 11 goals
in 1,940 minutes of play.
Hornbacher set a Nebraska sin
gle-game record with 10 saves in a 3
2 overtime victory over Minnesota
last year in the first round of the
NCAA Tournament. Hombacher also
has the single-season record for saves
with 82.
She also was named to the Big 12
Please see GOALIE on 14
Invite offers
NU rematch
for Arkansas
|
By Andrew Strnad
Staff Reporter
When the Arkansas Lady
Razorbacks volleyball team visits
Lincoln this weekend, Coach Chris
Poole is hoping his team’s visit will be a
i bit more enjoyable than last year’s trip
to the NU Coliseum.
The Lady Razorbacks will take on
the Huskers Friday in the First Bank
Invitational. The two teams met last
year in the second round of the NCAA
Tournament, with the Huskers winning
in four games.
“It was a great atmosphere to play
in,” Poole said. “A big crowd and a great
team like Nebraska provided a good
experience for our program.”
Poole leads the Lady Razorbacks in
only their fourth year of existence and
brings a team with seven returning
starters after having lost only one to
graduation. Arkansas finished last sea
son 26-11 overall and 11-4 in the
Southeast Conference and returns five
starters.
“We made this schedule three years
ago anticipating that we would be a
Please see ARKANSAS on 1^
Freshmen grow in first game
■ fMewcomoe among
several newcomers to
see significant action.
BySamMcKewon
Staff Reporter
On his first play from scrimmage
as a Nebraska quarterback, freshman
Bobby Newcombe opened up the
wrong way, saw the rush, reversed his
field, shook four would-be Akron
tacklers and scampered for a 22-yard
gain.
“As soon as I realized that I turned
the wrong way, I wanted to make
something out of it,” Newcombe said.
“I didn’t want Coach (Tom) Osborne
to take me right out again.’’
Newcombe joined five other
freshmen and newcomer Brandon
Harrison in seeing significant playing
time in NU’s 59-14 victory over the
Akron Zips on Saturday.
Running back Correll
Buckhalter, split end Matt Davison,
defensive back Erwin Swiney, rush
end Kyle Vanden Bosch and defen
sive back Joe Walker, along with
Harrison and Newcombe, con
tributed and gained valuable experi
ence against the Zips.
“This game is going to help us a
lot as the year goes on,” said Swiney,
Michael Warren/DN
FRESHMAN QUARTERBACK BOBBY NEWCOMBE passes downfield to his
receiver during practice Wednesday. Newcombe was one of six fresh
men to play in the Huskers’ 59-14 win over Akron.
wno nau a za-yara punt return in tne
fourth quarter. “Any team, now, we’re
ready for.”
Davison made the most noise for
the Husker offense during the day. He
led all NU receivers with three catch
es for 64 yards, including a 46-yard
grab from quarterback Frankie
London in the second quarter. It was
me longest inu pass play ot the day
and helped to set up a Kris Brown
field goal.
A freshman from Tecumseh,
Davison gained praise from both
quarterbacks, especially senior Scott
Frost* who hooked up with Davison
Please see FROSH on 14
